New Member Questions on a 1995 272

[platinum4265]

Hey everyone,

I have been reading your forum for a couple weeks. I am in the process of buying my first Baja boat and was looking for any and all suggestions. I have owned boats before but never a high performance boat. The boat I am looking at is a 1995 272 closed bow. The boat has the 502 engine,bravo outdrive and captains call with 362 hours. Overall, the boat appears to be in very good condition. The boat is for sale for $29,995. The price includes a trailer. My questions are:

1. Are 362 hours considered to be alot?
2. What do I need to know about this particular boat?
3. Is the price good/decent?

Any help is appreciated.

Chris

[GottaHaveIt]

Hi Chris! Welcome to the forum.
That's definitely a great price if the boat is in good condition.
Get a marine survey inspection on the boat. They should look for hidden problems like electrical/wiring, water absorbtion in the transom and hull which can cause rot, engine problems etc. 300+ hours shoudn't be a problem if the engine was maintained well. Basically a compression check and oil analysis would be the minimum I'd want to have done prior to purchase. Consider the hull gelcoat/paint condition. Also the interior. Is it faded? What is the condition of the upholstery, and the stitching? If the boat was stored indoors and cleaned up after each use, not put up wet, then these should be in good condition. Make sure the seats are firmly bolted to the floor, the windshield is not loose, stuff like that. A marine surveyor should check the whole boat. And the trailer, what conditon is it in? Will it need brakes, bearings, or tires? Was the boat used in salt water or fresh?

Hopefully it's one of the rare finds and doesn't need anything!
Let us know how it goes.

[platinum4265]

Thanks Chris. The boat spent most of its life in Possum Kingdom lake. In fact, that is where I will usually be taking it. The interior is in pretty good shape with some small stitching and tear issues. Overall, it is pretty nice. The boat exterior is in real good shape. I was just concerned with the hours being 362. That just seemed a little high to me, but then again this boat is a lot cheaper than a new one. How much do marine surveys cost and where do I find a good person or company to do it?

Thanks again,
Chris

[GottaHaveIt]

Well, I've never had a survey done so I don't know offhand how much it will cost. Here is a list of surveyors in Texas to get you started. Find one near you and give them a call.

www.marinesurvey.org/tx.html (http://www.marinesurvey.org/tx.html)

If they are too expensive then at least get a local marine service shop to check the boat over. They should be able to do a compression check and check the outdrive. An oil analysis will show any signs of excessive metal content from bearing wear, water contamination, fuel contamination (leaky rings) etc. Oil analysis search results. (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=oil+analysis) A sample of oil is mailed to a lab and they send you the results back. Takes a few days. There are several labs that do this.

See if the seller has maintenance records for the boat as well.