To Survey or Not to Survey - 2001 GW 180

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NHAngler

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Looking at a 180. It has low hours / use but not sure the upkeep looks this way. 250 hours on a 150 HPDI motor, bottom paint 1/2 fallen off, motor paint has some chips, and probably the thing that stands out in my mind is a 10-12 inch long bruise on the front keel likely from beaching the boat. I think after addressing the cosmetics and a good bath this boat will turn heads. Assuming I can get this boat for a good price, how much would a surveyor be able to find that I cannot? I have popped most of the hatches, looked down into the bilge area, and anywhere that I possibly could.

Boat is out of the water on a trailer and has not been used in a year. If I make an offer I will either require it to get a mechanical evaluation for the motor at a local yamaha dealer or I will check the motor out myself including testing all electrical components, inspecting the exhaust ports, LU fluid, testing compression and want to hear it run for an hour at various rpms. Techs at yamaha dealer told me that if you have a fuel problem with that motor you WILL notice it.

I'm still fuzzy on if a survey will provide me with anything that I would miss but don't want to assume I know everything there is to know about boats or this particular boat.

Thoughts on if a survey is worth it for this GW 180?
 
I would say yes to a survey. I would go through the whole thing my self first, run or water test it first for the longest you are allowed and if you don't see anything big get a surveyor to check little things like water in the hull(wet fiberglass) or transom and also a second professional idea.
The scrape up in the front, do you see any fiberglass fibers? If you do, i will question it big time, especially if is under the water line.
 
As long as a complete loss of your investment won't bother you, a survey is not necessary:)
Actually, I am serious. The survey (by a competent inspector) is cheap insurance.
The fact that you think it is necessary to run for an hour tells me that you might not be experienced enough to do the survey yourself. Many issues won't show up without a sea trial and an on land moisture meter test. Also, you should try out the boat to see if you like the way it handles.
Sorry for the harshness but it is easy to get a 'deal' and then find out that a ton of money will be needed to bring things up to snuff.
 
I do not recall seeing fibers but do remember it being below the water line (bottom painted area) on the center-line of the bow. Like someone beached it to go swimming or possibly a little inexperience at a ramp.

No offense taken. Always learning (I hope). Reason for me running the motor for an hour was really to make sure the hour meter works and to get it warm enough to check the lower end fluid and compression. An hour run on the water just prior might be a good way for that time to be spent. I'm well aware of the difference between a motor running on land vs water. Many years ago I wacked a rock with a big motor that had a SS prop. Well, the prop looked nearly fine and appeared to spin, however the spline on the propshaft was so far off that the boat would barely move. A $300 prop repair turned into a $2k lower unit rebuild. :cry: My heart was in my throat on that one.

I spoke to the seller's contact last night and he agreed to a survey, sea trial, and any other test I would want to do. I have a couple of emails out to surveyors in that area and hope to speak to one of them tomorrow. Thank you.
 
NHAngler said:
I do not recall seeing fibers but do remember it being below the water line (bottom painted area) on the center-line of the bow. Like someone beached it to go swimming or possibly a little inexperience at a ramp.

No offense taken. Always learning (I hope). Reason for me running the motor for an hour was really to make sure the hour meter works and to get it warm enough to check the lower end fluid and compression. An hour run on the water just prior might be a good way for that time to be spent. I'm well aware of the difference between a motor running on land vs water. Many years ago I wacked a rock with a big motor that had a SS prop. Well, the prop looked nearly fine and appeared to spin, however the spline on the propshaft was so far off that the boat would barely move. A $300 prop repair turned into a $2k lower unit rebuild. :cry: My heart was in my throat on that one.

I spoke to the seller's contact last night and he agreed to a survey, sea trial, and any other test I would want to do. I have a couple of emails out to surveyors in that area and hope to speak to one of them tomorrow. Thank you.
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Sounds like a good plan to me... Good luck!
 
my two cents from experience; pay a reputable boat builder type to go through the entire hull and systems. if he gives a thumbs up then hire a yamaha mechanic to go through the motor. will cost a bit more but you'll get a better idea of if the vessel is worth your money and time.
 
Yes. Money will spent. You will learn a lot and likely be able to recoup the survey fee off the items he finds. I would survey anything over 5 years old and even less if it looked abused or it was a significant outlay. Why take a chance on a 10+ year old boat.
 
Something to consider is that a survey can help you with insurance. Some insurance companies are going to require them anyway. And if you are looking at a stated value, policy it will help establish value.
 
What's the asking price for the boat? Yea, engine survey and boat survey is the way to go. In fact, look for a Yam tech. The Yam dealers have the laptop & software to extract a life's history of the HPDI. But, this is kind of like insurance, how much do you reealy need to do. Looking at probably $700 - $800 for both surveys. If budget is tight take a good buddy that has owned Grady's with you, run the boat at WOT looking for 5500 RPMS and make your decision. Lot has to do with the asking price. If it's alot the seller may be able to absorb some survey fees.
 
Not sure how heavy the HPDI is, but the 180 with a 150 4S will sit a little low in the water aft. In fact if you stand aft you will get some water in the scuppers. Not a problem, just fyi. Bottom paint will chip or flake off if the boat sat out of the water for a year.

The 180 is a great boat, I had a '99 and sold it last year. Wish I still had it. If you have any questions about it fire away.
 
I may be in the minority, but I have never had a survey done. I've paid mechanics a couple hours labor to check out engines, pull compression numbers, check lower units, pull YDS reports, etc... Maybe it's because I've spent my whole life around boats and know what to look for.

I've sold a couple of boats and the buyer has selected a surveyor to look at the boat. I was unimpressed by the thoroughness of the surveyor, so select wisely if you pick one. Otherwise, find a friend who knows boats and pay a mechanic to check out the engine.
 
It all depends on the cost of the boat. I opted not to on a $10K boat.
 
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