Why you should invest on a cover for your precious boat

[Joolz]

A $120 investment could have saved this otherwise fine looking boat from the slow death depicted below. Went to see this today, on sale privately for $1600 (although seller indicated he'd accept less - now we know why). Comes with an ez-loader trailer and a fine looking Johnson 70HP with working hydraulic lifting system. Engine is from 79, likely same year as boat. It's near to my house so I figured what the heck. If all checks out it would be a great purchase as the size is to my liking, at 14'. Has an open bow, which is also a desired bonus. And one can't go wrong with a Johnson motor, unlike the 16 footer I saw last night that came with a Chrysler. Oh and unlike the Chrysler one, this one has no signs of 1970s yellow paint, the predominant colour of the atrocity that gave me nightmares and partially ruined my beauty sleep.

Look at the top image, showing the entire boat. Looks great, right? Well, lets look closer and find hidden treasures. First thing one notices upon stepping on the deck, aside from the weathered carpet is how soft the floor is. Pull up carpet at any of the corners and rotting wood is evident anywhere you look. This boat has clearly been outside in the elements for a couple of years or longer. Owner said he hasn't taken it out to a lake in two years but he does start the engine on occasion. He wasn't there when I came to see the boat, I was supposed to return this evening after he's home from work. Safe to say I'll be saving the trip there.

Let this be a lesson to anyone looking to buy a boat: always look for signs that the boat had been sitting in the elements. In this case it was a really easy task as signs of damage were everywhere. And this guy wants $1,600 for this? Well, I'd be happy to pay that much if the seller had invested on a $120 cover when he got his precious boat. As is I wonder if it's worth $500 and only if the motor works well. Then again someone that didn't bother purchasing a cover to protect his investment likely didn't make the effort to maintain the engine.
Figured I run out of there without looking back!

 

[Watermann]

Or at least a $40 tarp with a handful of bungies. Sounds like this rot bucket would be a good donor boat for a 16' tinny restoration at about half his asking price that is...

 

[Joolz]

I'm new to this so please clarify if this rotting fruit would make for a useful boat for a year or two? As in, would it float and perform decently for a while? Hull and overall fibreglass parts seem sound, couldn't spot a single issue with the hull. He said the motor starts good (electric start) and if the motor is indeed in good shape, would the body itself last a while? If so I may have to reconsider it, should nothing else pop up and the seller agrees to a far lower price. Reason is, we often see boats for sale without a motor and/or trailer for dirt cheap. If I was to land this rot bucket for peanuts and it lasted a year or two, I'm sure I'd find a decent unit in that time. Transfer the engine over and toss the boat in the dump. But of course, for this to work I'd have to land this for close to nothing and the seller already rejected my offer of $500. He claimed that although the wood is bad, that all else is solid. Then again I have no idea how solid it'd be once it hit a few waves.

 

[Watermann]

Yeah rotten glass boats need 1000's of dollars and hours or work to make them safe and usable. No way I would risk my life on the water in a rot bucket with a glass shell.

 

[MTboatguy]

The boat has to be precious to you, before you will do something to protect it, many don't feel their boat is precious hence you see rotten boats, not all that rare. I am never surprised when I see one.

 

[littlerayray]

It's almost a given that the stringers are rotten in that boat I would run away

 

[H20Rat]

I'm new to this so please clarify if this rotting fruit would make for a useful boat for a year or two? As in, would it float and perform decently for a while? Hull and overall fibreglass parts seem sound, couldn't spot a single issue with the hull. .

For that boat, it MIGHT be safe with minimal intact wood. The wood is more than decorative, it provides structure for the hull as well as the transom. If it is rotten, there is a chance the hull will break up when it hits a wave, or the torque of the engine will break the transom. Like I said, that small of a boat might be ok without the support, or it might fold up the first time it hits the water, your risk...

 

[JASinIL2006]

If the wood above deck is that rotted, I can only imagine what the stuff below looks like. If there is any wood still there....

 

[2000silvers2k]

OP, for the life of me I cant understand how people pay so much money for a luxury item like a boat only to take terrible care of it.

There is a guy near me, who lives in an average house and has a mid 90's bow rider that looks like its in fairly good condition, its currently parked, uncovered under a big white pine tree. It just baffles me what is going through this guys mind.

 

[Joolz]

Wife saw the other pics I took that I didn't post here. She explicitly forbid me from getting this, even if it's free. And we all know not to go against the boss' orders, so I have officially put this death trap behind me. Like she said, just spend the extra money and get something in better shape.
She's less of a boater than I am but has far better judgement.

Will be looking at a couple of open bow 16 footers this afternoon. A tad on the big side but it would seem that most open bow are that size or larger. It is my hope to find something soon so we can still hit the water a few times before the season ends (around here, far sooner than you guys in the States are used to). But the boss already indicated that there's little harm in waiting till next year and possibly take advantage of more choices and better prices once the season is over and people try to unload their boats. Although around here great deals pop up all the time, so we'll see what we may still land that may get us on the water a few times before it all turns into a slab of ice.

 

[cdnNick]

You'll probably start seeing lots of boats pop up in September, that was my experience last year. Lots more choice in September then say May/June. People want to save the money on winterizing the boat and storage.

 

[MTboatguy]

Heck, I keep my 14 foot aluminum fishing boat covered when I am not using it and there is very little to rot in it!

 

[oldjeep]

You'll probably start seeing lots of boats pop up in September, that was my experience last year. Lots more choice in September then say May/June. People want to save the money on winterizing the boat and storage.

Last couple weeks the listings around here have been going up like crazy. School starts in a few days and that signals the end of boating season for many.

 

[Pony]

When I had a 14ft tinny I kept it covered. My current rig sits in the driveway as well....doesn't fit in the garage. I take a lot of time after each trip to get everything put away and covered properly to let water run off and still have the cover vent a little.

My wife has questioned me in the past....as to why I spend so much time doing it. I can't imagine not doing it really. I spent a lot of hard earned $ to buy the thing. I want to be able to use it as long as possible.

 

[Joolz]

Since posting this I've seen 3 other boats - all with mild to extensive wood rot. This 1979 16 footer open bow I saw 2 days ago was fully covered when I got there but apparently when someone was trimming their tree a branch fell on it and ripped the cover a bit. We had a few nasty downpours and sure enough, the carpeting was soaked. Which would have been fine had it not been for the fact that the current owner recently replaced the flooring. Red flag? Well, maybe so maybe not, till you walk on the bow, where the wood wasn't replaced and you felt like you were going sink below deck. So clearly this boat too exposed to the elements for long enough to ruin the flooring. However it comes with a newer Mercury 115HP that is clearly well kept. Still haven't ruled it out but concerned with the rotten wood I found under in the chairs and that very soft, breaking up bow floor.

Please clarify this: is the wood floor atop fibreglass? Or will the same water that ruined the wood have made its way down inside the hull and potentially affecting things like the springers and other supporting wood? Each of these sellers claim their boats are solid and will last for many years to come, no matter how big a wave it may face. Is this a sales pitch or is there truth to this? I mean, are cases of boats breaking apart while on a lake common? Or am I limiting myself in hopes of finding a boat that's over 30 years old that has been kept indoors its entire life? Being on a budget I can't afford to be too picky, while at the same time not wanting to risk my family's safety if indeed there's a chance it will break up on us in the middle of a lake.

Boat shopping... who knew it'd be this much fun?