Which boat should I buy?

I've narrowed down my choices to a 1980 Boston Whaler Revenge 20, a 1989 WellCraft 210 Coastal, 1976 23' SeaCraft Spectre or a 1980 Tiara Pursuit 22. All are outboards of roughly the same age.Which boat should I buy?
Tiara.

Boston Whaler

SeaCraft

Coastal

In that order. I have a Pursuit, great boat. I have worked on and operated Whalers for years, another great boat. The SeaCraft is a very good boat but has more age related problems (stringers) and the WellCraft is the least quality of the bunch but still a decent boat.
1st off, if any of those are fiberglass, forget about them.

fiberglass alone isnt strong enough. wood is used in fiberglass hulls and wood is vunerable to moisture. just take a look at a 30 year old wood fence or wood porch, it will be falling apart.

20-30 years is a FULL life for a fiberglass hull.



once you have elimated the fiberglass hulls, whichever alum hull best fits your intended use should be taken to a qualified marine mechanic for a mechanical inspection.

a mechanical inspection is similiar to going to your doctor for a physical. a quick once over to make sure its not gonna drop dead the day after you buy it.



after that, actually get it out on the water and DRIVE IT.

there are things that are diffucult if not impossible for even thebest mechanic to notice on land that are OBVIOUS when in the water.





ultimately, even with the newest, your still talking a 20+ year old motor. so, dont expect any of them to be perfect. you dont want to buy a new outboard just yet, or you would be looking at newer boats.

but you will be looking at a new outboard in the next 10 years or so on any of them.....

with a good alum hull, you can repower it again and again and still have a good alum hull.



repowering it will raise its value by very nearly every penny you spend on the new outboard. and will likely make it nicer then any new boat you could buy for what it will be worth then.

my boat for example, 1984 hull that was only worth a little over a grand a year ago is worth over $8k today with its 2011 mercury 60 hp outboard it now has. there are similiar boats to it with comparable new prices, i can literally run circles around them. less hp then mine has, less features, less room/seating.....

find a NICE old alum hull and get it CHEAP. fix it up, repower it, and its better then anything you can buy for the same money and will last just as long.Which boat should I buy?
I would opt for the Whaler. They are terrific boats and the resale value is outstanding. Don't listen to Cliff about fiberglass boats. There are literally thousands of 30 and 40 year old fiberglass boats still giving good service. And some boats contain no wood at all and others have encapsulated it so well that rot isn't a factor. The make of the motor isn't much of a factor as long as it is Mercury, Evinrude or Johnson. But the condition of the boat and motor are a big deal. Be sure and get both inspected, especially on older boats like these. Good luck, have fun.
As for the boats that's your choice



For the outboards, be very careful as parts for those older units are getting hard to find. Especially if it's a Chrysler ( Force ). I suggest you do the research on the outboard engines themselves and go from there. Or ponder the thought of replacing it with something modern. All outboards of that age should be 2 cycle ( stroke ) where you have to mix oil/gas. Keep this in mind as wellWhich boat should I buy?
none unless you have plenty of money to spare. and none listed. engine too old and worn. if used in salt water worse.