We're considering purchasing a used (obviously) 1985 sunsport with just over 450 hours on it. Apparently, the original owner stored it at a marina for almost 10 years, racking up a huge bill and the marina sold it to the guy who is now selling it. So it sat for a long time. It appears to be, cosmetically anyway, in resonable shape for it's age with only one tear in the upholstery, very little damage to carpet etc and although weathered, the teak is still in good shape.
Two things concern us though. The present owner has owned and operated it for approx 5 years, and up until the end of last season had few mechanical problems. But, the tranny went out at the end of the year, allowing him to only reverse back to the dock. Now it appears it needs a new (or rebuilt) tranny.
We had an opportunity today to inspect the boat fully (we're rookies here...) and from reading prior posts, we did check the engine bolt mounts by attempting to tighten them but two of the bolts did 'turn' in place. The upper bolts seemed to be still gripping, but the lower engine mount bolts seemed to be spinning in place. The guy selling the boat told us that at the end of last season he had a mechanic look at it, who removed the tranny and perhaps the bolt holes were stripped at that time.
Using a pick we checked nearby wood (which was exposed due to the fiberglass starting to flake near the exhaust hoses) and the wood there appeared to still be solid.
Does anyone have any more insight???? We're not really looking for a project boat here. My hubby is VERY mechanically capable and we're considering doing the tranny rebuild ourselves but repairing/replacing stringers is a bit over our heads and beyond what we can resonably accomplish right now with a small child.
Are there other ways to check out the stringers? Are there other concerns you more experienced Supra owners would have? Do you have any other tips for checking out potential downfalls? Any advice on the stringer assessment? What would you consider a reasonable price for a boat of this age and with these issues?
thanks in advance,
Cyndi