For reference, here's our current setup. I'd bet ball to first axle is less than 3' different, maybe more like 1'
For reference, here's our current setup. I'd bet ball to first axle is less than 3' different, maybe more like 1'
ultraclyde said:I've found another possible upgrade boat, setting up a visit for this weekend. Tell me what you guys think:
https://www.boattrader.com/boat/2000-pursuit-2460-denali-7948871/
2000 Pursuit 2460 Denali. it's 25' long, Mercruiser 5.7 EFI / Bravo 3 duoprop, 424 hours. Closed cooling system, decent motor access, full bimini enclosure. Trailer stored at the owner's home for the last few years. It's made the run to the Bahamas and Abaco from West Palm in the past. Owner says it's probably time for risers/manifolds but not causing problems currently. Needs some other minor fixes - trailer tilt switch and windlass switches are inop, trailer brakes inop, cushions are worn - but was surveyed as "above average" condition in 2016, and I'll have it surveyed again. He's asking $23k
My biggest concern is that some of these boats had issues with wood core rot around leaking through hulls and less commonly with stringer and transom issues.
That’s a seriously nice boat. Pursuit / S2 was a top tier manufacturer. As others have said, survey and make an offer based on results.
First look tomorrow. Surveyor is lined up. Assuming I don't see any red flags it could be surveyed Tuesday if that fits his schedule.
he has had two other contacts about it - one in Kansas and one in Oregon. What a crazy market.
11GTCS said:ultraclyde said:I've found another possible upgrade boat, setting up a visit for this weekend. Tell me what you guys think:
https://www.boattrader.com/boat/2000-pursuit-2460-denali-7948871/
2000 Pursuit 2460 Denali. it's 25' long, Mercruiser 5.7 EFI / Bravo 3 duoprop, 424 hours. Closed cooling system, decent motor access, full bimini enclosure. Trailer stored at the owner's home for the last few years. It's made the run to the Bahamas and Abaco from West Palm in the past. Owner says it's probably time for risers/manifolds but not causing problems currently. Needs some other minor fixes - trailer tilt switch and windlass switches are inop, trailer brakes inop, cushions are worn - but was surveyed as "above average" condition in 2016, and I'll have it surveyed again. He's asking $23k
My biggest concern is that some of these boats had issues with wood core rot around leaking through hulls and less commonly with stringer and transom issues.
That’s a seriously nice boat. Pursuit / S2 was a top tier manufacturer. As others have said, survey and make an offer based on results.
S2 still is a Top Tier Manufacture.
I'm going make a bold prediction, assuming that ultraclyde buys this boat.
This ends in one of two ways:
That better tow vehicle may be another F150, just a longer wheelbase.
Well, the boat looked good. There are a number of minor issues, mostly from lack of use, but in general I'm pretty stoked. We took it out on Lake Lanier -on a Saturday afternoon. In the middle of a poker run. I'm now well versed in how it handles big nasty chop lol. When we finally got in semi smooth water I ran it up to 40mph and still had a little more throttle left and and several hundred rpm to redline.
the trailer is indeed only 18" longer from ball to first axle than my current, and the width is the same. I don't see any problem maneuvering it around.
more thoughts tomorrow, we just walked in.
I'm the one in green.
surveyor will be in contact with the owner tomorrow
By the way Mtn, I read a post from a n owner of the same model that tows his everywhere with the same model truck and said it tows great. He did add airbags though, so...
Good luck, I’d love to have one of those but my slip on the mainland is limited to 23 feet. Oh and make sure the trailer brakes are fixed before you try and tow it. Even with the F150 you need them working well.
Thanks. He filled them with fluid and said that they worked after that. He seemed pretty on the ball about mechanicals in general but I'll test it before towing. Assuming it passes the survey.
I really hope it passes.
As promised, more details about yesterday's sea trial. The lake was rougher than anything else I've ever been on, which was perfect. Calm seas make for poor boat testing. Boats of all sizes everywhere including a bunch of big offshore style go-fast boats that sounded AMAZING. Confused heavy chop and large wakes that would have easily swamped my 15' boat. We ran out across the southern end of Lake Lanier with Ken, the owner, at the helm and then I took over and ran us back. It was rough but the boat rode well and was solid and confident, even dropping into a couple wakes that blew out waves of spray all the way to the bow. When we finally found some smoother water it was like a Cadillac. I got about 40mph (gauge) out of it turning right at 4000rpm on flat water with a little throttle left. I suspect it tops out 42-43 in perfect conditions, which is fine. Through the rough stuff it was happy at 25-30mph with no problems.
Impressions and notes:
They've got a ton of canvas with the boat, including front and rear sunbrella biminis, 2 mooring covers (one they use with a 4" seam rip at the rear, and a new one that's never been on), full spray curtains for the bimini, and OEM removable cockpit carpet. Like..furry carpet that matches the bimini. Never new that was a thing.
Upholstery is solid and soft but has some mildew stains. not surprising.
Cabin was in good nick and didn't smell like mildew or head problems. They have never used the head (bought in 2013) but the PO did. It was pumped out when they bought it.
Boat cranked immediately and ran strong. The 350 sounds gooooood. I was surprised at the "traction" and idle speed maneuverability of the duoprop drive. The drive clunked a littler harder than I was expecting in/out of gear but I'm not sure it's out of the ordinary either. Smooth running, no vibrations. The outdrive was just pulled and repainted, lube was changed, new bellows installed. He just installed a new raw water impeller in the pump.
Working space on the engine is tighter than I'd hoped....but par for the course. Risers are showing some surface rust and will need to be done soon. Maybe before the end of this season, but might be fine until over the winter. Have to pull the riser tops and take a look-see to make the call. No evidence of leaks or water while running or after...on the outside anyway. It ran at a steady 175*F for the whole cruise and sitting at the dock.
There was a little water in the bilge - but no oil or sheen on it, no gas smell. Bilge pump works but isn't wired to my satisfaction. I'd rework that with fresh parts even if it was brand new anyway. cheap piece of mind.
In general the mechanical areas were what I'd expect in a 20 year old boat. Not clean but not absolutely filthy either.
Hull finish looked good. Has a few spider cracks around the windlass and on the gunnels but they're very minor. I walked my big ass all over the front deck and cockpit and it all felt solid. Everywhere I could reach below decks to knock from the anchor well to the stern felt solid. Feeling pretty hopeful about the solidity of it, but we'll see.
boat has been used in fresh water and trailer stored since their bahamas trip in 2013.
there are several systems that have minor issues. The trim indicator doesn't work but the trim does. The trailer position switch doesn't do anything. The power windlass doesn't work - jiggling the switch used to make it run but that stopped working. I don't think the trim tabs were working but not positive. The surveyor will check everything, so we'll find out.
Trailer needs some attention but isn't a wreck. As mentioned brakes supposedly work now, but they're surge on one axle. I'd upgrade that quickly to both axles, probably to EOH disk if I can.
I put a little earnest money down to hold it and I'm having it surveyed this week. When the survey comes back we'll look at the results and finalize a price - unless something really ugly turns up.
I'm jealous of your new boat.
Lol. Not mine yet. But I'm hoping!
So now I'm having a problem with the surveyor. He told me Saturday evening he'd call the owner Sunday and schedule the survey. The owner has not heard from him and he won't return my calls, emails or texts. If he doesn't make contact with one of us today I'm going to have to find someone else. He was supposed to be on Lanier today and so likely survey it today. I suspect the weather has nixed that, but not contacting either of us pisses me off.
In reply to ultraclyde :
Ahh, the Marine Industry! We joke about it all the time. In the marine industry around here it seem to be that people go in the business because they think it is "leisure." It's very hard to get a firm commitment on time and hard to get a firm commitment on dollars.
Yeah. I finally got hold of him at lunch. he intends to call my seller after lunch and go over to inspect the boat. I've stated from the beginning that the boat is at my seller's residence and he needed to coordinate a time with the guy. This makes me unhappy because it seems highly disrespectful of my seller's time, but I suspect most of the boats the surveyor deals with are on a dock or in a marina somewhere and he's used to getting access at his convenience. I certainly wouldn't want to be called like that.
At any rate, I called my seller and gave him a heads up - but I also told him how I felt, and that he shouldn't feel like he's under any pressure to schedule anything outside what's easy for him.
John Welsh said:In reply to ultraclyde :
Ahh, the Marine Industry! We joke about it all the time. In the marine industry around here it seem to be that people go in the business because they think it is "leisure." It's very hard to get a firm commitment on time and hard to get a firm commitment on dollars.
The first year we had our boat on a rack, we found out they were closed Memorial Day Weekend, July 4, and Labor Day. When do you think people want to use their boats?
Well, the survey is scheduled for Friday morning. Think good, dry-hulled thoughts for me.
In reply to ultraclyde :
Wishing you fair winds and following seas!
In reply to ultraclyde :
Nothing is easy these days but yeah it's not like the surveyor is providing a free service. Sending good vibes for Friday.
OK guys, the surveyor situation has blown up. The guy I had lined up no-showed on my seller after he took the day off. I've called every other certified surveyor I can find around the area and no one will return my calls.
I'm really close to saying screw the survey and buying the boat.
I'm thinking about worst case if I do that. For me that would be significant hull rot that needs repair. Sure, the motor could hand grenade tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure a survey isn't going to prevent that. The question becomes am I willing to deal with the repair if it is a problem, at the price the seller is asking.
I was given a copy of the 2016 survey (Link here if you want to read it.) In that survey the boat was "above average condition" and it says the hull appeared solid but most structure couldn't really be reached. So...how helpful is a survey really for that issue?
We all know old boats lose money - more so than old cars probably. At some point I know I'm putting more money into it than it's "worth" because I like it and enjoy it. Ao am I crazy to just consider buying the damn thing without a pro survey?
How about buy a moisture meter (which you can sell later), then spend 2 hours poking all around the boat. Tap on things with a soft hammer for delamination, check stringers and transom for moisture, give hoses and thru hulls and bellows a close look, and possibly send an oil sample out fit analysis. This isn't a super complicated yacht with multiple systems, so doing this basic due diligence should be enough for someone mechanically inclined with some boat experience (like you).
I finally managed to find another surveyor that can hit it Monday/Tuesday. Fingers crossed. Again.
I do like Pursuit boats. Top notch stuff. At 434 hours, I can't imagine delam/rot unless there was damage. Which leads me to my first huge red flag.... why was the outdrive repainted with only 434 hours? I have an outdrive with 3400 hours that has some paint missing on the skeg, but otherwise still has all of it's paint.
I would be looking hardcore at the stern, hull, transom, and outdrive. My pessimist guess would be that the PO whacked a rock so hard that it destroyed the lower unit, they found the cheapest junkyard unit they could and painted it. Other possibility is that it sprung a leak in the outdrive and they turned the whole geartrain into metallic powder and repaired it as cheaply as possible with a rattle can rebuild on a used drive.
Verify the serial number on the outdrive and make sure it is close to the engine serial. If the outdrive lacks a serial number, HARD PASS for me.
Another puzzle I can't seem to figure out is the pricing in your area. You've posted a couple that I feel are priced too high.... as in two to four TIMES too high. I just checked out a 99 Donzi 25' Pescador with the same 5.7/Bravo drive, Furuno/Garmin goodies, and 413 hours for $12k. Half price for (debatably) a better quality hull.
Maybe that's just what boats are going for there, but a 20 year old boat for $23k is telling me you might want to branch out and see what's available in other markets. I just got back from St Lawrence where stuff like the one you linked (albeit heavier use and far more hours) going for $8k... probably $3k of which was in the value of the trailer.
But a "repainted" Bravo is a monster red flag for me.
Regarding weight... Dry weight for something like that should be right around 5k, plus 1k for the trailer, plus 1k for all the stuff - anchor, gasoline, skis, tackle boxes, etc. I doubt you could make it 8000 lbs if you tried. It's probably a 7k trailer (twin 3500-lb axles).
Your truck will tow it nicely.
Well... the 2016 survey estimated value at 20k. In the current market here only 3k more over that is reasonable if not great. The 2 other 2460 Denalis currently listed on Boattrader are asking over 40k. That's crack pipe territory for sure. Gotta pay to play these days. When mid-2000 ski boats are pulling down mid 20s I think this is a better way to spend the money
I hear what you're saying on the repainted drive, I'll check the numbers. But he's put 20 hours on it in the last 5 years. In lake Lanier where there aren't many rocks. I'm not too concerned, he's been very straight about the issues it does have. Besides I might destroy it on an oyster bed anyway.
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