jjay74
Seaman Apprentice
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2007
- Messages
- 46
Got my feet "wet" in the boating world about three years ago with the purchase of a brand new 24ft pontoon with a Yamaha 115hp 4 stroke on the back. Didn't want to purchase a used boat since I was new to this world and didn't want to inherit anyone's problems. Boy, was that a two-fold mistake.
Mistake number one was buying the boat in the first place. A 24ft pontoon is a lot to handle being a first time boat owner. Cleaning, maintaining, cleaning, hauling, cleaning.....did I mention cleaning? Not to mention that my wife at the time had no interest in it whatsoever unless it was floating on the water.
Mistake number two was buying a brand new boat. Man, who would have thought it would have been a lot cheaper to go ahead and buy a used boat that needed minor repairs?? I learned the hard way and had to sell the boat when I got divorced (on top of the economy falling out and cutting hours at work).
Well, I am remarried now and my wife and I just bought a Larson tri-hull with an 85hp Force outboard. She found it in the local ads and sent me to go look at it. I told her that I had already learned my lesson with buying a boat and having to be the ONLY one to take care of it. Needless to say, I went and looked at the boat, only to go back and haul it home the next day.
My wife has been real supportive during the whole rewiring, replacing water pump (twice), wiring the trailer, replacing winch, cleaning and getting it ready for the water. She has been out in the backyard with me every step of the way, whether she's actually working on the thing or not. I consider myself lucky to have a wife that is just as interested in the "fixing-the-boat" part as much as she is on riding in it!
Mistake number one was buying the boat in the first place. A 24ft pontoon is a lot to handle being a first time boat owner. Cleaning, maintaining, cleaning, hauling, cleaning.....did I mention cleaning? Not to mention that my wife at the time had no interest in it whatsoever unless it was floating on the water.
Mistake number two was buying a brand new boat. Man, who would have thought it would have been a lot cheaper to go ahead and buy a used boat that needed minor repairs?? I learned the hard way and had to sell the boat when I got divorced (on top of the economy falling out and cutting hours at work).
Well, I am remarried now and my wife and I just bought a Larson tri-hull with an 85hp Force outboard. She found it in the local ads and sent me to go look at it. I told her that I had already learned my lesson with buying a boat and having to be the ONLY one to take care of it. Needless to say, I went and looked at the boat, only to go back and haul it home the next day.
My wife has been real supportive during the whole rewiring, replacing water pump (twice), wiring the trailer, replacing winch, cleaning and getting it ready for the water. She has been out in the backyard with me every step of the way, whether she's actually working on the thing or not. I consider myself lucky to have a wife that is just as interested in the "fixing-the-boat" part as much as she is on riding in it!
