[79markV]

so a buddy of mine knows a guy with a 14 ft runabout with a 35 hp motor on it it's sitting outside and i dont know if it was covered or not anyway he bought it for fifty bucks with a trailer, when i do see this boat what should i look for to tell if she's water worthy if it's all sound we're gonna put some money it and see if we cant get her running thanks

[deadeye2]

I don't mean to sound arrogant but you need to look at EVERYTHING.
Get a set of cups to put over the water intake and run that engine. Don't EVER run the engine out of the water with out the hose hooked up to the cups and turned on. Just 5 to 10 seconds will damage your impeller. If it runs and then dies after 5 minutes or more your impeller on the cooling pump is shot.
Do yourself a big favor and get a service manual for the motor
Things to check
gas tank/ rusty
gas hoses
lights
battery
electrical
registration
leaks
draing plug
shifter
life jackets
whistle
oars
tires
bearings
and on and on and on.
etc.
On your first trip out try and stay close to the dock or by someone who can tow you back just in case. Check the regs to see what you need to have on board to be leagal in a 14", you might be suprised.

[rodm]

Mark,
You never can tell with a deal like that. allot depends on how good you are with the tools. I guy I used to work with was gifted a small old boat and trailer by an elderly woman as a thanks for all the kind things he had done after her husband died. Not being a boater it sat in his drive for a year before a friend of his offered to buy it for a few hundred bucks. He took the boat to a local shop for there opinion, a good thing for you to do too. They found the boat name was unfamiliar and it had low serial # and did a little research. Last I heard (10 years ago +/-) it was #3 of a short lived Harley Davidson boat line and they had offered a good sum to buy it back for restoration and placement in there museum. Don't get your hopes up,but you never know.

Take a good look at the bottom for cracks, holes, ect.. Stomp around and the floor and look for soft spots and rot, Take a look for rot and soft spots in the transom. If it's all solid it should float, assuming you have the plug in. As mentioned don't run the motor with out water. The cups mentioned are only a few bucks and hook up to a regular garden hose. If it has an old metal gas tank rust is a issue, buy or find a newer tank to use. I'd also research the model and year of the boat for it's fair market value in good running condition. That will give you a good idea of how much to spend fixing it up.

[Paul S.]

For $50 I wouldn't put any money into it unless it starts. Even if it starts and idles well on the driveway, you need to see if it will operate in the water. If you have the tools for a compression check on the cylinders you don't have to water test it. Naturally, inspect the hull. Is it fiberglass or aluminum? Look for obvious things things- cracks, gouges, soft transoms, sturdiness of the floor ect.... Like Deadeye listed, you need to check all those things but I would check the motor and the overall condition of the boat before I decided to put any money into it. Good luck.

[79markV]

well the motor issue isnt a big one because the buddy has a buddy whos a motor genius and if its bad used ones arent hard to find i will definatly check the transom i had already been thinking about that before i posted the question, i'm gonna talk to my buddy saturday and i'll kepp you all posted and i'll post pics if i get some