2001 246w/a

[Logan's Pass]

I am looking at a 2001 246 w/a to purchase. It has never been registered(demo) with less than 20 hours and I will receive full warranties. The price is $49,900.
I am looking for some feedback since this is my first Shamrock. Is it priced right? What kind of ride should I expect? What sort of things should I require the dealer to include prior to delivery? etc.
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Ed

[Prior Engagement]

Need more info on the boat and options ......................

I believe there is plenty of info of the 246 WAC on the Board here. Try a search. It hasthe SPII hull with a pocket drive and about 14 degrees deadrise. Biggest berth and cabin on ANY 24.5' boat out there and it is an IB! :D

Good luck.

[Fish]

Definately need to list the details of the boat i/e options. Plenty of people here to provide more than just honest opinions! Gavin

[Logan's Pass]

Thanks for the replies. There are only a few options. It has the leaning post instead of the seats, it has a 330 hp crusader mpi fwc 5.7li, it has a 3 sided canvas and flush mounted depth finder(not sure what brand), it has a swim platform with grab rail, upgraded saltwater washdown with hose and all new warranties. That's about it for options. I took a new 2003 for a ride and was impressed with the stability but wasn't used to the bow staying so close to the water. Does this create any problems in rough seas or following seas?

[Hutch]

Ed,

Similar to you, I picked up a 2001 leftover last fall with about 4 hrs on it - never even been used as a demo. Its got a hardtop, Merc 350 Horizon MPI, and most of the other factory goodies (no built-in head - too much space and complexity for me on a boat this size). To give you an idea of value, I paid just about the same price, down a bit from the dealers asking price, and a good deal less that what they are asking for the new boats (these prices seem crazy!). The dealer was a big help in getting the boat outfitted, and have been great about a number of small post sale issues - don't discount the value of a good dealer if you can/have found one.

I've got the factory hard top (not the best, but it will do) and had them mount an electronics box too. Also, installed a flush mounted fresh water washdown in the transom just starboard of the rudder/bilge access hatch. One of the Hosecoil units with the blue hose. Just enough room to sneak it in there - plumbed it to a Y fitting off of the FW pump. Plenty of pressure, and its going to be great to rinse off reels, or take a quick FW shower on the transom after swimming.

Take a good close look at the boat, bow to stern. There's a lot that can happen over the course of the few years that it has been sitting on the dealers lot or in the water. Has then bottom been painted? If so, make sure you find out what they used, what primer or barrier coat they used, and how it was applied. Also, if it was kept in the water, take a look at the stainless brackets that tie into the swim platform mounts - the welds on mine have been wasting away - these are not bonded or otherwise protected, and something about the dissimilar metal in the weld, or maybe the heat during the welding process, is causing the welds to quickly corrode.

Other things to look for:

- Check the cutting board that is mounted under the livewell hatch. The factory used woodscrews that were too long to mount this, and the exposed screws could result in a nasty cut if you stick your hand back there. Simple to fix yourself, but the dealer should take care of little things like that. Also the livewell LED - mine was cracked and they replaced it.

- Also check both of the stainless vents - the welds on the grates have a tendency to fail on these for some reasons - lots of people on this post have had that problem. When you are checking them, also take a look at the vent hose that heads down to the bilge. On my boat, it was only attached to the vent intake with one zip tie, just hanging there - totally useless.

- Take a look at the gunwale insets with the rod holders. Make sure that the PVC pipe that they used for the forward end of the rod holders are secured. Mine weren't, and two popped out on my first long run with the boat. I just took the whole insert out and caulked these into both the plywood supports at the forward end and the fitting at the aft end on the inserts - one less thing to rattle around. BTW, if you ever happen to be in there, clamp some hose onto the base of the rod holders, and run it down to the bilge - something someone on this post mentioned they were doing with the new boats. On my brand new boat, I already found water sitting in small gaps between the tanks and the foam that they use to chock the tanks. Anything you can do to keep water out of that area has got to be a help in my mind.

- Hit the hatch, portlights, and cuddy access with a hose - check for leaks. My cuddy hatch didn't seal properly and was leaking into the cabin.

- Same with the small hatch in the fwd cuddy bulkhead going into the anchor well. The gasket was bad. This is something I'm going to watch closely, as I'm afraid of what might start leaking through this into the cabin over time. I've recently noticed that the anchor hatch has a big gap at the front - nice spot for water to get in. May need to do something about that.

Just curious too - where will you be using the boat? I plan on heading down to Ocean City, NJ with ours for a while this summer, and would be interested in doing some fishing - just don't know the area, spots, fish that well.

Anyway, good luck with the boat. As others have noted, this web site is a wealth of information. Everyone here is always willing to help out, and I can't tell you how much I've learned about my boat just from reading and talking to people here. Not to mention more than a few good laughs. :D

Hutch

[Logan's Pass]

Hutch,
Thanks alot for the info. :D This boat has never been painted but the dealer has included the paint and all preping. I'm not really sure what preping is supposed to include. This is my first "new" boat and I'm a little nervous.
I'll be keeping the boat in Cape May but I do a lot of work in Ocean City, NJ and know a little about the fishing spots. There is a website www.bassbarn.com that is a good source of info for that area.

Thanks,
Ed

[Prior Engagement]

Sounds like a fair deal to me. You getting a trailer? How about the engine flush kit?

[Bzfishn]

Here's a baseline for you to reference. I purchased (Oct. 2002) a 2003 246 Open 'loaded' (really loaded) for $58k 'new'. No trailer. The WA was going for about $5k add'l. Not knowing all the equipment on the 246 WA ( Crusader w/ fwc (?) ia a good one) your looking at, I think the price could be a little' lower for a leftover. My formula assumes at least a 10% per year deprec. and includes the 'how bad does the dealer want to get rid of this' factor. Also, not sure of all the 'changes' to the WA, look closely at what Shamrock did between 2001 to 2003. I think some of this may have been mentioned on this site. If this is leftover from Phil. Boat Co. make sure Sheltered Cove Marina (Tuckerton, NJ) will be your warranty dealer with no b.s. I have found Shamrock pushes some of the warrantty expense back to the dealer. Call me if you want ot discuss more details: 1-973-610-7994 (cell).

[Logan's Pass]

This boat does not come with trailer but it does have a engine flush kit. The major changes the dealer told me was that the dash in 2001 has seperate guages compared to 2003 which have a 4 in 1 combined gauge. This makes the helm console look a little different.
I'm still interested in finding out how she handles sea conditions ie. 4' head sea, following seas compared to my older Grady White. On the test run I noticed the bow didn't have much "lift". Also how is the swim platform attached to the boat? And can it be removed? Will the warranties on the boat cover things besides the hull? Like leaking hatches, broken latches.

Thanks

[RickP]

I have a 2002 24-6. First don’t worry about the handling in open water. The sloppier the seas the more I love my boat. However these boats are not without issues. You will find that they need a lot of TLC the first year. A lot of little annoyances that a good dealer should help with. Who are you buying it from? If you are thinking of buying from Chadwick Island in NJ. Please talk to me before you make the same mistake I did. You will find that Shamrock will not help if you have dealer issues.

I paid extra for a good prep job with top quality bottom paint. When we hauled the boat, the bottom was covered with Barnacles because there was no bottom paint left and no zinc was ever installed. The bottom had to be acid washed and hand sanded at considerable cost. Not to mention I have no idea how much permanent damage was done by leaving the boat in the water for eight months with no zinc.

The price you are looking at seems to be pretty good compared to what I paid for a new new boat.

[CaptBill]

I have a 2000 24/6WA. I fish the lower keys in all types of weather.
Two things to understand- It is a semi V with 14 degree deadrise as was mentioned. You cannot go fast in heavy seas without pounding. I slow down to 12-15 mph, which is irritating.
It takes time to learn to back it.

In rough seas (4-6 or 5-7) it fishes great at trolling speed due to low center of gravity.

I think the price is a little high for the year he is offering. Try 45 or 46k
Good Luck