Buying a 2000 Glasstron. 18.5 ft, 4.3 liter inboard

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dja4260

dja4260

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I've been casually searching for a family boat. It's my wife, myself, and two smaller kids. Found what appears to be a garage kept 2000 Glasstron. 18.5 ft, 4.3 Merc inboard. It is described as being in good shape and the pictures would indicate that as well.

I know that the 4.3 is the perferred power option to the 135hp 4 cylinder. I know that Glasstron makes middle level boats. This haul is all fiberglass, no wood.

Assuming the boat checks out, anything to look out for?

Thank you!
 
Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
Hot girls that want to go water skiing!



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Good luck, sounds like fun. While I have been sailing and boating all my life, the words of my wise grandfather always speak up in the back of my head any time I get an inkling to get my own.

"Do you know what a boat is? It's a hole in the water that you throw money into."
 
Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
Good luck, sounds like fun. While I have been sailing and boating all my life, the words of my wise grandfather always speak up in the back of my head any time I get an inkling to get my own.

"Do you know what a boat is? It's a hole in the water that you throw money into."

I have owned several boats and Grandpa is correct ! Boats can be fun .The secret to happy boat ownership is to over maintain it .A day on the lake lost to a lack of maintenance is heart breaking.
 
As already stated inspect drive shaft ,shift, and exhaust bellows.

check back board for any soft spots, compression test the engine if possible, and throw it in the water and take it for a rip !!

Get it good and hot pop the engine hatch check for leaks of all types , any unusual noises , check power trim for leaks full range of motion top to bottom.

check for shift engagement ,forward and reverse no hard shifts or grinding.... talk price make decision also always good to take along someone with unbiased view and knowledgable with boats to help, as often happens love at first sight clouds your judgement.
 
+1 on bellows and transom seal. Just know that these inboard/outboards depend on some rubber hoses to keep from sinking. This motor is 20 years old-think about that.... And are horrible to work on. Cramped, tight quarters, and heavy as heck. I would look at an outboard. The newer ones have plenty of power with less weight and much easier to work on.
 
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TRANSOM. TRANSOM TRANSOM followed by transom. That's the throw away issue to watch for. Then comes the FLOOR. Soft spots in the middle typically where water leaked in long term.. Often that's right in the middle where someone propped a tarp long term and water drooled down. Been there done that. Never use a tarp with a pole support and grommet. That the post has a pin that sticks up through the grommet and water trickles down over time.
All this stuff won't be an issue if it was always kept inside which is doubtful so be aware. They get a lot of weather abuse if left out all season. That's why I much prefer trailer boats..
Bellows, ahhhh aren't much of a deal unless they're torn now and you can't tell if water got in there messing up the U joint or freezing the drive on the transom plate. Bellows don't last forever and aren't expensive. FYI that leg should come off annually to grease the bearings and shaft. Just 6 5/8" nuts and whack with mallet.
That Alpha 1 is a really nice drive. Parts aplenty if you wreck it, prices good too. Avoid anything OMC ( essentially obsolete) .and Volvo parts will make you think you're buying Swedish hookers. Stick with Merc dollar for dollar.. That Mercruiser 4.3 is a real beast for the size. Taken care of they run forever. I've got one 29 years old still runs great at 1500 hrs. Those things have plenty of power and are simple to work on. Same with the carbs, they're really Rochester's and pretty straightforward and ethanol tolerant, to a point. Kits are cheap though.
The only thing that will mess one of those up is extended use in Salt Water! That will rot the cooling risers and be unkind to the water pump and engine block (rust).

Lower unit ( leg). Is it full to the top hole? Crack the filler ( bottom plug and see if any water weeps out. It'll be right on the bottom of the oil. Is the oil clear or milky? It's changed annually anyway with new gaskets under the plugs. If you buy it you better put in a new water pump impeller as they don't last forever and fail suddenly usually far off shore.

. How many hours on boat? I'd rather chance an old one with 500 than 50 which meant it sat unused for years. Is it the original engine? If not who rebuilt it ect when?? Last season 🤔always makes ya wonder

OEM gas lines then were almost surely gray and non ethanol rated. Switch them to black ones marked ethanol if you buy it. Add a $20 spin on fuel filter if it doesn't have one, cheap insurance. The old type will break down internally and pack your carb or worse FI system and it will go right through your filters to do it. I've got a friend who fixed many yearly for that problem. He said it's a disastrous 💸mess to repair in some of them.

Trailer. Make sure you feel the bearing buddies or dust caps aren't hot when you put it in the water for that all important sea trial. If they're hot you'll need to check them for rust before taking it home if it's any distance.
Never buy anything till you see it runs performs well on a sea trial! EVER,!! Starts reverses neutral easily. Yes they do bang shift, that's how they work so the clunk is good. Run full throttle , tack should be right near the starting edge of the red zone. It need not be exact but should be around there. While it's running and hot see if both risers above the exhaust are about the same temp with your hands. They'll be very warm but not ouchy hot and equal. Look for water leaks down the sides of risers and block. Remember there's water on these not antifreeze and people often forget to drain them before that FIRST 🙈cold Autum night...« When back in Check oil again. Cloudy? See preceding sentence and RUN AWAY. If they won't put in the water for a trial I'd walk away unless there was EXTREMELY compelling circumstances.
There you have it in Helter skelter form. Sorry but the editor is tired today. But that's the basics I can think of more or less. Just remember to be skeptical of used boats that look nice as well as the worn ones. Many have sat and are in awful shape where it counts. Get a feel for the seller too. Did he just buy it last year ect stuff like that. No matter what expect to do work on a boat that old. It's just the way it is.
 
Glastron is a decent boat.

We have the same power package in the same size 2003 Chaparral. It has been mostly great so far, aside from a few issues.

Get a feeling for the boats ownership. If it appears ignored/carelessly maintained, walk away.

From our experience over several years, in addition to the above:

1) check the large 30amp(?) glass fuse in the harness from the battery to the engine and instrument/switch panel. It is in a black housing that, at least on the Chaparral, is located low and the contacts can get corroded. Contact cleaner, a brush, dielectric paste and a new fuse are your friends here.
2) check the main circuit breaker on top pf the engine, if it is original it is almost 20 years old, replace if it is questionable.
3) same for the 90amp main fuse at the starter.
4) check battery cables, they may look OK at the ends but have internal corrosion, ~$100 and some work is a great investment here
5) the 4.3 ground lug is at the back center of the engine. do yourself a favor and clean and dielectric paste this
6) you will be rebuilding carbs every few years. Thank ethanol and infrequent use. Do it at the first signs of poor running.

Also, since this is a used boat, look for the included extras. We bought ours when it was only a few years old, from the original owners, a family w/ teenage kids. I found, very well hidden, a pack of family prevention devices and a bottle of vile smelling, berry flavored, THC infused vape juice carefully velcroed behind the trim pump. Jackpot!
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Enjoy, be safe, family boating is fun.
 
Just to add to all the above, from what I've seen and experienced, Glasstron make a nice solid hull and uses decent hardware. As you know, it's a ~20yr/old boat and could need anything today or in two months. This past year, I watched my brother completely strip and rebuild the floor and transom on an mid 1990's ~18ft, 3.0L Merc. A labor of love I guess. He loves a project like that. This boat sat in a local lake all season they was likely covered/stored outdoors the rest of the time.
 
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Don't the exhaust manifolds need replaced every 5 years on inboards that have been ran in salt water? If not you can ruin the engine?
 
I walked away after looking at it. The seller and I have different expectations for what makes a boat "in very good condition". The transom swim platform mount was pulling through the fiberglass inside tje boat and was soft. The bottom of the haul had hundreds of small blisters that the seller "never saw".

I was dissapointed to say the least....
 
Sounds like a walker. Good job dodging that misery.

A lot of those little bowriders were poorly constructed.

You should look at a Regal LSR in the same size. You will be blown away by how superior they are to pretty much every other small bowrider ever made. The hull is true rocket science. The ride is sorcery.
 
I had the i/o motor and would not have another, I like the outboard motor.Too many things go wrong with the I/o at least with the outboard, it is easy to work on compared to I/o!
 
Originally Posted by jeep58
I had the i/o motor and would not have another, I like the outboard motor.Too many things go wrong with the I/o at least with the outboard, it is easy to work on compared to I/o!



Times a million! Modern outboards are ridiculously quiet and easy to own. The new E-Tec gets my money, keeping that torque lunge down low while running hard on the top end. IMO the two stroke is a perfect engine for a boat. And very low maintenance...
 
Glastron makes a good boat. I had one many years ago.

I think the 4.3 is a good but odd engine. It had some quirky alternator coils that were water cooled or something like that. Not your normal belt driven alternator.

Mercruiser make a great outdrive. But it needs maint. Pull out drive every other year and grease the u-joints. Every 5 or 6 years replace the bellows. There are 3. Use E0 gas if you can find it.

Drain and refill outdrive with Merc prem outdrive gear oil. It's snot green color. Check trim pump level. Maybe drain and fill that.

There are adjustments for shift cable and ignition lockout.

Trim sensors often fail.

Winterize properly.
 
Hull blisters came to be with certain fiberglass resins. It's a real PIA to deal with them.

There will be many boats listed for sale over the next two months.

Some better than others.

Unfortunately most boat manufacturers did not use treated plywood and after awhile it rots or falls apart. I have a Cruisers Inc boat (high quality boat) at it's got some plywood falling apart near the fuse area, backside of dash gauges.
 
Good move walking away. That would be VERY expensive to work on. Plus, as others have said, the 4.3 on a 18 footer is nice, but OMG is it tight. For that size, look for a 3.0 LX engine. Puts out a little more horsepower than the 3.0. Look for a Merc Alpha Gen II outdrive. The beauty with this setup is that they are everywhere. It's been Mercruisers bread and butter for years. Lots of parts available. With the right prop pitch, you can still hit 40 plus mph. Also, that engine is great on gas. You won't be King of the Lake, but you won't be dropping 200 bucks in fuel every other day either.
 
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