1989 oa 50

New to this forum as we own a Bayliner but have a opportunity to get another boat as this is definitely a TLC project.

There is a 1989 50' OA Mark ll PH that has been sitting in the water for over 7 years.
Looks solid yet water leakage around windows one broken window near lower helm.
They want this boat gone but also we want to know what we need to be looking at on this boat?
Any insight would be a great help.

go low!, Bid low!

If it has those Cummings 555 engines, I would stay away. Difficult to find parts and very expensive.

Cummins "triple nickels" didn't have the best reputation for longevity..

OA’s are built very well. 30 year old boats usually have a surprise somewhere. The biggest issue I see with OA’s is around the ports, most OA’s are built with stainless ports which sweat if not allowed to breath. Owners will pull the drapes for the winter and next spring there is all kinds of interior surface damage around the port. I have never seen it be more than surface damage but it can be unsightly.

This boat has Detroit's 6 V53 engine. We need to dive and look underneath. For sitting and not moving for over 10 years it looks amazingly good. Though lots of green on the outside.
Inside there are windows that are leaking but looks more from possible seals broken.
Also water damage on the bottom backside of the kitchen counter in the living area.
Still thinking what we want to do. We do know that the bill will be well over $50,000 to bring it back to the OA it should be.
We wouldn't pay over $15,000 for it the way it sits.

We had 6V53s in a previous boat. They ran great but they do tend to leak oil. I just put diapers under them and changed the diapers when they got dirty. We also put a filter canister on the air box breather tubes to catch the blow by oil. Worked great. Nice thing about Detroits is that parts are readily available and are relatively cheap. Also almost any mechanic can work on them.

As you describe the vessel it seems a major undertaking. Your $50K estimate is way low. Triple it if you want the vessel to look and smell good. Add in the mechanicals and electrics. If vessel leaks onto fuel tanks they may be shot.

Can you get the boat in a shed? The PNW rains will only make your efforts that much more difficult if boat in open.

Why aren’t “oa” in upper case?

Sorry have been out of town.
New to OA so didn't know it was supposed to be capitals.

Going to talk to the owners next week so hopefully will know if we buy it or not. The amount of work it needs to bring it back to the beauty we have to get at a fire sale price.

An OA 50’ is a $195,000 boat. If the engines check out then $15,000 would be a steal. Tanks are made of aluminum and should be center line mounted well above the bilge. You won’t find cabin rot or soft decks unless the PO damaged the boat before he let it sit. OA didn't cheap out on anything, pluming and electrical are all first class. My guess is the only real issues you will have will be cosmetic and worn out accessories.

Yes, a lot in cosmetics but we will to to replace windows that are broke and teak around the windows that hopefully can be saved or need replaced. All of the ones above the inside helm are bad.
There has been windows in the salon that wood panels need replace from leaking some down to the floor. Also trying to figure out how and why there is water damage on the galley island facing the living area.
The cockpit hatch is rotten and needs replaced.
Still has the Loran system.
This boat's last oil changed was 1/2004 and has only 15 hours on that change.
What's really sad is these are the 2nd owners and they bought it 11/2003.
Then let it sit.

Happens all the time. Most of the boats in our marina never move and we never see their owners on them. Sad.

I would strongly encourage you to get a thorough survey. Given there are obvious deferred maintenance issues and overdue repairs it's worth the money to dig around in every part of the vessel so you have a better idea of what you're getting into with this one.

One of my favorite boats.
I'm willing to bet there are some soft deck areas that will need to be addressed. OA cored their decks like every other Taiwan builder. I'm getting ready to do some surgery on my OA decks this winter.

Any Updates?

We did not get it. The person wanted way to much. $130,000 for a boat that needed $75000 + in repairs
We did appreciate all the suggestions.
It could be a gorgeous boat again. It is really sad to look at.

Probably a smart decision. Can’t tell you how many times the cheapest boat on the market is really the worst deal out there.

In The Same Boat

Good morning, I am working on restoring a Ocean Alexander 50 MKII 1988 model. My experience is that they are a well built boat with very tight tolerances. I replaced all the 30 year old electronics, they give you very little room to run new cables even after removing all old cables. The port lights leak due to the design, they have a stamped stainless frame with a plexiglass port light sealed in with a rubber gasket and silicone, over the years the silicone goes away. The windows leak due to the poor design in trapping the water between the trim ring and wooden frame. In closing it is my experience that with $70,000 and 2 years hard labor you will have a beautiful boat.