For all who've been helping me decide on a good used boat, I went and looked at that 1996 19' Mirage. It is in very nice shape inside and out, upholstery is good, very clean, I probably would have bought it on the spot. . .
BUT, I found out from the seller that he purchased it last year from the Lake Powell Marina. It had been a "VIP rental boat" (don't know if he added the 'VIP' part). I'm not sure what to think of that. It probably means it has been very well serviced, but it also might have 10 times the hours as a personal boat. Does anyone know if these rental boats get abused badly? Should I worry about this or not?
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It would be impossible to make any general statements. If you are concerned have it checked out by a reliable mechanic.
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Does it have an hour meter for the motor? Usually the interior will show how poorly it was treated before the motor will...
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No hour meter, unless I didn't know where to look. The inside seemed to be in great shape, at least to my novice eyes. No rips/tears/stains in upholstery. No chipped paint, some discoloration on the floor. There were some scratches along the outside of the hull and on the upper part of the outboard (maybe from being docked for long periods of time). More pics attached.
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Looks nice. Check the hull over real good for dings or deep gouges or patch or repair jobs. Make sure the electronics in the dash and running lights on boat work. Don't forget to check wiring/tires etc on trailer. If your worrried have the engine checked out by a boat mechanic. Always take it out for a test drive and check the bilge area for leakage.
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fish hungry the only bad thing about an open bow is if you have no cover such as a snp on . if you do get into big waves the can come right in on the floor verses over your bow one of my freinds has an open bow and has fished the gorge for 30 years with out sinking when it get to rough find a fraddy hole.
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VIP means the boat was a tag behind the house boats. How much it was used depends. I have a customer who has and OLD lake powell boat. He has had it for years with no real problems. With anything used (with a motor) you should have it checked out. Or take it for a little trip if possible.
I paid $75 dollars to have my boat checked out before I bought it. Was well worth the time and money.
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