buying a "new to me" boat

Joined
Sep 8, 2014
Messages
10
I have owned a couple of boats in the past; the 1st we got most of a season out of it, and I wound up cutting it up and having a bonfire (fiberglass trihull Chrysler) because I went to fix it up over that winter, it wound up being in a lot worse shape than I thought. bad floor, waterlogged foam etc.
the 2nd was a lot better deal and easier to "tell" what shape it was in as it was aluminum, with no plywood subfloor. that one we got several good years from and only had to sell because of "life" issues--- needed cash then more than a boat.

I am again in the market and have been starting to scout around. I can't afford brand new, and even if I could, I do not mind having to put "some" work into something to make it a decent machine. My preference for "TLC needed" is mechanical/electrical, as opposed to upholstery or fiberglass/gelcoat/structural type work. I have worked on my share of outboards for people over the years and I am a fleet mechanic (automotive) for the State...

I am looking at a couple of boats and have a few questions about "what to look for" though from some I have seen (and owned) I know "some" of the pitfalls;
One that I am looking for is a '69-70 Larson deep V with a closed bow. I have not seen it in person yet but it is a 1-owner, garage kept, by the CL pics it looks a lot nicer condition than most; has lower unit issues (something with the gearshift) '70-ish Evinrude; My question/concern about this boat is the design of boats then vs now; my Dad had closed bow V hulls when I was a kid (incl a wooden one) other than not having seating positions ahead of the windshield is there any reason I should :shy away" from this design of boat? I mean if it's in as good a shape in person as it appears in pix, is this a case of "newer designs= better"? the engine issue don't scare me.

There are 2 others (both outboard powered and fiberglass) that I see that have had stringer/transom repairs/replacement, both fiberglass; one shows a few pix in the ad of "in process" the other just says that the transom has been redone but no pix in the ad like the 1st one; would there be any reason to be afraid of these?
this time I think I am going to go with a V hull, previously I had a trihull and a "modified V" (basically a jon boat with a wide beam)
I am looking ~15-16' fish/ski type boats.
 

bonz_d

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
5,274
My impression, anything glass that is as old as I am is questionable at best unless there is documented proof of the work/repairs that has been done and how long ago was it? Over the past 5-6 years I have passed up many glass boats that I could of aquired very cheaply or even free because of potential rot issues. There have even been a couple of very desireable to me boats that I've past up. One was a very good looking Glaspar Seafairer.

If you want a boat that requires minimal amount of work to restore then once again aluminum would be your best choice. Closed bow, open bow, that would be a personal choice.
 

jigngrub

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
8,155
A garage kept closed bow is worth 5 open bows that have been neglected and exposed to the elements.

Closed bows have less usable deck space and can become small/cramped with more than 2 of people and their "stuff" inside, but if you don't plan on filling the boat with family and friends they're not too bad.

Fixing up an old boat isn't as bad as a lot of people think, it looks intimidating at first but once you see and know what to do it's not that hard. You can visit the repair and restoration forum on this site and read the different threads and learn what you'll need to do before you do it, which makes it a lot easier.

If you can find an older boat that you really like and that has been well kept you should buy it because they're really rare.

If you find an old boat that has been neglected but you really like it and think it's worth the effort and money to fix it up, it can be very rewarding to build it back yourself and call it your own.

You can also buy what I call a bloody rotter, a very rotten boat for very cheap and fix it up and get a like new boat for a very small fraction of the cost of a brand new boat.
 
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