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Author Topic:   1989 Montauk - Good Deal or Not?

RJL posted 11-16-2001 08:10 PM ET (US)
I am looking at a 1989 Montauk with a 1990 Johnson(approx 125hrs)for $9995. It appears to be in great shape. It has been covered and not seriously used for fishing but light duty use. It is the boat I have been looking for although I would rather it be powered by a Yamaha. What do you think about the price? He doesn't want to take anything less than the asking price at this time. Also, do any your accountants allow you to expense the boat for entertaining clients?
David Ratusnik posted 11-17-2001 07:57 AM ET (US)
R- I am looking at Nov 23,01 issue of South Florida Boat Trader. A number of Montauk's available. Suffice to say, the gentleman's high on his ask. Pull up the boats online from Trader showing the data to the seller. Even if you are at a distance a Montauk is no big deal to trailer. David
John from Madison CT posted 11-17-2001 08:14 AM ET (US)
RJL,
I recently bought an '89 Montauk with an '89 Yamaha 90hp Motor. I would venture to guess that they motor had maybe 200 hours on it, but who's to know really. Don't always trust hour meters. I know a guy in the used boat business and he kept a stash to put in boats. (i.e. out with the 1500 hours in with the 500 hour gauge.)
FWIW, I payed $7000 for my boat which was brokered by a very high end Grady White dealer. It did not have a trailer, which actually made me happy because so often older trailers are real problems. I bought a brand new 2002 Load Rite trailer rigged up for a Montauk for $1400.00 I probably could have saved a couple of hundred looking for a deal on the trailer but the convienience of the dealer adjusting it and putting the boat on it for me was worth it.
My boat was clean too. There wasn't a single screw hole anywhere in the deck or even the console.
Good Luck with your search. BTW, I found this boat on BoatTraderOnline and it just happened to be 30 minutes from my house.
Good Luck,
John From Madison, CT
hardensheetmetal posted 11-17-2001 04:48 PM ET (US)
John -
Just curious where you got your trailer?
Dan
John from Madison CT posted 11-17-2001 05:37 PM ET (US)
Dan,

I got my trailer from Boats Inc. in Niantic, CT. I can assure you that they are not the best deal in town.
I'll look around at some of the fishing mags to see who lists good prices on trailers and give you a holler back.
Good Luck,
John
Bigshot posted 11-19-2001 11:17 AM ET (US)
$10k is high but if it really is that nice then well worth the 1500 premium. That Johnson is faster than a Yamaha(I have one) but I get better MPG. As far as reliability goes, they did not make that v4 for 30+ years because they sucked
Larry Maguire posted 11-23-2001 09:23 PM ET (US)
RJL,
Crockers Marine in Wilmington, NC is advertising a 1988 Montauk,2000 90 hp Mercury and a brand new Load Rite trailer for $11,900. The boat can be seen on their website at www.crockersmarine.com.
Good luck,
Larry
maverick posted 11-25-2001 05:28 AM ET (US)
RJL - My nephew has decided to sell his 17' Whaler, with fairly new Yamaha 90. He's in Fort Myers FLA - not sure of asking price but I think it's reasonable as the boat is an older model needing some cosmetics on the inside. I also recall it had a nice looking aluminum trailer. Here's his email - jramsey@benchmarkhomemortgage.com
vawhaler posted 11-29-2001 04:04 PM ET (US)
Two years ago, I purchased an 89 Montauk w/ an 89 90 hp Mercury for $9000. I too would rather have a Yamaha, but the Mercury is running fine. The asking price is far too high. My Montauk is in perfect condition and it would now sell for about $8,500 firm. Keep looking or get the seller to come down.
andygere posted 11-29-2001 04:14 PM ET (US)
One way to help determine if the advertised hours on the motor are accurate is to look at any service history the owner may have. Most better shops will note the hour meter reading on a service work order, and you can look at these (if the owner saved them) to see if there are any gaps. It's not foolproof, but might give you a better idea. 125 hours on a 10 year old motor sounds low, but there are boat owners who only go out a few times per year, or for one reason or another miss an entire season from time to time. My experience with the Johnson V4 (if that's what this boat has) is the same as Bigshots. Price sounds a little on the high side, but depending on goodies (canvas, electronics, trolling motor, fuel tanks, rod holders and trailer) it may be fair. Look at what's out there, and consider how much you will have to spend after the initial purchase to get the boat set up for your planned use. The little stuff can really add up fast.
lhg posted 11-29-2001 04:24 PM ET (US)
Pretty soon, with the EFI's and DFI's, fudging motor hours won't be possible. Mercury's Smart Craft system, on all of the above style new engines, records hours of use in the on-board computer. I was just at a Dealership, and he plugged in the sensor and it read out the engine hours (400) on a 2000 225 Optimax!
Engine hours are a real sleeper. They are always MUCH higher than a person will indicate. Sometimes one just doesn't realize how the time ticks away when we're out on the water. Isn't this the real reason we go out in the first place?
andygere posted 11-29-2001 05:54 PM ET (US)
Larry, that's interesting news. The next thing we need to learn is how to interpret the data. How many hours can one reasonably expect out of a well-maintained outboard? Does it vary by engine size, salt/fresh, DFI, EFI, carb etc.? It would be interesting to get some data on this, although I'm sure the "industry" doesn't want us to know.
lhg posted 11-29-2001 07:02 PM ET (US)
My guess is that any well maintained, major brand OB should be worth 2000-5000 hours. Corrosion and paint job failures are the biggest reason OB's get to look so bad as they age. They should be kept polished and waxed just like a car. The early Yamaha's, followed by the OMC's were the worst on corrosion and paint loss, particularly in a salt/tropical environment. Mercury solved the problem in 1984 with the introduction of the EDP painting system and high grade aluminum alloys. The others didn't get it right until about 1995. They used to say the first Yamahas, 1984-1988 were made from recycled aluminum cans! Some of their castings literally crumbled in the salt. The Saltwater II series solved their corrosion problems.
RJL posted 12-01-2001 10:27 AM ET (US)
Thanks for all of the responses. They have been very helpful. It has been three weeks and the boat is still for sale. On the second look I could not find anything wrong with the boat. It does have a trailer in good condition. Since the timing may not be ideal for me(baby due in February and opening new office mid December), I am content to not buy unless he comes off the price a little. As you guys have pointed out, there are other boats out there especially in Florida which is not that far of a drive for me.
jimh posted 12-01-2001 12:08 PM ET (US)
I found this message thread interesting in two of the comments that it elicited.
When the boat's engines were poo-poohed in favor of Yamaha, I liked bigshot's response:"...they did not make that v4 for 30+ years because they sucked."
It brings up the issue of brand reputation. Just because Evinrude had some major problems with Ficht--so major that it put them out of business--does not invalidate everything they made before. A reliable 2-stoke engine in production and refined over many years is still a good engine, even if the name on the cowling is one that now raises a few questions.
And I liked lhg's observation: "Sometimes one just doesn't realize how the time ticks away when we're out on the water. Isn't this the real reason we go out in the first place?"
That is right on-target, too. Both ar just a couple of gems you can find in the many message threads on this FORUM.
--jimh
Bigshot posted 12-03-2001 10:40 AM ET (US)
Gems you say.....cool!

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Author	Topic: 1989 Montauk - Good Deal or Not?
RJL	posted 11-16-2001 08:10 PM ET (US) I am looking at a 1989 Montauk with a 1990 Johnson(approx 125hrs)for $9995. It appears to be in great shape. It has been covered and not seriously used for fishing but light duty use. It is the boat I have been looking for although I would rather it be powered by a Yamaha. What do you think about the price? He doesn't want to take anything less than the asking price at this time. Also, do any your accountants allow you to expense the boat for entertaining clients?
David Ratusnik	posted 11-17-2001 07:57 AM ET (US) R- I am looking at Nov 23,01 issue of South Florida Boat Trader. A number of Montauk's available. Suffice to say, the gentleman's high on his ask. Pull up the boats online from Trader showing the data to the seller. Even if you are at a distance a Montauk is no big deal to trailer. David
John from Madison CT	posted 11-17-2001 08:14 AM ET (US) RJL, I recently bought an '89 Montauk with an '89 Yamaha 90hp Motor. I would venture to guess that they motor had maybe 200 hours on it, but who's to know really. Don't always trust hour meters. I know a guy in the used boat business and he kept a stash to put in boats. (i.e. out with the 1500 hours in with the 500 hour gauge.) FWIW, I payed $7000 for my boat which was brokered by a very high end Grady White dealer. It did not have a trailer, which actually made me happy because so often older trailers are real problems. I bought a brand new 2002 Load Rite trailer rigged up for a Montauk for $1400.00 I probably could have saved a couple of hundred looking for a deal on the trailer but the convienience of the dealer adjusting it and putting the boat on it for me was worth it. My boat was clean too. There wasn't a single screw hole anywhere in the deck or even the console. Good Luck with your search. BTW, I found this boat on BoatTraderOnline and it just happened to be 30 minutes from my house. Good Luck, John From Madison, CT
hardensheetmetal	posted 11-17-2001 04:48 PM ET (US) John - Just curious where you got your trailer? Dan
John from Madison CT	posted 11-17-2001 05:37 PM ET (US) Dan, I got my trailer from Boats Inc. in Niantic, CT. I can assure you that they are not the best deal in town. I'll look around at some of the fishing mags to see who lists good prices on trailers and give you a holler back. Good Luck, John
Bigshot	posted 11-19-2001 11:17 AM ET (US) $10k is high but if it really is that nice then well worth the 1500 premium. That Johnson is faster than a Yamaha(I have one) but I get better MPG. As far as reliability goes, they did not make that v4 for 30+ years because they sucked
Larry Maguire	posted 11-23-2001 09:23 PM ET (US) RJL, Crockers Marine in Wilmington, NC is advertising a 1988 Montauk,2000 90 hp Mercury and a brand new Load Rite trailer for $11,900. The boat can be seen on their website at www.crockersmarine.com. Good luck, Larry
maverick	posted 11-25-2001 05:28 AM ET (US) RJL - My nephew has decided to sell his 17' Whaler, with fairly new Yamaha 90. He's in Fort Myers FLA - not sure of asking price but I think it's reasonable as the boat is an older model needing some cosmetics on the inside. I also recall it had a nice looking aluminum trailer. Here's his email - jramsey@benchmarkhomemortgage.com
vawhaler	posted 11-29-2001 04:04 PM ET (US) Two years ago, I purchased an 89 Montauk w/ an 89 90 hp Mercury for $9000. I too would rather have a Yamaha, but the Mercury is running fine. The asking price is far too high. My Montauk is in perfect condition and it would now sell for about $8,500 firm. Keep looking or get the seller to come down.
andygere	posted 11-29-2001 04:14 PM ET (US) One way to help determine if the advertised hours on the motor are accurate is to look at any service history the owner may have. Most better shops will note the hour meter reading on a service work order, and you can look at these (if the owner saved them) to see if there are any gaps. It's not foolproof, but might give you a better idea. 125 hours on a 10 year old motor sounds low, but there are boat owners who only go out a few times per year, or for one reason or another miss an entire season from time to time. My experience with the Johnson V4 (if that's what this boat has) is the same as Bigshots. Price sounds a little on the high side, but depending on goodies (canvas, electronics, trolling motor, fuel tanks, rod holders and trailer) it may be fair. Look at what's out there, and consider how much you will have to spend after the initial purchase to get the boat set up for your planned use. The little stuff can really add up fast.
lhg	posted 11-29-2001 04:24 PM ET (US) Pretty soon, with the EFI's and DFI's, fudging motor hours won't be possible. Mercury's Smart Craft system, on all of the above style new engines, records hours of use in the on-board computer. I was just at a Dealership, and he plugged in the sensor and it read out the engine hours (400) on a 2000 225 Optimax! Engine hours are a real sleeper. They are always MUCH higher than a person will indicate. Sometimes one just doesn't realize how the time ticks away when we're out on the water. Isn't this the real reason we go out in the first place?
andygere	posted 11-29-2001 05:54 PM ET (US) Larry, that's interesting news. The next thing we need to learn is how to interpret the data. How many hours can one reasonably expect out of a well-maintained outboard? Does it vary by engine size, salt/fresh, DFI, EFI, carb etc.? It would be interesting to get some data on this, although I'm sure the "industry" doesn't want us to know.
lhg	posted 11-29-2001 07:02 PM ET (US) My guess is that any well maintained, major brand OB should be worth 2000-5000 hours. Corrosion and paint job failures are the biggest reason OB's get to look so bad as they age. They should be kept polished and waxed just like a car. The early Yamaha's, followed by the OMC's were the worst on corrosion and paint loss, particularly in a salt/tropical environment. Mercury solved the problem in 1984 with the introduction of the EDP painting system and high grade aluminum alloys. The others didn't get it right until about 1995. They used to say the first Yamahas, 1984-1988 were made from recycled aluminum cans! Some of their castings literally crumbled in the salt. The Saltwater II series solved their corrosion problems.
RJL	posted 12-01-2001 10:27 AM ET (US) Thanks for all of the responses. They have been very helpful. It has been three weeks and the boat is still for sale. On the second look I could not find anything wrong with the boat. It does have a trailer in good condition. Since the timing may not be ideal for me(baby due in February and opening new office mid December), I am content to not buy unless he comes off the price a little. As you guys have pointed out, there are other boats out there especially in Florida which is not that far of a drive for me.
jimh	posted 12-01-2001 12:08 PM ET (US) I found this message thread interesting in two of the comments that it elicited. When the boat's engines were poo-poohed in favor of Yamaha, I liked bigshot's response:"...they did not make that v4 for 30+ years because they sucked." It brings up the issue of brand reputation. Just because Evinrude had some major problems with Ficht--so major that it put them out of business--does not invalidate everything they made before. A reliable 2-stoke engine in production and refined over many years is still a good engine, even if the name on the cowling is one that now raises a few questions. And I liked lhg's observation: "Sometimes one just doesn't realize how the time ticks away when we're out on the water. Isn't this the real reason we go out in the first place?" That is right on-target, too. Both ar just a couple of gems you can find in the many message threads on this FORUM. --jimh
Bigshot	posted 12-03-2001 10:40 AM ET (US) Gems you say.....cool!