Searider SR4, buy or not to buy?

[Waz]

Hello to all

Am new to the forum, having only "Guested" over the last few days while researching SR4's.
Lots of useful information so far thankyou, but I have many more question i'd like answers to & hopefully the forum subsribers could help? A few of my questions to begin with:

There is a nice 1990 SR4 for sale locally, the ONLY one for sale in fact. The owners are asking £3500 but will take £3000 (I'm told). Have not yet been out on the water in an SR4, only a 5.4 Searider while taking my RYA PB2 a few years ago. I don't really know what to expect until the "Water Test".

1./ Does the price seem fair? Hull & Tubes seem to be very good as per the following advert, a few scrapes on the hull & one round patch on the starboard tube. You can see this in the attached pictures. Outboard looks well looked after & apparently has FSH.

Advert: Avon Searider 4 RIB, A Frame, Nav Lights , GPS, VHF radio, Trailer completely rebuilt 2007, 40 hp 2 stroke engine in excellent condition as are the tubes and hull. Always been garaged when not in use. A great fun boat, selling as have bought bigger boat.

2./ A couple of sections of Hypalon only a few inches long, coming away from GRP on underside of hull. Still about three inches in each area firmly attached on flange, just outer edges affected. Is this common & easily fixed?

3./ Please see attached pictures, does anyone know if this Mercury Outboard is reliable & cheap to run if well looked after as claimed?

4./ Do you think a Honda BF2.3 4-stroke outboard would be any use as an auxillary for this SR4, as I have one on my tender already?

5./ Ivory hull? Is this common / less desirable as must admit surprised when I saw the boat, (there was no picture on the advert), I was expecting orange & grey?

That's all for now, hope someone can shed a little light?

Many thanks.

[JSP]

Firstly sorry, I've only read the first part of your post as I'm passing through.
To me that is over priced for a SR4.

[bigbadbob]

Originally Posted by Waz

Hello to all

Am new to the forum, having only "Guested" over the last few days while researching SR4's.
Lots of useful information so far thankyou, but I have many more question i'd like answers to & hopefully the forum subsribers could help? A few of my questions to begin with:

There is a nice 1990 SR4 for sale locally, the ONLY one for sale in fact. The owners are asking £3500 but will take £3000 (I'm told). Have not yet been out on the water in an SR4, only a 5.4 Searider while taking my RYA PB2 a few years ago. I don't really know what to expect until the "Water Test".

1./ Does the price seem fair? Hull & Tubes seem to be very good as per the following advert, a few scrapes on the hull & one round patch on the starboard tube. You can see this in the attached pictures. Outboard looks well looked after & apparently has FSH.

BBB-He doesnt say how old the engine is, price seems a bit high for an sr4 that's been patched. i'd try and get him under 3K.

Advert: Avon Searider 4 RIB, A Frame, Nav Lights , GPS, VHF radio, Trailer completely rebuilt 2007, 40 hp 2 stroke engine in excellent condition as are the tubes and hull. Always been garaged when not in use. A great fun boat, selling as have bought bigger boat.

2./ A couple of sections of Hypalon only a few inches long, coming away from GRP on underside of hull. Still about three inches in each area firmly attached on flange, just outer edges affected. Is this common & easily fixed?

BBB-yes its common and easily fixed with hypalon glue.

3./ Please see attached pictures, does anyone know if this Mercury Outboard is reliable & cheap to run if well looked after as claimed?

BBB-I don't know how much fuel they drink as i've never owned a mercury 40 but it looks reasonably new and good. i've found later mercurys to be reliable.

4./ Do you think a Honda BF2.3 4-stroke outboard would be any use as an auxillary for this SR4, as I have one on my tender already?

BBB-2.3 would get you out of trouble, 4hp would be better, you'd need an auxilliary bracket on the transom to fit it though as there isnt room beside the main engine.

5./ Ivory hull? Is this common / less desirable as must admit surprised when I saw the boat, (there was no picture on the advert), I was expecting orange & grey?

BBB-Yes. ivory hull is common, they werent all orange.

That's all for now, hope someone can shed a little light?

BBB-I hope that sheds some.

Many thanks.

!

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Waz

Hello to all

Am new to the forum, having only "Guested" over the last few days while researching SR4's.
Lots of useful information so far thankyou, but I have many more question i'd like answers to & hopefully the forum subsribers could help? A few of my questions to begin with:

There is a nice 1990 SR4 for sale locally, the ONLY one for sale in fact. The owners are asking £3500 but will take £3000 (I'm told). Have not yet been out on the water in an SR4, only a 5.4 Searider while taking my RYA PB2 a few years ago. I don't really know what to expect until the "Water Test".

Utter insanity. Like trying to ride Animal from the muppets bareback with wasps up his a**e You either love them or hate them.

Originally Posted by Waz

1./ Does the price seem fair? Hull & Tubes seem to be very good as per the following advert, a few scrapes on the hull & one round patch on the starboard tube. You can see this in the attached pictures. Outboard looks well looked after & apparently has FSH.

I'd be looking at around £2800 for that rig, but at a push I'd pay £3k.Engine is '93-'95ish from the shape and graphics.

Originally Posted by Waz

Advert: Avon Searider 4 RIB, A Frame, Nav Lights , GPS, VHF radio, Trailer completely rebuilt 2007, 40 hp 2 stroke engine in excellent condition as are the tubes and hull. Always been garaged when not in use. A great fun boat, selling as have bought bigger boat.

2./ A couple of sections of Hypalon only a few inches long, coming away from GRP on underside of hull. Still about three inches in each area firmly attached on flange, just outer edges affected. Is this common & easily fixed?

Yes, as BBB said.

Originally Posted by Waz

3./ Please see attached pictures, does anyone know if this Mercury Outboard is reliable & cheap to run if well looked after as claimed?

They did suffer stator problems if it's a red stator model-if it's got a black stator it's OK, but apart from that it's a good lump and not horribly expensive to run.

Originally Posted by Waz

4./ Do you think a Honda BF2.3 4-stroke outboard would be any use as an auxillary for this SR4, as I have one on my tender already?

Nope, it won't fit between the engine and A-frame unless you put a bracket on there which will noticeably unbalance the boat.

Originally Posted by Waz

5./ Ivory hull? Is this common / less desirable as must admit surprised when I saw the boat, (there was no picture on the advert), I was expecting orange & grey?

I actually rather like that layout with the transom 'knees' for want of a better word rather than struts.

[Waz]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Utter insanity. Like trying to ride Animal from the muppets bareback with wasps up his a**e You either love them or hate them.I'd be looking at around £2800 for that rig, but at a push I'd pay £3k.Engine is '93-'95ish from the shape and graphics.Yes, as BBB said.They did suffer stator problems if it's a red stator model-if it's got a black stator it's OK, but apart from that it's a good lump and not horribly expensive to run.Nope, it won't fit between the engine and A-frame unless you put a bracket on there which will noticeably unbalance the boat. I actually rather like that layout with the transom 'knees' for want of a better word rather than struts.

Thanks to all so far,- useful comments. I'm glad to hear from Nos4r2 £3000 not too far away. Vendor does not seem to wan't to go lower, though cheekily offered £2500 a week ago. Perhaps as BBB & JSP said £3000 too much but I have little alternative in Jersey as this is only one for sale. Any others i've seen either rougher or older, & not for sale.

Also the alternative of flying to south coast, hiring a car & travelling to see the few advertised, perhaps an overnight stay, shipping the rib home again would cost me upwards of £500 with no guarantee of a result at the end.

Anyone have any idea what performance I should expect from this one & mpg? Hope to go for a test run tomorrow night so would be useful to know. Looks like it'll be a NE 5-6 though so perhaps not the best conditions!

Any more opinions welcomed, thankyou

[HUMBER P4VWL]

2500 would be fair in my eyes, old engine. Wouldn't pay 3k.