Looking to be a new Nitro owner / need advice

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Chevy20 4x4

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Hey all. First off, great forum. I have been lurking for a few weeks gathering information on different models and reading others opinions. Since I have never owned a boat before I am looking for opinions and advice directly related to a boat I found.



Little on me, done a lot of fishing with family through my high school years, after i joined the navy I would only find time to go once a year and could never justify getting my own boat with as much as i was gone. after 12 years of that, i am getting out and looking to finally settle down and get a bass boat like i have wanted to do for years.



It is a 1996 Nitro Savage 884 bass boat. 150 hp 2 stroke mercury outboard motor. Double console but missing passenger windshield. Every electrical component works except for the speedometer which he forgot to plug in when he replaced the water pump earlier this year. Working bilge pump and live well. Comes with a 50lbs trolling motor that is taped together at the top and a lowrance fish finder. Steering cables were also replaced this year. New thermostats, fuel line with bulb, fuel pump and filter were also replaced this year. Carpets are still ok, all really flat and a lot of parts where the carpet is torn and separated, starting to peal up. Seats are torn and sliced. Boat was bumped on rocks and some top layers of the fiberglass were scratched off so he did a poor man's patch work with patch materials bought from marine west and walmart. No leaks or anything, we took the boat out yesterday afternoon, after we were done, on the trailer and 1/2 way up the boat ramp we opened up the back hatch where the gas tank is and there was no water anywhere, turned on the pump and no water came out, could feel a little air so the pump was working. Took a few minutes to get started, he thought it sounded like a weak battery but i don't know what the motor is suppose to sound like when cranking over. Once we got it out, he tried to go full throttle and it took a good, 2 to 3 minutes to start picking up speed and plane out. rpms were comparable with speed, slowly increasing speed and rpms were 2k and working up into 3k. i think the most rpms it was turning was 4 or 4.5k, and took a really long time to get there. the water wasn't choppy, but not like glass either. did about 3 runs back and forth over about a mile and a half of the lake and seemed to start taking longer to get going. i don't know the pitch of the prop, but it's a 3 blade stainless. the motor is a merc 150 xr6.



He had the boat out 2 weeks ago and said everything was fine, good on his part, he wasn't happy with the way it was going and didn't want to sell it to me the way it was running. going to go through and fix what needs to be fixed and then try another run. told him to just keep me informed because all in all, for the price it's really not all that bad i don't think. he is asking 5500 for it. when i did the NADA value, it came out to be 5000 low retail and 5700 average retail so i'm thinking the asking price is fair. only reason it's being sold is he has another baby on the way.



once it's running right, going to take it to a nitro dealer to have an inspection done before i give him the check. with all the research i've done and reading what others have thought about this boat i have determined that others that have had it, are really happy with their purchase and when we had it out, once it got going, thought the boat rode really nice and handled just fine, but i'm also new and a more experienced boater will definitely see problems that i won't and notice things before i will.



with all that information, here's what i'm looking to find out from all of you experienced nitro owners out there.



possible problems with the way the motor was running?

what others think of the condition of the boat compared to what he is asking for it?

how much should an inspection run and what would be too much to pay for inspection?



I am thinking it will be about 500 to re-do the seats and carpet myself. does that sound about right? I'm quite handy with the sewing machine. :)



what are common problems with this particular boat that i should pay special attention to?



for the boat inspection, should the seller or buyer be paying for that?



that's all i can think of right now. sorry for such a long post but I am trying to put as much information out there as i can so others can better answer my questions better.



In advance, thanks for everyones time and responses.



I didn't know how to put pictures in the post, so i put everything i have for pictures in my library.
 
First of all, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!! Old Navy vet here.



As you described the planing time and stated the rpms (max), I was a little concerned. That's a long time to get on plane. Also, I would expect the rpm's to be able to achieve a much higher amount at WOT. Compression issue? Hopefully Bob B can chime in on that?



As for the damage to the hull and keel, it looks to me to be a bit much. That's alot of rock rubbing. It's hard to tell but from the pics, it appears as though he did quite a bit of fiberglass patching to all of it. I'd be concerned as to how deep (into the glass) the damage went.



The upholstery looks like a total replace too. The expense of repair is likely to be as much as finding new seats (if you can).



I hate to burst your bubble but, IMHO I'd think you could find a nicer boat for the money. The current economy (sadly), has many nice boats out there for sale. And, his price (per NADA) with the condition of the boat seems high to me.



If you are set on this boat, I would certainly make it dependent on a good mechanic inspection of the engine AND, someone expert on checking for deep glass hull and keel damage! I'd also see about him taking much lower for all the other needed obvious repair.



Best of luck to you.
 
Not going to be stuck on one particular boat and was thinking of offering 4k to offset cost of interior work and re-patching the fiberglass. Just found a fiberglass shop a lot of the marine repair places use and going to go talk to them about how to inspect it. Currently the owner is rebuilding the carbs and doing some other stuff, said he'll let me know when it's right and we'll meet back up for another test run. Still plan on taking it to have the engine inspected, but we'll see what happens first. Lol.



On a side note, Found a stratos 19 footer that about 2 hours away. Calling on that today. I have been looking for the last 2 months and so far have only called on 2. Havnt found a whole lot I like that's in my price range. Some day I'll get one. Lol.



 
CHevy, Where are you located at? If Louisiana is not to far for you to drive, check out LouisanaSportsman.com. Look under the "clasified" tab, then click "boats".



Lots of boats for sale, and I'm sure there are some nice ones in your price range......If its not to far from you.





Good luck in finding your new boat!!!!
 
Wow someone else on here from California. I bought my boat not far from you in madera at pacific marine. Found them On Craigslist. Try looking on westerbass web site. Took me awhile to find a good used boat too.
 
Appreciate all the tips and advice, have not heard from the guy with the 884 and if he's got it all running right or not. Will be taking a 2004 Triton TR-175 out tomorrow. Hardly any marks on the hull and looks like it just needs some new seat skins. Been doing some research on it and seems to be a good boat. Will see tomorrow. Lol.
 
That NITRO has been fished hard. With that being said, if the price were right (which it isn't at the asking price) it is exactly the type of boat you want for your first venture into bass boats. You don't want a gem because through the learning process, you are going to experience some bumps and bruises yourself. As an entry level boat an old beater is the way to go. once you get comfortable running, loading, docking, fishing, driving, trailoring, and working on your own boat, then go get your showpiece. Caveats are: Have the motor gone over by a good mechanic (compression and leak down), if the big motor blows you are done, everything else can be replaced. You'll also get a feel for what to look for on your next boat. HP, trolling motor size, electronics, etc. Good luck on your search.

 
Again. Thank you for your service. Boat wise everyone’s input was great. Why is this guy is rebuilding the carburetors now. If it was running good the week before, the problem was probably there and didn’t want to invest the time or money to properly get this boat ready for sale . Didn’t see any pictures of the boat. I believe you’ll have to pay for a marine inspection. Prices vary on size and location.
 
I'd wait it out a little longer, that boat seems to be at the point in it's life, where constant maintaining will be needed. Sounds like he's been doing a lot of work on it and you be taking that on for yourself.
There are always boats for sale and good deals come and go, so be ready to jump on one when it come out for sale and know what you want.
 

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