JB,<br /><br />This might be a little long - sorry if it is..
<br /><br />Quite a while ago, we were chatting in this post http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007804 about a 62 Whaler that is parked on a trailer that is parked near my boat. (It turns out is is NOT an Eastport, it's a Nauset)<br /><br />Well, I've kept my eye on this boat for a long long time and for no reason at all, I was looking at boattrader.com and happen to run across this exact boat -http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/9/8/67869298.htm<br /><br />I called the owner and had a nice conversation with him. He told me the whole long history of the boat and he's selling it because he's an older guy and he needs to simplify his life a little.<br /><br />It turns out that quite a few years ago, the boat got stuck in a bad storm while towing a sail boat and actually towed the sail boat on it's side back to port. In the process, the Whaler got swamped but of course wouldn't sink.<br /><br />It has a 1994 or 1995 (he thinks) 90 HP Johnson. The oil injector doesn't work and has been disconnected which is probably the case on most motors like this one. The thing that makes me a little worried is that the guy said that the motor will idle fine but when you give it gas, it dies out unless you keep pumping the bulb on the gas line. He said he's tried everything to get gas to run smoothly into the motor but nothing seems to work. He rigged up some sort of system where he's got a DC powered air compressor that he plugs into the cigarette lighter and when the motor starts to die out, he flips on the compressor which is attached to the gas line which pushes gas through the hose (wow..that's creative).<br /><br />My guess is that the motor has bad compression because it was ran without the proper oil and that's why the injector is disconected and also why it won't suck up gas by itself.<br /><br />He offered to take me out on the boat anytime I wanted and if the motor didn't run like it should (which it won't as long as it has an air compressor hooked up to it), he would adjust the price. He also told me that with his air compressor system, "the boat will run up to 40 MPH and it'll scare the heck out of me".<br /><br />From seeing the boat in the past I know the transom is strong, the hull needs painted, and it'll need some work to make the wood look like it should. From what he told me the trailer is good except it needs new rollers because the rollers it's got leaves marks on the boat.<br /><br />JB (and anyone else who would like to comment), I value your opinion. Is this boat worth the work and money it'll take to make this the way it should be?<br /><br />He has it listed for $4,500 which I know is too much (He told me $3,700 on the phone which I think is still too much). With a motor rigged up the way it is and the age of the boat, what do you think a fair price for this rig would be?<br /><br />I would be using this boat on the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. It would probably not ever go offshore or at least not until I have more experience and was VERY comfortable with the boat (and the motor!).