Swiftcraft Boat - Need Advice

[majed1965]

Hi All,

I am interested in a 18ft SwiftCraft half Deep V cabin with a Volvo 130HP INBOARD engine....

I am told the boat is in very good condition. The boat is around the mid 80's model.

I am also told that this boat is very sturdy.

I would like to know your views on this type of boat, especially being an inboard engine.

I have included a pic.

Any info is appreciated.

Edited April 12, 2008 by Majed

[majed1965]

Thanks for that.......are petrol inboards ok?

[Dreamtime]

Hi All,

I am interested in a 18ft SwiftCraft half Deep V cabin with a Volvo 130HP INBOARD engine....

I am told the boat is in very good condition. The boat is around the mid 80's model.

I am also told that this boat is very sturdy.

I would like to know your views on this type of boat, especially being an inboard engine.

I have included a pic.

Any info is appreciated.

I have twin 135HP Turbo Volvo Diesels in my boat and they are great. Fuel efficient, quiet and gets her along at a top speed of 25Knots.

I am not a fan of petrol engines either, but not often do you find the package that is good to the eye, functional and affordable. Take it for a test run, as long as engine room has good ventilation, a good blower, no leaks on the leg it should be fine. Sounds like plenty of Horses for that size vessel. Good Luck

[pelican]

Volvos that era are pretty strong bottom ends if looked after with oil changes and not too expensive to rebuild with a lot of aftermarket parts for exhaust manifolds, cams heads etc. If you can find out exactly which motor it is. If you buy it and have any work done to it make sure you use the marine parts as flame arresters etc in a petrol boat are there for a reason!!. Make sure it has working bilge blowers and alarms so it is safe as petrol can be.

You are still dealing with a old boat so a inspection is a definate but the volvos if used regularly lasted well as long as they wern't overstressd. as for the legs they were good for there day and they need a close looking at as repairs can be expensive.

[djmac]

Swiftcrafts are notorious for rot in the floor and transom.

I think you will find that is down to the age of the boat and its history...

if you find one thats free of rot and osmosis they are good solid boats and will last a lifetime if looked after.

coupled with an inboard they are a great outside boat with the extra weight

Col

[Benb]

I have a 170hp Volvo inboard 6cyl late 60s early 70s in a 21ft half cab and it is very strong, one thing i like is the volvos have the sea water impeller pump on the motor compared to Mercs have them in the leg so you need to take the leg off each time you need to replace the impeller. It has 1100 hours on it and thats when the clock stopped working so it would have a few more on it now and still going strong.

Even when they are not running properly you will always get home, i have never been towed home. Inboards are easier to work on in the water than an outboard if you have a problem, i also have a Bertram 25 with twin 165hp inboard Mercs and they go good, they should they have just been rebuilt .

A few things to check:

1. Check that the Gimbal bearing is ok by going for a test drive a turn left and right and listen for a bearing noise (like a trailer wheel bearing noise). If there is a noise then the leg needs to come off and replace the bearing in the transom housing (not in the leg). A small amount of bearing noise is ok especially at full lock.

2. Check that the rubber bellows are in good nick, if they leak then you will need to replace the gimbal bearing.

3. Check for movement in the lower drive shaft by holding the prop and moving left to right.

If all of the above are ok then it should be fine, just listen for any strange noises and the usual visual checks and it should serve you well.

Cheers

Ben

[majed1965]

Thank you all for your help....

[a boat]

Good Morning, alot of good info from Raiders as usual. Sterndrive engines tend to be more prone to mechanical problems than outboards and are usually more expensive to repair. Areas to look at are, as stated the gimbal bearing, the universals, the bellows and of course the compression and oil condition of the engine and leg. The boat looks like it has never lived in the water so that is a plus and if the floor and transom are solid and the engine checks out they are OK boats.

From the photo it look older than mid 80's, but that is not a big deal if it has been looked after.

If you are handy with the tools than the ownership of a sterndrive will not hurt much, but if you have to pay for maintence and repairs they cna tend to be expensive and Volvo parts are not as cheap and redily available as M/cruiser parts.

Go for a run and run it hard and if you like the boat and it suits what you want to do, than buy it. What are they wanting for it?

Cheers,

Huey.

[majed1965]

Good Morning, alot of good info from Raiders as usual. Sterndrive engines tend to be more prone to mechanical problems than outboards and are usually more expensive to repair. Areas to look at are, as stated the gimbal bearing, the universals, the bellows and of course the compression and oil condition of the engine and leg. The boat looks like it has never lived in the water so that is a plus and if the floor and transom are solid and the engine checks out they are OK boats.

From the photo it look older than mid 80's, but that is not a big deal if it has been looked after.

If you are handy with the tools than the ownership of a sterndrive will not hurt much, but if you have to pay for maintence and repairs they cna tend to be expensive and Volvo parts are not as cheap and redily available as M/cruiser parts.

Go for a run and run it hard and if you like the boat and it suits what you want to do, than buy it. What are they wanting for it?

Cheers,

Huey.

They will sell it for $5000 which i believe is dirt cheap for an 18ft boat. I think it is worth at least $8000...the only downside is i cant try it in the water as he lives too far away from water and the nearest dam is 2 hours away and he is not prepared to go that far. I dont like buying boats without trying them. ....Just running them from the muffs doesnt achieve anything and i dont want to end up with a lemon....the bloke seems honest, but when it comes to buying mechanical items, try first...

[a boat]

Hi, yes that is a good price, but I would want to water test it. I would offer the guy say $200 for his time and fuel and if it runs good as he claims take the $200 off the price. If you do not like it than he gets the $200.

First before you need to go to the water, run on the flusher and with it still running trim the leg up as far as possible and turn hard left and right and listen to hear if the gimbal bearing and universals are noisy-which can cost a buit to repair. If that seems OK make the offer as above and water test it.

Cheers,

Huey.