Looking at an '87 Martinique

is it an open bow martinique?

I've never been in one, but always thought it would make the perfect family watersports boat. Also thought it would be good for some inshore/inlet/harbor boating

You'll still have the concern about stinger rot though.

I'm not an expert on anything, but if its in "ready to use" shape, I'd think $8K would be a fair starting price. You'll probably be happier with a nice old martinique than you will a more modern sterndrive bow rider and probably get in it for less too

An '87 Martinique was the first boat I owned and I still have a soft spot for them. It was a great boat for the family and considering the body of water we were using it in we needed the Vee hull and high freeboard. We all have tons of good memories associated with it. I think of Martiniques first as a family/cruising boat that can also do pretty well as a beginner/intermediate wakeboarding boat. I'm not a skier but I don't think skiers will like its wake. If all that sounds like it fits your situation then you and the family should love it.

8K strikes me as being a little on the high side. Maybe not too high, depending upon how "mint" it is. It's a good thing the interior is in good shape because it would cost a ton to get it replaced.    

Stringers, as mentioned above, are the big question. Do a search on how to try and check them. When they rot it's a really big job to replace them. For me the thought of replacing stringers is a non-starter. I'm too lazy to do that job myself and too cheap to pay someone else to do it. That's why I switched from the Martinique to a '94 Nautique Excel. The Excel has all of the advantages of the Martinique, is a little more sporty, and no wood stringers.

As far as price, mine was about 6k. Solid floor, new trailer tires, very nice interior. Check my profile.

I was not concerned about the year, my last boat was actuality a 1991. Look at the boat others own on this site...classics. The Martinique is built like a tank (CC in general great brand).

Mine is a open bow. After the test drive, post any concerns. This site is full of great users that can help with all issues.

man, can't wait to hear the results of the water test. especially interested to hear your thoughts about the performance of an inboard vs. your outboard.

Reverse takes a little getting used. With prop rotation and rudder, the rear naturally "goes to the left". There are ways, which can be explained better than me, to steer in reverse. It is not that bad.

As a side note...does the boat come with the bimini top. Great for the kids. The good ones are not cheap to add later. Maybe a small bargaining chip on your side if it is missing. I figured out how to add a picture with the bimini on.

Congrats on the purchase. I'm sure you'll get many years of enjoyment from it. Definitely post some pics.

75 Tique wrote: Regarding posting pics, there are two ways. 1. directly from your computer. This method is the easiest, but there are four problems with it. To do it you can not use the quick response at the bottom of the page, you have to either start a new thread or hit reply on a previous post. At the top of the response box is a small icon of a tree with a blue arrow. Hit that. That will allow you to browse on your computer to find the image you want. Select the image, select open, say ok when it tells you to be patient and the image will be uploaded. Now the disadvantages: a. the image must be under 500 kb in size b. the image may be too big (sizewise, not kilobite wise) This means we have to scroll left to right to see it, which is a pain in the neck. c. it saves the image in your profile, which has limited volume, which means you can run out of image posting capability and d. once you post an image, the forum will not let you post it a second time (in some future post) (unless you re-upload it with a new hame). 2. The second way to upload an image is to use a photohosting site, like photobucket. There are detailed instructions on how to upload using photobucket at the top of the "off topic" forum, which I have copied to here for you.