Boat Worth Fixing?

[jbcurt00]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

The carp on your hand in the video looks like rotten wood debris when you stick your hand up under the cut out at the fuel sending unit.

You can see the carpet ridge on the left side of your foot (in the video) where the suspected repair ends. Both the suspect repairs (2X2 'scab' over the fuel tank alone is a big 1) & the sinking are enough for me to maintain my repeated previous advice: Divest yourself of this project.

Ask anyway you'd like, as often as you'd like, but the only way to know how badly (if at all) everything (anything) below deck is compromised is to start tearing it apart. You've repeatedly said you ARE NOT INTERESTED in doing that. It might be different if the boat was otherwise water ready, but it isn't. And I'd never suggest anyone that has misgivings about a boat's condition & seaworthiness try to use the boat once, for a few weeks or a season. The downside is not worth it, IMO.

You can start talking to agencies before you get the judgement, it may take some time & effort. Rates may vary, you may get a better sense of how 1 will pursue it versus another. You may need to complete paperwork to send w/ a copy of the judgement. I would want to be ready to act the day that judgement arrived.

Since you seem to cling to the hope that it's not that bad, pull the carpet around that inspection hole (@3"X3") over the fuel sending unit. Post pix, that way we can reference them when we post. And refer to them quickly if needed. I had to take a stab at the 3X3 size over the fuel sending unit, it would take too long to try & find it again in the video.

 

[Okieboatguy]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

Here is my 2 cents, and judging if you got the cash from all of our .02, you would almost have your money back!
1st, You have a judgement, that is good, but here is the bad. A collection company will take a quick look and find this guy is a dead beat and buy it off of you for about 10 cents on the dollar. The good side, Once again you have a judgement! You stated earlier you had him followed from his work. That is all you need. Have the judgement served to his HR department, or Owner of the company and garnish his wages. When he comes into work and starts finding that he is giving up several hundreds a paycheck he may quit, Scum do that! But once you do that a few times, he will get the point and you will slowly get your money.

2nd, Unless you are committed to go all in, floors, stringers, along with engine and out drive, then sell it AS-IS and be honest to the new owner what you know and what they might expect. It is the old saying, "Plan for the worst, and hope for the Best", if you are not ready for the worst, then you have just answered your question on what to do. Sell it as a parts or fixer-upper boat and price it at what the parts might fetch minus maybe 30%. It will sell quick at a reasonably good price especially if there is some meat on the bone for someone to part it out and not walk away having lost any money. Just tell be done with it and don't have the stress, especially the stress with the Admiral over it.

Keep this in mind, in life we all pay "Stupid Tax", just like Federal and State taxes, we all must pay! Learn from the experience and move on. Put this one up as a learning experience, you now know you start and take the boat out before money changes hands, no exceptions! If they aren't willing to start it, then there is a reason why. When ever I have sold a boat, I have met the buyers at the boat ramp, and let them take it out, I wanted to show them how well the boat ran and how to launch and recover it, as well as pass along etiquette for making everyone's life easier on the ramp. You know to go over the floor and transom. Buy a pick set from Harbor Freight and start picking at the transom and key hole to check the condition of the wood that is exposed on the transom, and you get a contract in writing, like you did the first time.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

Even if the water damage is not that bad “NOW”, it will only get worse as the time passes by. The boat needs an engine and you mentioned that the peripherals and marine accessories (Starter, Alternator, etc) are also rusted and these are not cheap. It is one thing to pay for a short or long block and totally another story to pay for a turnkey engine with all accessories replace.

The more you spend on the boat now, the harder it will be to get rid of it once the structural issues start showing up (that is assuming they are not already). You will have no other option than to continue so your paper losses don’t become reality.

You don’t like the boat and want one that is a decade or so newer. The Admiral is against the project and this is significant and important to you. You have a judgment that can be collected by professionals, so you will not be in a total loss.
The simple fact that you don’t like that boat is enough to end this project right now.

You have a lot of sweat, tears, itching, maybe some wounds also waiting for you down the road of this journey. The only thing that will help you get through all of this is your appreciation and anticipation of what are you trying to make out of this vessel when you are done. You don’t have this appreciation for this vessel as of now; so I would say, pull the artificial life support plug out on this thing and declare it technically dead.

 

[ijabit]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

Okay, I've had enough people more knowledgeable than me tell me not to restore it, given my situation.

So the question becomes, how should I get rid of it? I've had a wide range of opinions on this forum ranging from "the boat is junk, cut it up into pieces and dump it", "part it out and get what you can and junk the rest", "pay to dump the boat at the city dump and then sell the trailer", and "sell it as-is and see if you can find someone who wants to part it out or restore it".

If I dump the boat I'll have to pay the dump fees (how much?). If I sell it as-is to someone to restore it, I'll have to finally pay to transfer the title (~$60).

It turns out that the right axle is slightly bent too so I'm not sure if the trailer is even worth anything! :facepalm:

How can I get rid of this thing without it costing me any more money?

 

[zool]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

"How can I get rid of this thing without it costing me any more money?"

You can always put up a free boat add on craigslist...a salvager will take for sure.....I have the same boat, but a 91 model...it needs some transom work and a deck, it runs and didnt sink, and im still probably not gonna redo it...too much time, money, and effort to put in a boat im not in love with.....but you never know

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

If you don't want to tear into the boat to fix it, I doubt you really want to tear it apart & deal w/ the hassle of selling the good parts on ebay & craigslist.

It is probably best to try to cleanup the trailer, make it look great. Then list it as an inexpensive trailer w/ a free boat. No matter what # you list it for sale, someone will offer you less. Plan & allow for that, and set the price accordingly. $350-400, & take anything over $250. Ask much more, & it may not get as much traffic, and take longer to sell.

You can look around online & see what fairly decent used trailers are selling for, and deduct a reasonable amount for having the buyer take the boat.

You'll save a $40-75 dump disposal fee (or at least here you would), and it will probably be out of the driveway fairly soon.

You could also try to keep the trailer & just offer the boat free on Craigslist. It will find a new home, even w/out the trailer. A scrapper will recycle the motor, pull the windshield & anything else of value and sell those parts to recoup the labor cost spent tearing it apart. So to them it has value, even w/out the trailer.

If you pursue another boat, it may not have a trailer as good as this one, or possibly no trailer. If you find a boat w/ a good trailer, keep the better trailer & sell the other 1. It'll be much easier to sell w/out the boat, and for more $.

If it's not far from you & 'only' @ $50 to dispose of a boat at the dump/landfill, dump the boat yourself & ask a little more for the trailer, $400-450 & take anything over $300.

Any of those options outta give ya something to consider ^^^

 

[Okieboatguy]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

There is always one way to get out of it, and walk away with a win out of this mess. Donate it to Boat Angel. You get rid of it, they will even come and pick it up, and you get the tax deduction.

 

[gm280]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

Maybe you could offer the entire boat/motor/trailer as a public auction... With a well advertised auction, you just never know who would want to take on such a project... Just a thought!

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

I think you could go one of several roads:

#1 If you just want to be done with the thing, get it out of your life, get it out of your driveway, be rid of the pain: I'd toss it up on craigslist as a freebee, come and get it, first come first serve.

#2 If you want to try and make a little dough you could offer it up for $50 and see what happens.

#3 Or, part it out (fuel tank, windshield, fittings, gauges) to make a little more money. A bare trailer is almost always worth more than one with a nasty glasser on it. The trick there is your disposal costs. In my area they let me dump 3 yards for free each month. When I pull in with a whole boat, they just waive me by. Your area could be very different and expensive. The other trick is that's a lot of work.

All the best:encouragement:

 

[laurentide]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

My 16' glass boat full of other junk was $80 to dispose of, but that's in hippie Vermont and I kept the trailer. I was just happy to have it out of my yard. It's pretty fun to see the reactions at the transfer station, too...not to mention seeing it get crushed by a loader .

 

[sutor623]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

Okay, I've had enough people more knowledgeable than me tell me not to restore it, given my situation.

Thank Goodness!! I was starting to wonder why you opened a poll if you weren't going to listen to it! I have restored 3 boats, and by the 3rd one, my marriage was on the line. Just too time consuming for a young lad that is still working 40+ hours a week, in my opinion. But, I do have one really nice boat. Can't say Id do it over though. Id probably spend the time that I would be fixing the boat making side money, and then buy something pretty nice for $4-5k.

 

[Daniel1947]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

I have sold items on CL and it didn't cost me anything to do so....My only suggestion would be to "write up the add and be 110% honest" such as "Boat and engine need major repairs." Just be honest with anyone that contacts you about the situation and what you have been told. You can ask $500 in the first add, and if no interest do another add for $400. The one thing here that I have read, and I agree with everyone that you should get rid of it and not sink another penny into it. But, if someone else that knows "boats" is willing to spend a couple thousand in restoring it, then the original purchase price of the $500 is not out of sight. Your major problem was what you originally paid for the boat, $2300...would have been a big differance if you had gotten it for $500. Just my 1-1/2 cents.

 

[73Chrysler105]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

would have been a big difference if you had gotten it for $500. Just my 1-1/2 cents.

Also you would have gotten a lot different advice if you had not said I WON'T do a full gut resto and if the Admiral would be on board to the full gut resto and all that entails and if it was your dream boat not something to get you on the water.

My boats I am building are what I want and will keep so sinking a ton of money into them is worth it for me cause I am not looking to make a profit. Now I do flip some boats mainly ones with cracked or blown motors which are easy for me to replace. I get them for cheap and get paid for my labor to get them on the water when I resell them.

 

[oldboat1]

Re: Boat Worth Fixing?

just did a qualified no. think I would try to sell the whole rig, with the idea that some parts and the trailer might be worth something to a buyer. Get the trailer in running shape and start there -- but don't sell the trailer alone, because you will have a devil of a time (and potential expense) getting rid of the rest.