possibly buying a boat that hasn't been out in a year

[Bill Jr.]

I'm looking to buy a used fish and ski boat but hasn't been out for over a year and has a full tank of gas.  what would you recommend to see before I should buy?  I assume drain and put in new gas before starting or something else? Boat was well maintained before sitting.  Thanks for the help

[fishinwrench]

Definitely get rid of the old fuel, and replace the fuel supply line and primer bulb.   Anywhere the fuel sat for that long is gonna need to be replaced, or at least inspected (hoses, pump diaphragm, carbs or vapor seperator, filter, ect.) or you're just begging to have a breakdown.  

Inspect the inside of the cowling and intake area for mud dauber and/or mouse nests. 

Probably gonna need a fresh battery and a new water pump impeller. And of course check or change the lower unit gear lube.

An outboard that has sat for 6-8 months is usually ok....but after one sets a year or more bad things always start to happen.  

This is a good thing for you though, because some of the best deals on boats are made on ones that have sat so long that they won't start...or if they do they won't run well at all.  The owner usually doesn't want to mess with getting it fixed before selling it, so you can negotiate a really sweet deal and come out like a fat rat in the end, even after the repairs/refreshing.  

[Bill Jr.]

thanks Wrench! 

I thought about the impeller/fuel filter the negotiating power but how much would the approx. repairs/refresh cost excluding the new starter battery?

[fishinwrench]

What motor are we talking about ?  

Make/year/HP ?

[Bill Jr.]

2003 Merc Tracker 115ELPTO

[fishinwrench]

Oh that's an easy one.   About 150.00 in parts, and if you are mechanically inclined at all you can save yourself about 500.00 in labor (worse case scenario).   

[Bill Jr.]

thanks for the help.  going to look at it Saturday.  Outside condition looks good but I am worried about it sitting and don't know if it had stabil in the gas or not.

[fishinwrench]

It really doesn't matter if they put Stabil in it or not, that fuel will only be good for killing weeds.   A carb job on that one is about as easy as carb jobs get. Merc 4 cylinder motors are a breeze to work on. Very basic and simple. 

[Brian Jones]

Also, as Wrench has mentioned before, I wouldn't buy any used outboard without first checking the compression.

[Ketchup]

I've got that same motor Bill.