Advice Needed

ret fish

New member
Hello All: I am new to the C-Brats group. I have found a 16 ft angler from the late 80's with an easyload trailer,2005 50 hp merc.with power tilt/trim It has not been licensed since 2005, the asking is 8ooo and am wondering about buying a near 20 year old C-Dory. Any insite would be helpful. Thanks Fish
 
We recently sold a 1988 16 Angler with original 40 horse Johnson with under 200 hours on it and 6 horse kicker for just under $10,000. The boat had been garage kept and not run in the last 15 years. The price included minor work to the engine to bring it up to snuff.

The boat was on our lot for just a short time, in fact we never got it onto any websites.
 
If your serous about the boat have a qualified mechanic check out the motor, 4 to 5 years sitting can cause more damage then regular use; better yet, find a mechanic who knows boats. Find out as much as you can from talking with the current owner, that will give you a feel for how the boats been taking care off. Look closely at the transom, hidden water intrusion there should give you cause to walk away. If the motor is like new and checks out that’s half the price of the boat.

Good luck and hope you’ve found a Creampuff, an 8k asking price for any 16ft C-dory in decent shape sound like a deal.
 
Have you heard it run? If it has set up for 3+ years I'll bet the high pressure fuel pump will need attention. I've got a 2003 Merc 50 and when it sets up very long the pump locks up and they run about $350 if you have to replace it. If the fuel was run out of it before storing you may be okay.
 
I agree with the above posts. Try to hear it run. Get one of those spring loaded garden hose washout rubber thingys and try to start it. Look for old screw holes in the floor and transom that might not be filled correctly. If any are found, use a small awl to check for water damage. Maybe get lucky and lower the price some more. A fixer-upper is OK if you can do it. My last boat had so much water damage, I drilled a hole in the transom for a fish finder and water poured out. Not a solid piece of wood anywhere. It had to weigh 400 lbs more in water alone. I rode it for a year, fixed it up and sold it for 5 times more and bought a new 16 Cruiser. Good luck however it goes.
 
You might look around to see if you can find someone in your area with a moisture meter (and really knows how to use it). I think I would concentrate on the transom, and keel areas first.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I looked at the boat this morning and several screws in transom,more than a dozen chunks of gel coat gouged out several holes in gunnels,antenna mount hole in cabin,broken port whindshield even painted over red hull strip and several pieces of rub rail insert missing. I told him I would let him know by monday nite. Thanks again Fish
 
ret fish":2qz7gzh5 said:
Thanks for all the advice. I looked at the boat this morning and several screws in transom,more than a dozen chunks of gel coat gouged out several holes in gunnels,antenna mount hole in cabin,broken port whindshield even painted over red hull strip and several pieces of rub rail insert missing. I told him I would let him know by monday nite. Thanks again Fish

I love C-Dory boats, but any boat can be neglected to the point that they are not really worth it. The owner is asking a pretty high price for a boat with a number of concerns. I'd tell him Sunday that you don't want it.....In my opinion the boat you are looking at is not worth it.
 
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