Another used boat - Luxobarge edition

I've found another possible upgrade boat, setting up a visit for this weekend. Tell me what you guys think:

https://www.boattrader.com/boat/2000-pursuit-2460-denali-7948871/

2000 Pursuit 2460 Denali. it's 25' long, Mercruiser 5.7 EFI / Bravo 3 duoprop, 424 hours. Closed cooling system, decent motor access, full bimini enclosure. Trailer stored at the owner's home for the last few years. It's made the run to the Bahamas and Abaco from West Palm in the past. Owner says it's probably time for risers/manifolds but not causing problems currently.  Needs some other minor fixes - trailer tilt switch and windlass switches are inop, trailer brakes inop, cushions are worn - but was surveyed as "above average" condition in 2016, and I'll have it surveyed again.  He's asking $23k

My biggest concern is that some of these boats had issues with wood core rot around leaking through hulls and less commonly with stringer and transom issues. 

Pursuits are great boats. And IMO that particular model is beautiful. But it's 21 years old. You need to check the stringers and the transom. A good surveyor would have a moisture meter that could tell a lot without destructive testing.

Nice.

At 25ft, they start to get too big for trailering and ramp launching.  Will you be keeping this at a more permanent dock? 

Yes, get surveyed. If borrowing, the lender may require it. 

Yep. Already talking to a reputable surveyor, definitely going to double check that moisture meter readings are part of his normal shtick. I can't imagine why they wouldn't be. 

I like these more utilitarian boat interiors.  If for no other reason than carpets and vinyl upholstery doesn't last 20 years but the harder surfaces do and then still look good. 

In reply to John Welsh :

nope, trailering the hell out of it LOL. It's an hour to the nearest lake.  Yeah, it's absolutely the biggest thing I'd want to deal with on a trailer and it's entirely possible that we go look at it and decide it's too much. 

OTOH, my truck will tow it easily, and I'm currently using a 22' trailer for my 15' boat, so there's that. I think the sweet spot of what we want to do vs towing is probably about 22-23'....but if this boat is solid I think the layout and design might be worth the extra hassle. Looking at photos it speaks to me, and luckily my wife said the same thing. 

None of the pictures shows how long the tongue is on the trailer. You know your favorite launch ramp. Is it really steep? 

Ask yourself how deep your truck will have to go into the water to launch this size boat?  Too deep in the water can make it hard to get the traction needed for this big of a boat. 

The lake ramps around here are not steep, if anything they might be shallow enough to be a problem, I had that thought. It on;ly draws 18" though, so that helps.

The salt ramps we use are steeper but not ridiculously so. Truck is 4WD with strong AT tires, so traction shouldn't be a problem ( I hope.) I normally schedule to launch/recover at high tide on the coast to stay above the scum line just in case. 

I'm not opposed to extending a trailer to keep the truck dry if it comes to that. 

In reply to ultraclyde :

I'm not trying to be a downer, just pointing out the opposing views..

It's a really good looking boat!  I'd love to have the same.  I like them with a little more "walk-around" too but that sacrifices interior cabin space.

Does this boat come with any shade? Canvas?  Edit: oh, I see the green canvas. 

What are you towing with? I think I remember F150, Ecoboost. 

ultraclyde said: It's made the run to the Bahamas and Abaco from West Palm in the past. 

At least you know it can pay for itself if necessary.

Assuming the survey comes back with a thumbs up, it would be a tremendous boat. But two things give me pause: 

1. "Trailering the hell out of it"
2. "Hour to the nearest lake"

Is this the right tool for the job? How do you anticipate using this, what water do you think you'll be on, and how many people do you think you'll be with? I could be wrong without seeing it in person, but this has a ton of useable space in the back, but with the console so far forward, the cuddy is not really much improvement over a 22 foot cuddy. For how you anticipate using it, is it functionally any different than something like this, or this?

Note that I'm not suggesting either of those specific boats. Just posing the question. I have a somewhat irrational dislike of closed bow boats, but that is due to how I use them.

EDIT: No need to answer these questions, I'm just putting them out there. I think this looks like a really good boat and for a good price, so worst case scenario you find out it isn't right and sell it. 

Can it hold enough fuel to make it to the island and back without purchasing fuel?  Buying boat fuel on island is mega expensive. 

In reply to mtn :

The seller does say right in the ad, "...larger than we need on our lake."

A boat like this is a hot commodity on my lake, Lake Erie, but that is generally 300 miles by 60 miles. 

But, for Ocean off-shore; just big enough. 

I like all the questions, that's why I came. No offense taken. I've thought about a lot of these but I want input from you good folks to help me think about the ones I've missed. 

First, tow rig is a '13 F150 3.5 EB FX4 , just under 80k miles. Lower gears and rated to tow 9200lbs. I suspect I might add airbags for stability and peace of mind, but it should be up to the task.  Current owner tows it (very little after driving it to FL for the big trip apparently) with a Dodge Durango! And I don't mean a late model full size one either. Knowing the trailer brakes are inop and having towed a light boat with a grand cherokee...good lord I can't imagine. Anyway...

Lets talk usage. We visit several local lakes...from a small one 45 min away to fairly good sized ones 1:30 away (Oconee, Sinclair, Blackshear.) In our current 15' boat we stay away from the lakes on weekend afternoons because there are so many wake boats that it beats us to death. Having something larger will let us stay out longer and really make a day of being on the water, something we both want. We'd like to be able to take a couple more friends with us sometimes when we do that. Anchoring out, swimming, cruising. We don't ski but might be interested in pulling a tube at some point.  The other major mode is our trips to the coast. We like saltwater and take every opportunity to take the boat to the coast - usually at least 4 or 5 times per year. We have friends with a house just off the ICW south of Savannah. When we're there we launch a couple miles away and keep the boat on their dock. We cruise the salt marsh rivers and creeks, dolphin watch, and sandbar hop. We often have 5 people on our 15' when the water is calm - right at the weight limit and my comfort. Going bigger allows us to cruise around with 6 people and go further afield without depending on a perfect weather window. I'd like to run 15 miles down to Darien for lunch, or maybe up to Savannah for the day. 

Hang on, have to actually work for a few minutes. will continue shortly. 

okay, continued.

I'd love to do more exploring around the barrier islands on our coast - like day trips to Cumberland island while staying on Jekyll. Or vacation to the Gulf and explore. Maybe even drive to the keys. I don't feel particularly driven to go far off shore - certainly not in a single engine boat - but getting out on the front side of the island might be cool just to say I had. I don't fish. 

Cabin use - ehh...Maybe? We had a pop-up camper for several years and loved it. We always stayed in state parks and used their facilities. IF (big if) we were to try and sleep on the boat I see it as a similar proposition. Sleep on the boat while staying at a marina with good facilities while exploring a town. Maybe anchored out on a mountain lake somewhere in the fall.  Other than that, it's a rain shelter and storage area. 

So...is it too big for the local lakes? Yeah, probably. But that track prep Miata you race 4 times a year probably is overkill for commuting to work too. 

The current owner is on Lanier where they run 40' sailboat races. It's not too big for his lake, but he did say on the phone id didn't fit under his boat house at his dock, and his wife isn't into boating like he is. 

Note on Canvas - CO just told me he has a mooring cover he keeps on it as well - covers windows to stern. I hope the risk of rot is lower with this boat - it's originally a NY boat so it probably wasn't in the water ALL year and the nylon through hulls weren't taking FL-level sun damage. The mooring cover is a factory piece so hopefully the original owner used it and minimized rain water intrusion. The CO uses the cover (less rainwater collection), stores on a trailer, and the parking spot looks well-protected from the Georgia sun. 

Am I still hiring  a surveyor? Absolutely, but at least I'm hopeful. 

Even with some issues I feel like this is a boat worth putting the repair money into if needed. Not that you won't lose money in the end, but at least it's a nice enough boat to justify it. 

Going to look at it tomorrow after 2PM. Road trip!

That's a pretty big hole in the water....

Get it checked out.  Good luck!

PO towed it with a Durango and is still cleaning out his shorts! 

Just for scale, a random picture of what is probably a 25ft boat... 

Here's the pic from the 2016 survey he sent me. You can see the Durango for size. 

i note the tongue isn't very long. 

Yes, short tongue. 

The one I posted looks like a super long tongue. 

In reply to John Welsh :

yeah, and more like a 28' boat I think. 

EDIT: 24' McKee with twins behind the same model truck:

Is it me, or is that a loooot of boat for that trailer too?  That's a solid rear overhang.  

Otherwise, I don't have comment other than it looks beautiful.  Really clean, well designed lines. 

golfduke said:

Is it me, or is that a loooot of boat for that trailer too?  That's a solid rear overhang.  

 

Otherwise, I don't have comment other than it looks beautiful.  Really clean, well designed lines. 

 

I think it's more about the axle placement. If you look, there's a lot of trailer frame behind the axles. I suspect it was set up to minimize the tongue weight for the Durango. Man, I bet that was a SCARY tow to Florida from North GA.  With the pickup I suspect I could loosen the axles up and move them back to put a little more weight on the tongue and it would tow better. 

Yeah, could be 28ft.  I was focused on the 2, but not 3 axle and I think single engine