Advice please-2008 Nitro Z7

BlackStrat · July 26, 2021, 10:09:51 AM

Hello everyone. I found an 08 Nitro Z8 with a 150hp Mercury and a MinnKota 80lbs Fortrex on Craigslist. They guys is asking $16,500. Found out the bow FF doesn't work and after a little research, I found out that the FF at the console is discontinued and quite outdated. I offered him $13,000 and he said he'd take $14,000. I told him I'd sleep on it and talk with my wife and see what she thinks.

I'm a fairly new boater and don't know a great deal about them and hoping I can get some insight and maybe some advice. Boat looks super clean.

I'm not sure how to post multiple pics or even 1 pic, but I'll try.

Thank you!
Randy

Nutt · July 26, 2021, 12:01:06 PM

I would walk away from that boat. A 150 is waaay underpowered for a Z-8. I have a '13 Z-7 with a Merc 150 4 stroke and wish I had more motor.

Nutt · July 26, 2021, 12:02:30 PM

I just saw the picture in your post. Is that the boat? If so, thats a Z-7 and the 150 is ok.

BlackStrat · July 26, 2021, 12:25:57 PM

Yes, Z7. I'm sorry......I corrected the error in the title. Thank you for bringing that to my attention!

BlackStrat · July 26, 2021, 01:51:50 PM

Quote from: Nutt on July 26, 2021, 12:02:30 PM
I just saw the picture in your post. Is that the boat? If so, thats a Z-7 and the 150 is ok.

Hi Nutt, have you ever heard of Nitros delaminating? I read on another site that some guy's Nitro had delaminated. Then 3 or 4 other guys started chiming in about how theirs did as well.

Wizard · July 26, 2021, 02:46:28 PM

I've seen a couple of Nitro's where the transom broke, leaving the motor on the concrete. One pro at LOZ had a Nitro for his Tournament ride. He picked up Johnny Morris along with his new rig in Springfield, Mo. A summer day of decent fishing and he was headed back to Springfield, pulling his boat and taking Johnny home. He goes over a bump on I-44 and BANG!, the motor is sliding on the highway. I'm sure embarrassment occurred for all involved. The early Nitro boats were fiberglass via a chopper gun. This led to potential blistering of the hull, weak spots and uncertain amounts of esters, epoxy and glass mixture. Nitro is building a better boat now but I would examine the boat...every square inch!

Wizard

BlackStrat · July 27, 2021, 07:42:21 AM

Quote from: Wizard on July 26, 2021, 02:46:28 PM
I've seen a couple of Nitro's where the transom broke, leaving the motor on the concrete. One pro at LOZ had a Nitro for his Tournament ride. He picked up Johnny Morris along with his new rig in Springfield, Mo. A summer day of decent fishing and he was headed back to Springfield, pulling his boat and taking Johnny home. He goes over a bump on I-44 and BANG!, the motor is sliding on the highway. I'm sure embarrassment occurred for all involved. The early Nitro boats were fiberglass via a chopper gun. This led to potential blistering of the hull, weak spots and uncertain amounts of esters, epoxy and glass mixture. Nitro is building a better boat now but I would examine the boat...every square inch!

Wizard

Looking for hair line cracks on the bottom and around the transom? Is that what to look for?

Princeton_Man · July 27, 2021, 10:58:48 AM

IF the hull and motor is sound, $14000 seems like the upper end of a decent price. Electronics are like computers, they're discontinued and outdated almost as fast as the last one comes off the assembly line, so I wouldn't give that much weight. How many hours on the motor? Don't buy without taking it for a test drive and have the motor and hull checked out by a reputable shop. How many hours are on the motor? What's the compression check look like? Be willing to pay a shop $50-$150 bucks to have things checked out and get a printout of the computer logs, before you hand over any cash.
Experienced boat owners will tell you that even a great deal can cost you a fortune if there's needed repairs. A lower can set you back $1500 or more. A powerhead, $5000. Even necessary catching up on the necessary maintenance could cost you $500-$600 if it's performed by a shop. If the owner isn't willing to let a shop check it out, walk away.

Nutt · July 27, 2021, 11:30:04 AM

I have heard of some delaminating, but youre gonna see issues with EVERY brand of boats. Like Princeton Man said, take the boat to a reputable shop and get it checked out. The small fee you will pay is nothing compared to what you may be getting into if something is hidden/wrong with the boat. Tell the seller you want to drive the boat. Im sure people are selling boats for more than what they did a year or so ago due to supply and demand, so what you pay is gonna have to feel good to you. From the picture, it looks like the boat was taken care of, but you can never tell. I really like my Nitro. My last boat was a Skeeter which I liked, but due to the smoother ride, I like my Nitro better.

Pat Dilling · July 27, 2021, 11:34:24 AM

I completely agree with Princeton Man, spend an hours shop labor and have a qualified shop look it over and give you a report. When you are spending $13-14,000, a hundred bucks is a wise investment. Quality graphs to replace the outdated or non-working units will cost you $600 to $1000 each, so take that into consideration. Also, How old are the batteries? 3 new ones will run you $2-350. How are the trailer tires and have the bearings been serviced? Don't expect a used boat to be perfect, all will probably need something, just go in with the knowledge of what additional expenses you will encounter. Good luck!

BlackStrat · August 11, 2021, 10:30:04 AM

Well, I got it....for 12.5K
Have had it out once to just tool around with the wife for a couple of hours. I'm planning on taking out Friday after work and Saturday!

So far, so good!!

Princeton_Man · August 11, 2021, 04:40:05 PM

Good looking ride! Hope she's good to you.

Mike Cork · August 12, 2021, 10:02:57 AM

Congratulations

Here's to years of boating fun