CONTINUOUSWAVE

What would be a typical selling price to a true Boston Whaler boat fan for a 2004 ALERT 17 with a 2006 E-TEC 90-HP on a trailer, with a Riptide electric 80-lbs thrust trolling motor?

The hull is sound. The current owner has had it 14-years.



I am about to buy the boat at what I believe is the deal of a lifetime.

That's a nice looking boat from the single photograph. Some will criticize the E-TEC engine because it is becoming difficult to find a qualified repair technician and spare parts, but many E-TEC engines are in service with happy owners.

If I wanted the boat, then the choice of engine would not deter me if it is currently running well and has good compression on all cylinders.

Do you have an adequate tow vehicle for the boat and trailer?

I cannot provide a reasonable value. That would require a close visual inspection. Values are regional and seasonal We are in the heart of the boating season when demand for boats is high, especially for quality boats in the 17-foot size. Ultimately the boat is worth what it is worth to you.

A search of boat sales prices in your part of the country may provide some comparisons but my advice is, that if you and your loved ones want the boat and can afford it, buy it.

Jefecinco--thanks for your time on this.

The classic MONTAUK 17 boat ceased production about c.2003, so the ALERT 17 is the commercial version, and this one is a relatively new hull in that traditional MONTAUK style. The only drawback to the ALERT 17 is the hull weight might be greater than a recreational hull, but on the other hand, the hull is probably stronger and will last forever.

The three-cylinder in-line 90-HP E-TEC is one of the best of all the legacy E-TEC engines, with very few reports of problems. There is no reason to avoid buying one, as long as the engine is in good running condition, and as long as you can find an Evinrude dealer that still supports the E-TEC.

All E-TEC engines are capable of providing a engine history report that will provide data about how the engine was run, what faults have occurred, what the engine speed ranges and hours were, and all sorts of other very useful information.

The trailer--if included--looks nicely suited for the boat.

If the seller is well-known to you, and the asking price is very attractive, I don't see any reason to hesitate. But like any used boat, you should make a very careful visual inspection, and operate the boat and engine on the water for a trial run to verify all is normal.

Using GROK.COM to ask for typical selling prices for a 2002 MONTAUK 17 with E-TEC 90, the answer was $18,000 to $22,000 depending many variables, such as region influences, included electronics and accessories. I don't think you can find much actual data about an ALERT 17 due to the low number of them made and few reports of sales.

jimh wrote:All E-TEC engines are capable of providing a engine history report that will provide data about how the engine was run, what faults have occurred, what the engine speed ranges and hours were, and all sorts of other very useful information.

Thank you! I bought the diagnosis software to test the boat when it comes up and I’ll see what the engine says.

fishingproblems wrote:I bought the diagnosis [sic] software to test the boat when it comes up and I’ll see what the engine says.

The necessary software is EV-Diagnostics version 5.x. In addition to the software you will need eight other components to use it. See my article on that topic at

EV-Diagnostics Software
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4706

An important consideration is to have the laptop operating from battery power, NOT from 120-VAC power. This is recommended to protect the E-TEC engine and its EMM from any possibility of stray voltage and current from the 120-VAC utility power grid.

I wrote about this feature more than 18-years ago. See

E-TEC Engine History Report
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/refer ... eport.html

The article illustrates the graphs provided to show engine data. Those reports were prepared with a very early version of the software. The latest version has improved the graphics and added more features as the engine management module grew in complexity over time.