Noob from Ky about needing some advice....

[Bryan.]

Hello all my name is Bryan and am from Louisville, Ky. Ive owned a boat before and had a very bad (and expensive) experience. I said Id never own a boat again but I cant help it. Im looking at a 1985 Enforcer with the 5.7 (260hp)/ alpha drive. Unknown hours but the craigslist add came with a link to a short video or it running on the lake. The guy is looking to trade for one of my cars.

Would you pay $5k for a running 85 enforcer with matching, nice tandem axle trailer? Im going to look at the boat Tuesday....anything in perticular I should look for?

Thanks!

Bryan

 

[Bryan.]

Heres a few pics.....

 

[nathan]

nice boat welcome.

 

[Bryan.]

Thanks! So what do you think its worth? Im hoping to negotiate a deal this week.

 

[nathan]

If the floor is solid and everything works on it. I would say it is worth between 5-6k for it. But make sure you take it out for a water test. In the end how you like the boat will tell you if it is worth your trade. If it is not to your liking then, unless your are looking to turn it, you might want to hold off.

 

[Bryan.]

Any idea what size fuel tank this boat would have and how long it should last under normal running conditions?

Im a body man as well as a car mechanic so working on it and fixing issues with the gel coat shouldnt be a problem. Ive always wanted a 22-26' power boat with a v8 -thru hull exhaust but the only ones I can afford are mostly old and dated looking. Ive always liked Checkmate boats and for a 1985 I think this one looks awesome!

 

[yellowfiero88]

Cool boat. The alpha will limit you in performance but not a deal breaker. In 85, the bravo was not avab. Plus the enforcer is not a real heavy boat so you will be good unless you build some good power and beat it out of the hole. Check typical rot/wetness. If all checks out, the price is not bad.
Good luck

 

[Rob B]

Welcome to the forum!!! My Enforcer has a 50 gallon gas tank, so I assume the same in the one you're looking at.

 

[DropTop5.0]

I took a rubber hammer and tapped all over the floor of my boat before I bought it. Check for soft spots right behind the drivers seat for a soft spot.

 

[Ramifications]

to the forum!

I have nothing to add to the above comments, they have you going in the right direction. It is a good looking boat though

 

[Big Red]

Thanks! So what do you think its worth? Im hoping to negotiate a deal this week.

Half the price of any other boat,, That BLACK boat will do nothing but burn the crap out of you.. It will be like driving a BBQ grill around,, Black looks good only when somebody else owns it..

 

[Bryan.]

Cool boat. The alpha will limit you in performance but not a deal breaker. In 85, the bravo was not avab. Plus the enforcer is not a real heavy boat so you will be good unless you build some good power and beat it out of the hole. Check typical rot/wetness. If all checks out, the price is not bad.
Good luck

Thanks! By typical rot you mean the floor and transom? Any other places I should look?

Welcome to the forum!!! My Enforcer has a 50 gallon gas tank, so I assume the same in the one you're looking at.

Thanks! 50 gallons is going to be the biggest tank Ive ever had to fill..

I took a rubber hammer and tapped all over the floor of my boat before I bought it. Check for soft spots right behind the drivers seat for a soft spot.

Will do. Thanks!

to the forum!

I have nothing to add to the above comments, they have you going in the right direction. It is a good looking boat though

Thanks!

Half the price of any other boat,, That BLACK boat will do nothing but burn the crap out of you.. It will be like driving a BBQ grill around,, Black looks good only when somebody else owns it..

Really? I never really thought about that. Ill be honest the black is the only thing Im not crazy about. I plan to eventually paint it anyway though...

If the boat is only worth 5-6k I might pass on it. The car Im trading is worth 7-8k and he is asking 8900 for the boat. I bought the car for 5k with plans to make a few bucks.....hence the reason I was asking what the boat is worth.

Thanks for the insight guys!!

 

[wca_tim]

Thanks! By typical rot you mean the floor and transom? Any other places I should look?



Thanks! 50 gallons is going to be the biggest tank Ive ever had to fill..



Will do. Thanks!



Thanks!



Really? I never really thought about that. Ill be honest the black is the only thing Im not crazy about. I plan to eventually paint it anyway though...

If the boat is only worth 5-6k I might pass on it. The car Im trading is worth 7-8k and he is asking 8900 for the boat. I bought the car for 5k with plans to make a few bucks.....hence the reason I was asking what the boat is worth.

Thanks for the insight guys!!

I like black... and have a black boat... doesn't get so awfully hot as you might think. Just sayin...

 

[yellowfiero88]

Thanks! By typical rot you mean the floor and transom? Any other places I should look?

Check the hull for softness. Feel inside the ski locker and under the engine from inside the boat. If the core is wet, it will feel soft. It will be in the bottom center of the hull.

As for black, I love them. I had one but the gel was so shot that I ended up re painting it. I did "corey331" starflite a year ago. It was black with red and silver flake on it. We ended up rebasing the red and reclearing it. He did not feel it was much hotter than any other boat.

 

[Bryan.]

Check the hull for softness. Feel inside the ski locker and under the engine from inside the boat. If the core is wet, it will feel soft. It will be in the bottom center of the hull.

As for black, I love them. I had one but the gel was so shot that I ended up re painting it. I did "corey331" starflite a year ago. It was black with red and silver flake on it. We ended up rebasing the red and reclearing it. He did not feel it was much hotter than any other boat.

Will do, thanks!

Btw, Ive read your "wasted income" thread twice now and thats exactly what Id like to do. You made that boat so awesome, I was very sorry to read about your loss there. I learned alot from it. Do you think it would be possable to flip my Enforcer over on some tires in the yard and paint it the same way? My gel coat is pretty hazy to...

 

[Bryan.]

Heading down tomorrow at 4 oclock to look at this thing....if its legit Im bringing it home. I almost want to hold out for a Convincer but I dont think they are in my price range (8-9k). Is the Enforcer a pretty good hull? How fast can they go before it gets dangerous? Id like to eventually have an 80 mph boat.

Thanks guys

 

[yellowfiero88]

Will do, thanks!

Btw, Ive read your "wasted income" thread twice now and thats exactly what Id like to do. You made that boat so awesome, I was very sorry to read about your loss there. I learned alot from it. Do you think it would be possable to flip my Enforcer over on some tires in the yard and paint it the same way? My gel coat is pretty hazy to...

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, I believe you can flip the enforcer but you will need a few more guys than I had!!

Heading down tomorrow at 4 oclock to look at this thing....if its legit Im bringing it home. I almost want to hold out for a Convincer but I dont think they are in my price range (8-9k). Is the Enforcer a pretty good hull? How fast can they go before it gets dangerous? Id like to eventually have an 80 mph boat.

Thanks guys

Hurry up with the updates as soon as you know!!
I think your goal is easy enough to get to. Turn the 350 into a 383 with about 8:1cr. Slap a procharger on it and you'll be a happy boater. The drive will be a weak link, no hammering on it out of the hole . I say 383 and not a BBC for the weight savings. The alpha drive will need a nose cone to reach anything above 75mph.

 

[Jetmate]

Nice boat. Looks like it could be worth the money. But like Yf indicated a lot of guys would rather have a Big Block and a Bravo drive, something you can build some horse power in to. If you just want a boat to get out on the water in. this could be it.

By the way, my boat has a lot of black in the paint work. Does not seem to be a big problem for me. Good luck on the deal.

 

[Bryan.]

Ok guys I think Im going to buy it. I crawled all over this thing today and couldnt find a soft spot anywere!! The hull, transom, floor, seats, storage compartments were all still very solid. The entire boat was dissasembled 7 years ago - repainted top and bottom with new upolstry in the cuddy (red and grey tweed). Motor started right up (cold) and sounded awesome. The trailer has new bearing buddys and 4 brand new 8 ply tires.

The only things I noticed wrong are the following:

- The gimble housing has a small piece about the size of a half dollor broke off, its not in a critical spot looks like someone did it to gain better access to the bellows.

- The shifter cable has a small tear in the boot - will this leak into the bilge?

- The bottom of the hull in the V looks like someone beached it alot (gel coat was worn back to clear glass about 7" long

- All the black from the water line up will need repainted.

- The port vent on the bow is gone and has been replaced with plexi - were can I buy another one?

This is all I could find wrong. Do you guys think I should grab it for 5k???? Heres a few pics I snapped while I was there. Ive got till Monday to decide.

 

[JSmitty]

Nice looking boat. Sounds like a great deal for $5K. I agree with Big Red about the black paint. My boat has a touch of black and that black is first degree burn HOT.