My husband is going to look at a 17' Lund Mr. Pike fishing boat
tonight. I believe it's a 2001 with a 115hp 4-stroke motor. Has 4
electric downriggers already, I believe the guy is also throwing in
all his lures and poles. Not sure what else is included. Anyway, he's
asking $16K.

What should DH be looking at/for when he goes to look at it? I called
a marine service shop and they said they could do a compression check,
check the lower unit for $80. But their hours are M-F 8-5, which
doesn't work for my husband at ALL.

Also, if he were to buy it, does it need to be registered/insured
before he can get it home? Do you have to do that at the SOS like you
register cars? I already called State Farm about a different boat he
was looking at, so we have an inkling of what insurance would cost -
this one's 1' shorter and older, so I'm sure it'd be less than the ~
$340/year they quoted me for the 18' Fisherman a couple weeks ago.

Also - he's got a 99 Silverado pick-up. He's got a hitch, but no
wiring yet. He thought there was a wiring harness package you could
get from GM that you just hook up and it's ready to go...is there?

On Jul 31, 7:43?am, "M. Baker" wrote:
My husband is going to look at a 17' Lund Mr. Pike fishing boat
tonight. I believe it's a 2001 with a 115hp 4-stroke motor. Has 4
electric downriggers already, I believe the guy is also throwing in
all his lures and poles. Not sure what else is included. Anyway, he's
asking $16K.

What should DH be looking at/for when he goes to look at it? I called
a marine service shop and they said they could do a compression check,
check the lower unit for $80. But their hours are M-F 8-5, which
doesn't work for my husband at ALL.

Also, if he were to buy it, does it need to be registered/insured
before he can get it home? Do you have to do that at the SOS like you
register cars? I already called State Farm about a different boat he
was looking at, so we have an inkling of what insurance would cost -
this one's 1' shorter and older, so I'm sure it'd be less than the ~
$340/year they quoted me for the 18' Fisherman a couple weeks ago.

Also - he's got a 99 Silverado pick-up. He's got a hitch, but no
wiring yet. He thought there was a wiring harness package you could
get from GM that you just hook up and it's ready to go...is there?

Don't know about your local prices, but out this way a couple of
thousand less will get you a 17-foot Lund that's 4 years newer.
(Maybe print this out and give it to your husband to use when
bargaining
with the current owner- assuming he likes the boat). The downriggers,
etc, aren't included- but you can always pickup a used downrigger
pretty cheaply and maybe your husband already has his own fishing
gear.

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...34&searchtype=

(if that's too long,, just go to Yachtworld and run a search for Lund,
17 feet)


Your husband definitely wants to have the engine checked before
finalizing the deal. If the shop is closed when he's looking at the
boat,
the seller will probably agree to take the boat to the shop during
business hours and your husband can pay for the inspection via credit
card or whatever. A smart seller will ask for a deposit of at least
enough to cover the inspection fee, with the stipulation that the
deposit will be applied to the purchase price if your husband goes
ahead with the purchase. Not-so-smart sellers in the same situation
will not only see the sale itself evaporate in the face of an
unfavorable inspection, some buyers (less honorable than your husband,
of course) will refuse to pay for the inspection they demanded if the
results aren't what they hoped for.

If the seller balks at allowing your husband to inspect the engine,
particularly at your husband's expense, your guy should run (not walk)
to the nearest safe place and make the sign of the cross. :-)

Each state has slightly different licensing laws. If the tabs or
plates on the trailer are current, he *probably* doesn't need to
transfer title to the boat and trailer prior to hauling it away. Many
states don't require insurance on a boat and trailer in order to
legally move it, but the law of common sense will require that some
insurance agent issue you at least a binder- if not a complete policy,
before driving off. The statistical probability of having an accident
is going to be much higher
the first time or two that your husband tows a new load.

Can't say for sure about the wiring harness, but GM will probably only
supply wiring to the receptacle on the aft bumper. There are so many
ways to wire a trailer that I'd be surprised to learn GM carries a
specific hookup for a specific boat trailer. (I used to rent trucks
and trailers from one of my businesses, and we needed to rely on some
pretty creative ways to connect standardized trailer wiring to a
variety of factory and home-grown gizmos on trucks. Half the time we'd
give up and use "Tap-a-Lites" inserted through the tail lamp lenses.

On Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:43:59 -0700, "M. Baker"
wrote:

My husband is going to look at a 17' Lund Mr. Pike fishing boat
tonight. I believe it's a 2001 with a 115hp 4-stroke motor. Has 4
electric downriggers already, I believe the guy is also throwing in
all his lures and poles. Not sure what else is included. Anyway, he's
asking $16K.

Hmmm - well, I guess it's how you look at it. If it's a mint
condition boat, no dents, dings, good carpet, low hours on the engine
and the condition of the trailer, it might be worth 13,500. The boat
itself, retail used, is roughly 5,500 range. Again, that depends on
condition. The type of downriggers are important, with four aboard,
it's another $500. Fishing gear - eh - it costs more to replace than
it's worth if you understand what I'm saying. The key to this is the
condition/type of the trailer and engine. Low hours with good numbers
at that hp, 13/13,500 is a good number. If the boat has a kicker
engine (like a 5/10 hp trolling motor) add another $1,000. More
information is needed to properlydevelop a good retail used amount.

What should DH be looking at/for when he goes to look at it? I called
a marine service shop and they said they could do a compression check,
check the lower unit for $80. But their hours are M-F 8-5, which
doesn't work for my husband at ALL.

Cosmetics, loose rivets, evidence of water in the stern, condition of
the batteries, soft floors, all the access panels, lids, covers are in
good condition, nothing on the engine loose, condition of the prop
(that last can tell you a lot - a beat up prop means it ran in shallow
water), etc. Check the filters for leaks, check the oil - stuff like
that. Compression checks should be done by a mechanic. If DH decides
to buy it, have the water impeller changed as soon as possible.

Also, if he were to buy it, does it need to be registered/insured
before he can get it home? Do you have to do that at the SOS like you
register cars? I already called State Farm about a different boat he
was looking at, so we have an inkling of what insurance would cost -
this one's 1' shorter and older, so I'm sure it'd be less than the ~
$340/year they quoted me for the 18' Fisherman a couple weeks ago.

The boat, no. The trailer? Depends on where you live. In my state,
as long as you have a bill of sale, it's legal to drive home until
you can register the trailer. Some states don't have trailer license
laws at all. All depends on where you live.

Also - he's got a 99 Silverado pick-up. He's got a hitch, but no
wiring yet. He thought there was a wiring harness package you could
get from GM that you just hook up and it's ready to go...is there?

Yes - GM parts will be able to gve you the part - it's not that
expensive.

Although, if it does have a hitch, I'd look around for the harness -
it's got to be there somewhere.

Thanks everyone.

I'm in Michigan. We have a permanent trailer license that's something
like $300 and you don't have to renew it - but I don't know if that's
a transferable plate, or if a new owner would have to re-register it
if it's sold.

the hitch/wiring. He did not get the truck with a hitch on it.
He had a hitch installed a year ago so he could help his cousin tow a
camper into the woods for deer hunting. So it's not wired at all -
just the hitch.

I'm not sure what all else is included - I think he mentioned a
FishFinder/GPS and marine radio. I don't know if the the boat comes
with a bimini top or a boat cover, etc.

But so far it sounds like, depending on the condition of the trailer
especially, it's probably a bit overpriced and DH should make a lower
offer.

On Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:43:59 -0700, "M. Baker"
wrote:

My husband is going to look at a 17' Lund Mr. Pike fishing boat
tonight. I believe it's a 2001 with a 115hp 4-stroke motor. Has 4
electric downriggers already, I believe the guy is also throwing in
all his lures and poles. Not sure what else is included. Anyway, he's
asking $16K.

What should DH be looking at/for when he goes to look at it? I called
a marine service shop and they said they could do a compression check,
check the lower unit for $80. But their hours are M-F 8-5, which
doesn't work for my husband at ALL.

Also, if he were to buy it, does it need to be registered/insured
before he can get it home? Do you have to do that at the SOS like you
register cars? I already called State Farm about a different boat he
was looking at, so we have an inkling of what insurance would cost -
this one's 1' shorter and older, so I'm sure it'd be less than the ~
$340/year they quoted me for the 18' Fisherman a couple weeks ago.

Also - he's got a 99 Silverado pick-up. He's got a hitch, but no
wiring yet. He thought there was a wiring harness package you could
get from GM that you just hook up and it's ready to go...is there?

Can't answer many of your questions, but a truck of that vintage
should be set up to wire for a trailer very easily. Go to most any
auto parts store and look at the wiring harnesses and find the one
specified for the truck. It should have plugs that plug right into the
wiring harness back near the bumper. Usually the harness for the
taillights has a connection that you unplug and then plug your new
harness into the connection then plug the taillights back in. For my
2000 Dodge Dakota and my prevoious 1995 Ford Ranger the harnesses were
about $25 and were purchased at, I believe, WalMart. Took about 5
minutes to install each and most of that was spent routing the wiring
and wire-tying it so that it was out of the way but easily accessable
for plugging into.

Dave Hall