Think I can fix it?

Do you think it could be fixed?

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2008-Malibu-Wake-Setter-VLX-94350115

Im sure anything could be fixed. The better question is for how much? Then go a step further. lets just say the DIY fix cost's you $5K. How much of a discount are you get the boat for? I have no Idea what that boat sells for.

29k is way overboard, I don't care if it's an 08 this boat will never be the same again no matter how much money you dump into it. Your first mistake will be if you buy it.

there is no way of knowing how bad the damage is from the pics. i agree 29k sounds high. but if you could buy that boat for 15k and even have to put 10k into to make it right again its a deal.it could be made perfect again but at what cost would be the ??? again i would have to see the boat to make that call. to say the boat would never be right is just not true. a man built it the first time so a man could take it a apart and build it again just as good or even better. but again at what cost.

man the more i look at those pics i think i could fix that boat. it looks like the fire was in the battery compartment and does not really show any visual signs on the outside cushions or gelcoat.i would be interested to see this "stringer" damage. but i believe this boat could be fixed. i have seen worse. they fix and sell boats that have been sunk wich is worse IMPO. it just does not look that bad.man i wish it was closer to me i would love to see this boat.

without seeing it and the damage I would so no go, if you see it and it looks do-able... low- ball them and go for it.

i do agree nick its all about buying it right. and 29k is not a good number but if you could get this boat good to go (repaired) for 25k as long as it has a clean title you would be golden.

my guess is the boat is a salavage title. im sure the whole boat would need to be rewired. all the way back to the engine. and possible the engine would need a new harness and computer. the cost to fix that would would be over 10k easy. and you would still have a salvage title.

offer $19,000
pay up to $20,000

put $10,000 into it

have a $55-60,000 boat for $30,000

after 3 years, sell it for no less than $20,000

that's less than $700 a month (a season) to enjoy a top notch wake boat (for just the boat.....not the operating cost)

that's a heck of a lot less than most of us spend

....finance it smart and get away with a lot less out of pocket

^^^ You will have a 30K boat for 30K. If the boat has a salvaged title, it will be worth about 1/2 of market value and you will have a hard time selling it for that fact. May be hard to insure it with a salvaged title as well.

hard time...true

but there is always a market

if he has no plans for re-sale, it's even a better deal

but the asking price is high

Orange is not great for resale either. And, resale prices are soft in today's economy.

Buy it for $10K. Fix it for $10K. And, have a $30K boat for $20K. The upside compensates for your effort and risk.

My worry is that the boat is at best a $20K boat because of it's history. Then, your only upside will be the use of decent boat for less money down.

Banks won't finance a salvage title either so you'd have to come with cash. TM is right salvage title = half of book.

There is no way I would buy that boat for what they're asking for it. I would low ball the heck out of it, cause I could see this project turning into a cluster f@&@. If I got it cheap enough who cares. I might fly down to check it out. Give them some crazy low number for it.

well, those pics are worthless. the stringer repair wouldn't bother me, just can't tell a damn thing from those pics. Be ready to keep it for a while. Once you put several hundred problem free hours on it, I think your chances of selling it improve. STill have a 'salvage' on the title tho...

It is in Charleston, SC. Gotta think about salt as well.

I agree with the comments above. If you could only sell it for $30, don't plan on spending more than $20 to buy and fix it up. Something will blindside you and cost you more. If you aren't careful, you will put more money into it than you can sell it for.

that fire could be as simple as crossing up the battery cables or a bad stereo install. It could be fixed I would think for less than 2k minus the stereo. I would talk to Malibu or a dealer first and make sure they will work will you on the wiring schematics before I bought it though. I doubt that boat would sell for less than 26-27 after all that is a 60k boat. Also, as far as I know boats do not have salvage titles.

Simply put. Buy it it if you plan on buying it and keeping it for a while. Everyone has put their input in in terms of resale so if you can buy it and fix it for $30,000 then i would say do it if you plan on buying it and deaing with the drawbacks of a refurb so to speak.

whats the stringer?

A few years ago I bought a Harley that my dad had laid down in front of a car. It had a salvage title, but the price was right and I was going to swap the frame and rebuild it from the ground up. I never planed on selling this bike and built a bike I really enjoyed. About 6 months after I finished the project my dad was hit by a drunk driver on his Harley and killed. My little sister asked me what I was going to do with my Harley and I decided that it was time to sell. My asking price is half of the appraised value and exactly what it cost me to build it. It has been for sale for 14 months. I have had a few offers, but nobody can get financing because of the title.

So, if it has a bad title I wouldn't touch it. Even if you plan to fix it and use it it will be very hard to get rid of if you decide you don't want it for whatever reason. And sometimes those reasons will pop up out of nowhere.

Stringer: part of the "frame" of the boat. They run the length of the boat from transom to bow and are structurally one of the most important parts of the boat. Fiberglass is laid around the stringers during construction. The engine bolts to the stringers. On older boats, they used wood, it can rot from years of moisture and exposure and needs to be repaired. How much "damage" is on this boat is anybody's guess...

I do not believe that Illinois has boat titling--I bought one there and just received a registration card to prove ownership--something to check into

We title boats in IL. The card is simply your registration that you use to get a sticker every few years.