good deal on this Chris Craft?

[MrMasterCraft]

yea the prostar searies is a bitch, but its fun though

It is, and the girls seem to agree. Check out last weekend with the 2 I took to the lake, in the girlfriends/ex/wife thread

More to come weekend after next... apparently there's 6 more coming

[Zboner]

damn 6 people. my buddys is a 79' i saw your pictures man, ill post a pic of his and we wakeboard on his as well

[importhater81]

Well, since you're going to check it out, there's no possibility of a scam

If it has an out of state title, call up DNR or Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (different names in different states) to make sure the boat isn't stolen and he hasn't produced a fake title.

If all goes well there, eyeball the stringers in the boat. Not sure of how ChrisCraft is if they're wood or not, but some boats have glass stringers. Those that do, will be easy to eyeball any stress cracks.

Make sure you turn hard lock-to-lock and that there's no excessive vibrations.

With a boat that cheap, there's probably not much room to haggle with price, but service records are definately something you can use against an asking price, if he can't produce any.

I'm not all too familiar with IB/OB setups, but just check all drain plugs and such, so that when you can go to winterize, there won't be any surprises (this was my mistake). Some will have plastic plugs on the back of the manifolds. If a dealer winterizes, they'll let the motor reach operating temp so the Tstat opens, and they'll run AF through it. This makes it faster and easier to winterize, as well as jacking the price up (some dealers) for using more fluid. My winterization cost me between $50-$60, certain dealers charge anywhere from a couple hundred to, I've seen as high as almost $700 before. Flat out crazy!

Not much I can tell ya about a ChrisCraft, heard they're good quality boats

I/O boats will always cost more to winterize. In addition to running anti-freeze through the motor,you have to factor in a drive service...$18 a quart x 3...plus removal of the drive to check alignment,u-joints,bellows and make repairs or adjustments as required.

$700 isn't that far of a strech for an I/O for somebody that doesn't winterize themselves...especially with twins,such as some Bajas

[Knight]

I/O boats will always cost more to winterize. In addition to running anti-freeze through the motor,you have to factor in a drive service...$18 a quart x 3...plus removal of the drive to check alignment,u-joints,bellows and make repairs or adjustments as required.

$700 isn't that far of a strech for an I/O for somebody that doesn't winterize themselves...especially with twins.

I have an I/O and I don't spend anything to winterize. Just pull the two drain plugs from the heads, the two from the block, and that's it. No anti-freeze. Done that every year and never a problem. And you don't need to remove the drive every year, unless you suspect a problem. If the bellows aren't cracked or ripped, the u-joints, and shaft, and gimble bearing should be ok - providing you grease it. Of course, you should be greasing everything anyway. I'm sure my setup is a little different than others, but $700 to winterize a boat? I'm in the wrong business then.

[importhater81]

I have an I/O and I don't spend anything to winterize. Just pull the two drain plugs from the heads, the two from the block, and that's it. No anti-freeze. Done that every year and never a problem. And you don't need to remove the drive every year, unless you suspect a problem. If the bellows aren't cracked or ripped, the u-joints, and shaft, and gimble bearing should be ok - providing you grease it. Of course, you should be greasing everything anyway. I'm sure my setup is a little different than others, but $700 to winterize a boat? I'm in the wrong business then.

I have an I/O and I do the winterizing myself,but for someone new to boats who takes it in to be winterized,they're not just going to pull the drain plugs.

When you put your boat away for the winter you don't change the oil and drive fluid?

Also without running anti-freeze through the engine you still run a high risk of the oil cooler and p.s coolers freezing and cracking if you live in a climate that sees sub 20 degree temps for multiple days.

[Knight]

I have an I/O and I do the winterizing myself,but for someone new to boats who takes it in to be winterized,they're not just going to pull the drain plugs.

When you put your boat away for the winter you don't change the oil and drive fluid?

Also without running anti-freeze through the engine you still run a high risk of the oil cooler and p.s coolers freezing and cracking if you live in a climate that sees sub 20 degree temps for multiple days.

I change the oil in the spring normally. It's easier to check in the spring. The drive fluid depending on how it looks and the level - not usually an issue. Never had a problem with the oil cooler or p.s. cooler. Depending on how much it gets used per year, sometimes the fluids get changed more or less often too.

[bigrondownhiller]

I would change my O/D and engine oil in the begining of the season. I would filll the cooling system with antifreeze at the end of the season for the winter. Being in the saltwater you need new zincs too every season and to change the tilt fluid too.