Some times it seems as if buying a used boat is the way to go to save some money. How ever if you don’t know what to look for it could be a nightmare.
Here are a few points to consider – The first thing to inspect when purchasing a used boat is the transom. It should be solid without any give. The next thing would be the floor. Check for soft spots, signs of rot, and leaks in drains or other plumbing in the boat. Over time adhesive can deteriorate and cause water to leak into the bilge of the boat. Another very important thing to look at would be any through hull fittings that could be leaking or completely broken off. If your new purchase may require some fiber glass work I would strongly encourage you to check out South Texas Boat works out of the Pearland area. However if you are going to look around here are a few points to consider, the same with just about any business, check your online reviews and see what other people have thought about the quality of the work done. Another thing to consider is if the boat is wood or all composite.
Here are a few keys to consider – reference Randy’s Marine – As everyone knows, wood rots. Even the best treated woods will rot over time causing weakness in the transom, floor, and can even lead to separation of major structural components in the hull. A fully composite hull eliminates the risk of rot or any weakness in the hull. The material is completely unaffected by even the most intense marine environments, and is surprisingly light. Also screws down in the floor of the boat will lose their bite over time in a wooden hull due to rot, another thing eliminated by choosing composite. This is very crucial when it comes to large structures like a T-top. I would also recommend Randy’s marine for all of your needs when it comes to service or trailer repair. Randy Rhodes took over C&E Marine May 1st 1983. That will be 33 years this May 2016 he has been in business. This is a great point when considering where to go, you know he has a great reputation and will be here today as well as tomorrow.
Randy’s Marine is a family owned and run business that takes the quality of service provided to customers very seriously. Customer’s safety and satisfaction is their main priority. Their experience, organization, and the pride they take in their work and attention to detail is what their reputation is built on and mistakes are simply not acceptable. Randy’s Marine are boaters and fisherman that know boating and have the best service reputation years past and years to come. Randy owned a 1977 Ranger 205A with a Mercury 175 Black Max. One day it stopped running right. He checked it out and come to the conclusion that it had lost spark on 3 cylinders, having been a Machinist for years, had worked on cars, and built race car engines since the age of 16, he thought he’d buy a service manual and fix it himself. He tested all of the ignition components and they past all the tests. Not knowing what to do next, he went to a Mercury service center just 2 blocks from his house in Pasadena. There he met Ray Evans, the owner of C&C Marine. He said, “if all ignition components tested ok, and it didn’t have spark on 3 cylinders, it probably had a bad switch box”. So he bought one, installed it, tested spark again, and the engine had pretty blue spark on all 6 cylinders. The engine ran like new again.
Randy became friends with Ray and Old Richard and found out Ray was wanting to sell out and retire. Randy used all of his retirement savings at Atlantic Richfield refinery and owner financed the rest. We have been servicing not just Mercury but all the major brands for over 30 years. And over that period of time we formed our own opinion of what is best. If cared for any engine when in its first few years runs great until it doesn’t, and this goes for any make or model of engine. I will pull my torch and drill and tap set out before I even pull the cowling on a foreign engine. The quality of the material used to build the engine doesn’t hold up to salt like a Mercury. Foreign engines use smaller bolts which corrode inside the block and break off when attempting to remove. Mercury uses larger bolts than can be zipped out with a half inch impact without the help of a torch. Trim relay for a foreign engine is almost $300 compared to a Mercury, less than $50 and you can replace the up or down relays individually. And that goes for all the components on the engine.
Mercury’s engines are made to be maintained to last instead of when it’s time for repairs you might as well go buy a new engine cause the outrageous price of parts and the extra hours it takes to disassemble the engine in order to do the repairs. Also I’ve never understood why the foreign engine manufactures can’t figure out how to put the vapor pump on the outside of the intake manifold. You have to disassemble half the engine just to do a simple tune up. Mercury’s vapor pumps are easily accessible and basic maintenance procedures can be done in a fraction of the time keeping the hours down on the service. The engines are easier to service, hold up in saltwater much better than any other engine, parts are cheaper and better quality, the technology is by far surpassed its competitors, and they are still the fastest on the water. Mercury is dedicated to nothing but the water unlike their competitors. They don’t make key boards and motorcycles and whatever else is out there, just the water.
If the foreign engine manufacturer didn’t slap a longer warranty on the engines they wouldn’t sell any of them. It’s to hook impulse buyers that don’t take the time to compare their options. Mercury doesn’t need to use the warranty for a sales pitch, they focus on building the best products. Mercury’s are not built like a disposable camera. Timing belts vs timing chains. American material vs cheap hardened clay that permanently salts up. Get in the boat and compare the engine for what it is and not for what the warranty on the paperwork says. Mercury was partners in 7-Marine and builds a 1,650hp sterndrive with a warranty.
Randy’s Marine is Houston’s premiere Blazer Bay dealer. Blazer Bay has always been on the cutting edge of new manufacturing techniques and hull performance, as well as ultra-high performance bass boats. They continue today with the latest boat building methods and materials to make an incredibly strong, light weight hull with a life time warranty. They are building some of the best boats in the industry today, like their Ultimate Bay 675, and the new 2420 GTS models and continue to come out with new and exciting models that meet the needs of recreational and professional fisherman. A new line of flats boats will be on the market soon. Stay tuned.
If you guys are looking for a trip in the Houston/Galveston area feel free to contact me at www.fishinggalvestonbaytx.com or visit my FB Acosta’s Guide Service.
Rippn Lipz n Bendingrodz.
Remember to send in your pictures for the brag board, see you on the water