How old is too old? Nitro 912

[teamfyss]

An old friend of my brothers is selling a 1997 Nitro Savage 912 with 225 merc for a pretty decent price, and may even let me get a better deal on it. I’ve never had a fiberglass boat, but as far as I know they’re solid as long as you can maintain them. So my question is..

 

What are your thoughts on 20+ year old glass boats? Are they worth the hassle? And has anyone had this boat specifically?

Thanks in advance!

[billmac]

I just bought an 88 Cajun Maverick. So far so good.  I think the trouble spots in the old glass boats are the wooden parts.

[Scott F]

I’m still using a 1988 Ranger that is cosmetically a little faded, but is in otherwise great shape. Everything depends on how it’s been used and stored over the years.

[Jig Man]

My main concern would be the transom.  Make sure it is solid.

[Ski213]

I have no experience with that particular boat. As said above, how it’s been taken care of and ensuring it’s structurally sound are key. My glitter barge is a ‘98 and I’d not hesitate to own another that old or older. 

 

One thing I would think about outside of the soundness of the hull and the outboard is simply that many parts like plumbing, pumps, wiring connections, switches, etc. are also likely older. They may or may not need attention. That’s just something to keep in mind.  Not a deal breaker to me by any means. 

[Dirtyeggroll]

Find out where the wood exists on the boat. As previously stated those are the areas to be most susceptible to time. Transom, deck floor, stringers are generally the biggest offenders.

 

Also, any areas where the gel coat is missing and the fiberglass matting is showing.

 

Otherwise, a well taken care of hull should last a long time.

 

The motor and fuel delivery system are the parts of the boat that are likely least resistant to time.

[Shimano_1]

My cousin got burned on that exact boat a cple years ago. Transom was pretty much gone and he was too green to figure it out. That doesnt mean they're prone to that, someone just didnt take care of it. I'm of the belief that a good portion of older glass boats with wood in them are most likely water logged and people never notice it til something catastrophic happens.  Pretty sure those hulls were part of what gave nitro a bad rap that I think they still havent fully recovered from. I'd definitely do my homework and go over it with a fine tooth comb.  

[teamfyss]

As far as I know the boat has been well taken care of, it’s from a family friend who has 3 boats and just needs the extra room. His exact words “There is absolutely nothing wrong with it and the transom is solid, small chips on bottom in gel coat but not through to the fiberglass”. I’ve never had a fiberglass or a boat over 16ft for that matter ? but at a good price why not right??

[lou304]

Check all the inside decking also. Get in and walk around, especially in the passenger area where water tends to lay. Feel for any soggy deck spots.

[Rip_lipz]

I have a 97 ranger still runs 55 miles an hour and is solid. Run a compression test on the motor. If you do buy it do the basics. 

new plugs

clean carbs

new gas and oil

lube bearings on trailer

check for cracks in hull and soft spots on the floor

 

[WRB]

Some boats get ridden hard and put away wet, some are well care for and garaged.

Most glass bass boats after the early 90's got away from wooden transums and stringers, not sure about 1997 Nitro?

The concern is dry rot severely weakening the transum and hull. With the engine tilted up grab the lower unit and push it side to side watching for any flexing around the mounting bracket, it it flexes walk away. If the boats been in salt water walk away.

If you know the previous owner and the boat has been well cared for then it comes down the OB condition and operating hours, have a certified mechanic check it out, it's worth the fee.

Plan on changing trailer tires and servicing the wheel bearings or replaced. Check the trailer for any rust erosion.

Upgrading the electronics and TM, plus batteries should also be budgeted.

Tom

 

 

[Jig Man]

You haven’t mentioned price.  It books out for around $7700.

[teamfyss]

17 hours ago, Jig Man said:

You haven’t mentioned price.  It books out for around $7700.

His asking price is 8k obo, but i'd probably offer 6k. Think im going to pass on it though, little too big for me..

[WRB]

I did some research on the 1997 Nito's and they glassed over wood construction.

Run don't walk away from this boat!

Tom

[NHBull]

Most mid 90's fishing and waterski fiberglass boat, glassed over fir stringers.  This was a huge problem for them in the 2000's.  Pass

[JMagnum1]

Sorry, guys. If you don't own one you just don't know! I have a 96 912 Savage that has stood the test of time. Here we are half way through 2023 and she is still solid all the way through! I would not run from a great opportunity to own one of the mid 90s Nitros, they are great boats inside and out!

[airshot]

No way to know without thorough testing for a rotted transom or stringers.  If they are rotted, you will almost double your price getting it fixed.  If properly stored, they might be fine, but the only way to know for sure is to drill some small holes from the inside into the wood and see if it is wet or dry.  Anything else is a guess !!!  Learned my lesson many many years back, after that, nothing but aluminum hulls, they could have some wood in the transom, but way easier/ cheaper to replace !!  Glass boatscride nice but as they get old, that rotted wood is a real deal breaker !!!

[Stevo_fishes]

On 6/20/2023 at 5:48 PM, JMagnum1 said:

Sorry, guys. If you don't own one you just don't know! I have a 96 912 Savage that has stood the test of time. Here we are half way through 2023 and she is still solid all the way through! I would not run from a great opportunity to own one of the mid 90s Nitros, they are great boats inside and out!

I got a 96’ nitro 180 fs/dc. Had it for about a year and it’s been a great first bass boat! Held up in a really bad storm too. I’ve heard the ram tech hulls were pretty good but that’s just what I’ve been told

[ElGuapo928]

My Ranger is an ‘88 and I wouldn’t trade it for a new one. (I do threaten to repower it from time to time, since big 2 strokes and fuel efficient don’t belong in the same sentence.)

Look it over, nitpick a little bit, and if it’s good enough for you with a good price, go for it. 

 

[airshot]

Take someone along that knows how to properly check the hull condition....no matter who the seller is, they all have boats with "not a single problem"...

[Way2slow]

Age have very little to do with it.  How it was rigged, maintained and stored are the critical factors.  Back about 2,000 a dealer offered me a great deal on the three-year-old 19' Sprint bass boat with no motor.  The owner had upgraded boats and put the motor on the new hull.   Knowing a little bit about them, I noticed there was no signs of Silicon sealant that's used to seal the bolts, stuck to the back of the hull and looking in the bolt holes, they were black inside.  Soooo, I stuck a 1/2 bolt with large washers on both sides with a nut on it and started tightening them down.   On a good wood transom, it should barely pull into the glass surface.  On this one, after the inside washer got about a 1/4" deep, and still not real tight, I asked him how much he was going to give me to haul it off for him.  

The thing about buying older boat is knowing what to look for and how to check them, and know how the boat was stored.  If it was one of those you see sitting out, uncovered, after that long, it's probably junk.  A good indication of that is what kind of shape the gel coat is in.  

Then there's the motor.  It's critical to do a leak-down test on it and see what kind of oil he ran in it.  If it was that cheap stuff, (which wears a motor a lot worse and creates mover carbon build up), that's a good indication he probably didn't spend the money to properly maintain it either.

If it's valued at $7,000, and that's what he's asking, it had better be good, well maintained condition.  That leaves no room to repair problems you will find once you get it.  A new water pump can cost you several hundred dollars, which I always replace on any motor I buy.  If it's been sitting, carbs or FI can run several hundreds to rebuild.  

If you take it to a dealer and have him go through the stuff that should be done every couple of years, you are probably looking at $700 to $1,000 minimum.  

Now, if you are like me and can fix anything about one yourself, you might not need that buyers cushion in the price.  However, that is still no guarantee.  I probably know boats and motors as well as anyone on this planet, add because of my confidence in being able to repair any problem, I've still been burned on a couple.   Like checking a motor and see low compression on a couple of cylinders, normally less than $1,000 for me.  However, pull it down and find the block and crank is bad also, which makes it a junk motor.  That's $1,000 repair just turned into a several thousand-dollar repair.