Landau BT-24LX

This is a BT-24LX Landau pontoon boat with the U shaped pontoons that do not loose buoyancy as they get loaded like round ones. It is the fishing model with 2 swivel seats in the front and 2 more in the back. It is legal for 12 people and up to 115HP. It has a pop up changing room with a little sink over it. It also has a 12 V plug in for a trolling motor at the front if desired. It has 2 aerated live wells and the vinyl floor. It has a bimini top. It has a 65 HP Suzuki 2 stroke motor. It has a galvanized bunk trailer. It comes with a title for the boat and one for the trailer. It has approximately a 14 gallon fuel tank and a fuel/water filter.

See video of the boat first time out 2014: http://youtu.be/Qk77tdoHnyQ

Video of boat pulling kids in triple tube: http://youtu.be/UsUR2Tal3h0

History:

I bought this boatin the summer of 2008on classifieds board from either a seller that was just a plain fool or afabricator of the truthbut I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say he didnt know much about things or care to know. He was the second owner and it had never left the marina on the Delaware River where he and the first owner kept it. It was north of Philadelphia in New Jersey and the water was not very salty if at all. I used it on the rivers of the northern Chesapeake Bay and while it is tidal, it is hard to taste any salt. It was advertised just as you see it but not quite truthfully or well described. I will be completely honest and do my best to cover all the details as I know them so you dont buy a boat you were not expecting. It has given my family years of faithful service and hours of joy. I would guess we put about 20-30 hours per year on the engine although we spent a lot more time on the boat itself. It was our first pontoon boat and we were very impressed at the ride and how rough of water it can take so smoothly. There were no wakes I worried about. You never have to worry about a bilge pump or sinking and it holds all the family and friends. We have very mixed emotions about actually selling it and I am only selling to free up space and money. We bought it to take our family of 6 and any other family with us to a nice beach or swimming area to enjoy the day and it did that perfectly. The children and adults all enjoyed tubing behind it and it could pull a 300 pounder with no difficulty but isnt fast enough for skiing. At this point we have purchased a house of our own on the water and have no need to find a place to enjoy. We bought a ski boat to teach the children how to water ski and just cannot justify or store both. The registration is still current and we took it out last week. My wife said Do we really have to sell it? We will surely miss it. You are getting a boatthatdoes show the years and wear but is ready to enjoy right now.Just register, put it in the water and enjoy.

The good:

Boat: I love the U shaped pontoons that do not lose buoyancy as they get loaded. A round one has less floatation after it passes the half way mark as the tube has less air as the circle closes in. The pontoons do not leak and have never been repaired. I can see no extra welds and I didn't see any dents in them. I do not recall any dings either but there could be something tiny I missed. They were bottom painted by the original owner, but neither the previous owner nor I left the boat in the water more than a couple days over a weekend and it doesnt look like the original owner did either. The floor is marine plywood and I can find no soft spots. The floor covering is vinyl and I wouldnt have it any other way as it is easy to clean. It was done because this is the fishing model but I would never want carpet in any boat. The bench seat bases are all poly so they will never rot or rust. Again the best I can imagine as they look perfect still. I have recovered some of the seats as they got cracks or small peeling spots. There is a round table top and an oval table top and a table base in the front and one in the middle but only one table pedestal so you can use either but not both at the same time. The previous owner showed both up in pictures but when I got there, only one pedestal. The bimini top is in good shape and I see no tears or holes. It has the 4 swivel fishing chairs making this even more do it all than an ordinary pontoon. It has 2 aerated live wells that turn on at the console. One switch but you can open and close the fill valve inside each one. We used the front one when the kids caught crittersbut missing the plug/overflow tubes since we bought it. We really didnt fish from it. It has running lights that worked last year but havent been tested this year. We never went out at night. All the gauges work, speed, oil level, charge, fuel, and tachometer. It has dual batteries with the switch to use 1, 2, or both, or cut them all off. I believe the batteries are about 1 year old and the fuel/water separator was just replaced. It will float in about 1 of water and that let us explore all sorts of shallow places and beach it in soft sand when we found a neat place to stop.

Motor: It is a Suzuki, need I say more. This motor has been excellent. It has never left us anywhere or failed to run. I have had the Johnsons, Evinrudes and Mercury engines. You can have them. I now refuse to buy a boat with anything other than a Suzuki, Yamaha or Honda. The previous owner told us one truth for sure and that was about the engine. I was skeptical but it has been great. Based on the speedometer, it pushes the boat about 18-20mph with a light load and 15-16mph with a bunch of people on board. Last year for the first time since buying it, I felt I should replace the water pump just for good measure. When opened up, it still looked and felt like new but we replaced it anyway and at the same time did the lower unit oil again. It looked great and had no water or dirt in it. The prop is the one that came with the boat and while you can see it has slight abrasion on the edges of the blades from a sandy bottom, there are no chips, bends or cracks. I added a fin on the cavitation plate. I dont know if I realized any benefit. Last year for the first time, it didnt run quite right when we took it out. It started and idled perfectly but didnt rev past 4000. We had the carbs cleaned and were told one had a tiny bit of dirt in it. After that it ran like always. Last week was no different when we put it in for the first time this year. It barely had to crank before it started. Needless to say, 2 weeks ago, I had no hesitation when I bought a similar Suzuki 8hp for my little jon boat.

Trailer: It is a galvanized trailer, the only material other than aluminum a trailer should be made from. While it is a 96, it still looks excellent. The bunks and carpet are nice. The winch has a nylon strap so no cut fingers. The jack works well. It has surge brakes on one axle. The previous owner said they worked fine and when we took it for a sea trial from his house to the ramp a mile away, you could feel it move back and forth as he braked the truck. He said that was the surge brakes working. I had never had them before so what did I know. I took it home and found the master cylinder full of rusty water and the brake linings falling off the shoes and the cylinders seized up. I had to replace the entire backing plates on both wheels, the brake shoes, as well as the entire hitch, surge, master cylinder mechanism. The trailer had neve been tagged or towed so it was just time and neglect that did them in. The tires are original and look excellent still. The wheels are even galvanized. I have not put more than 200 miles on the trailer since I have owned it. Basically it went from NJ to PA to MD and then in and out of the water and then to my house in MD where it is now. The seller told me the lights worked as I told him I had to tow it through the police state of NJ to PA at night. When I got there, paid and was about to leave, I tested the lights and one didnt work. He said I know why, it isnt hooked up. When I got home, I tossed the old lights as one was not connected at all and the other leaked and blew a bulb when he took me for the sea trial. It now has working LED tail lights that do work! As it had never been tagged, the seller told me he had the title but misplaced it. A month later he still had no title and re-titled it in NJ and sent me a useless NJ document that PA would not accept. It took months but I did title it in PA going through the whole process of having it weighed, inspected, photographed etc. but I do have a real PA title with a vin number and it matches the trailer so no issues at all going forward. As PA requires trailers over 3000 pounds to have brakes on all axles, this one, with brakes on only one axle, is titled at 3000 so the brakes are not required but optional. Also it means that no annual inspection is required in PA as it is on all trailers over 3000lbs.

The Bad:

Boat: It is a 1996 and shows the wear and tear of those years to some degree. It could also use a good cleaning. It only got a light one when we launched it. The pontoons were bottom painted and if it were to be left in the water, a new coat should be applied. The aluminum parts (most of the boat) have a light/moderate oxidation on them. You can feel it but it isnt bad or pitted and has been the same all the years I have owned it. The very front crossbar where the winch hooks on has a slight bow to it.There are nicks in the vinyl floor but no peeling or de-lamination. Some seats are showing their age. I recovered the seats with the most damage at an upholstery shop last year but a couple have minor blemishes that will need attention in the future. The depth finder no longer works. It was old when I got it but it did work then. It is just a cheapy and a new one costs around $50. There is a radio and speakers the previous owner said it had. He failed to say they didnt work until I got to NJ. I never bothered to replace it and it is still the same one I got with the boat. Again a cheap fix I never cared about. The electric horn on the console doesnt work. The stand pipes for the live wells are missing. They stick into the hole at the bottom and let the water drain when it reaches a full level. Just a piece of PVC I think. I just plugged the bottom and filled them for the things my kids found. The live wells are filled by a bilge pump mounted on the aluminum in front of the motor that is covered with water while still or moving slow. The plastic mounting bracket was broken when I got the boat, again not mentioned by the last seller but it works and I have never bothered to repair or replace it as it works as is. The plastic cup holder bottoms have broken out on the consol and on the sink area. The plastic on the sink area is more brittle than when new but the sink is intact and holds water. The faucet may or may not work and the spigot is off but included. We never used it and had a poly board over the sink and it served more as a table to sit things on.

The motor: There issome peeling paint on the engine cover oil port, a small hatch that opens to add oil without removing the whole cover. The prop has some light abrasion.

The trailer: There is some rust on nuts and bolts, the jack and other small areas here and there. It has only traveled about 15 miles in the past 4-5 years and that was June 2013. It has a PA title as described earlier and not the original manufacturers title. It is completely legitimate and legal.

The sale: This package sells AS IS and all sales are final. Nothing is included if not mentioned. I will include the nice anchor pictured and the 2 dock lines in the pictures. I will include the transom tie downs and the bow tie downs pictured in the battery compartment so you are ready for the road. I am no mechanic or expert. I have given all the information I can think of or know. This package sells to the highest bidder and if you need a buy it now we can talk. Ilisted abuy it now at $7500. Im tired of hearing things like you need the itemright away and would do a buy it now really cheaphoping I have no idea what it is worth.When people need things now, they pay a premium, not a discount rate. If you truly NEED it for the 4th of July weekend or whatever, pay the buy it now and perhaps it can be yours. My feedback is excellent, please check it. Please feel free to come take a look. Ask any questions and I will try my best to answer. The boat is located in Kennedyville MD, north of Chestertown MD and south of Galena MD. Thewinner is welcome to have a sea trial if they come at a high tide. The ramp is very gradual and I cannot launch when the tide is lower. We can also put the ear muffs on and run it on land for any visitor. I expect payment in full before it leaves. Payment must be made within 14 days and I insist on cash at pickup if that is when you will pay. You come, you see, you pay and we are both happy. Don't show up to pick up and hand me anything but cash. If you need to pay ahead of time, payment must clear before the boat leaves. I can store it up to 30 days but would really like it out of the yard asap. Please ask the boss before you bid. I am weary of the excuses when a buyer backs out. When you win, your money is mine and my boat is yours. I have heard a lot of excuses including my wife bought cheap hamburger at Wal-Mart and broke her tooth on a bone. I had to use my money to fix her tooth, or I bid on 2 and won both, I dont want yours. or, I thought the $10,000 tractor also in the picture was included with the $700 snow plow I won Please folks, it takes a lot of effort, time and money to sell on classifieds board. Dont mess it up.

Thanks and good luck!