What to look for? Buying '89 BFN

I'm considering buying an '89 Barefoot Nautique from a skiing acquaintance. It would be my first CC, and I want to find out what to look for and check out to know just what condition it's in. I've skied on it a few times over the past couple of years, but want to know how to identify things that might not be obvious and on the edge of going and costly.

The BBC is currently not starting although last time I skied with him late last summer it ran a bit over 45 on the GPS. He tells me over the past year it's been starting harder and harder and dogging quite a bit until it's thoroughly warmed up. He never did anything about it and used it less and less the later part of the year. Sounds like carburetor and/or general tune-up stuff to me, but I plan on doing a compression check to see what it tells.

I see from some other posts the floors on old CC's can be a problem. What's the best way to check it out? I went around tapping with my knuckles and it seemed solid except for the hatch behind the motor which is definitely rotting along one edge. It had a cover at one time, but it's torn and he's apparently been storing it outside uncovered for awhile.

I also noticed one of the motor mounts looked very rusty, had large pieces of rust flaking off it. Almost looked like metal that's been near/in salt water. Seems like that's relatively easy to replace though if it is bad enough.

What else is there to look for? Transmission? How to check that? He's asking $3,000 which includes a trailer and spare prop. Is that a decent price?

L2F
Welcome aboard.
If he's asking $3000, and the boat is in anywhere near decent shape, grab it. There are a lot of threads on buying a used boat and what to look for. I'm sure someone will post a link or two for you. I'm no expert, but if the engine was running last year and your compression test is OK, as long as it didn't freeze over the winter (not sure where your located), that part is covered. The floor and stringers are the major issue to figure out. Quick check, like Storm said, is the motor mount bolts and a visual under the access cover. Look for spider cracking on the gelcoat.
If this is too much work, give me a very accurate location of the boat, and I'll over and personally check it out. Is cash OK... er, I mean have a good day.

As far as a transmission I bet Erive Lavine, our resident transmission expert, will chime in soon. Little I know is check the oil, if it looks a strawberry milkshake then that's a problem. If you put it on reverse, only put it in grear in the water, and you hear a thump sound then it might be the "plate" thing, I forgot the name. Is the part that mates the engine to the transmission. Both things are not super expensive and the plates can be done in your home. If the boat is in good shape is a great buy. How many hours? In term of the engine I would check the compression and water in the oil. Not much goes bad. The hard starting can also be the points. That is inexpensive to fix.

I thought it sounded like a decent price until I started reading some of the posts that say just about all the old CC's are going to have wet floors, and then started reading the Pumpkin Patch thread. Stopped reading PP after about the 6th page with a headache. Although I enjoy a good project now and again, replacing the floor looks like the grand daddy of all boat repair projects. It would take me a long, long time to get it done. Hard enough to find time to get my feet on the water as it is.

L2F
If your acquaintance is interested in selling the boat at that price, there are a couple of us who would be interested, only if you aren't. I, for one, have been looking for an '89 or '90 BFN. So keep us informed as to what you do.
Unless the boat is a a total piece of crap, my suggestion would be to BUY THE BOAT! (and then sell it to me for a very small profit. )

I agree that $3k is a good price if it isnt a total basket case and could be made to run decent with minimal work and $$. If there are no obvious signs of water intrusion and no soft spots in the floor, Im sure the boat could be used as-is for a while. Do pull the motorbox, rear seat and removable panel in the rear and inspect all around the bilge- the areas where the panel sits and around the muffler areas seem to be weak points in the design.

Also find out if the boat was run in salt. That would take its toll on all metal pieces in the boat- most notably the engine (water passages) and the trailer.

Do a compression test and see how it comes out. 45mph is on the weak side- these boats should be running in the upper 40's (48-49) in healthy tune. If its starting hard, maybe a tuneup will improve its overall performance as well.

Do inspect the interior closely... the delux interiors of the late 80's are not cheap to replace. Figure that will run you $2500-3500 for a complete replacement with factory quality vinyl. Carpet will be another $300. A good cover will be in the $400-600 range. It adds up quick!

Matt,
Regarding the checking to see if engine mount bolts tighten trick, it's the lags that go into the wood that are key. It's one of the non invasive ways to check for rotten stringers. Pretty localized though. The tapping is another but not always effective. Sometimes it may just be loose glass and not rot. The floor flex doesn't sound too good. Forward of the engine is a area that is prone to rot.

Certainly makes $3K seem like an easier decision. In the current economic climate I think I could probably get it completely redone for less that $20K.

Unless someone's going to tell me the motor could jump off the motor mounts because the lower lags are spinning, I'm probably going to go for this one and see where it takes me.

is the flush system on the water intake hose from the bottem of the boat? take the belt off while you do the compression test, but it should be performed on a warmed up engine close too or at operating temp, but you could run the water to it first to warm it up.....you will get bad readings if the engine has been sitting and you attempt a comp test.

wouldn´t really know, but my common sense tell me that reading won´t be real...metal shrinks and expands depending its temperature...so testing in colds will tell you one thing that when tested in worm will make no sense at all...but I could be wrong hahaha..