New to boating, what should I look for.

[smokeonthewater]

Re: New to boating, what should I look for.

I just looked at the glasstron..... new floor is also a no no..... 9 times out of 10 cheap plywood is screwed down over rotten stringers.. I had a buddy nearly sink his last summer.....we were ripping down the river and I could feel the floor heaving under my feet and I was begging him to slow down..... He finally conceded and I looked back to 8" of water over the floor at the transom visibly creeping forward..... and the engine died..... I had another friend there in less than 5 minutes (his donzi flies) and we only had a few inces left before the bilge vents went under....we towed it into shallows and slapped a huge pump in and saved it..... got it on the trailer and the hull had busted on the bottom.... boat junk drivetrain saved

His uncle had sold him the boat and had paid a couple thousand to have a new floor put in.....

 

[jjohnson120]

Re: New to boating, what should I look for.

Thanks for the tips. It's been one of those things, I feel like I know what I want just haven't found it quite yet. Anyways, I need some help on the boat in the link. I've talked to the guy some and says it's an '86 (boat) but has to check on the motor and such. Just curious if anyone knew anymore about it. Thanks in advance.

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/boa/1535893645.html

 

[ezmobee]

Re: New to boating, what should I look for.

That looks like a very fair price for that rig which has a heck of a motor on it. Your main concern with an older glass boat is rot in the wood components (deck, stringers, transom). You want a solid deck and transom. ANY soft spots in the deck could be indicative of more serious problems below. Rebuilding a glass boat is do-able but a major project. Check out any one of the great glass-boat project going on in the restoration section right now if you want a better idea of what I'm talking about.

I'd love to have that motor for my project.

 

[V8nuts]

Re: New to boating, what should I look for.

dont forget take it for a test drive to see if you really like the way it rides. I also watch the owner to see how he handles it. Drive as many boats as you can you will know the right one when you have done this.. hope this helps Im a bit of a newb here but have grown up around boats.

 

[jjohnson120]

Re: New to boating, what should I look for.

That looks like a very fair price for that rig which has a heck of a motor on it. Your main concern with an older glass boat is rot in the wood components (deck, stringers, transom). You want a solid deck and transom. ANY soft spots in the deck could be indicative of more serious problems below. Rebuilding a glass boat is do-able but a major project. Check out any one of the great glass-boat project going on in the restoration section right now if you want a better idea of what I'm talking about.

I'd love to have that motor for my project.

Do you know what kind of motor it is? I was thinking it looked like a Force, but there is a good chance I'm wrong.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: New to boating, what should I look for.

Nope. Johnson or Evinrude. Good motor.

 

[jjohnson120]

Re: New to boating, what should I look for.

That's good to know then. Guy is either selling the motor for $1000 or the whole thing for $1500.

 

[jjohnson120]

Re: New to boating, what should I look for.

Alright so you were right it is an Evinrude motor. He said it's a 1989 model, and is in really nice condition. The boat is about 2 hours away from where I live, so I'm having him send interior pictures. If everything looks well and is solid, I think I'm going to go pick it up and use it for a starter boat to learn and such. If anyone else has any info, I can always use it. Thanks, you guys have been great.

 

[jjohnson120]

Re: New to boating, what should I look for.

Alright hit CL again today and found one I was interested in. Talked to the guy says it has a crack in the exhaust port, but other than that it's solid. Says the reason for the crack is due to improper winterization. Is this one of those steer clear boats or should I look more into it? It seems to be a good price and is newer that's why I'm interested.

 

[Snobike Mike]

Re: New to boating, what should I look for.

Alright hit CL again today and found one I was interested in. Talked to the guy says it has a crack in the exhaust port, but other than that it's solid. Says the reason for the crack is due to improper winterization. Is this one of those steer clear boats or should I look more into it? It seems to be a good price and is newer that's why I'm interested.

Pass.

If it was improperly winterized there is likely other damage that he isn't telling you about.

Keep hunting!

 

[jjohnson120]

Re: New to boating, what should I look for.

I wondered about that myself. He said that the guy he bought it from didn't winterize it properly, but he used it last summer after it was "improperly winterized" and it worked fine, just leaked a bit in the rear.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: New to boating, what should I look for.

This circles back to my advice: you want "reliable" and you aren't going to find it, unless you get lucky, by trolling the low-end used boats. The motors that are both old and reliable tend to be ones owned and maintained by the same owner for most of its life, or which was rebuilt by a knowledgable new owner. These are seldom found on the typical used craigslist market.
Think of "reliable" like "convenience" in other shopping. You pay extra for convenience. You have to pay extra for reliable when it comes to boats, that is, either new or nearly new, or sink big bucks into a rehab as soon as you buy.
Look at what you can buy new for your budget of $4000 and look for that type of boat used.

 

[jjohnson120]

Re: New to boating, what should I look for.

I can't even find what I want used for $4,000, so I highly doubt I can find anything close to new. I'm debating whether I should just invest some money in my sea-doo to get my by a season or 2, then I should have the money to get something newer.