Looking at a 2001 Utopia

[kevspyder]

Hey Everyone,

Brand new to the forums, I've been reading a bunch of threads and I'm pretty excited to see such a great community.

So I live in NY and I've been talking to a guy with a 01 Utopia who is about 7 hours away. The boat is in over all good condition, just some little things wrong with it like the winter cover has a rip in it, little stuff like that. It's been professionally maintained, winterized properly, etc.

My main concern is that it has been driven in salt water and now if I buy it it will be drivin in fresh water. Like I said before it has been professionally maintained so there are no salt water "issues." He estimates that it has under 80 hours on it. With that being said, he wants $6000 for it.

Also, I want to make sure I have enough of a truck to tow it. I have a 2004 V6 Escape with the tow package. I think that should be enough to pull a 18' boat but just wanted thoughts on this.

Is this something I should jump on and drive the 7 hours to get or is it something I should pass on. This is my first jet boat so I want to make sure I'm making the correct decision. Thanks in advance for the help.

Kevin:cheers:

 

[Craigmri]

Kevin,

Welcome!

What engine is in that boat and please post pictures.

The price sure sounds good but I would not buy a Mercury powered boat with an authorized merc service center giving it a look see. Worth the money to get it checked. You must also sea trial it. Make sure there isnt excessive smoke, pops on plane quickly and has plenty of pull.

Craig

 

[Dr Honda]

Kevin,

Welcome!

What engine is in that boat and please post pictures.

The price sure sounds good but I would not buy a Mercury powered boat with an authorized merc service center giving it a look see. Worth the money to get it checked. You must also sea trial it. Make sure there isnt excessive smoke, pops on plane quickly and has plenty of pull.

Craig

:agree:

But I wouldn't buy a merc. (expensive when they go down) Also... since it's 7hr's away... I would look for somthing else since it was a saltwater boat. But that's me.

Good luck

 

[kevspyder]

He said it is the Utopia 185 with the 200 horse motor. I haven't seen photos of it yet, he's going to email me some.

 

[Craigmri]

Optimax

Kev,

It sounds like its the optimax engine. They are renown for being efficient but also being expensive to service. Before considering this boat call around and see who you would take it to should you need service. Not anyone is qualified to work on an Optimax engine....they are quite complicated.

Craig

He said it is the Utopia 185 with the 200 horse motor. I haven't seen photos of it yet, he's going to email me some.

 

[kevspyder]

With low hours is it still recommended to have it checked out with a tech? What's the ball park on an inspection fee.

 

[Dr Honda]

With low hours is it still recommended to have it checked out with a tech? What's the ball park on an inspection fee.

YES!!

In my opinion, hours are almost worthless. You can have a super high hour boat like mine, and it’s clean, and runs well… OR… you could have a low hour boat that has been neglected, abused, run lean, run out of oil… or been allowed to suck up rocks that can destroy a pump, and clog the cooling system.

So… Yes… if you are willing to drive 7hr’s away… get it checked by a certified Merc tech… and take it out on a test drive. (not a short one either… burn a few gallons of fuel to make sure it’s running good)

 

[kevspyder]

I called a service department around the seller, they charge $300 for a full blown inspection pulling things apart, compression test, etc.

 

[cjb]

Judging for the pictures, i say look for something else.

I see what it seems like watermark on the gel coat.

 

[kevspyder]

what photo and what does that mean?

 

[cjb]

The second picture the one of the hull of the boat. I can see some yellowish looking line on the hull bellow the Seadoo logo and also in the front of the boat. Is a bad picture so i am not sure but it looks like a waterline stain. If thats what it is, it means the boat was seating in water for a long time. Thats a big no no for jet boats. Water can damage the gel coat and it will be hard to clean. Ask the person to send you better more detail pictures.

 

[Bdt1967]

I say pass, it has obviously sat in the water for long periods of time, since you said it was run in salt I would assume that it sat in salt water outside, probably did quite the number on the jellcoat. 6 grand is a pretty good number, but it would have to be inspected with a fine tooth comb. If it were me, I would keep looking.

 

[Craigmri]

I'd pass too!

Judging for the pictures, i say look for something else.

I see what it seems like watermark on the gel coat.

:agree::agree::agree::agree::agree::agree::agree:
What he said!

Craig

 

[rookie101]

:agree::agree::agree::agree::agree::agree::agree:
What he said!

Craig

:agree:

Yeah I'm an Optimax guy, but I still have to agree with these guys. It looks like the boat has sat in the water a lot, and eight years of salt water on what is essentially an outboard is just to high to trust.

Aaron:cheers:

 

[jshaley]

Watermark

Is the watermark an issue because it is salt? I'm looking at one that has a similar blemish but is fresh water.

 

[Craigmri]

Blemish = careless

The water mark is symbolic. It says....."I dont care enough about my boat to keep this staining off". Its screams it.....and if an owners doesn't care to keep the stains off what else wont they care about? Cleaning those stains off isnt that big a deal. You can use a hull cleaner designed for that purpose or even muriatic acid will take it right off. I did this to a Rinker boat I used to own. spray it on....let sit for a minute and rinse off with water. Marina guy told me about this years ago and it works and wont damage the gelcoat!

Craig
MIG #2

Is the watermark an issue because it is salt? I'm looking at one that has a similar blemish but is fresh water.

 

[kevspyder]

Hey Guys,

I talked with the owner today and got a little bit of info on the boat. He's going to send me a bunch of clearer photos. He said that he is the original owner and out of the years he's had it 2 years it never went in the water, 2 years he pulled it in and out and 2 years he had it docked for half a season. He said the dealer he bought it from does all the regular maintance every year and he has all the papers. He said what you see in the photo on the boat is a bottom coat that the dealer puts a new coat on at the beginning of the year and takes it off at the end of the year to protect it from the salt water. He said he also has some tablets in the engine bay area that protects from rust/corrosion

The guy sounds pretty legit, i just can't see passing up the boat for $6000.

 

[jshaley]

2 cents

Not based on experience... but I am going through a similar purchase:

I would not pass on the mechanics inspection. $6k is over a grand below book value so is a super deal, unless the engine goes south on you. Sounds like it is a good situation - but you will eventually have this boat serviced, why not spend the money now and have the mechanic look it over and maybe even tune it up a bit?

Good luck!

 

[soundguy]

I don't know if you ever got the Utopia or not. If you did, try to find a local Merc dealer for your engine problems. I took mine to the local SeaDoo folks who kept it for a week and couldn't figure out what was wrong with the engine (it wouldn't start). They recommended taking it to a Mercury dealer and I found one that's been in town for over 40 years so I figure they must be doing something right. They solved the problem ($750, not great but it could have been worse) and now it runs almost perfect. (Still working on one issue of high speed [over 42 mph] performance.) I love my Utopia and my wife loves the sundeck on the back. When it's at the top of it's game, it's a great boat. Tons of power, planes quickly, handles wake well and seems to be well built. I added a GPS/Fishfinder and a VHF radio (if you need help with any wiring, let me know) and I'm not afraid to take it anywhere.

If you didn't get the boat, you may have missed out on a good boat if it was worthy of the price.