The Survey is In... And I'm Nervous

[timberxx]

So the survey came in on the 205 tournament I am planning to buy this Saturday. Two things came up.

1. The gauges are not working properly. The hour meter is not showing properly, the tach is off, trim measurement is off, fuel gage is not working, etc.

The boat has the yamaha 2004 multifunction speedometer and tach.

2. The GPS could not "find" where the boat was.

The GPS is a garmin and a 2004 model year.

The boat is in great shape, and I don't know what to do. I need to approach the owner on this, but I don't want to scare him away.

How do I approach this? New gauges are $1000 on yamaha's website, could they be fried? Could the GPS be at the end of it's life? A new one is $600

The surveyor said it could be a loose ground.

My thought is to have the seller fix it, but what if he says no? What price is this stuff worth?

Comments Please!

 

[VeroWing]

First thing to remember is, "it is presently a buyers' market". If voiceing concerns about these problems scares seller away, let him go. There are tons and tons of excellent boats being offered for fantastic prices right now.

Most boats that are six years old, and older, start to show electrical problems, especially if used in saltwater. Most of these problems come down to bad/loose connections. I would however, be concerned about hour meter not registering correctly. How long has it been reading improperly. How many hours are really on engine. What does surveyor say about this.

You say new gauges are 1000, and GPS is 600. Then again, a 2004 boat isn't expected , in most cases, to have new gauges and GPS. Offer the guy 1600 less for boat, or have him repair items of concern. You can negotiate from this point, or hold firm. JMO, Mike.

 

[timberxx]

The surveyor didn't have the yamaha computer to read the hours off the engine. So this may be unknown until I have a tech hook it up to the computer.

 

[Capt Bill]

I tend to agree with the surveyor that it could be a voltage problem; e.g. bad ground. That could prevent the gps from locking, and cause the other symptoms you mentioned. Ask the seller if he will have a tech look at it (repair it). I doubt that you have bad gauges. The trim-tilt sensors on those engines are a variable resistor sealed in a housing, mounted near the engine trim-tilt pivot point. They tend to stick, indicating that the engine is trimmed lower that it actually is. Usually repairable by cleaning and lubricating the sensor arm, but if he has to be replaced, the part is close to $100.

If everything else surveys good, I would ask for some comp, or repairs, and see what he says.

 

[Fishtales]

Hi,
I would be open and polite with the seller and ask him to address all issues as well as get a tech to provide the actual hours. As stated, this is a buyers market and you are in the driver seat. There are plenty of boats out there if he can't accept the truth and be willing to fix the problems.

 

[Barlow46]

Who did the survey? Did the other electrical functions on the boat work ok? Bilge pump? What position was the battery selector switch in? Sure sounds like a ground problem (except for the trim switch that is probably hanging up). Did the hour meter not even come on? If it did but didn't start counting, how many hours was the engine showing? Was the boat in the water? Rack stored or lift stored? Trailer stored? Age of battery(s), should be two on that boat. I would be more interested in the condition of the floor over the fuel tank and the transom. Many more questions unanswered. It seems the owner would know how long things have not worked and being honest with you would go a long way toward your decision to buy from him or are you buying from a broker/consignment deal?

 

[timberxx]

Who did the survey? Did the other electrical functions on the boat work ok? Bilge pump? What position was the battery selector switch in? Sure sounds like a ground problem (except for the trim switch that is probably hanging up). Did the hour meter not even come on? If it did but didn't start counting, how many hours was the engine showing? Was the boat in the water? Rack stored or lift stored? Trailer stored? Age of battery(s), should be two on that boat. I would be more interested in the condition of the floor over the fuel tank and the transom. Many more questions unanswered. It seems the owner would know how long things have not worked and being honest with you would go a long way toward your decision to buy from him or are you buying from a broker/consignment deal?

Alot of good questions Barlow,

1. Carolina Marine Survey did the work.
2. I didn't ask how the other electric functions worked
3. According to the surveyor the hour meter didn't come on, but i swear i saw it last week.
4. The boat was rack stored
5. There are two batteries, I need to bring them somewhere the get checked, does an auto parts store do that?
6. The floor and transom are solid, is there a common problem with this model?

 

[Barlow46]

Just check the code on the batteries and do an online search and it will tell you how to read the code as far as month and year go. If the batteries are original, most likely they are at the end of their life. I would think that a survey would include this information. Nothing on that model that I am aware of regarding soft floor or transom, just a good idea to check on any boat especially over the fuel tank where moisture collects. If the boat has been rack stored all it's life, most likely you would be ok on the transom but you never know. Sometimes you get a water leak around the swim step attachment, the engine mounting bolts or where the transducer is mounted. Any bottom paint on the boat? This could indicate some in-water or slip storage but not always. Did the survey include a moisture check in the transom from the bilge area? A moisture meter can give you a possible indication but most surveyors use the ball peen hammer or rubber mallet to ping the transom. The best way is to drill about four 1/4 holes in transom and stick an ice pic in to see if it is soft. Sometime hard to convince an owner that this is what you need to do but they can be plugged and re gell coated. If I was selling mine, I would allow it after I had a deposit and the sale was only contingent on a solid transom. Also, the prospective buyer would pay for the plug and gellcoat if he didn't buy. Also, a quick way is to remove one of the screws that holds the transducer to the transom and see if any water drips out. Not foolproof but if there is water anywhere near, it will drip out after a few minutes. Why didn't the surveyor have the right equipment to do the job. I would think that a reputable dealer would do it right. I'm probably being overly cautious but if I pay for a survey, I expect it to be complete with working equipment. Oh, who selected the surveyor ....you or the seller?

 

[Bill_N]

So the survey came in on the 205 tournament I am planning to buy this Saturday. Two things came up.

1. The gauges are not working properly. The hour meter is not showing properly, the tach is off, trim measurement is off, fuel gage is not working, etc.

The boat has the yamaha 2004 multifunction speedometer and tach.

2. The GPS could not "find" where the boat was.

The GPS is a garmin and a 2004 model year.

The boat is in great shape, and I don't know what to do. I need to approach the owner on this, but I don't want to scare him away.

How do I approach this? New gauges are $1000 on yamaha's website, could they be fried? Could the GPS be at the end of it's life? A new one is $600

The surveyor said it could be a loose ground.

My thought is to have the seller fix it, but what if he says no? What price is this stuff worth?

Comments Please!

Ask the seller to fix the issues found. This is standard practice. If he doesn't want to then you have to decide how bad you want it.

In my experience repairs always seem to cost more than you think they will so I would start looking for another boat. If you want to negotiate, don't act desparate. Walk away from it, if you still haven't found a bout a month later you can go back and ask again if he's willing to pay for repairs or at least split the cost.

 

[miboater]

Call Garmin they can talk you through the can't find problem. Some units forget their memory. If that doesn't work they will exchange the unit. They exchanged my 172c for $ 150.
Good Luck

 

[Fishtales]

Hi
You indicate you are the buyer, why are you acting as the seller. :?
You already showed good faith paying for a survey. The seller should chase down the battery test, get the garmin working and resolve all the issues for you. :wink:

 

[hotajax]

Survey Results

No matter what your seller does, go with the rest of the guys, who in this instance, are right. It's a buyers market, get it fixed or walk.

 

[Bama96]

Very minor issues for a 6 year old boat. Don't let these small repairs scare you away if you like the boat. Use them as a negotiation tool.

 

[fishingFINattic]

Very minor issues for a 6 year old boat. Don't let these small repairs scare you away if you like the boat. Use them as a negotiation tool.

This was my thought exactly -

Present the seller the survey findings, I bet it falls right into place -

If I was the seller and you brought that list to me, it would a non-issue and repaired immediatly-

Good luck

Tim

 

[timberxx]

The owner is a good guy, but not a boater.

He said he won't have it fixed, but is willing to take up to $1000 off the selling price.

I would also fix a boat before selling it.

The transaction is taking place tomorrow, I couldn't sleep last night because I was so excited.

 

[jellyfish]

WOW, Take the 1k off and get your boat. Thats more then fair to me. I would rather have the 1k discount and get it fixed myself. Sounds like you are dealing with a fair man.

 

[Barlow46]

Sounds like a good deal for both of you. Good luck and enjoy your new Grady and let us know if the ground was causing the problem with the electronics.

 

[Bama96]

Great deal and good decision. Please post pictures of your new girl. We love Grady boat pics!

 

[GulfGrady]

Am I missing something here? Does anyone know what the price of the boat was?

 

[Bama96]

No we were just commenting on the results of the survey and the discount he got vs. what was wrong.