2008 AR230 Sea Trial

[BigT51]

So I'm looking at a 2008 AR230 tomorrow afternoon, sea trial on the Delaware river. Boat looks to be in excellent shape from the pictures and only 150 hours on the engines. My main question is what should I be looking for with the steering - how tight/loose should it feel? Also the throttles? What kind of RPM's should I run it at to give them a good test? I know these are somewhat subjective questions but are there any good "rules of thumb" to follow? I'm probably 80 - 90% sure I'm buying the boat but want to do my due diligence.

 

[BlkGS]

This is subjective BUT if theres something wrong, you will know. If it's bad you'll be like "damn I need to hit the gym I can't move this thing".

It should do 10k rpm I think? Good luck on the sea trial, these are great boats.

 

[Scottintexas]

glad to have you on board,
for a water test as long as it throws you back in the seat from dead stop to WOT you should be good,
try both a slow steady increase in speed and a full throttle,
sometimes if a boat has cavitation the current owner can nurse it through the problem rpm's and get to 10k rpm @ 42-50 mph

I wouldn't worry about stiff steering or throttles unless you use it to negotiate on the price, they are easy/inexpensive (relatively speaking) to change.

How did they get the hours ? hour meter on the engine or YDS read out? I wouldn't trust a engine meter at all, do they have a print out of the YDS readings? you could get a PWC Shop to read the engines with YDS

be sure to look at the link my sig. below for known issues with the boat,


.

 

[BigT51]

The owner has the YDS software and will hook it up tomorrow during the sea trial. This is a one of the printouts.



D6P6190424145401.csv
2.3 KB

 

[Scottintexas]

looks good,
let us know how it goes,


.

 

[Barracuda67]

I just did a sea trial for my 2007 SX230 prior to buying 2 weeks ago. I brought a bucket of tools in case I needed to check anything, but once going out, it became pretty obvious everything was in good shape and I didn't need to tear anything apart to feel good about the purchase.

As others mentioned, engines should top out just over 10k rpm and probably be doing 47+ mph. Check speed with a GPS app. Also hold around 7k rpm, which I find is a nice comfortable cruise speed. I had owner drive first so I could check compartments and engine hatch while underway, then I took over to get a good feel for throttles and steering. A lot of it is just seeing if it feels as you are expecting.

Where on the Delaware River are you trialing it? I'm in Northern Delaware.

 

[BigT51]

Thanks for the input. We’re meeting at Neshaminy State Marina.

 

[BigT51]

I bought the boat! I'll start a new thread with pictures and more info. Looking forward to Bimini trip next summer.

 

[Gym]

Make sure you can remove the cleanout plugs.

 

[Barracuda67]

I bought the boat! I'll start a new thread with pictures and more info. Looking forward to Bimini trip next summer.

Awesome. Congrats!

 

[Jgorm]

I advised everyone to check the compression on any mr1. My sea test went fine then it wouldn't start on my second day. Probably takes only 20 minutes to run the test and take a look at the spark plugs.

 

[BigT51]

The owner provided me with the YDS software and the compression data looks good on both engines. When I finally get time to post some pictures you'll see how clean everything looks. The engine compartment is spotless. It's obvious he took a great deal of pride in his boat. I'm ecstatic about the condition of the boat. Also, the clean out plugs pop right out so they're good. I think I'll invest in the locks although he told me they aren't needed. Is there any way to extend the plugs where the YDS cable plugs in? I've got to reach fairly far back into the access port to reach the plugs and it's a pain.

 

[buckbuck]

It is not a matter of "if" you will have a plug blowout but "when". You are doing the prudent thing by purchasing EZ-Locks.
Congratulations on finding a nice boat.

 

[Gym]

The owner provided me with the YDS software and the compression data looks good on both engines. When I finally get time to post some pictures you'll see how clean everything looks. The engine compartment is spotless. It's obvious he took a great deal of pride in his boat. I'm ecstatic about the condition of the boat. Also, the clean out plugs pop right out so they're good. I think I'll invest in the locks although he told me they aren't needed. Is there any way to extend the plugs where the YDS cable plugs in? I've got to reach fairly far back into the access port to reach the plugs and it's a pain.

I found I was able to grab the bundle of wires and pull them gently to gain better access. You may be able to snip a wire tie to help. You don't want your connectors hanging too low in the event of water intrusion.