Buying a boat with a patched hull

Need some opinion on this.   Im considering a 2012 Tracker Targa 18ft with a 150 Merc.  

Boat looks great except it was disclosed there was a hull leak last year after hitting something and the hull was welded with a 3x3" patch.   Boat was only water tested from the inside as the repair happened in the fall.  Boat has not been on the water since the repair. 

Looking for opinions on this - should I stay away or is this a fairly common thing with an Aluminum boat and will not be an issue.

I want to run this boat on bigger water like Winnebago and Green Bay and obviously don't want a sinking vessel.

Thanks

I believe you are looking at this the right way. Anyway you slice it, the boat needs to be discounted.  

If the seller isn’t willing to play ball, keep walking!  

$16K is what he told me is bottom line.  Im in at $12K. 

I don't think $16K is a deal. 

Many years ago I was boarding an airplane. I noticed that the plane had some welded patches on the sides. When I got to my seat I noticed that I had a returning pilot sitting next to me. I asked him about the patches and he told me that it was not unusual to see that, as they hit birds in flight that cause it.

Like was stated before, if it is checked out by a reputable repair shop and found to be ok, plus if the boated is discounted enough, it may be a good deal. With the boat being a Tracker, that would be more of a concern to me.

I had a tracker targa 18’ years ago.   Boat had a weld let go by a stinger early on in its life.   Tracker fixed it and I ran for 7 more years zero issue.  

With that said I will say that boat is absolutely the last boat I’d buy for using on big water!   U will get wet and beat to death in any winds over 8mph!  

Boat Hulls fail and get replaced all the time.  I’ve seen newer hulls crack, develop a leak, and fail.  Not exactly a rare occurrence. Certainly you don’t throw a newer boat away because of a hull issue - you get it repaired. 

If there is no discount, there is no reason to consider it. However, If you can purchase it below market, it may be worth further evaluation.  

Plmlk makes sense... ultimately,  it's your call tho

The time it took you to write the original post is about twice as long as I would've even thought about buyin it. Just sayin 

Nope from me.  Unless you can sell the motor for a profit and scrap the boat.

My initial gut reaction is to run, not walk away...  But...

A quality weld is stronger than the metal around it. If the price is current market there is 0 reason to take a risk - you can only lose, it’s not worth the gamble - take a pass. 

However, if there is a discount, it may be worth looking further into.  

If it were me, and the boat was discounted, I would take it to the Fountain of Youth for boats and have it evaluated.  These guys replace hulls everyday, and it comes back better than it came from the factory - they are truly the real deal.  They are that good!

If you get a good discount and a clean bill of health from The Fountain of Youth for boats I’d say go for it! 

It would make a really neat raised garden bed but yeah, avoid that thing the way the Minnesota Vikings avoid Super Bowl wins. 

Thats what Im leaning towards Stratos.   

That is all I need for a weld to go when Im in the middle of Lake Michigan with it.   

there would be papers stuck to my behind from the vacuum I created as I ran away from it.

Im waiting on pics.  Guy said he brought it to JP Metal Fab in Lodi

The boat is market price.  No deal. 

My gut tells me to stay away from it.