Mustang 2800 Sportscruiser

[framedtrash]

Hi

i havnt been online for a while as i have left sydney and now living the good life on Magnetic Island in North Queensland

looking at getting a new boat that will suit both my needs and the mrs

we are looking at getting a 28 foot Mustang 2800 Sportscruiser the hull is from 2002

we live on a island so its going to be at our berth

i have only ever owned boats with outboards so this is where i need the advise of some wiser members

it is  powered by a Volvo Penta 5.7 GXi-B petrol engine with 650 hours and duo prop leg. Equipped with neutra salt.

it has a 290 litre fuel and has just had the leg serviced and hull antifouled from what the current owner has said its not too bad on the fuel

he can do a return trip out to the reef which is around 140km on around 170ltrs of fuel and that is when he is sitting on 28knots

we would mostly be using the boat for cruising around the island and going on the odd trip out to the reef when the weather suits

he is chasing around 40k does this sounds about right for a boat of this age with 650hrs on the clock ???

looking forward to your thoughts

thanks

Simon

 

 

 

 

[jeffb5.8]

Hi Simon

My in laws had the Mustang 3800, which had twin Volvo Penta 5.7, while cruising around it was actually quite fuel efficient and you ended up enjoying the day without thinking you would need a loan to pay for the fuel bill, but once you went over 60% throttle you could almost watch the fuel gauge needle drop. I know it was twin engines but it was a bigger boat and assume yours would be the same, the engines had 300 and something hours on them, full documented service history and checked out by the marine mechanic they employed for the pre sale inspection.

Their boat was a 2006 i think and was in real good condition, as part of the sale it was slipped and anti fouled, which allow a independent inspection of the boat, this was great as he was so picky and gave a written report with photos which allowed my In Laws to A) Know what needed to be fix and what it costs, B.) Negotiated a better price

The selling dealer also took them out for a 1/2 day cruise around, this allowed them to see the fuel usage and how it handles open waters under a expert, as they were new to the boating scene. I think they were spending about $180k which is a big difference but for safety doesn't hurt to do the extra due diligence.

They sold it in 2010 and i think it went to a island in QLD, The boat was called Wild Turkey (Original Name, not their choice)

Hope this helps a little, i think the biggest tip is

1. Written service documentation is $$$, Verbal is worth $0

2. Pre inspections are worth the $$$ for piece of mind cruising

3. Fill the tanks full and go for a run for the day or 1/2 at a good speed and see if the fuel usage is acceptable.

[PaddyT]

The legs are the bit that need to be really looked after- a much wiser man than me said dont touch a moored boat with legs, this might be different these days but I have heard heaps of stories of very high maintainence costs in this situation.Get a marine surveyors report

[framedtrash]

Thanks for the advise guys

She's a nice looking rig but its the stuff you can't see that worries me

Might just stick to outboards