Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?
hey guys thats totally cool.. i'm here to learn and hopefully prevent myself from making mistakes.. considering my audience it would be very foolish of me to act like a know-it-all here, as i'm definitely not one when it comes to boats, which is why i'm here, so don't take anything i say the wrong way.
anyway i was psyched to get this boat for a buck. maybe ignorance is bliss. that means i now have more than my whole budgeted amount to spend because i hadn't planned to keep the motor whether it ran or not, which means i'm 5k + sellable motor up on budget without having to buy a hull. i'm learning that this may not be the best way to go. i figured as a last resort i could sell the motor as a contingency, make a few bucks, and start over. my main concerns/motivations otherwise are as follows:
yes, the trailer is shot. if i kept the boat i would most likely pick one up, they are pretty easy to find here in sw florida. a trailer for me is a secondary concern for the time being as i have a private ramp onto the canal on my property.
i really like the "retro" square shaped look and uniqueness of the tri-hull and i've heard they are more stable to walk around on than other style hulls and that they also plane easier. also most tri-hulls i've seen are smaller and 15ft is as big as i want to go.
i didn't anticipate restoring this boat to be as big of an issue as it's turning out to be. i didn't know the boat could be this bad off but for a buck i didn't particularly care. bear in mind i've learned more about boats in the last 24 hours as i have all my life. i figured as long as the thing didn't have any holes that it would be good to go.
seems to me like i'd have trouble finding another boat that fulfills my requirements like this one does for the price. i know there are lots of boats for cheap, but you generally get what you pay for, and how do i know that the next fixer-upper boat i spend 500-600 dollars or more on isn't going to be in the same or worse shape? if i'm gonna have the risk of paying more initially just to have it rebuilt anyway, i'd rather put out the dollars to have this one done the way i want so i know it's done right. i'd almost rather spend that extra money instead of spending 1-2k for one that's only half as bad as this one as i'd want to fix it up regardless.
i wanted something that i could work on at my own pace. i'd imagined that the plan from start to finish would take 6-8 mos.
i'm not a carpenter nor a boat mechanic nor a master boatbuilder, so i'd not planned to do any of the "under the deck" kind of work. interiors, electricals, mechanicals, accessories, cool stereo, sick paint job, big nasty motor..these things are what i'd planned to add (all the parts you actually see/use).
lastly, i don't want this thing to beat me. telling me that it can't be done usually only strengthens my resolve, however you gotta know when to fold 'em i guess, so at this point i don't know. i guess i'll have to pull up the floor and see how it looks and go from there. maybe at the least i could try to do some of the rebuild myself and if i muck it up just sell the motor and buy a new boat and still make money. i just don't like to give up, and it seems somewhat premature at this point as i've not even had the boat in my possesion for 24 hours. it is what it is though in the end i guess.
hey guys thats totally cool.. i'm here to learn and hopefully prevent myself from making mistakes.. considering my audience it would be very foolish of me to act like a know-it-all here, as i'm definitely not one when it comes to boats, which is why i'm here, so don't take anything i say the wrong way.
anyway i was psyched to get this boat for a buck. maybe ignorance is bliss. that means i now have more than my whole budgeted amount to spend because i hadn't planned to keep the motor whether it ran or not, which means i'm 5k + sellable motor up on budget without having to buy a hull. i'm learning that this may not be the best way to go. i figured as a last resort i could sell the motor as a contingency, make a few bucks, and start over. my main concerns/motivations otherwise are as follows:
yes, the trailer is shot. if i kept the boat i would most likely pick one up, they are pretty easy to find here in sw florida. a trailer for me is a secondary concern for the time being as i have a private ramp onto the canal on my property.
i really like the "retro" square shaped look and uniqueness of the tri-hull and i've heard they are more stable to walk around on than other style hulls and that they also plane easier. also most tri-hulls i've seen are smaller and 15ft is as big as i want to go.
i didn't anticipate restoring this boat to be as big of an issue as it's turning out to be. i didn't know the boat could be this bad off but for a buck i didn't particularly care. bear in mind i've learned more about boats in the last 24 hours as i have all my life. i figured as long as the thing didn't have any holes that it would be good to go.
seems to me like i'd have trouble finding another boat that fulfills my requirements like this one does for the price. i know there are lots of boats for cheap, but you generally get what you pay for, and how do i know that the next fixer-upper boat i spend 500-600 dollars or more on isn't going to be in the same or worse shape? if i'm gonna have the risk of paying more initially just to have it rebuilt anyway, i'd rather put out the dollars to have this one done the way i want so i know it's done right. i'd almost rather spend that extra money instead of spending 1-2k for one that's only half as bad as this one as i'd want to fix it up regardless.
i wanted something that i could work on at my own pace. i'd imagined that the plan from start to finish would take 6-8 mos.
i'm not a carpenter nor a boat mechanic nor a master boatbuilder, so i'd not planned to do any of the "under the deck" kind of work. interiors, electricals, mechanicals, accessories, cool stereo, sick paint job, big nasty motor..these things are what i'd planned to add (all the parts you actually see/use).
lastly, i don't want this thing to beat me. telling me that it can't be done usually only strengthens my resolve, however you gotta know when to fold 'em i guess, so at this point i don't know. i guess i'll have to pull up the floor and see how it looks and go from there. maybe at the least i could try to do some of the rebuild myself and if i muck it up just sell the motor and buy a new boat and still make money. i just don't like to give up, and it seems somewhat premature at this point as i've not even had the boat in my possesion for 24 hours. it is what it is though in the end i guess.