[TimmyH]

Hi Folks,
My name is Tim and I'm looking at buying a 2008 Sovran 3500. She seems like a gem of a boat and configured well for my purposes - cruising south Florida, Biscayne Bay and the Keys.

The boat I'm considering has not been well maintained. The survey identified lots of basic maintenance needs but apparently nothing serious. It's disturbing to me to see such a beautiful boat ignored by its owner. These things need love and TLC and they'll last 20 years and thousands and thousands of hours. But when you neglect them, they usually fight back.

My question for the forum is how concerned should I be with a set of Volvo IPS systems not treated with a lot of care. Will they "fight back" and get even with the new owner or are they likely to respond well to some TLC and attention?

Overall, these Diesel engines and drives will require a little more attention than gas engines and non-IPS drives but I've heard Penta parts are very expensive and the complexity of the systems add extra labor to normal repairs.

Advice? Big step for me but I like the vessel. Just a little concerned about second hand boats from owners who don't take care of them. One never knows what to expect in the months and years to come.