1987 haines hunter 550 slc

[nickstar]

79505Hi am looking to maybe a purchase this boat. Can anyone tell me anything about these models. I have a 2006 Seajay Magnum 5.35 and looking to sell it as i want some thing allot sturdy. I like the older haines they have a great reputation and they say the hulls are very good in rougher waters compared to my alloy hull i have now.

[Jarrah Jack]

I see its on Phillip island, nearby. There a good riding hull and suited to WP and PB conditions. You'll need to be 100% sure that there is no rot in the transom, floor and stringers. If there is then it is worth less than half that with an older motor.

[nickstar]

Ok i f do decide to go ahead i will have to have that checked out, when you say rot you mean the glass itself is deteriorating. Or is just the timber under the glass rotting etc? Sorry new to glass boats so need some advice to what to look at.

[Jarrah Jack]

Its the timber under the glass. If water gets in it rots away. Very few boats of that vintage don't have rot problems. If its been kept outside then I would be surprised if it hasn't got any. You need the right person to check it out, someone who does glass work on the island would be ideal. JT fibreglass in bayswater but you'd be paying him to travel. There is a guy on here "BM" who may be able to help.

[Goochi]

Get under the boat and look down the keel and the planing strakes form the front and back, all should be dead straight. Don't touch if they aren't. Jump on the floor inside the boat everywhere, with bear feet, and make shure if feels SOLID. The stringers should be above the plaining strakes so jump all along them. Look closely at the tramson inside and out, look where the engine bolts go through and see if the fibreglass looks like it has swelled around the bolt heads(the timber underneath has swelled with water). Look same if it has tow/ski hooks. I couldn't enlarge your pic's, check transom if it has an alumimium cover strip on the engine cutout, look for cracks/gaps in the bog under the cover strip(lets water in to the wood). Finally partially raise the leg and stand on it and bounce up and down hard and watch if the transom flex's anywhere. That's a start. Everything is fixable, but you want the price to reflect what future work may be required. Don't limit yourself to just Haines, there are many older glass boats of similar hull design that have a good ride.