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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,029
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,029
Even if it was free, a 47 year old boat seems like a purchase with a lot more negatives than positives.

Even under the best of circumstances, it seems as though boats are always needing something that costs more than you'd think and a boat that is in the twilight of its operational life seems like it could easily become a bottomless money pit to repair and maintain in a safe operating state.

I'm not particularly risk adverse, but the saying that a boat owner's two favorites days are the day he buys it and the day he sells it, didn't happen without a good reason.

GB2

Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 13,604
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lol, yeah boat stands for "Break Out Another Thousand" I'm sure there's a reason for that as well.

A lot of people who have no idea about boats, buy boats. Then rarely use them or maintain them, then piss and moan when it doesn't work right. They can't fix/maintain it so they have to bring it in to a boat shop where they pay someone else to do it for them. When they reflect on the 2-3 times of year they tried to take it out vs how much money it cost them is exactly where those sayings come from.

I use my boat on average 2-3 times a week, often more in may/june. I winterize it correctly, pull the batteries put it under a tarp and in storage for the winter and every spring go through it as I'm putting everything back in place. I have never had an issue I wasn't able to identify and remedy myself. broken wires, trailer wiring eaten by mice, spun prop, impeller went bad, fuel line plugged, cooling water discharge plugged cracked fuel lines you name it. oh, and always change the lower unit oil once a year and check it monthly during the fishing months. in addition to that stuff keep an eye out for symptoms of something bad starting to happen.

in my opinion the biggest threat to boats are ignorant boat owners.


Beware of any old man in a profession where one usually dies young.

Calm seas don't make sailors.
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 32,312
Jeff_O Offline OP
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 32,312
CO1135, I find no fault with your analysis. Boats are, put simply, kind of nuts. But then again, they are BOATS! How cool is THAT?! smile

Short of going deep into the engine I'll be doing all work myself and I take pretty good care of my stuff. Plus I enjoy doing so- which if I'm reading you correctly, is more than a little important. The work of life, is to do good work. I fully expect a boat to provide ample opportunities. smile

That Starcraft is out. I'm currently leaning 14'-16' open, deep-keel, aluminum with an outboard. Like a Smokercraft or similar. Keep this simple but get some real utility. Buy it this winter when boats are cheap and have it ready for the spring salmon runs in the tidewaters of the big coastal rivers in my AO. Hey, it get my buddy and on the water; we'll see where it goes from there. There's been numerous boats in my immediate family for decades (I've avoided owning them because, well, they are kinda nuts) but I've heard the many things that go wrong and been there in person to experience many of them... On top of that, I'm sure Lady Luck has a couple new ones saved up just for me. Honestly-- it'd be much less interesting to me if it was easy!


The CENTER will hold.

Reality, Patriotism,Trump: you can only pick two

FÜCK PUTIN!
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 13,604
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Posts: 13,604
personally I'd never own an inboard unless it was huge and had a mainspace and I was a commercial fisherman, not very likely. the one Bgunn has is a beauty, I'd love something like that one day. don't be afraid to get a "project" boat and spend a lot of time getting into them and tearing it apart. I've been a member on tinboats.net for a few years and learned a lot from those guys. I've even flipped a few boats that I've bought right, knew what to do to spruce them up and sell for a profit. keep an eye on craigslist daily and be ready to pounce when a screaming deal comes up. most people want a turn key project, but if you like to work with your hands, problem solve and have a little time here and there to put into it, it can be a really fun hobby! I bought a small tinny a year ago, took the electric start motor off and put on one I got that ran great and paid next to nothing for. replaced the wooden bench seats with high quality plywood my kids and I stained and varnished one weekend and made my money back 3 fold, and kept the better motor! so it can be done, and a great way to learn on smaller stuff. if you buy them right you can continually upgrade and keep upping your investment until you get into the boat you want to hold onto. at least that's how I've done it. price them out, use KBB or NADA and stick as close as you can to it. shop around and be willing to wait for the right deal. I've seen lots of folks start looking when they need/want a boat and jump on whatever is available. fall is the best time to buy of course if you have a place to store it for the winter, which is also a great time to work on them to be ready for summer. with a little research and patience you can learn a lot in a small amount of time and have fun doing it. feel free to PM me if you like if you have any questions.


Beware of any old man in a profession where one usually dies young.

Calm seas don't make sailors.
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