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1989 Spectra??

miweisberg

miweisberg

New member
Hi everyone. I am new to boating and am looking into purchasing a 1989 Spectra. It is listed as 18' thought the owner states it is actually 17' something. Looks really nice. No bottom paint. Has a 1990 Johnson GT150 that has just been "refreshed". The owner wants to start it up for me to hear and but I really don't know what pitfalls I should be looking for. Any suggestions?

Thanks for any and all help.
 
Last edited:
This may help a little

Check for soft spots in the floor as this gets into a lot of labor and time!
Check compression on all cylinders this will tell you a lot about the motor.
The best advice I can give go run the boat never buy a boat you have not ran, If the owner has a problem with going to run it for you there could be problems.
 
If you are not comfortable making this type of judgment call, really conceder hiring a local shop to inspect the boat / engine and take it out for a sea trial with you aborad. A couple of hours of a mechanic's wages could save you a lot of cost and aggravation.

Best of luck!
 
Thanks

Thanks for the info. Went through this boat up and down. It's an '89 Spectra 171. Very, very well maintained. Stays in a heated garage during the winter (though it does get winterized in the event it needs to spend a couple of weeks in a smaller garage without heat).

Ran the motor for about 10 minutes. Much of the smoke burned off but still some blowing out of the exhaust. I was told that this is normal for 2 strokes.

Think I'm going to take the plunge into boating. I gave this dude a small deposit and he said that we will complete the deal when I get up all of the money in the next couple of months. Besides, he wants to take me out in it to show me some of the things he does to get the boat ready to launch.

Thanks again for your replies.
 
My first Checkmate was a Spectra 170 (bowrider version) with a Merc 150Xr2. It was a great boat and solid as a rock. With the 150 and a Merc Hi-Five prop I ran upper 50's all day long! Enjoy the boat and :welcome:.
 
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