das_army_life_yah
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2020
- Messages
- 122
Hey everyone! I'm somewhat new to boating and brand new to the forum, so I figured I'd introduce myself and get to know some of you guys. I apologize in advance for the long-winded post, but I am very excited about what I've got myself into.
I'm active-duty Army, recently stationed in Washington state. I have been serving for about 4.5 years. I love everything to do with the great outdoors, so I really appreciate the Army stationing me in such a beautiful place. I am not entirely new to boating, I've just never owned a "real" boat. I have owned many kayaks, my current one being a 12' fishing kayak. The only down-side of the thing is that I can't fit my wife and kids on it.
I have combined-type adult ADHD, so I am constantly seeking projects to expend my energy on. I decided to find something I could fix up over time, eventually getting to a point that my family could enjoy it. So, I started scouring craigslist for something that fits my needs. After days of searching, I finally found something that piqued my interest. It was an ad for a 1979 Glastron SSV-167 with a trailer for $600. After contacting the gentleman, I learned that he had the titles for both the boat and the trailer with tags that are current through June 2020. These were the major things I had been looking for in the ads.
From the pictures, the exterior of the hull looked to be in phenomenal shape. The paint looked as if it was just painted. The interior is where it gets to be more of a "fixer-upper." The carpet had been removed, exposing severe rot in the flooring with the plyboard missing in places. I'm assuming that the missing material is from someone inspecting the stringers and such. There were no seats or mounts except for some severely weathered cushions in the bow-rider portion of the boat. Seeing all of this, my heart sank. I knew it was going to cost way more to fix up than the boat was worth. There turned out to be a silver lining in the ad that I had yet to see.
Though it hadn't been ran in two years, there was a 115HP Johnson SeaHorse strapped to the back. All the gauges, wiring, and controls were still intact. Further reading revealed that the gentleman was also including brand-new captain/co-captains chairs and swivel mounts, multiple sheets of marine-grade plyboard, new marine carpeting, all necessary beacons/lights, marine-grade speakers and stereo, new glass for the windscreen, and a trolling motor. It all seemed way too good to be true, but I pressed on.
I met up with the gentleman to take a look at the boat. The registration was current and the titles were in his name and matched the numbers on the trailer and boat. The outer hull was indeed in spectacular shape, but as I expected it was going to need the entire interior redone, stringers/core rebuilt, and new ply for the transom. Aside from tires, the trailer was in decent shape overall with the lighting and everything working as it should. Everything that he listed as being included in the sale was all there, and was indeed being included. It was just as he stated on the phone and in the ad. I began thinking, "What's the catch?" It turns out that he has had the boat for nearly 10 years. He had purchased much of what he needed to get it all repaired, in hopes of restoring it to usable condition. He said that he was nearing retirement and that at his age, he didn't see himself ever getting around to it. He got tired of it taking up space in his barn and decided to put it up for sale.
I wound up purchasing the whole lot for $500. With everything that was included, I figured I got a spectacular deal and a big head-start on a very work-intensive project.
I'm active-duty Army, recently stationed in Washington state. I have been serving for about 4.5 years. I love everything to do with the great outdoors, so I really appreciate the Army stationing me in such a beautiful place. I am not entirely new to boating, I've just never owned a "real" boat. I have owned many kayaks, my current one being a 12' fishing kayak. The only down-side of the thing is that I can't fit my wife and kids on it.
I have combined-type adult ADHD, so I am constantly seeking projects to expend my energy on. I decided to find something I could fix up over time, eventually getting to a point that my family could enjoy it. So, I started scouring craigslist for something that fits my needs. After days of searching, I finally found something that piqued my interest. It was an ad for a 1979 Glastron SSV-167 with a trailer for $600. After contacting the gentleman, I learned that he had the titles for both the boat and the trailer with tags that are current through June 2020. These were the major things I had been looking for in the ads.
From the pictures, the exterior of the hull looked to be in phenomenal shape. The paint looked as if it was just painted. The interior is where it gets to be more of a "fixer-upper." The carpet had been removed, exposing severe rot in the flooring with the plyboard missing in places. I'm assuming that the missing material is from someone inspecting the stringers and such. There were no seats or mounts except for some severely weathered cushions in the bow-rider portion of the boat. Seeing all of this, my heart sank. I knew it was going to cost way more to fix up than the boat was worth. There turned out to be a silver lining in the ad that I had yet to see.
Though it hadn't been ran in two years, there was a 115HP Johnson SeaHorse strapped to the back. All the gauges, wiring, and controls were still intact. Further reading revealed that the gentleman was also including brand-new captain/co-captains chairs and swivel mounts, multiple sheets of marine-grade plyboard, new marine carpeting, all necessary beacons/lights, marine-grade speakers and stereo, new glass for the windscreen, and a trolling motor. It all seemed way too good to be true, but I pressed on.
I met up with the gentleman to take a look at the boat. The registration was current and the titles were in his name and matched the numbers on the trailer and boat. The outer hull was indeed in spectacular shape, but as I expected it was going to need the entire interior redone, stringers/core rebuilt, and new ply for the transom. Aside from tires, the trailer was in decent shape overall with the lighting and everything working as it should. Everything that he listed as being included in the sale was all there, and was indeed being included. It was just as he stated on the phone and in the ad. I began thinking, "What's the catch?" It turns out that he has had the boat for nearly 10 years. He had purchased much of what he needed to get it all repaired, in hopes of restoring it to usable condition. He said that he was nearing retirement and that at his age, he didn't see himself ever getting around to it. He got tired of it taking up space in his barn and decided to put it up for sale.
I wound up purchasing the whole lot for $500. With everything that was included, I figured I got a spectacular deal and a big head-start on a very work-intensive project.