Will a day ever go by that I wont have to spend money on my boat?

[zigbat]

I'm new to boating, in fact this is my 1st boat, I like it alot but sometimes I feel like trading it in for an airplane..
I dont know anything about flying airplanes either, but as soon as I take off in a plane it will crash me to death
instead of nickel and dimeing me to death like this boat..

Actually, it's a really nice 1988 OMC Cobra 2.3L SeaSwirl with a nice ShoreLand'r roller trailer (thank God)
well, it was nice untill I got it.. I am good at 2 things so far, running aground, and tearing stuff up, they seem
to go hand in hand.. But I'm getting better.. Not at boating in general, I'm getting better at tearing stuff up...

It's fun though.. But seriously, I'm winterising for the first time and learning as I go
I am learning words like "Bellows" "Transom Seals" and "Cracked Lower Unit"
I think next season i will try and stay in water deeper than 8 inches a little more often...
But from what i gather, wintertime is when boaters like you guys and dangerous new boat owners like me
get to dump money into our toys to take it next summer and pretty much set ourselves up to dump money into our toys..

Have any of you guys experienced a day you havent had to spend money on your boats?
If so.... How long did it take before it happened???

 

[roscoe]

I don't dump money into my boats.
I have not trashed a prop in about 30 years.
Never a lower unit.

I have bought 2 motors that needed part, because I didn't know better when I bought them.
One was a 1972 Merc 9.8 hp that had a bad water pump and a plugged water tube.
The other was a 1983 Merc 115 that had a bad switchbox.

I do spend money on upgrades though.
And have taken more than one $400 hull and turned it into a $4000 boat.

My current boat has gotten nothing by fresh gear lube for 4 years, and I added a second battery as a backup.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Any way you look at it, boating is not an inexpensive hobby.

 

[aspeck]

I don't dump money into my boat... I invest in my recreational future!

 

[zigbat]

I don't dump money into my boat... I invest in my recreational future!

I'm gonna use that one...

 

[zigbat]

Actually this is a very nice boat.. The first time i took it out i had a friend go with me that has been on the Columbia river her whole life..
A little insurance so nothing will go wrong... Right??
Well about 2 minutes in the big hose popped off the bottom of the thermostat holder and filled the boat with water in short time..
Well after she jumps overboard freaking out I cut the motor and pumped the water out with the bilge pump..
So we end up going to an island and the engine wouldnt tilt up and we ended up aground and spent 3 hours prying the back of the boat up outta the sand and forward a half inch or so at a time and killed all the electrical doohickies on the transom (which i have since replaced)

Second time out.. I was solo with some chick that makes me look like a genius in comparison, and knowing the river the little bit that i do now, I have no idea how we made it to that island and almost back without catastrophy.. I dont think luck is strong enough word..
But.. i said almost back.. we were nearly to the launch wide open and in shallow water.. it hit sand like 3 times and i was looking backwards to see what the noise was and when i turned around there was a pylon directly in front of me, i turned hard and missed it with everything but the steern drive.. direct hit..
Destroyed the prop, bent the skeg.. but limped it in..

So I bought a prop, hammered the skeg straight enough to put a Skeg guard on and i strongly suspect thats where the crack came from..

 

[tpenfield]

Have any of you guys experienced a day you haven't had to spend money on your boats?
If so.... How long did it take before it happened???

Actually, this past Monday, I did not spend money on my boat(s)

It is a 'money' sport/hobby, so be prepared to put money into it.

 

[Scott Danforth]

once you accept a boat is a hole in the water you pour money into, you can enjoy it. when you sell the boat, you quit spending money on it........ you then buy the next boat and spend money on that one

 

[zigbat]

And have taken more than one $400 hull and turned it into a $4000 boat.

My current boat has gotten nothing by fresh gear lube for 4 years, and I added a second battery as a backup.

I'm pretty proud of my little cuddy, it's exactly what I wanted and the guy that had it did a real good job redoing the seats and cabin and he took good care of it as far as looks go, but he never took anything apart as far as the drive and motor goes so all the stuff that needs done yearly or so like bellows and seals and such he didnt mess with so I bought a real pretty winter project..

Good news is, it runs like a top, it is pretty and clean...

So far i have replaced the pitot I broke off the first time out, and the transducer that got destroyed went to something thats not there anymore so it went away..
and I replaced the sticky Tach and non functional speedo with brand new, Replaced the distributor with one that had Mallory electronic ignition installed that i picked up for 80 bux at a marine boneyard.. Replaced the prop I wrecked, now I am infatuated with propellers, I bought a spare and thinking about getting a piranha prop to play with. oh, and a phone holder..

Now I am crying here about money because i just bought a bellows kit and about to get the seals and stuff and trim switch so my trim guage works and cant decide what to do about the lower unit, maybe get a rebuilt bolt on.. I dont think i can get the guts outta mine and into another case and by the time i pay a mechanic to do it i may as well just bought the bolt on and bolted it on... And i got all the oil and lube and antifreeze and all that... I didnt know there was so much involved... But its starting to look like i am n this for the long haul..

Then I will have spent about what the boat is worth twice over.. Hopefully i dont turn a $4000 boat into a $400 hull...

 

[Swimforshore]

I would buy the bolt on unit. Good regular maintenance will keep mechanical failures low and cost down. But for god sakes don't be your own worst enemy know the water you are in and stay away from the shallows

 

[avenger79]

first, before trusting others to know more than you about where you are boating, go get a chart of said river. does the boat have a depth finder?
rivers are tricky. buddy of mine who has been boating his whole life tore up three props in one season. 2 on a river and one in the middle of a lake.
I have no idea how he finds things to hit. one prop got dinged up at the boat launch.

I have been lucky as far as never damaging a boat but I do buy upgrades for her. if you think it is fun grounding a power boat try sailing. LOL I have been very blessed thus far but they tell me my day is fast approaching.

 

[WIMUSKY]

To answer your question:

Yes, when you sell it....

I just saw Scott beat me to it.......

 

[Ike-110722]

To answer your question: the last day I didn't spend any money on my boat was the day before I bought it.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Hilarious stories though none-the-less......I hope you have better luck next season. Get a depth finder for sure. Mine was around $120 bucks. It's a lower model hummingbird. Not sure it will find fish, but it definitely finds the river bottom......

 

[Swoosh3]

Not sure it will find fish, but it definitely finds the river bottom......

​Sound like finding the river bottom has already been achieved.

​OP, It will all be worth it after getting an upper hand on the maintenance and navigation of your waterway.

 

[zigbat]

Hilarious stories though none-the-less......I hope you have better luck next season. Get a depth finder for sure. Mine was around $120 bucks. It's a lower model hummingbird. Not sure it will find fish, but it definitely finds the river bottom......

Got rid of the Trim Gauge and stuck a matching Faria Digital Depth Sounder in its place as part of my winter projects..
I am glad being an idiot entertains you guys... It is nothing but a pain in the ass for me though...

​Sound like finding the river bottom has already been achieved.

​OP, It will all be worth it after getting an upper hand on the maintenance and navigation of your waterway.

Har De Har Har...
The Columbia river was incredibly skinny this summer for some reason.. I saw the Corps of Engineers ship with a buncha crap hangin off it in the water so they are playing around with something.. With the exception of the channel you could nearly walk across the Columbia in Corbett...
I also take the same route back and forth to the island where we camp, and besides getting from the channel to the island is pretty dicey I know where not to go on the way there and back from experiance...

 

[zigbat]

does the boat have a depth finder?
I have no idea how he finds things to hit. one prop got dinged up at the boat launch.

It has a depth finder now...
I dont know how he dinged up his prop at the launch but I can tell ya how I did...
The boat launch I use has big rocks, and the sky makes wind somehow...
nuff said...