Hello, I'm looking at buying my first boat.. it's a 2008 year model from a private seller. I asked about hours on the motor and he said on the digital tach it says 430 hours, but not sure on the motor, he is the 2nd owner. He said there is slight hull damage but not structurally. He has had it on the water several times with no issues and it runs great.

Any concerns here? other questions I should ask!?

I appreciate the help.

Take it out on the water for a test drive. Buying used boats without a test drive is a great way to get burned. Put it through everything you would when you use it.

Personally, I would keep looking. Depending on the motor, a mechanic can pull the hours and check the engine. The hull damage would be harder to assess.

Worth paying $200 for a mechanic of your choice to check out motor & hull. Dont buy WITHOUT a lake test either. Good luck.

Have the hours pulled off the motor. Call mechanics ahead of time to see if they have the computer to do that year/model. I would also recommend having mechanic check compression and anything else he would recommend.

What type of hull damage is it? Not understanding why you're saying he said it's there, but you're not saying you see hull damage? Was it already fixed? If so, what caused the damage, how was it fixed?

I would ask when the last time basic maintenance was performed, impeller, lower unit oil, etc. Does he have records? How is the trailer? When were bearings last packed? Tires? Rust on frame?

Thank you all for the feedback so far.

ShinerInTx - I have not seen the boat in person, just pictures so far. He said the hull needs a thin layer of glass and gel coat, he has a quote of $1400 to fix it and said he would work around that in the price of the boat. Said he would send the quote to me this evening.

run forest run

Unless it's just a deal you can't refuse, I would keep looking. The hull damage would concern me, but I've been in the marine industry a long time and talked to a lot of surveyors. You can hide a lot of problems with paint and gelgoat.
Most fiberglass repair, other than surface scratches, require the damaged area to be ground out and new glass and resin laid in, gelcoated, and buffed out. Not sure what kind of repair you'll get for $1400.. I've seen some pretty steep bills come out of the local yards.
There are a lot of good rigs out there for sale. Don't get talked into something that may come back around and bite you in the A$$.

The location of the hull damage and the severity is important. Where on the hull and what caused it and does it go through the gelcoat or ? Everything is relative. On a used boat, always get the motor checked by a professional mechanic. Better to lose $200 than to lose $10,000.

The damage is to the rear center of the glass, with a long gouge is what the quote paper says. It says it will take 14hrs in labor and $200 in supplies for a total of $1400 to fix. The boat is being taken to a certified mechanic for inspection and test.

ditto

Long and gouge are not words I would want to hear.