Test drove a 2016 24 SSLX yesterday, and a deal is pending!

[gigem]

Inspected this boat yesterday, and made a deal with the seller pending the results of an evaluation by the service department of the dealership that sold the boat to him when new.

The seller and his girlfriend were very nice people, but extremely inexperienced boat owners! This was his first boat, had it for two years. He seemed to be very dependent on his "friends" who were more knowledgeable about boat than him. That seemed a little odd.

The boat seems to be in good condition, but in need of a cleaning. Here were my main concerns:

1. Boat has been stored in the water (freshwater lake) for two years. Not on a lift. I assume that the bottoms of the pontoons are covered in growth.

2. Boat topped out at maybe 25 mph. Couldn't get to 5000 RPM's. Seller said boat hit upper 30's when new, and he feels that growth on pontoons is the issue... maybe... How fast should this boat with SPS and 150 Yamaha be? 38 ish?

3. He said he hit the prop on something at some point, and broke it. Prop was replaced. I am concerned about lower unit damage, and if the prop was replaced with the correct unit. Wrong prop and/or growth on pontoons could contribute to poor performance. What prop should be on this boat?

4. Aftermarket stereo was installed. He was quite proud of it. LED's in speakers, subwoofer under console, separate amp, etc. Overkill for me. Biggest concern is quality of work done to install. In the pictures in the link, you can see the board the "friends" mounted in front of batteries to support amp. Amateur install...

5. Floor covering on deck was dirty. I am assuming that a good scrubbing and power washing will get this clean. Seats were not bad, good shape and not too dirty.

So this was not the "dream scenario" of a boat fanatic who took meticulous care of a boat, selling it cheap. But I think it can work for us. I do like the layout of the boat. No idea why he had the movable seat section blocking the door to the bow of the boat, makes no sense to me. But easy to move to the location in front of the port side door.

I met with the service department at the dealership where he bought the boat when new, and they are going to do the evaluation that they do for used boats that they sell. It will cost me $500 to get that evaluation done. Assuming that everything checks out (or is fixable, with a corresponding reduction in price), I will buy the boat. I will then pay dealer to do 100 hour service on motor, and clean the pontoons.

Regarding cleaning the pontoons... the seller said he was going to get the marina to "power wash" them. The dealership said that power washing would not get it done, they needed to be acid washed. They want almost $1000 for that service. Any opinions on this? Could I just hit them with a power washer myself, or do I need to spend a grand for acid wash? Seller says that dealership put Sharkhide on pontoons when new, I'm sure it's long gone...

 

[Nautical]

Eval for $500 seems way too high. I've seen evals where the mechanics took the heads off of the engine and didn't charge that much. The acid wash charge is at least 3 times what it should be (4 times what I paid for mine on the previous boat a couple of years ago).

If there is warranty left on the engine, I wouldn't worry too much about it and the rest of the boat's systems either work or don't so a professional inspection there seems a little like overkill. You would probably feel it if there was a problem with the prop or lower unit but if there is anywhere a pro could help it's there.

Is the boat due for service? If it is I would say you and the owner take it in together. If a problem is detected, owner pays, you walk or buy, your choice. If no problems detected, you pay for the service and your now up to date for the next 50 to 100 hours. The owner should agree to this IF service is anywhere near due.

I would be careful using a power washer anywhere on the interior of the boat, ESPECIALLY if it's a gasoline powered one. If they set it too high it can slice right through the vinyl flooring. If it's so dirty that conventional mild soap and a hand brushing can't get it out, something's wrong.

You didn't mention where you're at with price but I sure hope it's mid-thirties.

 

[cwag911]

Very nice boat. I think $1000.00 is a bit much for acid wash and would try a power washer first.

 

[gigem]

Regarding price... we agreed to $35K, assuming no surprises in the evaluation.

I agree that $500 is high for an evaluation too. But since there is no trailer and the boat is 250 miles away from me, I am at a disadvantage when it comes to shopping around. So I am committed to pay that. But if it checks out, I am shop around here for a cheaper way to clean pontoons. I have a transport lined up - $600 to get the boat to me.

Regarding warranties... the dealership that is doing the eval and sold the boat new said they would transfer the warranties to me. I forgot to ask them how much warranty is left. Boat and motor were purchased in September of 2016. How much warranty time would they have? How much should be left?

 

[gigem]

Can someone tell me what I would expect to pay if I were to buy this boat new today? What does a new 24 SSLX with SPS, 150 Yamaha, dual bimini, upgraded interior and floor storage go for? Honestly, I do not know...

 

[adkboater]

Can someone tell me what I would expect to pay if I were to buy this boat new today? What does a new 24 SSLX with SPS, 150 Yamaha, dual bimini, upgraded interior and floor storage go for? Honestly, I do not know...

Just go to the boat builder and start there. Pick the options your boat has and multiply the list price .85 and that should give you an AVERAGE selling price of the exact boat brand new. You may be surprised! You’ll need to go with your gut if you have no trailer to move it about. Yamaha’s are pretty rock solid, clean up the radio install and clean and sharkhide the toons and you’ll be fine. If the seats aren’t ripped or torn you’re way ahead. The floors almost always come up clean just may need a little more elbow grease. Yes the boat should run high 30’s (mph) but that’s with some thought into the motor set up and prop. Keep us posted!

 

[cwag911]

Here's my $.02. Buy the boat! Get yourself a trailer so you'll be able to clean and work on the boat. I do not have a trailer since my wife won't let me buy one. I have to rely on borrowing one from a really good friend (Thanks Daril). It is a great deal.

 

[gigem]

Just had another conversation with seller. He confirms that the boat slowed down after he damaged and replaced prop. Clearly the wrong prop was put on. Easy fix.

 

[w5pfg]

With our "normal" crowd (4 adults, 2 children) and full tank of gas, we are seeing top speed about 35mph WOT with our Yamaha F150 and ESP package (obviously not same as SSLX.)

 

[BigKahuna]

Here's my $.02. Buy the boat! Get yourself a trailer so you'll be able to clean and work on the boat. I do not have a trailer since my wife won't let me buy one. I have to rely on borrowing one from a really good friend (Thanks Daril). It is a great deal.

You're very welcome Carl and you know where it's parked if you need it. I think the guys who answered gave good sound solid advice! Any major problems should be detected during the eval and it's still under warranty. You should have a good 5 years left. The toons and the floor can be cleaned. Why is the floor so dirty? Did they leave the cover off???

 

[gigem]

Just go to the boat builder and start there. Pick the options your boat has and multiply the list price .85 and that should give you an AVERAGE selling price of the exact boat brand new. You may be surprised!

Wow, you got that right! Near as I can tell, MSRP on a new boat comparable to this one is low to mid 60's! 85% of this is mid 50's. Yes, I am surprised! Yes, I am excited about $35k now. Never thought I would say that...

 

[Michiman]

I paid less than $500 for an acid wash that ended up causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Be care about having that done! I'd say that you try power washing them yourself. BTW, the link didn't bring me to your specific boat so I wasn't able to scope it out.

 

[gigem]

Thanks for that feedback. I think I am going to hold off on the acid wash. I am convinced that the performance issue is going to be a prop issue on the motor. I should find out in the next day or two. And yes the seller took the listing off of the website so it is no longer available. Good news for

 

[Dennis T.]

I paid less than $500 for an acid wash that ended up causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Be care about having that done! I'd say that you try power washing them yourself. BTW, the link didn't bring me to your specific boat so I wasn't able to scope it out.

can you give us more details michiman? I have lost a lot of performance due to my toons and had them power washed this spring and was not happy with the results. I have heard of the acid washing and wanted to try it out but want to know the risk. my service provider mentioned a discoloration and suggested taping it off and just doing the bottom but again I cannot afford any major issues to pick back up the 8 mph I am down. thanks..... DT.

 

[gigem]

Just got good news and bad news.

Bad news - Dealer pulled boat and immediately found a hole punched in one of the pontoons.

Good news - They didn't even charge me for the eval. They called me, quoted me $6000 to replace or weld and pray. I bailed. Don't need the trouble...

The search continues!

 

[Michiman]

can you give us more details michiman? I have lost a lot of performance due to my toons and had them power washed this spring and was not happy with the results. I have heard of the acid washing and wanted to try it out but want to know the risk. my service provider mentioned a discoloration and suggested taping it off and just doing the bottom but again I cannot afford any major issues to pick back up the 8 mph I am down. thanks..... DT.

DT, I will start out by saying that an acid wash is not inherently bad or will cause damage. It really depends on the competence of the outfit doing the work. If you care to see some pictures of what happened to my Benny, search "my bad acid trip". That said, I had my toons acid washed not because of a build up on them, but mainly because of overspray by my dealer acid washing another pontoon next to mine.

A good acid wash should produce an even finish but it won't be shiny. A bad wash will produce the blotches and spots that now adoren my boat.

Frankly, I didn't know that an acid wash was even used to remove stuff growing on the toons. I thought it was designed to make them look more uniform in appearance from the effects of air and water on aluminum.

As such, it's my opinion that if you're concerned with cleaning your toons because the boat sits in the water all season (like mine), use some car wash mitts or a stiff nylon brush, but not an acid wash! Again, while some have had no problem, some (like me) will remember that day forever...

 

[Jim Rampello]

I scrubbed mine with a brush yesterday, lets say I only got one pontoon and the engine pod completed, next week for the other side. It is tough to scrub something while it and you are floating, you have to do twice as much work to stay close or you could become Wilson floating off into the lake!!!

 

[Michiman]

I scrubbed mine with a brush yesterday, lets say I only got one pontoon and the engine pod completed, next week for the other side. It is tough to scrub something while it and you are floating, you have to do twice as much work to stay close or you could become Wilson floating off into the lake!!!

Jim, I can't imagine doing it while floating! I head for the sandbar where I can easily move from one end to the other. BTW, loved that movie but don't be a Wilson!

 

[SEMPERFI8387]

I think they should do a second movie, you know, after he delivers the package to the woman he met at the cross roads .....

 

[Jim Rampello]

Jim, I can't imagine doing it while floating! I head for the sandbar where I can easily move from one end to the other. BTW, loved that movie but don't be a Wilson!

We have exactly 0 sandbars in our lake, I could pull it up on the shore line. We only have one area to do that big enough for maybe 5 boats. Other than that lots of rocks and such along the shore.