261 trailer sourcing and motor question - and pricing

[brianbeech]

I looked at a 261 recently that looked to be 'mostly' original. Took it for a sea trial and everything seemed to be good. It had wear and tear and wasn't in the 'best' shape, but no soft spots on the deck and seemed in relatively good condition. There were lots of chips/dings/spidering on the gelcoat and some rust stains and it seemed to be fairly dirty; but, there seemed to be no major issue.

The real issue is - there is no trailer. How hard is it to source a trailer for an 88 261? I reached out to my local trailer builder, Sport Trail, and they don't have a jig for that year/model.

The other issue - the motors are from 2004 and are Yamaha Saltwater Series II V6 200's (twins). The seller said they had about 1500 hours on them. I'm told, by many, that these have almost no value and are at the end of their life. Does everyone concur? I know that they 'can' run longer, but the advice I'm getting is: they have no worth and are due to begin having issues with that many hours.

Having said that - given the very little info - what kind of prices seem fair for a boat like that? Should I assume I'm simply buying a hull, or should I assume the engines are going to be fine for a couple of years? The seller is wanting ~16K for it.

thoughts?

[Shakes_26]

Trailer should cost about $4k for that boat, They can be sourced a lot of places, depends where you live. FL west coast people like Owen and Sons, good trailers and great service from what I've heard-seen. Here in South FL, John at Capt Andys has always been fair to me and great support/advice.

The motors are high in hrs, so generally the condition of the hull is where the money is at, My guess is 12-14k is probably the number on that boat, 16k if it had a decent trailer. Again condition is truly everything, these boats arent going to be perfect and it may be cosmetics. Also do they have receipts for recent engine maintenance? I'd be less concerned with motors if they were regularly serviced at a shop and that was documented.

[brianbeech]

Thanks for the info! I thought it was priced a little high, but wasn't exactly sure. Without a trailer, this really makes for an expensive boat. I'd be looking at about 21K for it if I had to source a trailer.

[Aftershock]

I just purchased a similar package. 89-261 with 2007 200 ETECs, with 1,400 hours. Boat kept in the water. It was pretty well maintained and had nice electronics, riggers etc. The guy had been trying to sell for high 30's for long time. He had to get rid of it and showed up on Craig's list for $25K, I paid $23K. Felt like it was a fair price for a boat that didn't need any significant work, looked good and had lots of extras Saving my nickels for new motors when these die or 2-3 years whatever comes 1st.
So I needed a trailer too. This is a heavy boat. Real X Trailers in Miami had the best price/value for a 2 axle rated to 10,000 lbs. They did a great job - I didn't have to adjust anything when loading the boat the 1st time. It was around $5,600. Again, overall they delivered what they said and were very good to deal with. FLOAT-ON has been doing Makos for a long time but they are about $1,000 more.

I really like the boat - good luck!

[Wpeavy]

I have a Dolphin trailer under my 231. Previous owner had it put under the boat about 1 month before I bought it, said it was about $3500, which seems about right because my buddy had the same people build a trailer for his Sea Chaser 24 HFC about a year before I got mine and he said it was the same price. They are in the Tampa/Brandon area.

[brianbeech]

Thanks a ton for the information and pricing! I've been hesitant to move on such and old boat - as I'm a rookie - but I'm glad to hear that the pricing can be in range depending on the boat.

I'd love to have the 261 - it's a wonderful looking boat and I'd love it almost original...for a while.

[Adm. Clouseau]

If one was getting a 261 with the possibility of a platform in the future with twin 200’s on the back what length would one want to look at guessing the 1000lb would be the way to go regardless.

[Stroken]

I bought a 26-28 for my 261, first 261 I put a triple 3500# axle trailer the 261b now has a dual 5200#.

[Triplecrownnc]

Owens and Sons trailers, mine is over 10 years old and going strong