advice

[dicor]

I'm considering purchasing a 1999 Donzi Z 275. The previous owners used the boat in saltwater. Two years ago it was winterized, outdrive stored and hull shrink wrapped then put on blocks and has not seen water since. I plan to have a marine surveyor check it out, which will include a compression test on the engine. What is the general consensus about buying a boat thats been sitting for 2 years. And what else should I look for. Thanks

[zelatore]

Any fuel that's in the boat is varnish by now; it'll need to be dumped and fresh installed.

A compression test is a good start. You'll also want to have a good look for rust/corrosion around all the water passages where you can. Pulling some water hoses for a look would be a good idea.

If you have one or can borrow one, a bore scope would be nice to take a peek inside the cylinders before the compression test. Depending on the exhaust on the boat, you might also pop a valve cover off to see how things look there. Corrosion? Condensation?

Before you firing it up for the first time, consider changing the oil. It'll be a pita with it thick and cold, but after sitting for 2 years, even shrink wrapped, it's bound to have some water in it from condensation.

[LKSD]

It may be fine, I would check it all out tho. Also it is possible
that the fuel is bad by now. But if it was properly stored and serviced then overall it should not be a really big deal after you do some services before using it.. Zelatore's suggestions would be a good place to start.. :) Jamie / Lakeside

[MOP]

If it was properly fogged out and filled with antifreeze it "could" be fine, if the block was drained and left dry I would be very leery! I was a salt water mechanic I know how quick thing can go bad if not done right!

[dicor]

All good info.Thanks.... According to the marina they winterized it, changed the oil and put Sta-bil in the gas tank etc... I don't know if it's been fogged as a matter of fact it's fuel injected. Can you fog a fuel injected engine?
Another question, it has not been waxed for 2 years and the finish is kind of dull and chalky. I'm assuming a good compounding and waxing will fix this. Am I assuming correctly?
I was also told today that the marina can through a laptop to the ECM and pull the hours out of it. Was I told correctly? Don

[zelatore]

Yes, you can fog an injected motor. Good practice if you're laying it up for a long time. Also good to hear that it was laid up by a professional as opposed to 'just some guy'. The sta-bil is also a plus - the fuel may still be usable, though it certainly won't be great.

And yes, they can hook up a scan tool and read the hours. Very easy to do.

And yes, most likely you can compound the gel back to a good shine. But that depends on just how bad it is. You won't want to do it by hand, that's for sure! A good buffer and wool pad used with a little skill can do wonders. You may need to wet-sand then compound if it's really bad, though a couple years of storage shouldn't be too bad.

[mc donzi]

I had my engine scoped to find out how many hours were on it. Not only can they tell you the overall total, they can break it down to total hours in RPM increments, 0-1000, 1000-2000, 2000-3000, 3000-4000 etc. That would give you a pretty good idea if the boat was beat on or not. Mine had a lot of hours in 0-1000.. the tech said probably on anchor listening to the stereo or in idle speed restricted zones. 0.1 hour above 5500.. probably launched it off a wave.

[dicor]

I had my engine scoped to find out how many hours were on it. Not only can they tell you the overall total, they can break it down to total hours in RPM increments, 0-1000, 1000-2000, 2000-3000, 3000-4000 etc. That would give you a pretty good idea if the boat was beat on or not. Mine had a lot of hours in 0-1000.. the tech said probably on anchor listening to the stereo or in idle speed restricted zones. 0.1 hour above 5500.. probably launched it off a wave.
Real good info. I'm getting back into boating after 7 years, things have change quite a bit in boating. I've got some catching up to do and this website is getting me back up to speed. Thanks