Sea Ray

Thank you for your advice. I have never had a salt water boat so just looking for a thing that could be a maintenance issue we can anticipate before finalizing the purchase.

By hiring a Marine Surveyor, you should not have to direct him/her to what to look for... they should go through the vessel from stem to stern and top to bottom and document EVERYTHING, noting condition and any deficiencies. However, I can appreciate wanting to cover the bases. I suggest having a conversation prior to the inspection and be involved and ask questions, i.e. why is it that way? What should I be looking out for?... Generally, they will be more than happy to engage. Also, might I suggest having a certified Mercruiser mechanic/surveyor there as well. Pay to have the engines scoped, cylinder pressure tests, manifold exhaust heat readings, etc....
Trust me, best insurance you can buy! Good luck.

Ask owner what they do after each outing in salt water. They should be flushing the engines. If a fresh water flush kit is not already installed then install on each engine. Perko seems best.

I have a new 2017 350 Sundancer Coupe that has been terrific.
I had two factory related incidents but all covered under warranty. Is there an extend warranty? There is nothing that I have had to address over and over just that it gets dirty.

PJS is spot on, get a survey.

Surveys will not catch a lot of problems. Salt water used boats Have a more extensive survey that is needed. E.g. sand from beaches , landings, anchoring etc. wear your impellers quickly. Mandate they are replaced. Complete all fluid changes and look at the fluid for any abnormal signs. Make sure the IO’ from top to bottom and all lubrication points are in good working order. Have gear lube changed. Make sure all maps and software are updated.( radio., mfd, charts, etc) check hull for beaching marks. Check IO for and B3 for corrosion. Heck all fit and finish, as well as accessibility to user access panels. Make sure all doors open and close without signs of mis-alignment.. check Isenglass and curtains and fasteners. This is only a small List. You only get one shot before you agree on price Salt water boats can decrease the value from $30k to $50k because of a lot of unseen corrosive issues. Just because a boat looks good on the surface dose not mean there are not problems brewing that you can not see. Make sure you run the boat yourself and your happy with the performance, time to plane . Listen at IO gears and shifting from forward and Reverse. I f it has AXIUS, make sure you run through that thoroughly. Ask a mercury tech to check engine and system for all updates, correct “personality “ setting etc
Best wishes And happy boating.

Just bought a 2015 SD 350 yes again to getting a professional surveyor! Make sure the generator works well (does not throw multiple faults) make sure there are no electrical issues (shorts etc) check running lights and all speakers (especially bow) if you have them. Otherwise I had no issues with the boat.

Assuming you have Axius w/Skyhook, make sure all functioning appropriately. Another tip, your Co2 detector will start to chirp after 4 years and 11 months (you could be close based on date of manufacture). If you disconnect the Co2 detector to stop the chirp until replaced your generator will not stay running. This occurred during my survey. Once reconnected gen fired right up.

On the engines, have the blue plastic drain plugs replaced. They become brittle over time and will eventually break causing a pretty good seawater leak in your bilge. After they break they are very hard to get out, sometimes needing to be very carefully drilled out. I replace these little blue plugs every 6 months because I’ve had 2 fail in the last year and a half.

Thanks for the tips! Have had a great few months of beautiful late fall weather getting familiar with the boat. A few issues we have had: The sensors for trim height both went out on the sea trial so broker repaired them on the spot. Put new zincs on while it was out of the water for the survey, assuming we were going to buy her... Had to replace the trim tab hydraulic reservoir, was leaking. We had a fuse for the washer/ wipers blow. Replaced and all was fine afterwards. Not too bad!

In spring, we will pull her out and have a quick connect flush kit put on both engines, too hard to install at the slip below the waterline. We also will replace the standard depth transducer with a fish finder on the Raymarine radar headunit when it is out of the water so we can enjoy trying to catch salmon and halibut during season.

We ordered a fancy custom mattress for overnight stays, should be shipped next week! All in all, so happy with our purchase, it has totally been a lifestyle upgrade!