3 boats, which do I fix?

Slager

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Apr 30, 2014
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189
I have a serious case of MBS and need some help. My Dad passed away a little over a year ago and left 3 fishing boats behind. If I fix one, I would use it for fishing on local lakes in Michigan, and I wouldn't mind fishing on the Great lakes a couple times a year. They are all stored at my Mom's house and all need work. There are two 2001 Yar-Craft 1895 storms, one with a cracked up transom and one with a rotten deck and stringers. The third boat is 15 foot Sylvan Sea Monster with a rotten deck and transom. Here are the pros and cons to each:

White 2001 Yar-Craft 1895 storm. It has all electronics mounted and engines are in reasonable working order. It has a 2001 Mercury Optimax 225 and a 2001 Mercury 4-stroke kicker. Both engines were run last year, and the optimax was occasionally cutting out under full throttle, about every 10-15 min. The gas had sat for a year without any stabilizer and may be the problem. It has an off-white gel coat and very little exterior work would be required. Where I drilled into it, the transom seemed solid. But it would need the whole deck replaced and the stringers are rotten too, at least where I could see them at the back of the bilge. I think the foam is saturated as well. There is also more family drama associated with me taking this boat as my own, but I mostly have that worked out.

Red 2001 Yar-Craft 1895 storm.The stringers and deck are solid, at least as far as I could tell by looking in the bilge, but the transom has several major cracks and the wood inside came out a light brown powder instead of normal wood shavings. as far as I could tell, the foam is dry. The transom cracks would require some exterior repair, and the boat is red metal flake in clear gel coat. I could paint the transom portion black, or just paint the whole boat, or try and blend the metal flake. This boat has a 2001 Mercury Ficht 200 HP that is bolted on, but the controls are disconnected. The engine was used for about 2 seasons, and then sat for 10 years. I don't know if the engine runs.There is no kicker currently. There are currently no electronics on the boat, but I can buy them, or get them off the white boat.

Blue 1989 Sylvan Sea Monster 15. This aluminum boat has a 2004 mercury 40 hp 4 stroke that hasn't been run in about 5 years, but was running great last time we used it. The boat has a rotten deck and I'm sure the transom is rotten too. It is smaller than the other two boats, so I think I can fit it into my garage, the others would have to be outside. It could use a paint job, and I would guess the foam is water logged too. This would work well for fishing on local lakes, but it is a bit small to take out on the Great lakes.

Any help or advice about which to fix is appreciated.
 

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
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Dec 29, 2009
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Welcome to iBoats!
Based on your statements of how you would like to use a boat, I'd think boat #1, the White 2001 Yar-Craft would be the Optimum Restoration Project. Get the family drama worked out and dig into the restoration. Those are really nice boats and that setup would be great for what you intend to do!!!
 

zool

Captain
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Aug 19, 2012
Messages
3,432
I also would keep the white Yar Craft, and also keep the sylvan.....I would ditch the Red one with the Ficht....Sometimes its nice to have a small boat around..
 

PatinIdaho

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 7, 2014
Messages
405
White, Red, Blue in that order.
Family issues would be the problem for me though. Depending on the situation i would choose red just to get along but i would sure try for white first!
 

jbcurt00

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Oct 25, 2011
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Quick, easy and less drama: Aluminum boat 1st

Get it fixed and work on details of the other 1 you really want, the white 1. If yoh get it worked out, and take possession of it, sell the aluminum 1 to fund the resto of the white 1. Or keep it until you finish white 1, then sell it if you decide not to keep a smaller boat too...

Good luck

Thanks for the pix,
 

coolbri70

Lieutenant Commander
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Oct 6, 2011
Messages
1,554
they all have pros/cons, go with the 1 YOU want. I would choose the tin boat, it will be the cheapest to run and easy to get on the water
 

bonz_d

Vice Admiral
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Apr 22, 2008
Messages
5,274
Tough one to answer there are a lot of variables.

I'm a small boat tin man myself so I'll be biased. Don't know enough about the big outboards to offer any advice there. But I do know about fishing and about Lake Michigan.

Have to agree the Sylvan would be an iffy ride on the big lake unless you know the weather for the day and stay within eye sight of shore and can be certain you can get off the water in a hurry if you have to.

Agree you could keep 2 and repair the tin 1st so you have something to use while doing a major rebuild of the other.
 

Slager

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Apr 30, 2014
Messages
189
Thanks for all the replies. You make some good points. Anyone have insight on the difficulty of replacing the red boat transom, vs the deck and stringers on the white boat? I was thinking, maybe the time required to fix transom may be less than the time required to fix the deck and stringers. Then I can transfer any of the other components from one boat to the other. I think the cap will have to come off to fix either, unless I cut the back of the cap off for the transom only job. I may repair the aluminum one first, how long do you think it would take to fix?

In the meantime, I have a canoe and kayak and have fished out of them on the local lakes and could continue to do so until one of the bigger boats is fixed. Yes, my MBS is even more serious than i first let on. :)

I can get the Red and/or blue boats for almost free, but to solve family issues, would need to buy the white boat or any components off of it at about 60% of value. Any ideas about how to go about valuing it?

Thanks again, these forums have been very helpful in me thinking this through.
 

UConnMRB

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Jul 18, 2014
Messages
119
bucvalue and nadaguides are two sites we, in the insurance industry, use to value boats....at my company we exclusively use bucvalue..as far as the red boat transom cracks, are those cracks due to a rotting transom? If so, you might have some other water issues with the foam, floors and stringers. Core samples of the foam at different areas of the boat might be a good idea. You could, worst case, be looking at the same issues with Red as you are with White.
 

gm280

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Messages
14,585
I would survey them all and figure out which one was closest to being ready to use and work that one first. And while enjoying the finished one, take the next one closer to being ready and work it in the mean time. Put that is just me...
 

Jeep Man

Commander
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Oct 17, 2008
Messages
2,803
Sylvan first, as it will be the easiest and least expensive. In addition, it will get the most use as you like the small lakes, and you have plenty of those. The white one will be the next best project. Get the motor from the red one running and sell it to fund the project.
 

jbcurt00

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Getting the aluminum boat for free or nearly so, and having to set a value and pay 60% of that to other family members make the choice even easier then before.

If the white boat needs work: transom, stringers and deck, plus possible engine work (cutting out every 10min isn't a good working motor), makes that an easy valuation: $2K+/-.....

I'd bet your family will think you're low balling them if you offer them less then $2K. And that wouldn't end well, even if you end up paying more and getting the boat.... Perfect example of an ideal transaction: Neither party is overly happy....
 

64osby

Admiral
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Jul 28, 2009
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6,799
Sylvan first.. Buy it for low $$. Get it fixed up and have fun.

If you can get a reasonable offer approved by the family and want to put the time and money into a glasser - go for it but it will be much more to restore than the Sylvan.
 

Slager

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Apr 30, 2014
Messages
189
Any input on why not to fix the red boat? All opinions seem to be fix either blue or white.

Right now, I'm thinking quickly fix the Sylvan, and then work on one of the big boats over the summer or fall, if I have time. I'm going to try get one to my house this Saturday. I'll have about a week of vacation coming up to work on it.

When I start the rebuild, should I continue this thread or start a new one?
 

PatinIdaho

Chief Petty Officer
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Oct 7, 2014
Messages
405
I think it's because from your description the red needs more work then the white from the start and white has more from the start.
Blue is easier and cheaper.

Personally between white or red i would take either and not look back. There both going to take more then you think right now probably as you will not really know for sure until you get into it and sense your planing on restoring it anyway why not do it right anyway sense your in there to either.
So i suppose really it comes down to what one YOU really want and will be happy with.
We are telling you what we would do and be happy with and that might not be the best decision for you
 

Slager

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Apr 30, 2014
Messages
189
I decided to fix the Sylvan. Restoration thread coming soon.

I walked around my yard trying decide where to put one of the big boats, and decided that it probably wasn't going to work well. I also like the fact that the little boat can be moved while under construction, fits in my garage and the time commitment is much lower. There is a good chance I'll be moving in the next 9 months. I'm hoping to redo one of the bigger ones later, but they might just get sold.
 

64osby

Admiral
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Jul 28, 2009
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6,799
A fine choice. Should be faster and less expensive to complete. Get a water ready boat as you possibly work through the next project,
 

bonz_d

Vice Admiral
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Apr 22, 2008
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5,274
Agree with the choice for a number of reasons which all relate to completion time and cost.
No one boat can fill every need satisfactorily. So we compromise.
 
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