Considering a 1994 mako

[fishnc]

I am a newcomer to the website and was looking at a 1994 241b cc without the intergrated transom and was looking for any "inside" informaiton- ie problems with the hull in any forms, concerns, etc. I have read a few threads on how mako is not what it used to be. Will this boat be considered as the "old makos"

thanks for any information y'all can provide

tight lines

[SeaReel]

If you are talking about a 241 full transom with a bracket I think those boats were fine as far as quality and structural integrity. I saw a pretty sweet looking one yesterday. Those boats are just a cut down version of the 261, same beam but 2 feet shorter. Good luck

Cliff

[fishnc]

Seareel

Thanks for the insight.. no it does not have the full transom.. i still think these were made in FL..

thanks []

[bgreene]

1994 - I've got a 94' CC and I like it - it's a tank.

In the 6 months that I've owned it - I continue to see evidence of

good construction - including hardware, fit, finish etc.

Beefy construction. Likely before things started to slide.

[shankiee]

This is my opinion fishnc,

I hope you have read the threads on the problems that I have with my warranty. With that said, it is my opinion that the farther you go back in the year of Mako the better the boat. I tend to believe with bgreene. It may be that the employee’s who worked for Mako knew the company was in hard times has the fall of the Florida plant came closer. I’m sure their quality of workmanship fell short for the standards we know as Mako Boats. It is good that your looking at one of the (what I think) is the better Florida plant Mako’s. I think the employee’s still had the pride to build a good boat.

But watch out for Tracker.

[justus]

fishnc,

i'm runnin a 211 (see, ringleader's thread "had a real nice visit today"). ring posted some pics of my boat. (thanx ring!) during the afternoon we batted around the same conversation you are now pondering. we also batted around on the side of the hull and ever so often i would find ring with his head stuck inside of one of my inspection covers. all in all from a mako "proficianado" like ring, i got an all round thumbs up. mine is a minnow though compared to what you are considering. on the serious note, i've heard problems at mako began to emerge around '95 or so. so if you are considering a purchase, i think you are still chronologically in the safe catagory. but, the best insurance regardless of the year is a good marine surveyor. may cost you a few hundred franklin's, but it's money well spent. best of luck!

[RingLeader]

I like to know whats in them... and what makes them tick. If you compare the early 1990's hulls to mine (1985) you'll find that the sides are stiffer and the stringers appear beefier... Just some observations.

Do stiffer sides make a better boat??? Maybe not, but it would help me sleep better.

[Sailor]

Take it for a sea trial and see if you can determine if the fuel tank has a baffle in it. I rode in a 241 around the same year that had one large fuel tank with no baffle and in a beam sea you were all over the place. Other than that, I thought it was a great boat.

[Prop Blast]

Dennis,

At first I was a little confused by your question, "a 1994 241b cc without the intergrated transom."

The 241B was Mako's first hull with the Euro-style transom, i.e. integrated bracket, not the bolt on like the original 261B. To avoid confusion, the 261B was was changed over to the Euro-style as well. The names for both were changed (in 1995 I believe) to the 242 and 262 respectively. The 242 was dropped in '96 or so and the 262 became the 282, which reflected it's true LOA.

If the boat you're looking at is a '94, it was built while the Schwebke Family was still running the company and was most likely sold by Pages Creek Marine Services in Wilmington, NC. I bought both my Mako's from them -- great family run business! (O.K., that was a shameless plug! []) My only question would be the engines -- are they '94s as well? Sounds like the boat was kept on a trailer, which is good. I would definitely get the engines checked out by a good Yamaha tech.

I don't know of any problems with those hulls, but you can give Brad Phillips at Pages Creek a call and ask him. They're no longer a Mako dealer (they sell Pursuit), so don't worry about the opinion he gives -- he'll tell you straight out if there is something you need to be concerned with.

http://www.Pagescreek.com

Good Luck,

Tom

[fishnc]

Thanks everyone for your commments.. []

I looked at the boat and it was sure was purdy but had over 1100 hrs on the engines that was my only hesitation on the boat for the price..

[Prop Blast]

If the engines were well mantained and the maint records are available, 1100 hours is reasonable. That's why you should have the engines checked out by a good mechanic.

The other approach is to tell the seller the engines really have no value, so you're just buying the hull -- and that's the truth. With today's DFI and 4 stroke engines, older, conventional carburated engines have little value.

Electronics that are more than 3-5 years old are the same, no value -- that is unless the loran or GPS has some great numbers in it! []

Prop Blast

[fishnc]

Propblast

Those older engines with that many hours will need to have either the powerheads replaced or have new engines. You might be able to "squeeze" a season out of them, if they were maintained.. []

The "saftey" factor i would not feel with that many hrs... even thou there is seatow and boat us..

He was pretty firm on his price..

thanks for the insight[]