Sell or rebuild?

[Greg2781]

My dilemma!

I have a 1987 Mako 231 purchased in May 2010. It ran great with a 1996 Johnson 200hp. In July 2012 the engine sucked in a piece of plastic and overheated as I was idling back to my dock. I removed the engine (still have it) and purchased an Evinrude 200hp HO from Dusky marine. I spent hours on the ocean fishing but gave it up in 2013 when I started having issues with the gas tank. I purchased a portable gas tank and mounted it under the console. This limited me to cruising the waterways of Fort Lauderdale which I still enjoy. I went out cruising last week and noticed a lot of movement in the transom. So now I have to make a decision whether to rebuild the transom myself, replace the gas tank, or sell the boat for someone else to rebuild. I'm 67 years old and retired on a fixed income, but still enjoy working and fixing things. So I'm looking for consensus as to the best route to go. Are there people out there looking for a rebuild project or am I better rebuilding it myself, keeping it for a few more years, and then selling it.

Thanks,

Greg in fort Lauderdale

[DukeS]

Is this just a financial decision?

Or do you like the boat, have memories and confidence in its performance, etc.

If you have the time and basic skills, tanks and transoms have been done with lots of threads and advice on here on this site to help you along. What happens if you find the foam under the deck is saturated with water (and fuel)?

If you pay to have it done, you will likely not recoup the cost if you then sell. Typically if you want a restored boat/car/airplane go buy one already restored. People do it because they like to and rarely if ever recoup the cost of the restoration. Others here may disagree, but typically if the boat is worth it TO YOU, NOT THE MARKET, and you want to keep it, replacing the tank and transom might be a rewarding thing to do. Doing it yourself, you still may be able to sell the boat for a reasonable price. Likely you will not get much for a boat needing a tank and transom.

Just my $0.02, and have only worked on smaller boats.

[bluewater poser]

SoFla should be no problem finding the supplies decently, wanting to is a different story.

If you could buy the identical boat in today's dollars then sell it, if you replace tank and transom and whatever else needs attention for a fraction of new then do that.

My sig pic new would be 2/3 rds more than what I have, therefore I'll keep what I have, if you truly enjoy the hull, keep it and enjoy the work.

BWP

[Sailor]

I rebuilt my transom for close to $1k in materials. It can be done, it's a itchy job but you learn quite a bit along the way and have the satisfaction that you did it yourself. If you sell it, you will lose a ton of money with a bad gas tank and rotten transom. If all you do is cruise, then a big metal aluminum plate on the transom will get you buy for a long time.

[Greg2781]

[quote]Originally posted by DukeS


Is this just a financial decision?

Or do you like the boat, have memories and confidence in its performance, etc.

If you have the time and basic skills, tanks and transoms have been done with lots of threads and advice on here on this site to help you along. What happens if you find the foam under the deck is saturated with water (and fuel)?

If you pay to have it done, you will likely not recoup the cost if you then sell. Typically if you want a restored boat/car/airplane go buy one already restored. People do it because they like to and rarely if ever recoup the cost of the restoration. Others here may disagree, but typically if the boat is worth it TO YOU, NOT THE MARKET, and you want to keep it, replacing the tank and transom might be a rewarding thing to do. Doing it yourself, you still may be able to sell the boat for a reasonable price. Likely you will not get much for a boat needing a tank and transom.

Just my $0.02, and have only worked on smaller boats.

I really like the boat but don't want to invest too much into it. I'm thinking of doing the transom myself and not worrying about the gas tank right now. I've watched many videos and studied photos on this site and believe I can do the transom without issues, just want it to look good in the end without painting the entire boat. I'm going to take it out of the water this weekend, open the bilge and look at the stringers to make sure they are still solid. Thanks for your input.

[Greg2781]

[irishmurph]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Greg2781

---

Hi Greg,

Keep us informed on how it goes. I have a 1990 231 that looks a lot like yours, but I think/hope my transom is solid. I'm toying with the idea of closing in the transom and adding a bracket, but I just want to enjoy it this coming season.

How does she perform with the 200 HP ETEC?

Bill

[Holgatelbi]

I agree with Sailor - add some support & use it. Aluminum angle in line with mounting bolts spreading the load over a wider area.

[brando]

What did you decide to do ? I saw your post regarding this on FB. Looked like you had a lot of replies