bawanajim I'll trust those 1980's hand laid hulls ANYDAY over the mass production hulls of today. The boat ittself I am not worried at ALL about. He said even the gel coat looks brand new - its been that well taken care of. The trolling motor is outdated, the graphs are fairly new.

Its that 3.8 litre OMC engine that baffles me - advantage or disadvantage ? Last forever or apt to break ? Easy or hard to maintain ?

I've searched for the last 2 days on the new - any 375V Ranger is a $4000-6000 boat depending on condition. One guy bought a 1983 Rnaager 375 V with an outboard for $6000 - like new condition though, better interior than this one, same condition hull/trailer though.

So ........ I'm going to look at it on Saturday ........ go from there, ANY input ya'll have will be greatly appreciated !

My point being do you mind small problems ,can you get parts for that motor or can it be replaced.Most I/O are four stroke just like your truck motor .With oil changes it should out last you. The rubber boots could be a concern dry rot .Are they available?

Ranger makes a great boat could be a great buy .Remember you'll likely not get much resale out of it but if you get yourpleasure out of it who cares.

bawanajim I think they made a lot of those motors ....... the OMC 3.8 litres. Also I think the lower units are also quite common. At least, no more difficult to find/replace than any other motor part I'd think.

I don't plan to resell ........ the condition its in to my knowledge, I'd not lose money if I buy it. As you can tell, I'm doing my best to convince myself its a good deal

If its the boat you want, go for it. But for $4000, you can buy a much newer boat. You have to realize that the 80's hulls were mostly wood. And wood rots when it gets wet. It very well could be a very strong hull, but then again, it may not be.

The OMC motors are simple. I have a '78 85 hp on one of my boats, and its never hhad a bit of problems since my dad bought it new in '78. The biggest problem with an I/O is the boat is built around them, and they are a pain to work on.

http://www.prestigeok.com/I/170071257346/[email protected]

sold for $6100 ....... rebuilt motor, but the Ranger I'm looking at is in better shape I bet .......

Why buy a boat that old when you can get 1 alot newer in that same price Range?
I bought a 97 Ranger with a 130hp on it in 02 for $6,900 real nice boat.In 04 i sold it for $7,000.For the money you want to spend you can find a nice early 90es model.
Why not do that?

If its the boat you want hand over the cash , the earth is two thirds water a man can't go wrong owning a boat or two.

Thats $3,000 more than $4,000 first off - I really don't have $4,000 to spend, but I want a boat to fish/ski out of. Your'97 Ranger - was it an 18' boat ?You neverput in money into it ?If this boat had a 150 Johnson it'd be a no brainer to buy it

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ranger-375V-Comanche-Grand-National-Bass-Boat_W0QQitemZ330078373018QQihZ014QQcategoryZ63724 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Theres a 1987 that ended Buy It Now for $8499 !! Its 5 years newer, outboard ....... but its also $4500 more

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/17-ranger-bass-boat_W0QQitemZ120076396348QQihZ002QQcategoryZ63724 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

that one is ROUGH and sold for almost $2,550