Dunaruna
Admiral
- Joined
- May 2, 2003
- Messages
- 6,027
Hi Bruce, welcome to i-boats!!<br /><br />Us blokes are easily pleased, as long as we are on the water and every now and again we can push the motor to it's limit and smell the fumes and smash through a few rollers and .....you get the picture.<br /><br />The fairer sex are a different story, they want some comforts and protection from the weather and hopefully not have to pee over the side and .....you get the picture.<br /><br />My best advise is to keep the lady happy, you'll both enjoy boating for years to come. If that means a cuddy cab, so be it. IMO Get the campion surveyed and see if it's worth the money being asked.<br /><br />Aldo
<br /><br />I have some questions... let me give you some of my history, and what i am looking for, hopefully not too long winded, but enough so ya'll get to know me...<br /><br />My first boat, I bought when I was 18, (14 years ago) a 1972 Glastron, it had a 1980 Merc 80hp o/b on it..... great boat, I loved it, never had many problems with it, sold it after college after 5 years of enjoyment. This was a absic model, closed bow, no frills. Fuel economy was excellent.<br /><br />8 years later, after completing power squadron course, vhf radio licensing, etc... I purchased my second boat, without doing a lot of homework first. An 18 footer ChrisCraft, bowrider, 140hp Ford engine (OMC) and OMC out drive... This was a holy nightmare, I required a tow once, I had a constant leak around the transom, and mechanics could never pinpoint the problem exactly, it was either aroudn the transom seal, or the exhaust, we never did find out for sure..... While the wife and i did have a few enjoyable trips, we spent most of those cruises praying the engine wouldnt' die on us, and that the bilge wouldn't quit after it took on some water in the stern....<br /><br />I sold this and have agonized for years over getting another boat.... I'm on a tight budget having started my own company only 3 years ago, but I'm doing my wild and crazy thing and this is it. Buy one this year (wife is tired of hearing me complain about not being on lake)<br /><br />Wife wants cuddy, I will settle for bow rider... with $7k to $10k budgeted I've been face with a few options...<br /><br />Local marina has a 1993 Northport Sierra - this is a 17 foot boat, and it looks like a small speedboat, narrow V hull not much bigger than a fishing boat..... the hull has never been in water..... brand new, all guages, instrumentation, etc..... shows sun fade, now the engine is a brand new 3.0 L mercruiser i/o. At $8,000 I get the trailer and new tops custom made.... the engine, I believe is worth this according to the dealers I spoke to...<br /><br />Pros: gets good, reliable running boat with engine warranty... gets me on the water this year!! woohoo! Good on gas!<br />Cons: old hull, unknown make, small, tippy, will definitely need a new boat in a few years, potential hard sell (or rip engine and put in bigge boat)<br /><br />Alternatively, a 1990 18.5' Campion, hard top, got a 90hp outboard, and a cuddy..... but thisi s 15 years old!! It's in like new condition, but I can't justify spending $9,000 on this... can you?<br /><br />Pros: outboard, better on gas<br />Cons: hard top, I despise those... costs more than the NEW model with bigger engine.<br /><br />Now final comparison, my favourite boat would be a Bayliner 2055 (feel free to argue this with me) I've loved this model for years but just set foot on one Monday for the first time...... while it felt tippy - I like becuase of the 4Cyl, cuddy, amenities built into it, and not too big.. I can pick one of these up for around $8,000-$9,000 if I look hard enough... but would be a 1987 era approximately.... I would hate to be buying somebody else's problem, my worst fear (see Chriscraft story)<br /><br />Pro: get what I want now<br />con: old, possible headaches<br /><br />I'm really torn, and not sure how to flip this coin without makign a wrong decision. I suppose buyign the northport now, enjoy, then transplant the engine into something bigger later... no ideas...<br /><br />Can anybody offer me some advice? I'm in Northern Ontario, good dealerships are 2-3 hours away from me, local dealers charge way too much..<br /><br />Thanks in advance, you'll be seeing me here a lot, my friends call me skipper!<br /><br />Bruce
