Will this boat work for me?

[idowa]

I currently have a 12' Montgomery Ward Sea King aluminum boat that my grandpa bought new. It is in great shape and I've used it fishing on small lakes for years with just a little 37lb thrust electric motor and wooden oars.

However, it is so small that it is uncomfortable to move around in and downright dangerous with me and my 18yr old son in it. I'm 6'2" and 300lbs, he is 5'10" and 160lbs. With our tackle boxes, anchor, battery, and cooler, we are overloaded and can't hardly move around.

My dream boat is a new V16 Tracker, but really don't want to spend the money. My wife and I discussed if we wanted a new boat or a new RV, and the RV won out...

I forgot about getting a boat until last Sunday when a guy at church said he wanted to get rid of his boat for dirt cheap and needed a mini-bike for his kid. I have a mini-bike that my son outgrew, so we arrived at a trade agreement. The boat would end up costing me $1200. It has had a lot of money thrown at it and the owner is a professional mechanic. It is clean and in great shape, but I don't know if it will be a good fit for the intended uses; fishing on very small inland lakes.

Seems like it is more ideal for tubing and skiing, and running around lakes than fishing. I would need to upgrade to a larger electric trolling motor, or perhaps a gas motor. Plus, I can't imagine how much a V8 costs to run for a day of fishing.

Here is the description and photos of the boat:

76 cobalt tri-hull inboard with trailer for sale, fresh rebuilt 351 Windsor, new starter, new fuel pump, new Holley two barrel carburetor, new distributor cap and rotor, new spark plugs, new solenoids, new resistors, new bilge pump, tilt gears rebuilt, new carpet, new transom seal, does not take on water, runs great pulls skiers no problem,comes with new life jackets, new anchor, new anchor line and dock line, docking buoys, overall in great condition its timed and tuned and ready to go! great lake ready classic! lots of time an money invested!

 

[idowa]

Re: Will this boat work for me?

I guess the bottom line answer I'm looking for is; since I can get the boat for such a good deal and it is apparently in such good shape, is it worth it to compromise and try to make this boat work for me?

Or should I just save the money and shop around for a more mission specific fishing boat? I would occasionally trailer it to some large lakes in the state for normal pleasure boating, but I'm really wanting something I can just run down to the local lake in and enjoy a day of fishing in for not a lot of expense and hassle...

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Will this boat work for me?

Hi idowa. Welcome to ibaots. I think the boat will suit your needs fine in terms of its size and style, but some folks around here aren't real big fans of i/o drives and you can probably find a very similar set up that is powered by an outboard for less (< $1000), but I'm in Florida. Things may be different in AZ. I would hold out for an outboard powered boat, as I think you'll find that it is easier to service and maintain in the long run, and they greatly reduces the amount of through hull hardware when compared to i/o. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

 

[roscoe]

Re: Will this boat work for me?

Keep looking.
Old, Ford - drive unit ?
Tough to fish out of.
Lots of wasted space.
May not find a cheaper fishing boat, but you should be able to find a more suitable boat for that money.

Just sell the mini-bike and put that cash toward the fishing boat.

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: Will this boat work for me?

I won't comment on whether it's the right boat for you or not - but I will add that some people really like the stability of tri-hulls for fishing out of. Only thing I would caution you of (besides roscoe's mention of the drive unit) is that you will likely want to put significantly more than that initial $1200 into it if you want to outfit it for fishing.

Personally, I'd keep looking for something closer to your dream boat, albeit a bit older.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Will this boat work for me?

Note that is an old OMC Stringer drive. Those haven't been in production since 1985 (OMC has been out of business for over 12 yrs) and parts are getting difficult to find if something big breaks. That being said, you can find most of the maintenance parts without much difficulty. Mine is 32 yrs old and still runs great, but I wouldn't buy another OMC going forward. I'd look around for a Mercruiser or an outboard as suggested above.

 

[idowa]

Re: Will this boat work for me?

Thanks for the great information! Exactly the kind of insight I was looking for! I will pass on this one and sock away the money for something else.

The owner did say he would buy my bike even if we didn't do the trade...

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Will this boat work for me?

Note that is an old OMC Stringer drive. Those haven't been in production since 1985 (OMC has been out of business for over 12 yrs) and parts are getting difficult to find if something big breaks. That being said, you can find most of the maintenance parts without much difficulty. Mine is 32 yrs old and still runs great, but I wouldn't buy another OMC going forward. I'd look around for a Mercruiser or an outboard as suggested above.

Great advice here. Good luck with your search idowa and feel free to post up any other boats you're considering and we'll eyeball it for ya.

For anyone looking to get on the water cheaply, I recommend an aluminum hull with an outboard motor. I feel those types of boats offer the least chance of being a money pit. Your two biggest concerns with inexpensive used boats are obsolete drivetrains (which you've already experienced) and wood rot. Rotted glass boats are certainly repairable but it's a major undertaking and the materials aren't exactly cheap. On an aluminum hull, even if the wooden transom or decks are rotted, it's not a huge deal to replace. They also have aluminum stringers so a little soft spot on the deck isn't usually an indication of a potentially structurally unsound boat. Something like this http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/5320/imag0446.jpg would be an awesome low-cost boat.