7 year old boat with 68 hours

oldjeep

I've been looking around at boats since we are planning on getting a new(ish) v-drive this winter/spring. I ran across one that has me a bit perplexed. A 2007 VTX with 68 hours - OK some folks don't use their boats much, but what makes this one weird is that they spent $12K to have the newer G3 tower put on it last year and also put $5K into stereo mods. More money than brains I guess, but it makes me wonder.

The price is actually quite good, but it being the Midwest in winter there is absolutely no way to even start a boat up until April.

ForrestGump

I know more than a few like that. A lot of people want a boat, but don't use it like we do. In fact, the majority of families that buy an inboard boat only put about 25 hours on them a year. And you can tell, especially when it comes to the carpet. I'd be hesitant to claim more money than brains, though. Some people put different priorities on things.

gregy

I bought a 99 with 156 hours. It set unused for several years. Had to put a bunch of money and couple of weeks of work to get it going. Overall I got a good deal and it worked out but it ended up having more issues than I expected.

oldjeep

The 68 hours isn't that unusual, it is the 17K in stuff that got added to it recently. We put a solid 40-60 hours a year on our runabout. I am always a bit concerned about buying engines that sit, stuff that has been used consistently tends to run better and leak less than those that haven't.

6balls

Bought a 2000 in 2010 with 84 hours. Needed steering cable and rudder pack probably due to sitting idle. A breaker tripped early that would have to be re-set in order to start it a total of about 5 times. Mechanic suggested it would resolve on it's own with regular use probably some corrosion due to sitting idle...it did resolve after 5 starts or so we have not seen the issue return. No other issues at all so far. Looks/drives like new.

XR6Hurricane

Most boats get very, very little use. I see the same new(er) inboards and all other types of boats sitting at the pier or on their lifts every single time I'm on the river. Doesn't matter what day of the week or time of day. Never see them in the water. I definitely use my boat way more than they do and I only put 30-50 hours on it per year.

Ed_Johnson

Even on our small private lake here in Orlando, it's only three of us with our Nautiques that use the Lake all the time..Some of these other boats are used less than 10 hours a year...I'M Glad !!!

GOODESkier

Don't hesitate to buy it. Take a look at some wear items like: Carpet (does it look like 80 hours?), Belts look like low hours of use? Bottom of boat where it rubs on the carpeted bunks look like 80 hours? If it has speed control, look at the hour meter in there......... Find out where it was serviced and call them.

We ski 100 hours of ski course yearly on our own boat, plus is a club boat, plus ski tournaments, WE LIVE IN OUR BOAT!

I have a neighbor that bought a big wakeboard thing and has used it 3 times in 3 years.,...... put $5,000 in stereo, $1500 in speed control, few more thousand into equipment and ballast.......

I call it more Money than Passion......... I have the opposite issue........ mypassion way outways my money!

6balls

I agree on how many boats not used much out there...and the one's on our lake that use 'em least are the residents. The trailering and campground crowd comes to play. There are only 5 ski boats on our lake, and I'll bet only 3 of 'em get more than 10 hours/season, and two others get less than 20 and then there's mine which...umm...goes thru some gas.

pumpinpete

Another check that I always carry out is scanning the engine ecu - which will require a scan tool- see mechanic or dealer or I bought mîne from Rinda Technologies( rinda.com)
This gives not only total hours running but how those hours were spent i.e. 0-999/1000-2000/3000-4000rpm etc. so you can see any overevving etc (though this is more a issue with outboards) Also handy for looking for other issues. Also very important is the compression check.If an older low hour motor has been winterized /stored correctly it should be fine - the problem is was this done CORRECTLY before storage. If not stored correctly then there could be corrosion in some cylinders and things like corrosion on some of the inlet/exhaust valve area which could translate to a rebuild. These issues may not present themselves upon initial cursory inspection so be thorough. I would get a dealer to check the boat if possible

oldjeep

I'm pretty close to done on a deal for a 2012 VTX with 85 hours, put some money down on it this morning. It is basically a promo/sponsored boat, the seller has 2 of them that they turn over every year or 2.

swc5150

@oldjeep
Congrats on the new boat! You'll have to report back to let us know how you like it. Like the SN200v, I hear it's a nice slalom tug.

dtm8119

@oldjeep

Nice work!! Post up some pictures of it once you get it!

If you're ever looking for a 2nd or 3rd to get out skiing, let me know! I live/work in the SW twin cities area and am always looking to meet up with new skiing folks.