Opinions Please on Boat Purchase

[Roadworker]

I used to own a 1991 228 seafarer sold about 11yrs ago now back in market for a Grady again.

Looking at a 1997 208 boat is loaded every option i think Grady has . Has a 2012 200 HO Evinrude etec motor with only 200 hours on it. Boat looks real clean .

also has 2019 trailer guy wants 24K non neg on price. Thing is boat has been for sale awhile now.

What should i be aware of...thank you

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I know nothing about the boat other than what you mentioned and hope that it isn't another forum member's boat as I don't wish to "bash" their listing. That being said, I imagine the reason why it's been for sale for awhile now is because of the price. The one good thing about the boat is that it comes with a trailer that's only 6 years old. But the hull itself is almost 30 years old now and the outboard is coming up on almost 15 years old, as well as it's an ETEC, which is no longer being made. I think that the pricing, as mentioned above, is quite a bit optimistic as there are a bunch of similar 208 Adventure's in the mid teens price range. I also bought my 2004 Grady White 228 Seafarer with a 2004 Yamaha F225 and 2009 aluminum I-beam trailer back in October of 2021 in Maryland for $26.5k. So, imo it doesn't sound like a great deal or anything and as mentioned above, I'd look at other listings instead. You also mentioned you sold a 228 Seafarer before, have you ever been on a 208 Adventure? It's going to be a considerably smaller boat, so I'd step on one first and make sure you're ok with the size of it before proceeding as the motor well takes up quite a bit of space compared to the 228 Seafarer which has the enclosed transom/transom bracket. Also in that regard, you've got a bang cap/plate on the 208 Adventure, of which you'll need to make sure that's in decent shape as they can crack, break, be missing, etc and allow water to enter into the stern. And if that happens, you could be potentially looking at replacing the transom of the boat, which from others on here I've heard can cost $5k-$10k. I always recommend paying to have someone survey the boat for you if you're seriously considering purchasing it, or have a buddy come along that knows a bit about boats. You can buy a moisture meter reader on Amazon for cheap to see what the moisture levels of the hull are as well as bring a rubber mallet to tap on the hull to hear/feel if there are any soft spots. Same with standing inside the boat, walk around and see if there are any soft spots on the floor, make sure all of the bilges, lights and other instrumentation work as well. Good luck with your search.

 

[Roadworker]

I know nothing about the boat other than what you mentioned and hope that it isn't another forum member's boat as I don't wish to "bash" their listing. That being said, I imagine the reason why it's been for sale for awhile now is because of the price. The one good thing about the boat is that it comes with a trailer that's only 6 years old. But the hull itself is almost 30 years old now and the outboard is coming up on almost 15 years old, as well as it's an ETEC, which is no longer being made. I think that the pricing, as mentioned above, is quite a bit optimistic as there are a bunch of similar 208 Adventure's in the mid teens price range. I also bought my 2004 Grady White 228 Seafarer with a 2004 Yamaha F225 and 2009 aluminum I-beam trailer back in October of 2021 in Maryland for $26.5k. So, imo it doesn't sound like a great deal or anything and as mentioned above, I'd look at other listings instead. You also mentioned you sold a 228 Seafarer before, have you ever been on a 208 Adventure? It's going to be a considerably smaller boat, so I'd step on one first and make sure you're ok with the size of it before proceeding as the motor well takes up quite a bit of space compared to the 228 Seafarer which has the enclosed transom/transom bracket. Also in that regard, you've got a bang cap/plate on the 208 Adventure, of which you'll need to make sure that's in decent shape as they can crack, break, be missing, etc and allow water to enter into the stern. And if that happens, you could be potentially looking at replacing the transom of the boat, which from others on here I've heard can cost $5k-$10k. I always recommend paying to have someone survey the boat for you if you're seriously considering purchasing it, or have a buddy come along that knows a bit about boats. You can buy a moisture meter reader on Amazon for cheap to see what the moisture levels of the hull are as well as bring a rubber mallet to tap on the hull to hear/feel if there are any soft spots. Same with standing inside the boat, walk around and see if there are any soft spots on the floor, make sure all of the bilges, lights and other instrumentation work as well. Good luck with your search.

Thank you very much for your reply, i do not think he is a member here . He did mention about a crack in the bottom boat rear that was allowing water in (which is said was repaired) I know price is high but boat has almost every option possible. I thought i heard that parts are hard to find for etec motors now.

 

[seasick]

Every boat sale is negotiable eventually. The fact that the boat has been on the market for a while is telling you that it is priced incorrectly or has issues.
There weren't very many options for that boat and the more expensive like isinglass curtains if original are probably shot. Electronics go obsolete quickly these days. A 29 year old boat will have components that probably have reached the end of their useful lifespan. Think through hulls, scupper piping, shot hinges and locker straps. Seat slides, shrinking windshield rubber gaskets, and hinges eventually if no already will need replacement These things are to be expected in a hull of that age. Same for plumbing, pumps, faucets, etc. I had a 208 for 20 years.
The cause and location of the 'crack' would make me a bit nervous.
The Evinrude may lower the value of the boat since they went out of business and parts and especially service can be an issue.

Whatever you decide, have a survey done and make sure the transom is checked for moisture or delamination. Do the survey before you agree on a price.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Thank you very much for your reply, i do not think he is a member here . He did mention about a crack in the bottom boat rear that was allowing water in (which is said was repaired) I know price is high but boat has almost every option possible. I thought i heard that parts are hard to find for etec motors now.

When you say the boat as repaired, was it just the crack or was the entire transom repaired/replaced? Depending on what all was done and how much damage occurred, that could make for some pretty costly issues down the road. Also, what do you mean by every option possible? As in it comes with a hardtop, bow pulpit and some other optional features? I guess I personally just couldn't justify spending additional money on a now almost 30 year old boat strictly for the reason of it coming with a lot of options. I don't know very much personally about the ETEC motors other than a lot of shops around here won't work on them, as a buddy of mine has twin ETEC's on his boat, and it seems like it's a struggle for him to find anyone that will actually work on them. I imagine parts will also be getting harder and harder to find as the motors have been discontinued for what, like 4-5 years now?