Need advice on potential boat purchase

I am looking at an extremely clean 1973 25 ft. Chris Craft - I think it is the express cruiser model. I have not inspected the boat myself, but plan to do so this week. I am concerned about the engine only because it might be a challenge for me to get it in the water and test it before purchase. I know how to do a test on an outboard, but not an inboard when it is out of water. The asking price is good at 5K with a nice trailer and many pictures show the boat in great condition in and out. I do not want to spend an extra 500.00 on a survey, but could be talked into it if I need to do it. I think this boat will sell fast and I do not want to lose it since after much research and many visits to other boats in this price range, this one really seems to be perfect for me. Am I taking too much of a chance? What minor tests can I do to the engine with it being out of the water?

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... It's an old boat, Rotten wood is the main concern...

What motor,..?? What drive,..??

If it's 1973 its fiberglass, which is a good thing. I can think of 3 boats it may be; 25 Lancer, 25 Tournament Fisherman (those were twin engine 4 cyl), and a Cavalier. I suspect it is the Cavalier. The good news is, those boats used a small block Chevrolet motor and those are THE most simple engine of all time. Parts are plentiful, and you can even get a complete long block for $1500 to $1800 if you need one. If it includes a trailer, you are getting a lot of merchandise for the price.

To test the motor I would get a length of the proper size hose, find out what the intake hose size is from the bottom of the boat to the sea water pump, head to the local NAPA store and get yourself about six feet. Then unhook the existing hose that comes up through the bottom of the boat to the motor and hook up your new hose. Some people like to run a garden hose directly into the motor but I caution against that, due to the fact that a garden hose can have "city water" pressure far in excess of what the motor is intended to withstand. As a result, I recommend you place the hose in a bucket and simply fill the bucket with water before starting the motor, and then keep a steady stream of water coming into that bucket. This method will tell you if your sea water pump is working properly. If you pressureize the motor with a garden hose you will not know if the pump is working properly. I would replace the impeller anyway. It is a simple operation and well worth the preventative maintenance time. When you start the motor you will blow all the water out the tailpipes


Good luck,

Paul

I really started to come to my senses about this whole deal yesterday and long story short, am going to look over the boat very closely myself, leave, take a ton of pictures and leave. Then, decide if I want or need a survey. The boat has a 307 and no outdrive, but has that long shaft to the propeller under the boat which would be a first for me. I hear you need to be careful in tight spots and any significant wind. It comes with a beautiful trailer and the boat pics are very nice and clean, but we will see. I am concerned about the engine, he says its perfect, but the hour usage meter is broke and he has only owned it for 2 summers with little paperwork. I think it might be a good deal, but I am being very cautious at this point. As long as there is no major rot or water damage, it sounds like my worse case scenario would be a re-build on the motor and misc which seems to be around 3500-5500 depending on how it goes down. Survey is 350.00 from the guy from Toledo if I can get him. Thanks again, I appreciate the knowledge.

yes, it is all fiberglass exterior, some had the trim around the cockpit, but not this one.