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I am looking at a 1983 15' Striper that has a 1983 75 HP Johnson and a trailer. The owner is asking $2500. The Hull looks sound but is a little rough. No bottom paint. This owner has had it for 8 yrs. It has been about 1 year since it has been used in the water. He claims the engine runs but one of the tilt pistons leaks..........26 years old. The shift cable also sticks.

The question is...............what is this worth???

One other strange bit of info is that the aluminum tag on the hull has the number BWC 2546C 0583, THIS DOES NOT FOLLOW THE Scheme for the boats MFD in 1983?????

The tag on the outboard indicates J75TLCTE 05831179.

Can anyone give me advice on the above?

Thanks!

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It is really hard to estimate value without looking at the boat. With that said $2500 is a fair price for a 15 with that setup in running condition. But don't kid yourself based on your short description this is really a project boat.

When I look at a boat to buy this is how I estimate value insert your own numbers here...

Lets assume you have a working motor and a decent trailer.
Motor is worth x amount (say 900)
Trailer is worth x amount (say 500)
Hull cost is x amount (in this case 1100).
Would you pay 1100 for that hull? If it is in good shape $1100 is a good deal for that model Whaler hull to me.

Now if the trailer is shot and the motor is shot then
Motor is worth x amount (say 300 for parts)
Trailer is worth x amount (say 200)
Hull cost is now x amount (in this case 2000).
I do not know if this hull would be worth 2k to me depends on how much I wanted that model Whaler and how bad a condition it was in.

If you want the same boat in a get in and go condition it would probably be selling for around 5-6k. Are you willing to put in the sweat and time to save a few bucks? Only you can answer that question. If not then start looking for boats in the 5-6k range as they will require less work on your part but will have a higher initial purchase price.

To get comparision prices on used motors and trailers in your area check the want ads or online services to get comps then plug in your numbers above.

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Okay, thanks!

Your reply is in line with what I was thinking. Yes, this is a project boat, no doubt about it!

The hull seems sound and in line with your estimate worth about $1K. A 26 year old outboard.......Maybe a couple of hundred bucks. If it would be replaced by a new outboard, I figure $5 - 6.5K. That would put my total investment without any hull improvments to about $7K.

You are right, I think that I will pass on this one.

Any comments on the Model/Serial Number tag not following the proper scheme. The tag appears to be origional.

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The boat I have now is a 73 16 foot hull. It was tough shape as far as the gelcoat but mostly cosmetic issues . It had a good running 40hp yamaha and a decent but not great trailer. I paid 2100. I ran it as purchased for about 4 months and then started my refit. Sold the old motor. Sold the old trailer. So now the hull cost me 800. I redid the gelcoat, then bought a new trailer and a low hour great condition 94 Merc 75hp 2-stroke. After the refit and repairs the boat cost me out of pocket about 4k and a lot of sweat. I saved a couple of grand off the initial price of a ready to go boat but, I had to put out a lot of effort. I went in to this purchase knowing what I had to do and I stayed with in my budget so I was very happy with the results but my wife was not happy with all the time I spent on it.

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1983 had some different things going on with the HIN numbers.
Apparently Whaler switched back to the "Straight Year Format" just for the 1983 year.

Look at this list under 1983 just for an example of the Montauk HIN numbers.
Look at the ones in red under 1983...
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=17

So, according to the Straight Year Format, your boat was manufactured in May of 1983 as a 1983 model...

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Can anyone tell me how the 1983, 15' Striper would run in shallow water?

Are all 15' hulls the same for 1983 or do the Sports have a different hull than the Striper?

When inspecting this 1983 hull, what should I look for?

Thanks!

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It's the exact same hull. The only difference is the interior configuration.

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My 15' can run in some pretty shallow water with "Tilt" upwards running slowly. It can paddle through "ABOUT" 1Ft.+/- of water with the engine lifted clear.