2002 Rinker 342

brandonmayberry

Possibly going this coming weekend to look at a 2002 Rinker 342 with Twin 6.2 engines (520 hours). Price seems to be very good (talked down to 35k from 55k). Was wondering if theres anything with these boats i should make sure to check for.  I currently own a 2000 242 fiesta vee so am familiar with the basics just wondered about the 342 in general.  Thanks in advance!

bry1429

Wow, that's a huge price drop! I'm not familiar with that model but there are many here on this forum that have this model and I'm sure they will fill you in on the things to look in to.
That's a lot of boat for that nice of a price, good luck!

Handymans342

Look for any interior leaks. 

Liberty44140

I've seen a 2002 with 6.2s before. Nice power but I could not imagine working on them. No room in the engine room for me. 

Cableguy Greg

The 342 is a nice boat. Lot's of room and a separate shower in the head. There is a difference in the engine room between the 2002 and 2003 model years. The '03 is larger. It sounds like they really want to move the boat. Have it surveyed. If it all checks out, you got a huge boat at a great price.

raybo3

I love my 342. Perfect layout IMO. Engines and genny are hard to access but other than that great boat. Get a survey and if all checks out you got a great deal....... Good luck and keep us posted.

brandonmayberry

Thanks for the responses!

 Ive been looking hard at 34 ft cruisers and mainly the Rinker 342 and Sea Ray 340. The Sea Ray of course has a few benefits but the price on the 342 keeps bringing me back and then i found this one and shot a low ball offer and they said they would accept so im really leaning towards it.  I didnt think 520 hours on 6.2's was too bad and figured there probably another 400-500 hours on them if they were cared for and i maintain them.

It has a larger 7.5kw generator. Only think im not sure on is how fresh the bottom paint is and if it has a full enclosure with it. Interior seat and everything looks exceptionally clean in the pictures and they said the cockpit carpet is all new.

And one of the best parts is that its on the same waterway as me and i could drive it up the lake about 4 hours to my marina so i can eliminate any worries of shipping costs.

Ive never had a boat surveyed before, so what all does that really entail and whats the average cost?

vyborny1

we just made the same jump, I had a 2001 242, bought a 2002 342 with 6.2 BIII in June. I love every minute of it. As everyone else said, spend some time on finding a good Marine Surveyor, I called 6 in the Sandusky, Ohio area. Ask them a lot of questions, see how long they return calls. The surveyor I picked had 22 pages in his survey. I like the fact that he listed every piece of equipment on board & the brand. 
Good luck!

ronpscott

A survey should cost about $1000. Be sure to get the oil and fluid samples analyzed, so at least you know what you're getting into. Thats a great price, but you might need to put some money into her to get it pristine.

Black_Diamond

That is a steal of a price if everything works good!  Biggies to check, and a good surveyor should do this too: outdrive bellows condition, generator runs with a load on it, AC runs in cool and heat modes, battery age/condition, hot water works, last water pump service.  

At that age, the camper top might be at its end. 

Good luck, great boat. 

Michael T

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ruwallydog

Agree with BD...at that pice u can even afford to fix a few issues on your own. Great deal

randy56

brandon, its scary a guy would reduce his price $20 k before you even looked at it. Either he is hurting for cash or there is something hidden in the boat that needs big repairs. As the old saying goes if it sounds to be to be true - it is.

brandonmayberry

Randy, I agree and that was my first though. (Only reason I offered was from one too many beers and sitting on my small 242 at the time) but that's why we are going to give it a good inspection. The ad stated he is a motivated seller and it has been listed for quite some time. As a few others have said also, I figure even if there is some issues for the price I could still throw some money into repairs. I'm mainly excited that it has the larger 6.2 as most came with 5.7 and my wife would kill me if I bought another underpowered boat. Also a huge perk that it's on my waterway and I can drive it on the water to my Marina and not have to worry about shipping which saves me a few grand. 

Michael T

Respectfully suggest, if you suspect the guy may have cash flow issues, to check that there are no loan liens or title challenges. A friend once bought a boat from a guy who didn't own it. It wasn't pretty.  

randy56

brandon, I hope it all works out, a move to a 342 would be nice jump, even if you have to do some repairs. Good news is your wife is on board with it! 

raybo3

Survey survey survey.......... Also prepare yourself for the boat to look different than any pictures posted on the internet. Pictures can be very deceiving. Now with that said, at that price if you had to spent some $$$$$ after you buy it it still sounds like a GREAT deal. These 342's are totally awesome boats and you will love it. Good luck and keep us posted........  

brandonmayberry

Just spoke to the broker on the phone. He stated the guy has slept on the price and decided he cant go that low and has countered at 40k (kinda irritated me but it happens). He also informed me that it was surveyed 2 months ago and the only issue with the boat is there is apparently significant pitting on the outdrives. I havent seen how bad the pitting is but was wondering if anyone knows a ballpark of what it would cost to redo the outdrives

Handymans342

6 grand each plus labor

brandonmayberry

Just got these pictures from the broker. Thoughts?

brandonmayberry

Handymans342 said:

6 grand each plus labor

That would be to completely replace them correct? Was wondering if these are not to far gone that they could just be re-worked.

raybo3

Looks to me that the boat may have been neglected. Plus if you had an agreed price then the seller changes his mind........... Something is shaky......... Just say'n

brandonmayberry

raybo3 said:

Looks to me that the boat may have been neglected. Plus if you had an agreed price then the seller changes his mind........... Something is shaky......... Just say'n

I agree it is shaky and I'm not sure I'll meet the larger number since we already had a price and now issues with the outdrives. I need to look at their survey and possibly do my own so I just need to see. Interior cabin and cockpit are supposed to be pristine so I don't see them being neglected like the outdrives. My guess is someone was to cheap to have it hauled or have the abides changed. Maybe they just didn't know. It was told to me that it was in great need of anodes when it was hauled 2 months ago and they were put on at that point. 

Michael T

This is not good. I am 100% with Ray.

As well, I would worry about the bearing carrier.

This looks like a seriously neglected boat. Actually I get really pis*ed-off when I see a boat treated this way.

My top price would be the 35K as I believe new out drives are in order.

As well, I would have an oil analysis done of the engines.

The surveyor says there is some PITTING???? I'd call that dissolving!

My bottom line - walk away if one CENT above 35K and even 35K makes me nervous!

P.S. I am VERY sorry to say this I know you have a dream but this kind of work can destroy your wallet quickly!

Liberty44140

This guy would be much better off replacing the drives with reman'd and then selling his boat for $55k+ if this is the main reason for the price drop. You can get reman'd Merc bravo 3's for $4k each (you would need to send them the old ones as a core like batteries). here is the link: http://www.allamericandriveservice.com/Outdrives.html
I would still move forward at $40k if you really want the boat and the Survey shows no structural issues/wetness and engines check out good. You will end up at $50k once you change the drives to reman'd but at least you'll have new drives with a 2 year warranty. 

Handymans342

Those drives were sitting in water for a while with no protection. They should be replaced. We all know the B3 corrosion issues. 

NavyCTRC

Is that transom looking strange to anyone else?  Like wavy or something?

raybo3

Dont let seats that look like they are in good condition fool you. Look underneath them and look for mold and mildew. The one thing that gets me is that you had a price and the seller went up. That just doesn't happen. Seller always goes high and buyer low. IMO maybe the broker feels (I dont mean to insult you) that your new to boating and can be "had". Not very professional going back on a deal.   

MDboater

Wouldn't the transom assembly and bell housing likely need to be replaced also?

It's moot if you plan to replace the outdrives but has someone checked the lube for water?

Totally agree with @MT on the bearing carrier (located under the forward prop where it can't be easily seen).  Check out my Bravo 3 -bearing carrier when the outdrive is 2 1/2 years old with very little pitting.

https://rinkerboats.vanillaforums.com/discussion/5566/how-to-minimize-corrosion-on-the-bearing-carrier-assembly#latest

LaRea

The outdrive's gimbal ring has obviously been replaced.  That means they had the boat out of the water, and the drive totally disassembled, but they didn't even bother to scrape and paint the rest of the outdrive.  No right-thinking owner would allow that.

Cableguy Greg

@LaRea, you are correct on the gimbal ring being replaced. The least that they could have done is repainted the drives.

If I was replacing, I would do the drive housings and the transom assembly's as well. It sucks pulling the motors to do all the work, but it will need done. If the drive lube is not water logged, you could probably get away with using the boat for the rest of the season before doing the drive overhaul. If the drive lube is in good shape, you could have the casings replaced with the current gears and have brand new drives. Much cheaper than a full blown drive replacement.