2009 232 Limited S Buying Advice!!

[SMAR]

Hey Hey Everyone!
Been lurking awhile gathering great information so thank you all for that!

The wife and I are looking at purchasing an 2009 232 limited S in a few days. I have tried to read just about any and everything i can find on this model! Also looking at all YouTube videos. I keep seeing that the 07-09 were some of the best years for these boats. Is that true of the Limited S? The boat is on its 2nd owner and has about 135 hrs on it. From the pictures it looks shinny and all but we all know about pictures! We are planning on going to see it this Sunday, water test and check it over. I spoke to the owner last night and he seemed to be a pretty honest upfront guy. He brought it on consignment from a doctor who had the shop do all the maintenance. I think he said hes had it for 6 years and has done all the maintenance/ oil changes himself.

Any thing i should really be looking for when i go see it? I plan on bringing my flashlight and checking all the areas that (i forget the name on) was mentioned to check. Once in water, what all should i be looking/feeling for? Any info/advice/suggestions you guys/gals can offer would be great!

Oh yeah...he said he never had it in salt since he owned it. i do plan on putting it in salt as we live on the Gulf Coast. (iv'e check a bunch of videos and read a bunch on flushing and maintaining procedures after salt but will prob have another thread for help on that!) I am trying to get pics of it on here .

Thanks again,
Aaron

 

[swatski]

Hey Hey Everyone!
Been lurking awhile gathering great information so thank you all for that!

The wife and I are looking at purchasing an 2009 232 limited S in a few days. I have tried to read just about any and everything i can find on this model! Also looking at all YouTube videos. I keep seeing that the 07-09 were some of the best years for these boats. Is that true of the Limited S? The boat is on its 2nd owner and has about 135 hrs on it. From the pictures it looks shinny and all but we all know about pictures! We are planning on going to see it this Sunday, water test and check it over. I spoke to the owner last night and he seemed to be a pretty honest upfront guy. He brought it on consignment from a doctor who had the shop do all the maintenance. I think he said hes had it for 6 years and has done all the maintenance/ oil changes himself.

Any thing i should really be looking for when i go see it? I plan on bringing my flashlight and checking all the areas that (i forget the name on) was mentioned to check. Once in water, what all should i be looking/feeling for? Any info/advice/suggestions you guys/gals can offer would be great!

Oh yeah...he said he never had it in salt since he owned it. i do plan on putting it in salt as we live on the Gulf Coast. (iv'e check a bunch of videos and read a bunch on flushing and maintaining procedures after salt but will prob have another thread for help on that!) I am trying to get pics of it on here .

Thanks again,
Aaron

Aaron - welcome!
Those are awesome boats, I almost got one few years back and still think about it.
There are some good writeups on what to look for in prepurchase inspection in the FAQ section.
You may find a member willing to assist depending on your location.
If you can do a sea trial that is by far the best way to help make a final decision, the cleanout plugs condition, cavitation and top RPM/ speed can all be telling.

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[Scottintexas]

glad to have you on board, the boat should throw you back in your seat when you go full throttle,

what part of the gulf will you be using it, do you have seaweed issues?


.

.

 

[SMAR]

Aaron - welcome!
Those are awesome boats, I almost got one few years back and still think about it.
There are some good writeups on what to look for in prepurchase inspection in the FAQ section.
You may find a member willing to assist depending on your location.
If you can do a sea trial that is by far the best way to help make a final decision, the cleanout plugs condition, cavitation and top RPM/ speed can all be telling.

—

Thank you!
I am currently looking over the FAQ section! Some awesome stuff in there!
Thanks again!

 

[SMAR]

glad to have you on board, the boat should throw you back in your seat when you go full throttle,

what part of the gulf will you be using it, do you have seaweed issues?


.

.

Thanks for the welcome!

We will for sure go WOT and see what happens!
The seller is taking his family out on it this Saturday and is planning on sending me a bunch of videos of it running and all

We are down on the Mississippi Gulf coast. I had an older Seadoo challenger a few years back down here and i didn't have any issue with the seaweed. But that was a few years ago so the waters could have changed? Is that really bad on the intakes? Easy to clean out or a PIA?

Thanks again!

 

[captainhook]

I have a 2008 232 Limited (without the tower ) that was purchased new by the original owner in 2009. I purchased it in 2014. Here are the things to check that I've fixed or had issues with or can remember from when I was checking it out on the sea trial.

1. See if the scupper valve was changed from the worthless plastic one. Mine was not and it actually broke off in my hand when I was changing it to a stainless Attwood. These will all leak and absolutely must be done.
2. Make sure the steering cables are good. The steering should be very easy to turn in both directions. These years only turn about 3/4 of a turn on the steering wheel. I had to change my cables last year but it probably needed it the year before.
3. Make sure the control cables are good. The throttles should be very easy to move forward and backward, raising and lowering the reverse bucket. I changed these this year but it needed to be done for a couple of years.
4. Make sure the bilge pump works--this one will be really easy if #1 wasn't done yet! If not, you can put some water in with a hose and test it.
5. Make sure both engines run at about 10,200 RPM.
6. Check the No Wake Mode operation of both engines. I never use mine though.
7. Check the horn, mine stopped working and needs to be changed. It seemed on it's way out for a couple of years but again, I never use this. Noticed this year it was broken.
8. Check the freshwater shower on the stern. I've had two places break and had to fix them in different offseasons even though I put antifreeze in.
9. Pull the covers off of the engines and make sure the air filters are clean, dry, and don't have any evidence of oil or water staining. There are two screws on the top of each and 8 clips around the edges that slide open.
10. Check that the rocker switches are secured to the panel. A couple of mine broke off and are just sitting there. I still need to fix these as sometimes they fly off in the wind. Tug on them gently to make sure they are secure, mine look secure but pop off easily.

 

[Julian]

Adding to that list:

• check to be sure you can get the clean out ports out
• look in the engine compartment - is it clean? Are there signs of water - water lines, lots of rust. A clean engine compartment is a sigh of an anal owner.
• stick your phone in the access hole in the clean out port hatch on video and with the light on and slowly move your hand around all inside the bilge. You are looking for:
  • signs of water both past and present
  • broken or missing exhaust hose clamps
  • mold/mildew etc
  • Alien eggs (inside joke)
• check the stereo operation and all the speakers
• get under the boat...on your back....and check the centerline for damage.....scratches, scrapes, holes in the gelcoat etc.

If you want to post photos on here of anything you are concerned about....we are happy to give you our opinions.....we have lots of them! LOL

And yes...the FAQ has a couple of links to new boat checklists that probably cover all of the above!!!

 

[captainhook]

Also, buy or borrow YDS (someone local might let you borrow this) to verify the hours. In my experience your guess is as good as the owner's when estimating hours because they're both a complete shot in the dark.

 

[SMAR]

captainhook
Julian

Thank you a million! The wife and i have been looking/studying over the list all day! I plan on putting together a check list from the info you guys supplied! I am working on getting pictures on here in a few mins. (they ware just the ones the owner sent me)

I don't have a YDS and i dont know anyone around as we just moved here to borrow.

Thanks a million again!

 

[SMAR]

Pictures!

 

[captainhook]

It’s hard to tell a lot from pics but the seats look pretty rough, there are no anti pooling poles (you can’t fit them in with the center cushion in the bow), and there are a lot of standing water stains. This leads me to believe the boat has not been covered for some period of time. I would also assume those batteries need to be replaced if they’ve been in the boat uncovered.

None of this is a show stopper, but be aware that the upholstery is probably around $3500 to replace. Some elbow grease will clean up the water stains and of course batteries can be replaced. I would also look over those hose clamps really well and assume some need to be replaced as I see a lot of rust on some (hard to tell in the pics).

I would also like to see a picture of the jet pumps. That’s another way to tell how the boat has been treated.

 

[captainhook]

The upholstery can be used of course if you don’t mind it but I would expect to have to replace it in a year or two at most.

 

[SMAR]

It’s hard to tell a lot from pics but the seats look pretty rough, there are no anti pooling poles (you can’t fit them in with the center cushion in the bow), and there are a lot of standing water stains. This leads me to believe the boat has not been covered for some period of time. I would also assume those batteries need to be replaced if they’ve been in the boat uncovered.

None of this is a show stopper, but be aware that the upholstery is probably around $3500 to replace. Some elbow grease will clean up the water stains and of course batteries can be replaced. I would also look over those hose clamps really well and assume some need to be replaced as I see a lot of rust on some (hard to tell in the pics).

I would also like to see a picture of the jet pumps. That’s another way to tell how the boat has been treated.

thank you for the feedback! The owner told me that he usually has it covered but he had the cover off for a bit to show it for sale. How long would it take for stains to show from standing water? I will look and ask about age of batteries. He said the only two seats that are cracked and in bad shape are on the pictures. I will make sure i look over the other ones. Didn't even think about the clamps, will for sure take a closer look. Ill see if he can send pics of the jet pumps tomorrow.

We aren't total sold on this boat. Will have a better feeling good or bad once we go see it Sunday. It's really hard to find these boats for sale. DO people just not sell them? lol

Thanks again!

 

[SMAR]

Couple more pics i forgot.

 

[swatski]

The owner told me that he usually has it covered but he had the cover off for a bit to show it for sale.

Sounds like a bs line to me...

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[SMAR]

Sounds like a bs line to me...

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Sadly i am thinking the same thing.

 

[swatski]

Sadly i am thinking the same thing.

I know how hard it is but sometimes it is best to move on.
That said, if you can look at this boat and go for a sea trial without too-too much hassle, I would absolutely do it!
It may look better than in pics (unlikely), the owner maybe super motivated to sell (who knows?) - but above all you will gain experience and acquire a base of comparison. These boats are really different than anything else out there, the way they ride, steer, and sound.

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[SMAR]

I know how hard it is but sometimes it is best to move on.
That said, if you can look at this boat and go for a sea trial without too-too much hassle, I would absolutely do it!
It may look better than in pics (unlikely), the owner maybe super motivated to sell (who knows?) - but above all you will gain experience and acquire a base of comparison. These boats are really different than anything else out there, the way they ride, steer, and sound.

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Thank you for that advice. Our plan is to go check it out Sunday and to do a sea trial. From there we will see whats what. Any idea what i should be looking at price wise?

 

[Beachbummer]

Check it out, money talks. If mechanics are good, you can discount big money for appearance it may be a great deal still!

 

[SMAR]

Check it out, money talks. If mechanics are good, you can discount big money for appearance it may be a great deal still!

That's the plan for Sunday! Any idea what ballpark i should be in price wise?