Thinking of buying a 14" mirrorcraft double hull aluminum 3 seat boat.

The boats got a 15hp evinrude engine with only 20 hours on it.

comes with a low grade trailer..

all for $500......alright shape. not sure what year but most likely a 80s or 90s

what do you guys think?

good deal? it would be my first boat. all i got right now is a inflatable.

THANKS

How do you know it only has 20 hours on it? And if it is an 80 or 90 and has been sitting was it properly stored?

Now if the engine runs good then I'd say it is a good price for that boat, motor and trailer in the Philly area.  

One other question. What is the beam on the boat? Some 14' boats are deeper and wider than others. The deeper / wider boat is heavier and can handle rougher water.

It the beam is about 72" then it is the bigger boat. The narrower boats run 48 to 52 inches.  

Buy it now, before somebody else does.  Even if it isn't what you want, I am sure you could make out a little better in the long run, provided the boat isn't all holey, or patched with fiberglass.  The thing I would check on the motor, is if it turns over.  

Those 15 Johnnyrudes are a fairly well desired motor.

On smaller Johnnyrude motors, hours aren't really that important.  Unless abused, I would expect many to live well past the 100 year mark.  The first thing I would do to that, would be to rebuild the water pump (30 bucks in parts, and less than an hour to do).  Then, the carbs may need rebuilding, but again, that is about 20 bucks, and closer to 20 or 30 minutes.  Other minor stuff too - plugs, LU gear lube etc.

Unless that engine has major problems, even if it doesn't run, that is a great deal, and you better be glad you weren't closer to me, as I would ****** that up before the day was over.  

Yes, you will have to work on it, but in the end, you won't end up spending that much on it.  Getting the motor running, provided you do it yourself, and do ALL the recommended things (some people skip some) shouldn't be over about 100 bucks.  You will probably want seats and such in a boat, but you would have to add them to most any boat you buy.  Besides, BOAT stands for Bust Open Another Thousand.  

Or, if you don't want it, you could always come out pretty well.  I had a deal almost exactly like that, with the same figures, and when it is all over, I should come out with about 600 net PROFIT.  

Your call.