Need advise quick on 2016 230 I'm about to purchase.

[jaden28k]

I'll try to make it short, been looking for a 230, budget was limited. Found a dealer who had a 2016 230 with 70 hours which was 15k out of our budget. Then showed us another 2016 230 with 50 hours but the engine had been flooded by the first owner. They were in the process of fixing it up and already installed a new engine with also only 50 hrs on it. The dealer was going to use this boat as there personal boat but knowing our situation and budget wanted to see if we would be interested in this one. They ensured us that they would make sure everything is in perfect working condition and they would pay for an extended 3 year warranty for the boat as well as throw in other extra add on's we wanted ie) heater and such. I was pretty confident that the boat would be good, there were some small cosmetic things here and there but still the price justified the issues, so we moved forward with the risk but protected under the warranty and the dealers guarantee.

Cut to today (day before closing), I wanted to know more about the factory warranty which it was finally disclosed to me that this was a coastal edition boat and was in brackish water. I don't know why this was never brought up I can't remember specifically asking if the boat was used in salt water but I can't imagine not asking this given its condition. This of course brought a lot of red flags as I've always heard never to buy a bought that's been in salt water. Granted the new engine has never touched salt water and doesn't even have the closed cooling system

What would you guys do in my situation?

[hal2814]

230s aren’t exactly rare. I’d hold off until you find one you are comfortable with. You don’t seem to be
comfortable with this one.

[shag]

What is the price? If the entire engine/cooling system is new, or sounds like not new (but never been in salt), I'd go fo fit if significant savings... As long as reputable dealer... I think the factory warranty is only good to original owner unless you pay a fee. I would be wondering what the title says on this boat - is it a salvage due to flooding? If so, wiring could give problems down the road... If they are going to cover everything then maybe a good deal..

[shag]

It would have to be a very significant savings... IE 20k or so

[srock]

Salt has a way of working its way into everything and finding anything it can corrode ...even the wiring. You can always sell the boat under warranty. Does the sinking show up on the title like a car accident. This may haunt you later on.

[jaden28k]

Price is 72k, which I felt is considerable for the low hours. New Engine and cooling system which is now an open cooling system are not new but has only about 50 hours on it which matches the hull. The boat was never considered a salvaged title. The engine compartment was flooded, dealer doesn't know specifics but enough to damage the engine and the first owners got insurance money to fix the engine. Rather than fix the engine the owners used the money plus trading in this boat and bought a new one to the dealer I'm working with.

Dealer then planned to fix the engine but found it to be a mess and figured they would buy a new engine, spruce up everything else and keep it for themselves until they were ready to sell. That's where I came in.

Because this boat was going to be there's (family run dealer) and very reputable btw, they put a lot of care into making sure everything else was in good order. They replaced anything that seemed worn or they were worried about I'm guessing cause they knew it was exposed to salt? ex)new hydrogate, new nss actuators, bimini canvas, among other things. They also replaced many of the skins due to staining. A lot of this justified me going forward with buying it until finding out about it being a coastal edition and exposed to salt water. On top of all this they included a 3 year FPC warranty on engine and transmission components.

After hearing my concerns about the salt water and understanding they didn't disclose the salt water aspect of the boat. Part of it was my fault for not explicitly asking about it, but they also knew our specific criteria of what we were looking for and salt water was a big no, so I assumed. They said they would buy a 3 year warranty for all accessory components. So pretty much everything is covered on the boat for the next three years. Both warranties are valued over 10k. I'm guessing the previous owner traded it in for for a very small price to the dealer.

I do trust them as a dealer as I have a good friend who works at the nautique dealer on our lake who very much vouches for them, so I guess I do trust that the work done is to high standards.

Probably, the main thing running threw my head right now is how bad will the resale value be because of these two factors: new engine, coastal edition. And is the price the right value to offset this.

[MTRBTR]

Man I think you could find a nice used 230 for that price.

[bturner]

If there was enough "flooding" to trash the engine I'm willing to bet that it probably sunk at the dock and there's a good chance a lot more than the engine was flooded. Just because the boat doesn't have a salvage title doesn't mean it shouldn't have one. Some states (like FL) only require a salvage title if the boat has been declared a total loss from the insurance company. To me it sounds like you're buying a salvage boat without a salvage title and for a lot of money.

The problem with buying a boat like this (and I have done this myself only with a fresh water boat) is that things you would never have thought about or knew existed tend to fail. Wiring connections, switches, breakers start having issues. Smells from the flooding start popping up and even if the dealer fixes everything for free reliability and downtime from having the boat in the shop becomes a concern.

Let's be honest here, if you were concerned about having a boat that was run in saltwater, how is it you could possibly be even considering one that sunk in saltwater?

IMHO you need to push that urge to buy something that on the surface seems like great deal away and start looking for something else that is a good deal. To me that's just way too much money to take a chance with regardless of the added warranties and guarantees that come with it. We're right in the height of a buyer's market season. Start looking for that boat that the owner doesn't want to store again or is looking to move to the next boat and leave this one behind for someone else to deal with. At least this would be my recommendation to anyone I was helping to buy a boat.

[kylant]

don't do it. what about the electronics down the road. sounds like a bad situation.
i bet there are many more 230s out there.
also is the grand scheme of things, is $15K really that much more to get the other one? It may be worth your while to go down that road.
Good luck

[shag]

72k is too much for that boat... With all you've described here, I would not give more than 60k for that boat.... WITH the warranties stated above...

[dhmcfadin]

I wouldn’t touch that boat for that kind of money. Better 230’s out there that haven’t been sunk or exposed to salt.