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If they are the same price, I'd go for the 11 year newer 4-stroke motor and fresh water only boat. A 15 hour drive (hope that's both ways?) is a bitter pill to take, but you'll get over it in a few days.

Otherwise, try to negotiate the blue hull down to something that will make you forget how much better the white boat is.

Is the 15 hour drive so painful that you'd risk having to repower to avoid it? That is what it boils down to in my mind.

The only plus, beside proximity, for the blue boat is bottom paint. If you're in a club and can leave it in the water for a long weekend, or week, you'll need that bottom paint around here.

Forgetting the 15 hour trip, these boats are not equal value to me.

kevinkirby wrote: ↑Wed Sep 07, 2022 7:30 am Love the total redo of the white boat and the warrantied new 60hp Mercury! Not too wild about the 15hour drive to get it! Hmmmmm.....

Go for it, definitely. It's much, much better deal. I drove 2000+ one way miles for our boat and not regretting it one bit.

Jimmyt wrote: ↑Wed Sep 07, 2022 8:35 am A 15 hour drive (hope that's both ways?) is a bitter pill to take, but you'll get over it in a few days.

It's 15 hours one way.
But I agree with the rest of your thoughts. Just trying to come to grips with the three day trip to get it.
15 hour travel day
Sea trial and packing it up for travel
15 hour travel day
Whew!

Go for the boat you want, and try to make the trip as fun as possible. Better than always wondering if you should have gone for it.

2 strokes smoke somewhat? and are louder than the 4 strokes. I also believe evinrude has quit making and supporting the outboards? Other people will chime in (hopefully) for any corrections to my thinking? I have a nissan 50 and its loud and smokes. Some 2 strokes are not allowed at some lakes.

kevinkirby wrote: ↑Wed Sep 07, 2022 11:55 am

Jimmyt wrote: ↑Wed Sep 07, 2022 8:35 am A 15 hour drive (hope that's both ways?) is a bitter pill to take, but you'll get over it in a few days.

It's 15 hours one way.
But I agree with the rest of your thoughts. Just trying to come to grips with the three day trip to get it.
15 hour travel day
Sea trial and packing it up for travel
15 hour travel day
Whew!

If it's 15 hours by car to get there it's going to be at least 20 hours pulling a trailer back if nothing goes wrong. You are looking in the neighborhood of 1000 miles pulling a trailer you don't know. That's not trivial.

I agree that the white one appears to be the better buy but that assumes that you get it back home safely. Make sure that the trailer, towing vehicle, and driver(s) are all up to the trip. Take your time and be safe. It's been said that "a schedule is the most dangerous item on a boat". That can also be applied to a boat on a trailer.

Tough decision.

BLUE HULL:

I'm partial to the blue hull. It's so pretty. I get so many compliments on mine. It really stands out. But to be honest....it's a PITA to keep looking good and it does get hot in the sun. There I said it.

The 2 Stroke Evinrude is not your father's outboard. These motors were engineering marvels. Burn so clean they meet California emissions requirements. No mixing of oil (like in the olden days). They are oil injected and have crazy safety computer stuffs to keep you from hurting them. As I recall, they require very little maintenance. They can even be pull started with a completely dead battery! 2 strokes claim to have more torque. I remember watching Evenrude videos back then in a tug-o-war with a 4 stroke to prove they were more powerful (see below). They sold a ton of those motors and people love them. It is true that Evinrude is no longer producing outboards, but there are a zillion of these still out there.
So unless the motor was neglected, I wouldn't let that be a big factor unless it has thousands of hours on it.

The blue boat looks amazing and well-kept. The bottom paint looks great as does the trailer. Amazingly clean-looking boat from the photo.

I don't see a dodger or bimini. A bimini is a must. You are the south right? Yea, a must.
What's that sail looking stuff on the ground? Spinaker/Genaker? And it must be so hot in Florida it melts traffic cones


WHITE HULL:

Looks clean and well kept. Owner must take care of her.
New stuff is a big plus.
Roller furler has a sock. Ugg.. I hate those socks. But they work. The blue boat might use a sock also or white cover that I can't see from the photo.
Has lazy jacks on the main. THAT is super nice. REALLY nice. That's my next project. Makes sail handling so much easier.
Has a bimini. ++
Boat is in Iowa. That's a trek.



The vain side of me says go BLUE (I did). It's more work to keep shiny, but the envy of other boaters is worth it. You could race Jimmy and always win with the faster blue hull.
It's the easier choice by shear distance.
Both have VERY similar qualities and both look like nice boats. Both look like they have stern seats.

The practical side of me says do the road trip and get the newer stuff boat with the more practical hull.

Yea, that's a hard decision.

Make sure you facetime with them showing the boat before going to see the boats. Also don't exchange money til you see paperwork. There are scammers out there that repost these boat pics asking for deposit money.

If they're legit, get the one w newer engine. Both look great.

FYI the 2007 has the 5" bigger heavier mast, the 2008 has the lighter 4" mast something to think about at ur age lol, the 4" mast is more than strong enough for the & that,s one of the reasons Roger down sized it & also less weight aloft meaning less healing , I have the 2008 & that sucker is more than heavier than I need with two furlers lol white hull is ten times less maintenance than the blue hull
Just my option , ur choice

J

kevinkirby wrote: ↑Wed Sep 07, 2022 7:30 am I am 62. Thanks for all the replies! There are definitely a lot of things to mull over.

Get the one with the new motor. Replacing a motor nowadays is an expensive, long lead time problem. The new motor will keep you on the water instead of saving for a new one.

Trust me. When you're out there with your family and things get dicey as they sometimes do, you don't wanna wonder if the motor's gonna have a bad day.

It's no fun having a boat in the water with a dead engine. Been there, done that, don't ever want to do it again.

yes I agree I,m not a fan of that Newer Evenrude O/B engine I know a couple guys who have them & they r still smokey at start up & very noisy & now obsolete !

J

After FaceTime/zoom confirmations on the goods, I’d go for the Waranteed Mercury 4 stroke first choice white Sorry Russ; However it’s not about the color, it’s about waranteed motor and other newer features.

I would probably even prefer to turn the return trip into an enjoyable 2 day affair. School yourself on trailer bearing maintenance. Ask PO if he has:”Any spares to Anything” and Take Them All! Throw him a hundred if it makes him generous I’m sure you’ll get loads of stuff

You will now be a trailer sailor, so get the trailer part down first. Have spares, is it a tandem trailer? Condition and inflation of tires; ReGrease the bearings [hopefully they’re bearing buddies or have injectable spindlesI joined BoatUS for their trailer coverage. But be warned, they won’t tow you from certain major highways - so you have to exit Off - & then call them. Ask me how I know
Nevertheless, I recommend them on and off water.

Verify the condition and quality of the trailer as much as you do the lovely

You have 2 wonderful choices, I gave my preference but recognize it’s more work initially.

But you win either way

Gazmn wrote: ↑Wed Sep 07, 2022 7:12 pm Sorry Russ; However it’s not about the color, it’s about waranteed motor and other newer features.

That's the practical choice and I have to agree.
To be honest, I wouldn't buy a blue hull again. It's just too much work to keep looking nice.

1. Trailer set up is a pain.

No one hates trailer set up more than me. Have been doing it since I was 14 years old on my dads boat - hated it then, hate it now. It sucks. Don't get me wrong - trailer setup on the M boat is 10 times easier than the Aquarius 23 and 100 times easier than the Balboa 26 but it's still the number one PITA.

Now, there is an answer to that issue: just rent a guest slip for the summer and leave the boat in the water all season. That way you only launch the boat ONCE to start the season and retrieve the boat ONCE to end the season!

Best of both worlds. (As Highlander said, you can prepare the bottom for extended time in the water without paint (paint really slows the boat down)).

2. Hard to hold course.

I am accustomed to the slight slop in the wheel after all these years and I can anticipate it well but if it really bothers you or you can't seem to acclimate to the wheel slop consider installing a tiller directly to one of the rudders. It's very easy and will make holding course very easy.

After I installed a pilot I realized how much better the boat steers directly from the rudder arm. The autopilot does a better job than me because it's connected directly to the rudder arm so there is no slop between the pilot and the rudder. It's an easy install to put a tiller on the starboard rudder.

3. Not a good sailboat.

This one goes with the "hard to hold course" thing. It's not really true - I find if I trim the boat correctly even in a 14 knot wind with all the sail tails lining up with each other pointing higher than a CAT25 I can hold course just fine:

Notice the direction of the wind vane on the mast crutch. Also the heel is well within 30 degrees and those are NOT new sails!

The M boat is a GOOD sailboat IN THE FRONT:



The lines on the forward part of the hull are quite classic and if you sail the boat on the bow like it's supposed to be sailed it's just as good as any other small boat. Don't overload the leech - if the sail tails are not flying straight off the leach your stretching the leach and putting force too far aft. Feel the main-sheet, if it's really hard to pull your probably hauled in too tight and the boat is being pulled through the water by the traveler instead of the mast. The mast should always carry the lions share of the force, not the sheets.

The thing about the M boat is that the BACK of the boat is a POWER BOAT. When your sailing the aft is just going along for the ride. If you do not properly trim the sails so it's sailing off the mast it overloads the leech putting the force aft and the M boat does not sail well on its ass. The aft section under the boat is too flat and will slide around all over the place like an ass dragging around a dagger-board. Hard to steer like that also.

When you buy a trailer boat they never tell you all the things they should tell you. Trailer boats require doing things differently. If your kool with all the strange things you need to do to keep a trailer boat moving properly through the water I say GO FOR IT. It will make you a better sailor than all the other guys in the marina.

Hi BOAT!

We are seriously in "love" with your tow vehicle!!!



What a nice rig!!!!
While we make do with our Dodge Caravan to stay within our budget it is an aspirational dream to someday figure out a way to get a tow rig like yours! It looks Great!

Best Regards,
Over Easy