Used boat suggestions

red_eyez · 07-17-2008, 07:44 PM

Hello GB friends,

I'm in the market for a used 23' WA boat. Found a 2000 Sea Era 23' twin Johnson 90 OB, sitting on an aluminum trailer. All for $16,500. I don't know much about the Sea Era and would like to seek as much info as possible.

Thank you for your commends and suggestions.

Cheers!!
Kevin

**Joey805** · 07-17-2008, 07:48 PM

Before you buy anything, I would recommend paying the money to get the boat surveyed.

red_eyez · 07-17-2008, 07:53 PM

Thanks Joey, this is from the dealership. $16,500 is out the door, with all the tax, regs, etc... They cover the boat for up to 30days with any mechanical issues. I Googled it but couldn't find much infos on the Sea Era. How is it comparing to let say Sea Swirl, Trophy, etc... ?

Thx.

tykim717 · 07-17-2008, 08:09 PM

most important thing about a used boat is the condition of the motor. i'm learning that the hard way. do your homework on the outboard equally or even harder than you do on the boat itself....it'll be worth it in the end.

red_eyez · 07-17-2008, 08:22 PM

Tom, you are absolutely correct and I agree. The dealer is willing to take the boat out for a test drive at the local lake. Friend of mine has a Yamaha 4Stroke on his Wellcraft 21' CC and it's an awsome motor. How are the Johnsons reliability and the ease of maintenance? Is the Sea Era (now is called SeaFox) hull worth to buy? I'm open for any suggestions.

Thx!

tykim717 · 07-17-2008, 08:39 PM

yamahas are probably the best that you can find. johnsons...i dont have much experience to know. but there are people on this board who have experience with them. as for your seafox....nadaguide is listing the boat with about a 135o/b for about $13-14K...not including any electronics or options. seems like a decent price for the year and twim outboards.

**Carnivore** · 07-17-2008, 10:09 PM

Johnson is a decent motor but twin 90s seems REALLY underpowered for a 23' WA. I wouldn't touch one with under 200hp on it. Sea fox are ok boats but low resale value. Personally I think the boat is over priced by about 3k or more if there isn't any electronics on it. Complaints I have heard is they pound something awful, wiring is under over rated meaning wires are smaller then should be. Nothing new for the boating world striper's are notorious for it. Wet ride even on mild days and some have that offset helm where the wheel isn't in front of you when you sitting to accommodate the inset throttle. Not all models had it but I know some people complained about it.

I would sea trial it before you do anything else and make sure they have done a compression check on the motors. Those 2 strokes can really burn up cylinders if not properly maintained. I would pull the covers on them and make sure stuff isn't rusted too. Put them in gear and check the back lash on the props. They have a thrust washer that can go bad in certain years and sizes but to be honest I don't remember which. I would get the numbers off the motors and start checking to see what other problems if any they may have.

red_eyez · 07-18-2008, 08:19 AM

Thank you Drew, I've thought of twin 90s are on the weak side as well, but more worries on the long run maintenance and reliability. I will check them out closely and make sure no rust inside. I'm glad you mentioned about the wiring being under sized. Do you think they will melt or catch on fire after certain period of usage? I'm planning on keeping the boat for as long as I can, unless the boss forces me to get rid off it (she loves fishing as much as I am, so I'm pretty safe :-) ) What I'm looking at the hull is that can handle choppy condition, comfy ride (not too bouncy like my friend's Wellcraft cc) and less wet if possible.

Thanks for all of your replies. Cheers..!

red_eyez · 07-18-2008, 08:28 AM

Oh, what do you mean by "Put them in gear and check the back lash on the props" ? did you mean the props are traveling back and forth? Thx!

fisha · 07-18-2008, 11:29 AM

Sounds WAAAAAAAYYYYY underpowered to me. I dont know much about that boat, but if you are planning to keep a boat for ahile, just be sure it is everything you want it to be....if not, keep looking until you find what you want. Otherwise you will be putting a lot of money into trying to make it what you want. (as opposed to putting a lot of money into doing other things for it.....you WILL be putting a lot of money into it either way!!! HAHA)
good luck and dont be afraid to keep looking around!