I Bought A $5000 Boat! How Bad is It?

I bought this 1996 stingray boat from a friend. It needs a bit of work, but let's take it out on the water

[@michaelmcconnell7958]

Since it’s a gas powered boat, you really should be running the blower for at least 4 minutes before starting, otherwise you risk explosion. Also, be sure to check the bellows as these can crack and leak when they’re old and sink your boat. Water pump and impellers are super critical so you don’t overheat engine. I didn’t see a fire extinguisher on-board or a vhf radio. I recommend adding those for safety.

[@BrianDoesStuff873]

thank you for what you said about running the blower, i have wondered how the blow ups happen, is this the gas fumes building up in the engine compartment?

[@michaelmcconnell7958]

@@BrianDoesStuff873 Yes. On gasoline powered boats, fumes can build up in the engine room/bilge and any spark can cause an explosion. Boats have special blowers that are designed to not make sparks, that blow the fumes out of the engine room. On carbureted boats such as RuralVermonter’s, it’s more crucial. Also, the air cleaner should be kept in place because it has a back fire preventer, again to help avoid explosions of gas fumes.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

I came here to say this too!!

[@luigifabio77]

Agreed on the blower, but given the dimension of the engine bay four minutes is probably not necessary. Also, a VHF radio on a pond that size may or may not be useful (I'm going to go with not) but an extra phone certainly will be. Fire extinguisher good, boat hook and oars definitely recommended. Another thing, since a Z drive is involved: change *all* the bellows at least every two years (and every year would be better). You really don't want them to start leaking, unless you like swimming.

[@centralparkfitness]

He's on a pond, he has cell service, a vhf is pretty useless

[@therealdeal67]

It's not how bad it is ,but how great for your daily driver to pull it and have fun in a local lake somewhere. Always very interesting to see what your next project is. Take care and always stay safe. 🙏

[@connorplassins8693]

I’m working on 2 project boats currently too. Yamaha 50 and Yamaha 115 2 strokes on a tracker and sea hunt respectively. Boats are fun, but the list of fixes, issues, and needed upgrades never ends. Enjoy it when you can! I don’t get to use them as often as I would like to, even with 12 months of sun in Florida. Also, I have owned several s10 based trucks, the 4.3 is a great motor and they hold a special a special place in my heart too. Looking forward to the marine repair videos!

[@sloburnjo]

just a random comment here - that engine was thirsty AF such poor gas mileage - solid yes. I owned an Chevy Astro van 🙃

[@markguillory281]

Happiest days you own a boat is when you buy it and when you sell it.... I know by experience

[@12yearssober]

Nothing more expensive than a cheap boat

[@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182]

haha yep

[@Bosco-gets-it-right]

RAZZLE !!!

[@anthonymcandrew529]

Wow, different video for ARV! Pond looks beautiful... hope you have lots of good times out there.

[@richammerle]

RV, hope it works out for you. I had a 21' Penn Yan for my first boat...loved it till the issues started. Got another boat, 19' Raven; excellent boat....got sick of the upkeep and ended up with two jet skis!! Have a great time with it.

[@thepostman69]

My dad was a stingray dealer on lake George in the 90s so he probably sold or rented your boat at one point! We love stingrays so much he still has a '00 200LS with a 5.0 in mint condition and i have a '03 230LX with a cammed and ported 5.7 mag mpi that's my project I want to get to 80mph. Edit: im jealous of the new England water, I forgot how nice it is!

[@jamesaydelott2487]

Nice purchase I bought my boat which is a 1983 Beretta ski boat for only $3,500 has a 170 Mercruiser engine in it bought it from a friend of mine he went through it and fully restored it so he knows the boat inside and out

[@Xlandy2]

Hey every time u park the boat lower the unit all the way will be good for the u joins and the gimbal bearing and the rubber hoses

[@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182]

Apparently I’m better at finding car deals than boat deals haha

[@thinkabout602]

You did good on that - have fun 👍

[@yoster77]

@@thinkabout602 I don't want to be rude to the owner in this video but, I don't know, 5k can get you a lot better boat than this. This thing is in rough shape.. this is a 2k boat at best in my area. Seller I bet is laughing all the way to the bank lol

[@dannylay7965]

I bought a Stingray as well for a smoking deal. $5k 2004 Stingray 195LR with the GXi fuel injected 4.3. Haven’t had any issues yet, it was a one owner boat.

[@dangoodall-williams4200]

Looks like you had a great time and sure was a beautiful day. Glad you put the life vest on when you went in the water. You can't take chances.

[@gmctech]

Although I've been an automotive technician my whole career, I've been working on pleasure craft up to large offshore fishing boats for decades as a side gig. I can say that boat isn't a bad score. I am super partial to outboards for simtplicity of repair and reliability but those old 4.3's are good decently reliable workhorses. I'd recommend a robust engine compartment blower and high quality bilge pumps by Rule (1100gph is my minimum choice) with Ultima switches. They're a bit pricey but are extremely reliable and virtually maintenance free. Others have stated here but I'll reiterate, check those gimbal housing bellows and transum seal, because if you spring a leak there a gas powered trash pump likely wouldn't keep you afloat. Also, not a bad idea to closely inspect for sealing degradation along where the hull meets the gunwale. Still though, nice score! P.S. You do realize what B.O.A.T. stands for right? Bust Out Another Thousand.... LoL

[@bd12340]

Nice I/O the nice thing about VT or NH boats is likely they have never seen salt. I had a 16" bowrider O/B on Wiini in 80's early 90's. I lived in an apt and mowed the lawn (small lawn 1 hr max) for my boat slip. I paid an extra 5 bucks/ month to store in the garage in the winter. Bowriders RocK!

[@classicxl]

Just make sure you winterize the engine properly every fall or you will have a cracked blocked come spring time .Also if not done yet change the water pump impeller ,change the lower drive unit oil because if water gets in it will crack the lower drive unit come winter .Another thing check the bellows around the engine a lot of boats sunk because of that

[@cardinaloflannagancr8929]

100% on that my friend thought his boat was motor was toast 2 seasons ago so didn't winterize it. He then decided last spring/summer to try and get it going ended up not being a huge problem what had given him problems. A hose just needed replaced as it happened to be squirting a tiny stream right at the carb. He then found out it was critically damaged due to not winterizing. Which could have done himself so literally saved less than $50 and an hour of his time. Ending up with an old boat with now a cracked block. As opposed to before just an old boat with minor electrical problems that could have been trouble shot fairly easily. Add them both together and you now are basically selling a floating parts pile instead of a functional project.

[@joseacd01]

100%

[@corybrott8455]

why does he need to winterize, and how do u winterize a engine? Thanks

[@joseacd01]

@@corybrott8455 it depends where you live before winter you have to winterize your engine so your boat engine block won't crack is very important

[@Edogawa1117]

Beautiful boat and lake.I am sure you will enjoy your new boat a lot.

[@reinhardeder8268]

Love it, thanks for sharing some Fun Moments, go ahead like every time!

[@robertmailhos8159]

I just got through changing out a battery and spark on a Sea doo jet ski got to try it out yeah buddy i.love it glad you're going to fix this boat up there young man😎😀

[@petersmith7140]

wow, very pretty lake, love to have a cottage on there!. Great vid and look forward to more boat n lake fun!

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Glad to hear it's the water pump and not the gimbal bearing (which connects the engine to the outdrive).

[@00700556]

You can’t go wrong with a mercruiser setup. Easy to work on, straight forward, and rarely has issues.

[@centralparkfitness]

LOL not true at all!

[@theotherdanw]

Nice boat...Beautiful pond/lake!

[@CptBlackbeardlives]

That's not a pond, it's a lake. Lookwd like a fun day once it got going. I've always heard the two best days in a boat owners life is the day he buys it, and the day he sells it.

[@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182]

technically was a pond but yea definitely a big one

[@n1ksf]

That's 100% a pond by our standards here in New England

[@thinkabout602]

That's a large fresh water lake by Florida standards. We say a boat is a hole in the water that you throw money into - but enjoy they a loads of fun. 🌊

[@CptBlackbeardlives]

Technically according to the official designation a pond is 1/4 acre or less. Anything larger is a lake.

[@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182]

@@CptBlackbeardlives this is called a pond because of the depth of the water that’s how we classify them in vt surface area doesn’t matter

[@tractormatt4301]

Seems like a ton of water in that bilge after pulling it out check your freeze plugs, and for cracks in the block. Wasn’t a cheap boat, but if you have fun with it that’s all that matters. That gel coat will buff out nicely.

[@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182]

yea i forgot to put in the drain plug for the first few seconds lol.

[@BrianDoesStuff873]

@@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182 I was wondering if you remembered, you showed the plugs in the cup holder before you launched , I think you can just about fix anything so this is a cake walk compared to your other projects.

[@alsaku33]

@@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182 I have done it with my GF. Just us two...I pulled up the launch and drove about 100' before my heart sank. I ran out of the truck, down the launch, and was yelling at her as she was driving away from the launch. I yelled to her to turn the pump on (thank god we had gone over this before hand multiple times) and speed up now! She was a boss and gunned it. I threw my shirt, shoes, phone, etc. onto the shore and dove in to swim out to her as she was turning around. She pulled up to me in the water and handed me the plug from the glove box...but we fumbled the exchange and the plug fell into the water...goodbye. I yelled many bad words. Thank god we had another back up plug in the glove box. This time I got out of the water and grabbed it 😅 Everyone on the shore (maybe 15 people) gave me a clap and some chuckles when I got out of the water 🤣

[@nathankim7664]

Is Andy trying to grow the Steve Harrington hair? Lol, at least you bought a boat you worked on! Obviously I know nothing about boats, but I think it would be nice to have steps on the back for easy access after wiping out from waterskiing/tubing. Can't wait for more boating videos with your family/friends! It would be hilarious to photoshop the sitting Bernie Sanders meme onto the boat lol!

[@allensnook7760]

Looks good and being small motor would think it should get decent mileage, love to see this boat n jet ski rejuvenation vids.i got a 94 yamaha 650 but just like ur boat its showing age faded gel coat cracked plastics n gauges faded but runs fine,hard to find parts since mostly disc.but so much fun n plenty fast for this ole dog,60 young i always say well you got it mostly going will be fun to watch u upgrade on it.think that gauge dash must be first,cant harldy see needles under faded plastics.too bad couldnt find gauges to replace with real glass rather than plastic ones.ok well enjoy!!!snooky pa.💥🤪😜👍🖐🙉💥

[@matthewlizzio7431]

That's a big "pond" haha 😂

[@phil3924]

Congrats on the boat! You'll have a lot of fun with that. That lake looked beautiful too.

[@jimowens381]

B-O-A-T = Break out another thousand!

[@TRDOffRoad2020]

Boats are money pits...

[@organiccold]

Ahoy!! Cpt. Rural Vermonter ;) nice boat :)

[@danswartwood4580]

Thank you for sharing and the appreciation

[@Acelachaser1965]

Hit that carb with some SeaFoam spray, put a can of SeaFoam in the gas tank and a couple ounces in the oil and it should smooth right out. And Lysol Rust and Lime bowl cleaner is great for cleaning stains on the hull.

[@Darthvolvo]

Should be a fun learning investment for you! For a second I was worried you'd get stranded out there on the water due to engine trouble.

[@proudtexan5513]

Congrats on your new boat!!

[@stevevarholy2011]

Rover (US: Sterling) 800 series steering wheel on that boat. You can swap out the cover with one with a Rover badge. Why? Why not?

[@TheStarTrekFan2]

Hey there! started watching your content when I found the vid of you going to get the thunderbird and was hooked from there! Great content, keep doing what you are doing! My family co-owned a boat with some other family members and was troublesome form the beginning. A couple times it just wouldn't start and once, we had it going but it left us stranded and we had to get towed back to shore. tanks for the content! P.S I am a subscriber!!!!!

[@TheStarTrekFan2]

Forgot to mention..... viewer and subscriber form Saskatchewan, Canada! 😀

[@houstonrefinery719]

I think your car deals are better than your boat deals! Love your videos!!

[@jamespfitz]

Hey, even Warren Buffett has made some bad investments, but he couldn't go fishing in any of them.

[@bruceblais7958]

Treat her like one of your trucks give it a good tune up make sure it doesn't leak and have a good time on the lake

[@Daron-Novotny]

This is considered an Inboard/outboard. An inboard would be a V-drive Engine sits in the center of the boat and the prop goes through the bottom under the boat.

[@richardthomas1743]

GM 4.3L is a great engine. 👍

[@sloburnjo]

sucks gas like a vampyre sucks blood terrible mileage but solid

[@illreportbackinabit.8514]

Remember the three big F's, If it Floats, Flies or Fooks then rent it don't buy it.

[@sloburnjo]

😁awesome advice.

[@pugs9278]

FYI, but earmuffs so u can hook up hose to inlet so you can run engine on land. Have fun!!

[@Zazu2You]

Sweet boat!! Enjoy!! Should be lots of fun!! The pond looked great!! How deep is it? Lmk. Cheers!!

[@cardinaloflannagancr8929]

It looks like you should be ok with what you have and your abilities. As for the value I really don't know. Though I will say you've got a pretty good idea for a deal so unless something was a really well covered up major problem this will turn out great. You'll want to get a nut/washer on the carb for the flame arrestor to do much. If it's loose a backfire could cause it to just fly off and also the breather hoses can vibrate off the connectors.

[@damondurham5683]

That is the nicest.5000 dollsr 2000 dollar boat ive ever seen! Lol who caree as long as youre happy! Enjoy

[@karlk6860]

The boats kind of a mess right now lots and lots of maintenance it looks like. The filter on the carb is not for air filtration its actually called a spark arrestor to reduce the chance of a fire in the engine area. You are going to want to really use that pressure washer on the engine and hydraulics areas it pays great dividends to keep that area very clean so you can see whats going on. As somebody mentioned about running the blower for awhile before you hit the start button is very important, I have seen first hand people who didnt take the time to do this and watched their boat burn to the ground in front of them. I always open the engine cover on my I/O before starting the engine and then to look it over after starting, looking for any leaks, especially fuel and for any leaks etc around the base of the supercharger. Boats are a very fun way to spend some time but do not take the little things for granted or they will definately bit you very hard!

[@danhoyland142]

Gel coat is super easy to buff out bc it’s thick. You can be careless and aggressive with a polisher and not fuck it up. I’d just go to a body shop supply store and get professional grade compound and polish though. You will make it look like new with 2 days of work.

[@2-old-Forthischet]

As a former owner of five boats, Break Out Another Thousand.

[@goodbonezz1289]

An inboard is a boat with the engine and transmission inside the boat, only the shaft and prop outside. This boat is called a few things..inboard/outboard, or Sterndrive because the engine is inside the boat but the transmission and prop is outside. I personally like Sterndrive. Don’t let the glass hatch drop down while opening..very expensive.

[@reesebobby99]

will watch an interior repair video. so many used boats have this issue and it turned me away from them

[@darronlemell224]

Gimbal bearing done and the drive coupler

[@funnypranker34]

We got a jet ski and I feel you when it comes to problems. Ours got a problem with water shorting out the computer

[@alastair_the_lyon]

look we got a boat too not knowing anything about it it was a jet boat from my moms step dad. I put new spark plugs and we put new gas, still never ran. cant figure it out so we got jetskies idk what’s wrong with the thing it hasn’t ran in like 8 years. it’s a really old sea ray that’s a collectible so we did also pay 5k

[@brandonmorris2513]

Always great content!!

[@hsam9791]

Inboard/outboard is just a phase in your life, they are a pain in the buttocks. All of us go through it. Never looking back TOP is the way to go if you can find a cdi thunderbolt. Spark, gas and water pump is all that can go wrong. To boot if you are even a little mechanically inclined the most expensive part is $350. 1970 135 hp Merc cdi 1973 115hp Merc cdi 1983 116hp Merc adi(problems).

[@moosenbeans903]

Step 1 learn how to swim. 2 make sure all of your safety stuff is good and not out of date. 3 Mickey Mouse ears and make sure it runs good before you dunk it. 3 second means of propulsion. Kicker or electric trolling motor. Park in the middle of the lake with the wind blowing away from the launch. Whatcha going to do now captain?

[@yeslawrence]

you're a brave soul to start it for the first time on the water lol

[@daboonies8603]

Boat. Stands for Bust Out Another Thousand. 😂

[@MrBe787]

Pro tip…run the boat before taking it out to the water for the first time.

[@thewhomphlew]

Bought a 3500 22.5' bayliner cuddy cabin last week, 0 repairs later cruising the san juan islands already, caught a dozen crab. Galvanized trailer 4.3l mercruiser v6. Inboards are better I'd never own another outboard.

[@CCWSig]

You sure thats the water pump making that noise and not the Ujoints or gimbal bearing? Seems like a nice little project boat. Im not sure its a great value, only you can decide that. Have fun with her. Don't forget to lower the out drive before you start the engine, and check your bellows and freeze plugs, that seemed like A LOT of water draining out of it.

[@Melonator1997]

i had a 2000 stingray 200 cs i love it

[@dougstangl8829]

I've never seen anything like how you were starting that motor in gear!

[@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182]

never did that. it has a safety against it too wont let you

[@kevinmansfield9413]

Came to say the same thing, lol! I'm sure it was a loose wire though, haha...

[@JoeBidenIsNotMyPresident]

It's a good time to buy a boat. There's great deals out there for sure. My buddy just bought a Tracker Bass Boat with a 150 hp outboard for under $5k. I can't wait to get out and get some good fishing in before the season is done.

[@n1ksf]

Pond?!?!?, get that sucker in Champlain or Winnipesaukee!! Enjoy!

[@uhoh71]

Something was going on with one of the cylinders in that motor. You could tell by how it was loping when it was cranking over. Wasn't even. Most of the time it means the compression is down on one cylinder.

[@gainerman]

Intake valve tuliped

[@martysk8r]

Bought a similar boat years ago for $1K just to fix it up. Couldn't get anywhere with the corroded stern drive. My 'fun meter' went from about 9 to 0, then sold for a loss.

[@999thenewman]

Nice buy.

[@jacknimble1]

Your buddy made out on that deal. That thing will be melting into someones backyard in a few years. Have fun while she lasts.

[@vettemaniac2237]

Maybe check the crankcase for crushed stone ...

[@user-fj4or9xs2h]

I really like your videos.. a lot of variety..

[@karaDee2363]

That sounded awful when you got it running.... The first thing that came to my mind was a bad gimbal bearing.... Hope it's not that.. Wishing you good luck on your new boat..

[@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182]

Just the water pump

[@wurly164]

Kind of reminds me of Lake George which is right next to Vermont

[@richb8282]

Are you sure that’s not a 3.0 mercruiser? I don’t recall 18 ft stingrays coming with the 4.3- think it was only offered on 19ft and up. I see the plastic cover with 4.3 but something about that block doesn’t look right to me for a 4.3

[@89rx7turbo]

“My sister lives on a house next to a pond” never lived on a house before.

[@lifelong5425]

Sounds like nuts and bolts are inside the engine...They stole your 5000...that's family for you....lol

[@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182]

Lol just a loose pulley

[@85square]

Last summer I got a rope stuck in the prop of my boat too lol, every time i would go to reverse the motor would stall.

[@scottbryant2235]

Not sure about the noise but could be a U-joint. You should never run the engine with the drive up.

[@anthonyg9739]

What is that patch on your back?

[@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182]

I got a shot and the bandaid moved

[@clok1966]

I watch these videos and say "where does he find such cheap cars and trucks, rusted out 300,000-mile junk here sells for 3 grand" or they ask that at least. But it's all relative, here everybody has boats so you can buy them for nothing all day long. He gets cheap cars but expensive boats.. well again relative, not that bad a price, but expensive for where I live.

[@chevguy8587]

Why does it sound like the motor rattles a lot?

[@ndafarachaitezvi1139]

Great content as always

[@matthewwestlund3528]

I got a stringray boat with a mercury inboard motor it run but when I throttle it up it dies out do you know what it might be so I can fix it myself?

[@ralphschueler9437]

No offense but I you definitely overpaid for that boat. The 4.3 engine is fantastic I have that in my Sea Ray boat it'll run and run and run it's got great pickup it is just a super great engine but the rest of your boat is kind of trashy and you overpaid for it.

[@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182]

no need to apologize, i probably over paid . but for convenience and the fact that all $5000 boats near me are in this condition i figured i'd do it. just needs a little (or a lot) of love haha

[@tube4fun978]

Why the 666 license plate? I see so many of those on the road, I wonder if that just me for some reason…

[@sds433]

Cool boat.

[@DJMac]

👍

[@P2Feener305]

The 2 best days when owing a boat is the day you buy it and the day you sell it. Boat…Break Out Another Thousand. Enjoy!

[@mastercraftsman4213]

BOAT= BRING ANOTHER THOUSAND....

[@TS1964]

That's not an inboard bro ... Inboards don't have an outdrive. Hence the name inboard.

[@jerryscray1789]

B.O.A.T. Bust out another thousand

[@chevymontmarlo]

I wonder if the Colorado can tow it

[@jeffstoodley6155]

is that mills pond?

[@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182]

Nope

[@vincentlee3434]

I’m sure you could get something a little better with $5000

[@davidnikulka1437]

Sounds like a bad water pump.

[@hairybustard4247]

A lot of water coming out of the boat at the end of the video

[@DRod268]

My man got in on the croc trend . Fml

[@ARuralVermonterQqjmcb182]

I’ve had crocs for over a decade

[@joseacd01]

Nice