Thoughts on this boat?

[Badfoot]

That's a nice boat. Appears to be well taken care of. I had an 05 LSV previously, same boat i think. Had it for 10 years, never any trouble.

[That Guy]

Tower will fold forward.
You should have extra switch's to wire in the pumps if you go that route. If you take on Griggs you will take rollers over the bow when weighted, as its a low freeboard. Our 2006 LSV would. Also to surf the rub rail will be in the water when weighted. I would look for a newer LSV 2006 - 2012 was one of the best hulls produced.

Thanks for the info. I've run up to 2300lbs in our Malibu and haven't taken anything over the bow yet. I'm sure the freeboard can't be less than that boat right? So just means we've gotta be more careful than with a new boat and tons of freeboard. For this era boat/price point I'm fully expecting it. I've thought about the 06+ LSV but they are easily $10k-12k more and I'd rather just save that towards a new one in a couple years. I think we can enjoy this one with some tweaks.

great first boat, looks clean and price is about right. You can get a nice, cargo bimini from Monster Tower. We had one on our 2008 Outback V (same hull & tower) and it was great.

see details here:

https://forum.moomba.com/showthread....hlight=monster

Unscrew the black knobs on the tower & loosen up the screws on the front legs and the tower will fold forward and the boat will fit in the garage, no problem. I would put a rope on the pylon on the tower and pull the tower to me while standing in the bow. I'd do the reverse and stand on the swim deck to put it back up. Otherwise, it's a 2 person job.

You'll need to post some pics of the ballast system for folks to tell you if it was factory or installed by the prior owner. Although, it really doesn't matter because now that you've found this motley crew, you're going to upgrade whatever is in there.

While I agree with Patrick on a 06+ LSV, you're not going to find one under $20k. If he knew how to drive better, he wouldn't take rollers over the bow. You'll be fine. Just make sure your bilge pump is working.

Thanks for those tips and info. Definitely will be careful like always. Was there a reason you went with the cargo rack vs the over the tower rack? I have no idea on the height of the tower or the cargo rack bimini but I'd think the over the tower rack would interest me more so I wouldn't have to bend over/duck to get from front/back. Am I being silly?

That's a nice boat. Appears to be well taken care of. I had an 05 LSV previously, same boat i think. Had it for 10 years, never any trouble.

Yeah, it definitely shows well in the pictures so hopefully it's the same in person. I notice in your signature it says your boat was a carb'd model...did it have this same engine and is this engine carbed as well or is it fuel injected?

-Matt

[jmvotto]

Anything pre 2007 I believe was carbed and not efi until 2007

[Sinjun]

Anything pre 2007 I believe was carbed and not efi until 2007

Just an fyi I have a 2003 outback that has a 325hp efi Indmar motor.

[Badfoot]

Yeah, it definitely shows well in the pictures so hopefully it's the same in person. I notice in your signature it says your boat was a carb'd model...did it have this same engine and is this engine carbed as well or is it fuel injected?

-Matt

Yes it is the same engine. I cannot determine if it is carb'd or EFI in the desription. The 05 LSV I had was a carb'd 5.7L 310HP. I beleive the EFI increased HP to 325.

[csm]

My 2005 had the 325 EFI... can't tell from the pictures which one that has. I can't remember ever taking water over the bow, so don't let that scare you as long as you're paying attention. Great boat.

My $.02 on the tower. Yes, it folds forward, and it will easily fit in a 7ft. garage. I did this for about a year, but as a short guy (5'9"), it was hard as hell for me to do by myself. I rigged up a chain to help, but it was still nerve-wracking. I couldn't stand in the bow even with a rope and pull it towards me. I ended up renting storage, and it was worth the $125/month just for the ease of leaving the tower up IMO. If you have an option at your office, my guess is you would end up using that before long, but it's great to have options!

[wolfeman131]

Drew, I wasn't the first one driving when it happened. It was a buddy of mine that I would say is one of best driver's I have known.

There's an art to it, really. When my Mother in Law was sitting up in the bow, I would often have "an accident" and take a huge roller over the bow.

I had a similar "accident" when I drove Dusty's boat.

[wolfeman131]

Was there a reason you went with the cargo rack vs the over the tower rack? I have no idea on the height of the tower or the cargo rack bimini but I'd think the over the tower rack would interest me more so I wouldn't have to bend over/duck to get from front/back. Am I being silly?

We wanted it for the storage. We keep the boat on a lift that has cables and didn't want to drop the $$ on swivel board racks, so the cargo rack was the way to go for us.

[patrick232]

There's an art to it, really. When my Mother in Law was sitting up in the bow, I would often have "an accident" and take a huge roller over the bow.

I had a similar "accident" when I drove Dusty's boat.

I have done that two with kids upfront and no carpet in the Mondo.

One of these days I need to make it to ATL or Texas.

[lee]

EFI was an option in 2003 and the one in the picture looks to be an EFI.