I/O Makes & Models to Avoid Purchasing?

[justjoeking]

Due to a new 4-stroke requirement on our lake, I'll be purchasing my first used boat (17' - 19') with a 4 or 6 cylinder I/O. Our budget will limit us to something in the 80's or 90's. I don't want to set off a storm of debate as to which is the best; however, it would be helpful to know which makes & models of I/O's are generally reliable, and more importantly - which makes & models should be avoided. (I've heard to avoid: Ford 4 cylinders, and many models of OMC outdrives - but not sure which ones.) Thanks for pointing us in the right direction! PS I've heard to avoid older Bayliners in general. Are there any other boat brands that are poorly constructed and should be avoided?

 

[Chris E]

Steer clear of anything OMC - reliability isn't bad, but getting parts is challanging (this will also solve your ford issue). Mercruiser product is generally pretty good, you'll be running an Alpha drive - lots of those around, and parts are easy to come by. do not buy the 3.7L mercruiser in any form (165, 170, 185 or 190hp) parts are scarce and they are loud engines. i wouldn't buy anything with a 4 cyl if you are planning on doing any tubing or skiing, you will need the torque of a 6 cylinder to make that enjoyable.

Volvo makes a great product, but finding a servicing dealer can be spotty.

you are right to stay away from bayliner - poorly built, same with mariah.you'll be able to tell very quickly what is good and what is bad at the age you are looking at. good brands include:

Sea Ray
Crownline
Chaparrel
Rinker
Doral - up until 2000 then they went downhill
Chris Craft
Wellcraft

There are plenty of good builers out there, but at the age you are looking to purchase, anything that is in good shape will be a decent purchase. if i was looking for something, it would be a 1992 -1996 sea ray 200/210 br with 4.3l 4 barrel carb - very good boat - roomy and reliable, or if you want something a bit smaller - a sea ray 180/190br again with a 4.3L 4 barrel. stay away from the sea ray "ltd" models and the "5 series" models (175, 185, 195) - they are not good boats.

Your inspection of any used boat that age should include (other posters add in if miss something):

hull for osmosis blisters, delamination and spider cracking
interior - rotting seat bases, floor, stringers, transom
gauge function - everything work?
engine - compression and leak down test, electrical, ignition, and exhaust
drive - water pump, bellows, gimble ring, u-joints, gimble bearing, seals, shift cable

good luck on your search

 

[justjoeking]

Great Information! Thanks Chris!

Thanks for the very thorough response, Chris. Great information and very helpful. You mentioned a few makes of boats that were good. There are a few other makes of boats that seem to have been common out here in California, that weren't on your list. These would include: SeaSwirl, Reinell, Blue Water, Maxum, Larson, Glastron, Four Winns, Galaxy, Monterey, Spectrum. Would you know if any of these are particularly good or bad? Thanks again!


"Ignorance is not bliss - it's costly!"

 

[Chris E]

Thanks for the very thorough response, Chris. Great information and very helpful. You mentioned a few makes of boats that were good. There are a few other makes of boats that seem to have been common out here in California, that weren't on your list. These would include: SeaSwirl, Reinell, Blue Water, Maxum, Larson, Glastron, Four Winns, Galaxy, Monterey, Spectrum. Would you know if any of these are particularly good or bad? Thanks again!


"Ignorance is not bliss - it's costly!"

my experiance here comes from 15 years in the business, so i have seen most of these boats inside and out and will only comment on what i've seen from my experiance.

SeaSwirl, Larson, Glastron, are fairly good boats - middle of the road quailtiy wise, since they are genmar boats, they all come from the same molds, kind of like pontiac, chev, and oldsmobile. same boats, differant badges. the older boats have a little more individuality to them and a bit more character.

Reinell, Blue Water, - don't know either boat well enough to form an honest opinion

Maxum, - upscale bayliner - both built by US marine - quality is the same as bayliner

Four Winns, - mid quality boat, they appear to hold up well, but they use cheap fittings, wouldn't buy one that had an omc in it, so you need to be looking for mid - late 80's models before they were bought by OMC. they have only had merc/volvo power for a few years now (early 2000's)

Galaxy, - never heard of them

Monterey, - great boats, nice running, quiet, good quality - nice style to them as well, definately a nice boat.

Spectrum - the tin boat company? if you are looking at tin, there are several better manufacturers than this company.

 

[Fun Times]

Thanks for the very thorough response, Chris. Great information and very helpful. You mentioned a few makes of boats that were good. There are a few other makes of boats that seem to have been common out here in California, that weren't on your list. These would include: SeaSwirl, Reinell, Blue Water, Maxum, Larson, Glastron, Four Winns, Galaxy, Monterey, Spectrum. Would you know if any of these are particularly good or bad? Thanks again!


"Ignorance is not bliss - it's costly!"

Reinell, Blue Water Are the same boat, They are a light lay up so you feel the chopy water more, But they are quick and fast for there style and can be fun, And most can be easy to service.

Maxum is within a bayliner style and build.

Four Winns & Larson are nice over all, With A comfort family ride. And at the high end of the quality build of the hull, Ect.

Monterey and chaparral boats is a good boat also for the family with a good ride and handling.

Spectrum performance[PhotoBelow] or Spectrum by tracker I believe, like in this link? http://www.boattrader.com/find/browse/spectrum/?CMP=KNC-Google If you really like fishing more then boating/skiing then this link would be more within your style to look at for boat's then.

 

[justjoeking]

Thanks for the follow-up, gentlemen. This has all been extremely helpful. I test drove a nice 18' 1995 Monterey today that was available at a very good price. Nice quality boat. However, it only had the Mercruiser 3.0, which seemed surprisingly sluggish with 4 medium sized guys in the boat. (Perhaps that's normal for a 3.0; however, the carb just didn't seem quite right as well.) It would appear that the recommendation to look for a Merc or Volvo 4.3L V-6 makes good sense, too.

 

[Fun Times]

Thanks for the follow-up, gentlemen. This has all been extremely helpful. I test drove a nice 18' 1995 Monterey today that was available at a very good price. Nice quality boat. However, it only had the Mercruiser 3.0, which seemed surprisingly sluggish with 4 medium sized guys in the boat. (Perhaps that's normal for a 3.0; however, the carb just didn't seem quite right as well.) It would appear that the recommendation to look for a Merc or Volvo 4.3L V-6 makes good sense, too.

Yes A 4.3 or small block 5.0 or 5.7 will be a bit more fun out there on the water, Also when running right the v6 or v8 engines just seem to run much smoother over all then a 3.0 engine.

 

[Chris E]

Yes A 4.3 or small block 5.0 or 5.7 will be a bit more fun out there on the water, Also when running right the v6 or v8 engines just seem to run much smoother over all then a 3.0 engine.

for sure, large 4cyl's vibrate like crazy, v6's still vibrate a bit, v8's are very smooth, but they can be piggy on fuel. so like everything with boats it's a compromise.

good luck on the hunt.

 

[Chris]

The one other consideration that might be worth pointing out, is with respect to warranties.

There has been some financial difficulties in the marine industry over the last few years and those difficulties have affected a number of well known boat builders and brands. In some cases, these financial difficulties have affected the hull warranties.

So if you happen to be looking at something that is supposedly covered by a hull warrantee and if that warrantee is important to you, you may want to just double check in advance and make sure it's still valid.

-Chris

 

[Chris E]

Thanks for the follow-up, gentlemen. This has all been extremely helpful. I test drove a nice 18' 1995 Monterey today that was available at a very good price. Nice quality boat. However, it only had the Mercruiser 3.0, which seemed surprisingly sluggish with 4 medium sized guys in the boat. (Perhaps that's normal for a 3.0; however, the carb just didn't seem quite right as well.) It would appear that the recommendation to look for a Merc or Volvo 4.3L V-6 makes good sense, too.

4 medium sized people and being sluggish would be perfectly normal. monterey is a heavy boat (good sign of quality, it means there is some fiberglass being used). that's where the benefit of larger power comes in.