Does winter cause odd purchases ?

[cyclops222]

Why so many 1900s old boats being bought ?

 

[Ptr.Torch]

Price. You get a lot of boat for cheap. The seller is motivated to sell or pony up the money for storage.

Timing. You have all winter to fix it up and have it ready for the water next spring/summer.

 

[Mc Tool]

Yep , price
My 15' fibreglass boat is a 1985 . I use it to get fishing so I dont care what it looks like ( to a point ) and I paid thousand bucks with the trailer ( no motor , That was the next "horse deal ")
My friend has a boat that cost more than my house and he is a real pain in the arse to go fishing with as he spends the whole time fussin over the boat and naggin at everyone to not rub line on the gunwales , bump sinkers against the hull ( he makes us use plastic coated sinkers ) and if you catch a fish he's there ( in the way ) trying to get it in a bucket before it comes on board . Woe betide anyone spilling "fish juice" on the floor , Ha ha I took a pi55 over the side .....once I thought we were going to have a heart attack on our hands.
#uck that ...... gimme a cheap boat , cheap insurance and no stress days out

 

[JimS123]

It's not an "odd" purchase, its just people looking for a cheap deal. What many don't understand is that cheap is usually the most expensive boat there is.

In my case I was looking for classic. She was over 50 years old when I found her. Not cheap. I probably paid more that she was worth.

The saving grace was that I was able to disassemble many parts and work in the warm basement all Winter.

Not economically feasible. But a labor of love. Turned out that I found no rot and she floats just fine.

 

[Mc Tool]

It's not an "odd" purchase, its just people looking for a cheap deal. What many don't understand is that cheap is usually the most expensive boat there is.

In my case I was looking for classic. She was over 50 years old when I found her. Not cheap. I probably paid more that she was worth.

The saving grace was that I was able to disassemble many parts and work in the warm basement all Winter.

Not economically feasible. But a labor of love. Turned out that I found no rot and she floats just fine.
View attachment 405042

That is way cool awesome

 

[tphoyt]

Yep , price
My 15' fibreglass boat is a 1985 . I use it to get fishing so I dont care what it looks like ( to a point ) and I paid thousand bucks with the trailer ( no motor , That was the next "horse deal ")
My friend has a boat that cost more than my house and he is a real pain in the arse to go fishing with as he spends the whole time fussin over the boat and naggin at everyone to not rub line on the gunwales , bump sinkers against the hull ( he makes us use plastic coated sinkers ) and if you catch a fish he's there ( in the way ) trying to get it in a bucket before it comes on board . Woe betide anyone spilling "fish juice" on the floor , Ha ha I took a pi55 over the side .....once I thought we were going to have a heart attack on our hands.
#uck that ...... gimme a cheap boat , cheap insurance and no stress days out

Your friend and my mom would have got along great. I remember mom buying a new couch and leaving the plastic on it for several years so it wouldn’t get dirty.

 

[Mc Tool]

Ah .... I have a Fluke multi meter , probly 25 years now and I still havnt removed the protective film off the display but yeah , that was on Everyone Loves Raymond too , and your Mom wasnt the only one to do that in real life.

 

[bowler]

"It's not an "odd" purchase, its just people looking for a cheap deal. What many don't understand is that cheap is usually the most expensive boat there is"

Not for this guy!

 

[Texasmark]

It's not an "odd" purchase, its just people looking for a cheap deal. What many don't understand is that cheap is usually the most expensive boat there is.

In my case I was looking for classic. She was over 50 years old when I found her. Not cheap. I probably paid more that she was worth.

The saving grace was that I was able to disassemble many parts and work in the warm basement all Winter.

Not economically feasible. But a labor of love. Turned out that I found no rot and she floats just fine.
View attachment 405042

You did an excellent job of restoring that beautiful classic. Those old OMC 25 HP engines powered a lot of wooden fishing boats, loaded down with fishermen and gear down on the Texas Coast (Galveston Bay in particular) when I was a teen.

Question: My impression of a basement is a foundation dug into the ground, say a hole 10' deep where the central "comfort equipment" is located and is the external dimensions of the building upon which it rests. If a coal fired furnace, I would assume a coal chute. Off and on I hear of basement projects like yours. My question is.......how do you get something like that boat out of your basement?

 

[JimS123]

You did an excellent job of restoring that beautiful classic. Those old OMC 25 HP engines powered a lot of wooden fishing boats, loaded down with fishermen and gear down on the Texas Coast (Galveston Bay in particular) when I was a teen.

Question: My impression of a basement is a foundation dug into the ground, say a hole 10' deep where the central "comfort equipment" is located and is the external dimensions of the building upon which it rests. If a coal fired furnace, I would assume a coal chute. Off and on I hear of basement projects like yours. My question is.......how do you get something like that boat out of your basement?

I said "disassemble many parts". Like the mid deck, all the seats, bulkhead under the foredeck, the engine, floorboards, etc. I was able to do all the hull sanding in the cold garage, but outside painting waited until warm weather.

That coal chute brought back memories. My Grandpa had the only house in the family with a coal chute. I remember Grandma saying sometimes she had to shovel a little when Grandpa was at work.

Grandpa was also a carpenter. He helped his neighbor build a boat in the living room (true story). The guy wanted a boat and the wife wanted a bay window, so when the boat was finished they tore out the front wall and they both got what they wanted.

 

[Mc Tool]

I built a few engines and a whole motorbike jn various bedrooms and lounges .........yep , she's a keeper

 

[Texasmark]

I said "disassemble many parts". Like the mid deck, all the seats, bulkhead under the foredeck, the engine, floorboards, etc. I was able to do all the hull sanding in the cold garage, but outside painting waited until warm weather.

That coal chute brought back memories. My Grandpa had the only house in the family with a coal chute. I remember Grandma saying sometimes she had to shovel a little when Grandpa was at work.

Grandpa was also a carpenter. He helped his neighbor build a boat in the living room (true story). The guy wanted a boat and the wife wanted a bay window, so when the boat was finished they tore out the front wall and they both got what they wanted.

Wow on the front wall removal. on doing the work in the house, I have seen pictures of guys working on engines in the house on the kitchen table. One of them showed the gas hot water heater up against the wall (not in a ventilated closet) not far from the table where the guy was overhauling a motorcycle engine.

 

[Grub54891]

I’ve seen ones that were purchased in winter with the expectation that they would go boating in the spring. But upon thawing out they find out that the transom and stringers are rotted away and it wasn’t found as everything was frozen.

 

[airshot]

It's not an "odd" purchase, its just people looking for a cheap deal. What many don't understand is that cheap is usually the most expensive boat there is.

In my case I was looking for classic. She was over 50 years old when I found her. Not cheap. I probably paid more that she was worth.

The saving grace was that I was able to disassemble many parts and work in the warm basement all Winter.

Not economically feasible. But a labor of love. Turned out that I found no rot and she floats just fine.
View attachment 405042

Ah...fond memories....had one in my youth, a 15' with a 30 hp Johnson. Looked just like your pic !!! Wish I still had it !
Many of us make odd purchases in the winter from being bored and just wanting something to do, guilty of that myself ! Boating season can't come soon enough !

 

[briangcc]

Other than fishing lures? Nope.

My wife escorted me out of the big box chain boat section though. My son was oogling over a $90k boat so I asked him to look down the side of the boat. It was rippled at every blasted weld mark. Told him for that price I wouldn't be buying a pre-dented boat.

**Might have been loud enough that the salesperson trying to sell a nearby boat gave me looks...

 

[JimS123]

I’ve seen ones that were purchased in winter with the expectation that they would go boating in the spring. But upon thawing out they find out that the transom and stringers are rotted away and it wasn’t found as everything was frozen.

Eons ago when I was a youngin, Grandpa gave me his old 10HP Wizard. My buddy was the only among us with a car, so we would go up the river to a local marina and rent a 14' tinny for $5 a day. The marina was way off the beaten track so they had only a few seasonal renters.

The owner wanted to clear out his back lot of mostly abandoned boats. So he offered them for free. $100 to keep it there and work on it and $200 for a season dock rental when you got it finished.

There was an old UGLY steel hulled double ender inboard cabin cruiser among the lot. I tried to talk Dad into me getting it but he wouldn't budge. He said it would sink and would cost a fortune to get running. A nice young couple took on the task and did a real nice job of painting and refurbishing.

By buddy and I just happened to be there when it was launched. It fired right up in a few seconds and purred like a kitten. I don't know how much they spent, but I do know that it was moored there for several more years. Then they moved and took her with them.

Dad was probably right but it was one of my oldest regrets.