Too Far Gone ?

[dave524]

What do you think ? It was my first boat. I sold it and it was never used. It has been here since May 1993. I would have to go through abandon paperwork to get titles. Is it worth it ?

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[tashasdaddy]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

personally, i would take a chainsaw to it. the cost to repair far outweighs the use.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

Sheesh TD! Where's your sense of adventure! I say have at it! Having rebuilt a few boats from the skin in, I can say that it is a very rewarding project. Plus, this was your first boat! Lots of guys here would love to still have their first boat!

You mention that it hasn't been used since you sold it. Was it ever even registered in the new owner's name? It's possible that you still "own" it, at least as far as the state of PA is concerned, if the new owner never bothered to go to the DMV and do it up...
- Scott

 

[Lakester]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

Sheesh TD! Where's your sense of adventure! I say have at it! - Scott

hello,

usually, where there is a will, there is a way! well, no doubt one solution is the chainsaw route, but old rusted Ts and As are brought back to showroom condtition from out behind grandpa's barn...

it looks like an old SILVERLINE. well, maybe?? has the glovebox, and the placard is in same location. i do like the guage cluster. and splash well railing. and... of course!, i am partial to the color.

no doubt it is a project that will consume time. if time is $$, there prob are more economical routes to go.

but relooking at it, i see it is an inboard. an early one. so no doubt, u may be able to hop up the engine and have a real runner. or build it to run smooth, all day long.

i bet it would look a lot better after a weekend of work cleaning it up. HECK! it even comes with a lake inner tube. but no doubt some deck and wood work will be required.

you dont have to pay more than a $Grand for it, do you??

i do like that it is an inboard...

regards
lakester

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

well, this is what i see right off. the hull has spread, noticed the windshield, atleast and inch out. the deck is gone, and probably the stringers, motor mounts, block is probably cracked do to PA weather, will need manifolds. upolstery shot. and these are the good things.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

Agree with TD on that one.The cost to restore that boat would be in the thousands.You know the floor,stringers and transom are rotted.The engine is probably shot and who knows what kind of drive it has.
I do like the style of it but would not attempt a restore myself.

 

[Lakester]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

and these are the good things.

DARN!!

... and i liked it so-o much.

well, at least it has some good things.

[ sniff!~]

regards
lakester

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

I say get it, but don't pay much for it. $1000 is too much. If I wanted a project of that type, I'd be looking in the $200-$300 ballpark, knowing it'll need a lot of time & money to get going again. Clean it out and see what you've got. Worse comes to worst, you can part it out. Throw some tires, bearings and a light kit on the trailer - should be worth a few hundred right there. The gauge cluster, hardware, outdrive, etc. probably have some parts value. Who knows, you might just get lucky!
-Scott

 

[blouderback]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

That speaker might be worth salvaging.

 

[woosterken]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

I agree with Chine.
do a title search,if the new owner never changed the title over all you would have to do is file for a lost title with the dmv.
How many people have spent major $$$$$ to get their first car (or one like it back)
like others have said a good cleaning to see where you stand,then a little here and a little there and puff there you are good as new.
woosterken

 

[Caveman Charlie]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

I don't think she's a silverline. It's purty rough. How hard do you want to work, how much time do you have, how much storage space do you have, and how attached are you to her? These are the questions only you can answer. If you had lots of room like this guy you could always set it out back and think about it.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

Ayuh,.......

If you've got an Extra Few Grand laying around,+ a Years worth of Time,.........

Go For It...........

Any Pay-back will be Pride,+ Not Money..........

 

[Nandy]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

Personally, I don't like inboards, here goes nothing... I would not move a finger until I could make sure the motor works and it is a brand motor that parts are easy to find. If the motor don't run I would try to find the reason and then start working in a budget from there before doing any real expending.
How do you know to whoever you sold it will not show up after you fix it? If the person lives there or has relative there and hear you fix it for him he might be back. After all, if he give you his money and you gave him the paperwork you are fixing HIS boat.
In NC you could register it as an abandoned boat. That will assure you that the person you sold it to will loose any right to it.
Either way, if you really want to fix it, go at it, but make sure that motor is working, that is the most expensive part to replace.

In other notes, what is the complete story behind it? I'm just very curious why will a person buy a boat but not take possession of it. You don't have to answer that though...

 

[DJ]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

I've resurrected worse. Why? Because I'm nuts.

As said, there is a couple hundred bucks in the trailer. Those guage clusters are hard to find.

It is a MerCruiser. The drive might be worth something. Who knows the engine might be salvageable.

Yes, the deck appears to be gone. The windshield is a clue.

Te deck and stringers can be redone as evidenced here on iboats, all the time.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

i still say part it out, cut it up. and look for a viable project, that is not going to kill the gas money. yeah, i've also redone worse, lost my fanny financially on it. should have just gone fishing.

 

[Lakester]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

I say get it, but don't pay much for it. $1000 is too much. Who knows, you might just get lucky!
-Scott

hello,

i was just kidding!!! i thot it was for $FREE$. i mean... td's sharp eye is on the $$$... it is ruff. not a puff, only a labor of love. no doubt at times... love is in the eye of the beholder...

to be honest, u couldnt give it to me. but i do like it.

but if done as a nice restoration... could be sweet, i like the abandoned hydro racers sitting out back behind the local gas station... and then... someone buys it... and does it bow to stern... and rump rump... here she comes at 85+ 3 pointing across the lake... now, thats nice. old wood all gone and replaced.

but then... i come from hydro racing country.

regards,

lakester

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

personally, i would take a chainsaw to it. the cost to repair far outweighs the use.

This is funny, because it looks like it's in similar condition to mine when I first got mine.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

I've pulled a couple of boats home that were science projects plus project boats all in one. The thunder craft (listed below in my signature) had a tree grown inside the darn hull , yet I was talked into restoring it which I plan on finishing the restore sometime down the road. When I cleaned the hull out between the trash, rotted wood, the caved in fiberglass (that use to cover the deck), and the tree, I had 2 trailer loads of junk to haul off. I started making my own gage cluster out of wood but I screwed up not really knowing how to do wood work, so I had to scrap that idea.

You'll half to separate the hull, take the cap off of her and do a major clean up job, remove all the dead wood, remove the deck, remove the stringers, possibly replace the transom, redo the motor mounts, and the list goes on and on. If you have the time and the money go for it. Just like the thundercraft, I can't see it in my heart to junk it when the hull, and paint job isn't in that bad of shape.

 

[dave524]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

WOW !! Lots of good ideas here. First I want to say that the guy bought the boat from me, and did a compression test onthe engine prior to running it in water. Turns out it needed a head gasket. I gave him all of the parts, including a reman head and he was to do the labor. It looks like the trailer they lived in had a fire a few years ago, and you never see anyone around the house. I am going to call the twsp, and find out what the storry is. I am sure that they would want it removed. How much work is involved with that windshield mess ? Yhat is all that scares me. Thanks again, Dave

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Too Far Gone ?

Hi Dave,
The windshield has spread because the structure of the boat is compromised. The cockpit floor and underlying stringers and cross braces are likely rotted, allowing the hull to spread outwards. To answer your question, it's a LOT of work. Check my sig links and you'll get a ballpark idea of what you might be in for. Took me about a year of semi-regular work during evenings and weekends to do my 18-footer. Very little of it was "hard" work, just lots of little projects. Cut a piece one night, glass it in the next. I likened it to building a model kit in real scale - all you're doing is cutting and gluing big pieces of wood and fiberglass together. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience - enough so that I am now looking for my next project!
Another thing to keep in mind, your boat being an I/O, you'll have the engine to deal with as well. Mine is an outboard and all I had to do is bolt up a motor that was already a known quantity. Your inboard engine is still a question mark - was the work it needed ever done? Was it properly winterized prior to sitting? There's more involved in taking out and and re-installing an I/O than an outboard. You'll want to get a service manual to do it right.
Don't let it all scare you. As was mentioned, if you REALLY like the boat, have a space to work on it (covered), an assortment of tools, and basic mechanical & woodworking abilities, you can do it. If you shop around a bit, you can find deals on epoxies/resins, glass, and other materials and tools. I spent close to $2000 on my 18-footer and it is now a brand new boat. You certainly can't buy a new boat for $2000, and even with a used boat you're taking your chances in the $2000 range. Plus, by the looks of your avatar, you already have another boat, so you won't be on the beach come summer because your boat isn't done. You have the option of going boating or working on the other boat. That's a good option to have...
- Scott