1996 Nitro Savage 884 - Good or Bad

[Eric Combs]

Hey Everyone -



I'm in the process of buying a 1996 Nitro 884 Savage with 150 EFI Merc on it for a pretty amazing price (I can't say.. but it's quite low). The boat is in decent condition but you can tell it's seen some sun because the dumb sticker decals that run the length of the gunwale that Nitro stuck on are faded and peeling/cracking in places. Overall, it seems this boat has been relatively decently cared for - the gelcoat is still in great shape. Aside from one scratch on the hull there really isn't any damage to the boat, the carpet is in good shape, the seats aren't ripped at all (although the tops are fading a bit). I did notice a small bit of cracking on the dumb stickers on the driver's side up near the font casting deck - could that indicate a larger problem? Here's a picture I took of the area:

From what I can tell, it seems to be just on the sticker but I've seen some Nitro boats on which the gelcoat spiders because of other issues, but I couldn't tell if this was just sun damage to the sticker or a sign of a slightly larger problem.



That all said, I've pretty much searched high and low and haven't found anyone who said this particular boat was junk. In fact, I've seen this boat have a pretty decent resale value. I'm sure it's all directly related to how the boat was cared for and the owner claims it was either covered with a boat cover or under a shed/in a garage its whole life. The gelcoat does shine quite nicely - aside from those dumb stickers. Speaking of which, has anyone here ever removed them? I've got a heat gun and plastic scraper on the way in case I do buy it and I can take those dumb things off so I'm left with nice gelcoat.



Let me know what you guys think - I'd be very interested to know.



Eric

 

[Tornado]

I have a 96 896. I bought it used and it has given me good service. The best I can recommend is to be sure the transom is sound and the 150 is good. If it meets those two the boat should be fine. Just as a after thought, pull the batteries and check the livewell and bildge pumps for any leaks. It's a easy fix if you don't mind standing on your head.

 

[Bob Bourget2]

Lots and lots of these boats out there. As stated, be sure to have the motor checked out {i.e., compression, leakdown, g'case}, and have a look at the bottom to be sure it was kept off the rocks. Very good rough water boat, and fast. Look for transom motor mount hardware that might be "pulling" through the gel-coat, indicating soft transom. Don't worry too much about deck cracks, nothing to do with the "hull".......good luck!!!

 

[Eric Combs]

Thanks guys!!



I inspected the transom quite thoroughly and it looked good to me. There was a slight crack in the gelcoat on the left side of the transom (looking at the boat from behind) but I have the same thing on my 17.5' Procraft with a Merc 125 - it's apparently a pretty typical problem. All the hardware seemed good - I didn't notice any pulling or anything.



I didn't have the motor checked out but I heard it run and it sounded perfect. The first thing I do when I get it home is flush the LU Lube and replace it. I know enough to tell if there's an issue (milky color, big shards of metal on the lower plug, etc). The guy I'm buying it from is deathly afraid of his oil injection failing so he had it removed when the warranty on the motor ran out - I'm not too thrilled about that but, at the same time, I guess it is just one less thing to go wrong. The guy said it's been serviced about once a year and plugs were recently changed out but I'll probably buy a new set after I run SeaFoam through it a few times.



Apparently, this boat has been out only about 3 times per year since it was bought - very little use. The bottom of the boat is in terrific condition - but it does have one foot long scratch. It's only surface - it did not go through the glass or the gelcoat or anything. I might wet sand it down if I get that annoyed at it.



Thanks for the feedback! I'm really excited to pick it up (Saturday) and I'm even more excited to get it out on the water (Sunday). The lake I fish is really rough with all the traffic so I'm very excited to have something that will handle a bit better than my Procraft.. I absolutely love that boat but it's not the greatest in rough water... and it'll be nice to get above 50mph in the Nitro

 

[Max Neathamer2]

Maybe I am a little partial to the Savage 884 due to the fact that I have owned mine since 1997. I think its a great boat. Stable, fast, good storage. Just like anything else, it really depends on the previous owner and how they take care of their equipment. I am very anal when it comes to my stuff. As Bob B stated, have the motor checked out. Take it for a test run and I dont mean a couple of hundred yards.. Run it like you own it. Good way to "Feel" it out. Hope it turns out to be a great find



Max

 

[Eric Combs]

Thanks, Max! Question for you - did yours have those decals on the gunwales like mine does? Or did yours come without those? If it did, did you remove them?



Eric

 

[Max Neathamer2]

Eric,



All the decals you see in the pic on the boat are original. I have neither taken off or put on any decals on my boat.



Max

 

[Eric Combs]

I'm guessing yours is a 1997? I don't know why but in 96 they stuck these the length of the gunwales:

You can see how faded they are and I'm 99% sure that if I peel them up it'll be nice, clean, gelcoat underneath. I found a guy who has 'Savage 884' decals and I plan to order them and put them in their respective places on the gunwales... but these boat-long things are a little ridiculous.

 

[Max Neathamer2]

Eric,



Its like when your watching "Flip this House" on A&E and they take that old raunchy carpet up and they fine that beautiful hard wood under it. Take that stuff off. I see that one is the DC. Makes it nice for your partner. Yep, mine is a 97. I see you have a hose on the motor. Make sure you take her for a drive. Have you had your Mechanic look at it yet? If its half the boat mine is, your going to love it..:wub:



If you get a chance when the boat is off the trailer, check the bunks and the welds. Check for rust. Have the bearings looked at as well.



Max

 

[Eric Combs]

Thanks, Max. I had intended to take off the decals and I'm pretty sure it'll turn out well. I'll post before and after pics during the project.



Yeah - I'm pretty excited about the dual console. My current boat is a single, which is great - I don't mind it one bit, but having the DC gives me a a little extra storage space and, like you said, a nicer ride for my passenger.



I have not had the motor checked out by a mechanic but I'm pretty mechanically inclined and the boat has been regularly serviced. The wheel bearings were replaced two years ago and I got under the boat and inspected the welds for any breaks - there weren't any - it looked pretty sturdy. The owner says the trailer brakes don't work but I'm going to try to fix them - and, if I can't, there's a guy in MO who sells factory 2nd trailers for HUGE discounts - I'd have my dad pick it up and bring it out to me.



I've thoroughly looked everything and it all checks out. Fired right up from being completely cold, shifted into gear with complete ease (no noise at all), the hydraulic steering is super smooth - the floors are solid, gelcoat in good shape. I'm pretty excited. And, like I said, I'm getting it for a pretty good price. Apparently, boats are tough to sell this time of year...

 

[Max Neathamer2]

Eric,



Really glad to hear you got a great deal on your boat.. Time to get busy and put some fish in the boat and then putting some pics in your library.



Have a great fishing year... And Congrats!!



Max

 

[Eric Combs]

Thanks again



I'm picking it up tomorrow - the seller has been out of town this week. I've got a list of about 100 things I'm going to do tomorrow including flush/change the lower unit lube, use my new pressure washer to give it a really nice bath, get those decals off, buff it out, swap my new Minn Kota iPilot trolling motor from my Procraft to it, try to fix the brakes on the trailer, and some other various things. I plan on spending most of tomorrow, then pretty much all of tomorrow night and the Sunday AM take it out for its 'main voyage'.



We'll see about putting fish in it. After a year of fishing down here I still haven't figured it out.. it's tough in the heat of summer because the spots are down between 30 and 50 feet.



I'll def post a thread w/ build pics and progress.



E