I'm in the market for my first boat. I'm a mechanical engineer and have wrenched on cars and machinery my whole life, but never boats. My wife however grew up on boats and was a waterski instructor, but is not technical at all. We're looking for our first family boat (we have a 6 year old). I just want an all rounder that can hang out on the water, ski, wakeboard, and that I can sell in a few years with as little net cost of ownership as possible. I'm in Seattle by the way, and boats are more expensive here than most of the country so I've expanded my search to a 6 hour drive.
Anyways, I found this. It's a 2005 Air Nautique 205 with 746 hours on the original engine. He's asking $16,800, but when prodded a bit said I could tow it home for $15k and he'd throw in a bunch of ropes, jackets, skis, wakeboard, etc. He ran a non-profit that taught disabled kids how to ski. He knows boats in and out, has done complete engine rebuilds himself (not on this), and claims it's extremely well-maintained mechanically.
This boat is out in the middle of nowhere. For reference, the closest comp I could find in Seattle is at a dealer and is a 2002 Air Nautique with 600 hours and they're asking $23k
He said several times not to expect a beauty queen and that he'd rate the condition a 6 or 7 out of 10. About half has been reupholstered but it's not perfect. Then there is the issue of the gauges. He said the fuel gauge and oil pressure gauge don't work. I hope that means the gateway is still ok, otherwise that's a $1300 conversion to analog gauges. But I'm hoping I could replace the stepper motor on the gauges and see if they work (I'm very comfortable with soldering and this type of electrical work). I'm also planning to winterize, de-winterize, replace impellers, oil changes etc myself.
In the end, we want to give the boating lifestyle a go, but I would like to be able to sell the boat in a few years and not lose much money if possible. I'd love to get your input on whether this is a deal worth considering or not, and what else to look out for with this year/model. Thanks ahead of time!
Anyways, I found this. It's a 2005 Air Nautique 205 with 746 hours on the original engine. He's asking $16,800, but when prodded a bit said I could tow it home for $15k and he'd throw in a bunch of ropes, jackets, skis, wakeboard, etc. He ran a non-profit that taught disabled kids how to ski. He knows boats in and out, has done complete engine rebuilds himself (not on this), and claims it's extremely well-maintained mechanically.
This boat is out in the middle of nowhere. For reference, the closest comp I could find in Seattle is at a dealer and is a 2002 Air Nautique with 600 hours and they're asking $23k
He said several times not to expect a beauty queen and that he'd rate the condition a 6 or 7 out of 10. About half has been reupholstered but it's not perfect. Then there is the issue of the gauges. He said the fuel gauge and oil pressure gauge don't work. I hope that means the gateway is still ok, otherwise that's a $1300 conversion to analog gauges. But I'm hoping I could replace the stepper motor on the gauges and see if they work (I'm very comfortable with soldering and this type of electrical work). I'm also planning to winterize, de-winterize, replace impellers, oil changes etc myself.
In the end, we want to give the boating lifestyle a go, but I would like to be able to sell the boat in a few years and not lose much money if possible. I'd love to get your input on whether this is a deal worth considering or not, and what else to look out for with this year/model. Thanks ahead of time!
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