1989 Aquasport 175 Osprey-Striper Option Info Please

[ShawnsIronman]

Good afternoon everyone. I am trying to become a part of the club by purchasing a 1989 175 Osprey w/ Striper Option. I have looked at it once, but I have not made a decision on it yet because I wanted to get some opinions from the experts. I have been told by the owner that it has fiberglass stringers and the gas tank was replaced recently. He was going to repower it because one of the cylinders has lost compression, but ended up getting sick and will not have time to fix it up. I have a Johnson 115VRO that would work perfectly since it is already set up for OMC. I just need to make sure it has the red plug.

I currently have a Hydra Sports 1750DC so the reason I like the boat is because it is a CC but I had a few questions:

How dry is this boat in rough water?
It looks like the bow railing was cut off to install a trolling motor. I would rather have a lower railing. It is hard to find small railing that mounts up to this boat?
Does this boat have fiberglass stringers?
It appears to have trim tabs, but I don't see how they are controlled. It this normal on these boats?
Are their any other things I should look for when inspecting this boat again before making an offer?

[Capt. Bob]

How dry is this boat in rough water?

You'll get wet in a beam sea.

It looks like the bow railing was cut off to install a trolling motor. I would rather have a lower railing. It is hard to find small railing that mounts up to this boat?

I would guess one would need to be fabricated. Off the shelf?????

Does this boat have fiberglass stringers?

Yes, filled with foam.

It appears to have trim tabs, but I don't see how they are controlled. It this normal on these boats?

If there are no actuators (looks like a shock absorber from a car) on the tabs and no controls (toggle/rocker switch) on the helm, they may be "smart tabs". You set the position on land and it stays fixed. Trim tabs are a nice addition on a hull but a 17 properly loaded shouldn't need them.

Are their any other things I should look for when inspecting this boat again before making an offer?

Start here.
http://classicaquasport.com/smf/index.php?topic=10634.0

Good luck.

[ShawnsIronman]

I guess I really have not seen a boat that does not get me wet in a beam sea, but even in Hydro Sport, I have a tendency to get wet heading into a wave. I have a friend that has Whaler that it does not do that.

The more I look at that picture, the more I think that the tabs are fixed in a certain position to help get the boat on plane, but I can't imagine that being good for reverse or even at cruise speeds.

It is good to know that these boats have glass strainers. That is a big selling point for me considering this is an old boat. I wold assume the deck is too.

Thanks for your info Capt. Bob. I will provide pictures of the boat if all goes well of the progress of me getting it up and running.