Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

[jonesg]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

See that snow?
thats how they rot.
If its been stored like that for the last few yrs you can bet the deck and stringers are gone. Its a project boat and priced that way.
It wouldn't stop me but my wife is very supportive.

 

[Gibbles]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

Yeah, I was not happy to see he did not cover it...
but I guess they moved already and it snowed the night before...

If I manage to get a few seasons out of it I'll be happy.

 

[Steve Mahler]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

welcome to the world of boat restoration. There are two routes you can take; one would be to tear up the floor and put in new stringers etc. so that this boat can be safe with a big motor and speed suitable for tubing etc. The way the boat is now, it is probably not really safe for lots of power.

But, you could always put a 20-40hp outboard on and have a nice cruising boat, which would not require much additional work. You see, these old bowriders usually have a lot of fiberglass rigidity because of the rear transom/splashwell, and the front seating. So for low power and speed, they are fine even with rotted stringers.

As for motors, the engine on there is a mid 60s electric shift. If you hook it to a good battery you can try the shift buttons and listen for clicking from the prop area - if it works buy a lottery ticket, very unusual. Most are shot - hence the reason the boat has been ignored.

The 55hp evinrude you mention is also likely an electric shift, also from the 60s.

If I were you, I would pay a mechanic $50 to check the outboard over - see if it is worth pursuing. You should be able to sell it for $100 bucks or more as a parts motor. Then look for a mid 70s or older 2 cylinder evirude 30-50hp. Nice and light, easy to work on and very durable.

I once had a starcraft tri hull with completely rotted floor - foot right through it. Stringers were completely gone. I needed a small lake fishing boat quick, so I made some very rough 2x4 stringers and new plywood floor in a single afternoon, bolted some box seats, clamped on my evinrude 25hp and electric trolling motor and we fished all season from that pile of junk. not fast but perfectly suited to the task...didnt look too bad either

 

[Gibbles]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

lol nice


Well... I went there today and I looked over the boat again, the floor was a little soft in a few areas, but the big issue I saw was the ID plate for the hull was damaged, and there was only one...
So the boat does not have a manf # at all... I called up a marine dealer and asked them about it, they told me not to worry as long as I could get the old reg paper and a bill of sale...

So I waited for an hour past the time the lady was suppose to show, then she called up right as I was getting ready to leave, I told her about the issue and she told me the boat was given to them by someone a while ago, and they did not have any of that information, not even a bill of sale.

And then she tried to raise the agreed price on me...

And looking at the house where its parked at, it looks brand spanking new, as are the other houses around it, the one next door is still being built...

This deal is starting to smell fishy as hell...

So I'm walking away for now, if she finds the registration then maybe...

Sucks, I was really looking forward to this.

A few problems I noticed with the boat, I think it would of worked great with a smaller engine for a while, but the rear of the boat where the engine mounts had some minor cracking, and it had some strange screws on the outside on the starboard side going vertical, I looked inside and it looked pretty solid, I pushed and pulled on the engine and it seemed pretty solid but I did hear some faint creeking coming from it.
Flooring was a little soft between the seats, not bad, and I could feel where the stringer was, it felt sold...

The front where it took a dock hit was a little soft, and I could push it up, and I could see where the top and bottom where sandwitched and it had some play, I still think I could of had a good little fishing boat though.


The good part about all of this is I learned lots about what to look for, so the next time I'm looking at a boat I'll know what to look for.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

Sounds like your typical rotted out old fiberglass boat. If you want to get on the water cheaply with little fuss, you really need to consider an aluminum hull.

 

[Gibbles]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

Yeah, I like the tin boats, the one I fell in love with years ago was a simple tin boat with no frills, it had two sorta seats and a steering wheel and a 25hp motor with hydraulic steering.

I'll just save up some money and see what I can come up with later on.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

You dodged a bullet. Your $100 "investment" would probably have been the lowest of all the subsequent payments needed to get it safely operable.

 

[Gibbles]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

Yeah, I think I dodged a bullet alright....
I was just bored a minute ago and I did google search on the phone number, it kept coming up with all of these scams, Xfuze, videos, and a bunch of get rich quick crap... and a bunch of ads including the house that the boat was at, rent quick, for sale... ect...

If she emails me again I'm going to ask her about xfuze...


I had a weird feeling that something was up the first time she tried to bait me into going higher. (She hinted a few times, and today she tried hard one last time)

try a google search with (801) 915-9911

One thing that really seemed weird was when she told me that I "seem honest enough" and gave me her bank account number to drop off the $100.
I just told her that I will need a bill of sale...

Weird

Goes to show you, can't trust anybody these days, don't give them an inch.

 

[Gibbles]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

Hey look, the boat is in this video.... (@49 seconds)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr10B9c63mA&feature=related

The magic of google!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

The real reason they are called "cons' and "con artists" is because the CONfidence man takes you into his confidence, no the other way around. They will always give the victim something "confidential." Here, it was a bank account (think it's real?). Sometimes they admit to doing somethnig wrong, or let you into a secret. But it's an essential part of the trap, b/c once they give you their confidences, you will share yours. Human nature.

 

[Gibbles]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

Yeah, I did a little more digging once I had the guys first and last name, and one of the the two phone numbers I was given came up with this: http://www.qualifiedtradeshowleads.com/contact.html
and further searching found this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q973rFMgfLI

It does not surprise me to find a "magician" acting as a con artist.
And more searching found that the "magician" lives in utah.

And the contact adress on the first link is the house, if you put that into google it will come up with pictures of the house for sale (a bunch of ads for the house!) and they have the same boat in the drive way.

So next time I start out with a little research...

 

[sfy]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

well, it looks like it has been sold
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=8606630&cat=147&lpid=2&s=1

think the buyer will wind up in here asking for advice?

 

[Gibbles]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

Hopefully the person is only buying the boat for the engine & trailer, the hull does not have a serial number, and the people selling it do not have the registration.

I wish the best of luck to the person that bought it.

 

[Gibbles]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

Sorry to bring back an old post but I finally got my first boat.


It's a 15ft 1962 starcraft aluminum hull with a 20hp mercury I think it's a model 200.

It has a steering wheel but it's not hooked up and it does not have any engine controls.
The cable system is in great condition and works great.

I'm hoping there is some way to hook up some engine controls to this thing... the steering should be easy enough, but I may need to make a bracket or something..

Paid $750 for it
Looks great, missing windsheild, trailer is in great condition, engine is in great condition, I have not fired the engine up yet.
Hoping to soon.

I have it over at my dads (nice garage over there to get it cleaned up and running) Headed over there for some pictures and for the serial off of the engine.


Found the drain plug for the gearcase but not the fill plug...
Plan on heading over to a marine dealer this week to find out more information, and hopefully some information on how to get engine controls up to the front....

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

controls will be about $600. replace the cables for safety reasons. there is a fitting for a 200, very hard to find, to which you hook up cable steering. I have one.

If the gear case has been sitting open, you may have some issues down there; keep an eye on it.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

Congrats! Throw a post up in the Starcraft forum with some pics of your rig.

 

[Gibbles]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

Thanks guys, I never had a chance to get the pictures yesterday due to some family issues... inlaws apparently liked it too and wanted to control it (own it) so much for me offering to share it with them

but I did get it running though!
The gas was bad but the guy who I bought it from drained the carb before he put it into storage, cleaned out the bad gas replaced the fuel lines and put on an inline fuel filter, filled up a garbage can of water and fired it up, runs great! pumps water, goes into forward, reverse, and N, and got me pretty wet.

I found the hookups for the gear shift, but the best I can figure there should be a bracket that needs to be installed?

And for the throttle it looks like a fat spedo cable should be good, and there is a cable hookup back further... but the spedo looking cable looked easier to work with.

Home Cookin'; you may have a bracket for the steering for the Mercury engine? (20hp Model 200, I think it's a 78 or 79 sn #4956305)

I'm planning on getting it registered tomorrow, I'll get some pictures then.

 

[Gibbles]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

Well here she is, and it's a Starcraft jetstar

I could not find a starcraft forum here, is it another site?

 

[pmillar]

Re: Going to buy first boat tomorrow...

That looks great. Here's the link to the starcraft forum http://forums.iboats.com/Starcraft_Boats Also check out the restoration forum for questions/parts suggestions.

Enjoy!