Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

[escapade]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

my boat is a 75 sunray escapade, and well its a boat from my childhood, my uncle/godfather, gave it to me for free and i'm currently working on installing a floor and reworking the wiring, its a labour of love for me, i remember the times that me and my brothers spend at the cottage where the boat was, and well memories are worth more then new boats you can buy, its all up to yourself really, if you think that you wont be happy because your just driving an older boat then maybe its not worth it, however if you take the time work on it bit by bit and do it right the first time then your gonna have something that you can say "yea you can go spend money and have no clue what you got but i know exactly what i can do and i did it myself"

also think of it this way, you can work on this boat yourself, if you go and buy a new boat, would you want to void you warrenty by doing anything youself??

 

[steveinelpaso]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

I have a 1990 16' Bayliner with a 90 hp Force L-Drive engine. You can read on this and other forums how cheap the boats are, both regarding their quality and price. But I bought the boat in May this year cheap, and have had a blast with it. The guy who owned it before me knew nothing mechanical, and paid a boat shop $700 to clean out the carbs and re-pack the trailer's bearings. If you have to pay to do this kind of work, you best not own an old boat. I replaced the starter, the impeller, and installed a thermostat. Cleaned it up, waxed it, bought a cover and some toys to go with it, including a VHF radio, and it has been great. Easy to work on, light to tow, not bad on gas. Yeah, it's an old boat with a bad rep, but I keep up with the bigger boats on the Potomac. My bros-in-law is making payments on a newer boat with a bigger engine. But in addition to the payments, he paid a shop $300 to replace the impellor. $300 for a two hour job, and a $12 part! I guess the key to it is, if you have the time, and enjoy doing this kind of stuff, it is ok. If you do not have the time or ability to mess with it, better spend the bucks.

 

[ncbayliner]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

I picked up a $400 1987 16 foot bayliner, 2.3 cobra system. This is the second year I have had the boat. It runs great...I just had to replace the starter, alternator and clean up some electrics to get it going...This winter I am going to start restoring it...New floor, maybe fix some stringers, new interior...I have not worked on boats before, I'm okay with cars though...I agree with the above posts....If you can't do a lot of this stuff yourself, it gets real expensive..I made the mistake of bringing the boat this past sring to a marine service shop to do some basic stuff and make sure all was okay....VERY EXPENSIVE for what they did...

 

[JB]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

Restoring old things is not about pain or sweat or value for me. It is about art and the creative process.

When it comes to boats I don't do anything but Boston Whalers and the "restoration" is mostly detailing and refinishing. They are sort of like rare coins. . . their value seems stable. The only way I ever lost bux on one is when I repowered it with a new or newer engine.

Here is my latest, a 1986 Striper 15.

And my first, a 1966 Sakonnet 16

 

[OMCboater]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

having just got my boat in the water after buying it 3 years ago, I may have a relevant opinion on this....

I bought my 1969 17.5 trihull I/O very cheap from my neighbor because he wasn't using it anymore, and it was really cheap because the motor mounts were rotten as was the transom. needed complete interior refurb.

I gutted it, replaced the wood, glassed it in, reinstalled the engine, drive, steering, new impeller, and just got it in the water last week. I am still grinning from ear to ear.

But, the important part is that I bought it as a project - I have fun doing projects like this and learning in the process. Prior to this the only other boat I had owned was a canoe! I learned a lot about boating and boats, fiberglass, mechanics. I now have additional skill sets that I can apply to other projects that I do.

So if you are buying a basket case boat to go boating......not a good idea. but if you are buying a basket case for the enjoyment of de-basketizing it....good idea.

Now I have a usable boat that I likely won't use all that much. boating itself does not hold THAT much appeal to me - sure I'll take the kids tubing, skiing and occassionally go for outings but in reality I just see myself moving on to the next project.....building an off road go cart.....from scratch and used parts

 

[penst8grad]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

When I bought my first beater boat I was looking to buy a dune buggy. Here it is 10 years later and I have never regreted the choice. The water is where its at!

I just bought my 1st project boat. Was looking at a 1972 Barracuda that needed lots of work, but current owner has unreal expectations of its worth. After I decided against that I thought about a boat since the bride was already OK with me spending money on "stupid stuff".

It took a week or two to convince her we should get a boat instead. I told her that there has only ever been 3 things (toys) in life that I wanted. A truck, a motorcycle, and a boat. If I get the boat, I'd be complete.

I didn't mention that all 3 require constant upgrades although I'm content with my truck and motorcycle at the moment.

 

[63silverline]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

Well I figured this would be a good place for my first post here. We picked up our project boat from a craigslist freebie ad...1963 Silverline, 1958 Johnson Seahorse 35, and a trailer. Titles included, all for free! Hasn't been on the water in 5 years and my wife and I dug it out of a blackberry patch, the boat wasn't even visible. So has it been worth it so far? Heck yeah! It is an excellent project for me and my 6 year old son. He is all over the thing like a sailor from way back. So far I have cleaned it up (wife pressure washed it) and have torn the floor out as it was rotten. The hull and transom are as solid as a ton of cement. We will replace the floor, get some new seats, paint, etc. There is no way I could afford a new or even near new boat but have the time and occasional money to "pour" into the boat. It's about the only way I could get on the water. And when we are done there will be a certain amount of satisfaction and pride not to mention an everlasting memory for both my son, my wife and me. Here are some pictures of our new old girl.

 

[OMCboater]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

... I told her that there has only ever been 3 things (toys) in life that I wanted. A truck, a motorcycle, and a boat. If I get the boat, I'd be complete.

LOL! - are we related in some way....?

My toys
1990 Jeep Cherokee with 6.5" lift and many modifications.
1978 Yamaha XS 750 special
1969 K&C Thermoglass 17.5" bowrider I/O

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

After I got my boat it soon became apparent how ridiculous it was towing it with my car so we decided to buy a truck. Oh Darn!!!

 

[peacekeeper6]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

i am a firm beleiver that non required toys require other non required toys. but since you now have non required toy #1 non required toy #2 is basically required. get it?

 

[57whitehouse]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

what a spectaculat find. You are the envey. Have a great time playing.

I can't believe I see 2 motors on there.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

We do it cause a) we love boating, and b) we are the very mechanical type of people. We have a large shop, and all we really want to do is build and fish. (except school and work have to fit in there somewhere) The boat restoration is just another [expensive] way for us to have a little fun, doing what we love, and in the end, we have a nice bass boat, or fish n ski or something. Of the 5 we have, 3 are projects. The Lund is a project we have spent more than a year on, but the funds are limited in my household, as was time for a while, so it has taken a while. The alumacraft is a new addition, but it should be quicker, for the most part, as what it needs more than anything is elbow grease, and not as much in the way of funding. The 14er was supposed to be a project to turn into a small bass boat, complete with decks and a livewell, to fish HP limited lakes, and elec. only tourneys. But, we have since picked up the alumacraft, and don't have the money for 3 projects, let alone one, so it has to go.

 

[8AteEight]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

one thing to remember though: If your looking at this STRICTLY from the money standpoint; Just buy a nice boat that fits you, Get the newer one. Itll be a LOT cheaper in the long run.

That being said: I didnt have the 35Grand to buy what I wanted. I found mine for 500 bucks, with a soft floor and water in the engine oil. I lucked out not having to do any engine work, But Ive spent another 2500 thus far, and I still havent gotten around to the floor. I only pray that its no more than the plywood on the surface.

 

[63silverline]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

what a spectaculat find. You are the envey. Have a great time playing.

I can't believe I see 2 motors on there.

The evinrude on there was given to me by my neighbor but still free. It needs a rebuild, rings etc. but more winter garage fun. He even gave me a 6 gallon gas tank that I plan to use on the Johnson after I put a fuel pump on it.

 

[jddenham]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

one thing to remember though: If your looking at this STRICTLY from the money standpoint; Just buy a nice boat that fits you, Get the newer one. Itll be a LOT cheaper in the long run.

That being said: I didnt have the 35Grand to buy what I wanted. I found mine for 500 bucks, with a soft floor and water in the engine oil. I lucked out not having to do any engine work, But Ive spent another 2500 thus far, and I still havent gotten around to the floor. I only pray that its no more than the plywood on the surface.

Were are you at in Idaho?

 

[Robj]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

I was boat ignorant a year ago. I had a 14 foot fishing boat and wanted to get a bigger one. Saw this great project boat on Craigslist. I live in Vancouver and the boat was in Washington, just north of Seattle. So I made arrangements to go and check it out. It is a 1992 Excel, 18 feet long, Volvo 120 hp with SP outdrive. The interior looked rough, and I knew that it needed replacing, it was dark so I did not see all the problems but I bought it anyways for $1,700 US. Which is more than what you guys pay, and in hindsight I should have been able to get it cheaper, oh well. But I thought it is a relatively newer boat and that has some value to me.

Once I started checking things out, it was in worse shape than I thought. To make a long story short, it was all rotten, stringers, transom, floor and needed an all new interior. My engine mounts were better suited for potting soil than for holding an engine. The distributor was broken in half. Had to remove it by welding a nut onto the shaft. My wife thought I was crazy for buying such a piece of junk, as did many others, including my neighbours. It took 3X as long and cost 2X as much to fix it than I originally thought. I bought the boat in November last year, and in August we had the maiden voyage. Cracked a bottle of champagne afterwards to celebrate. That boat is now better than new. I owe my success to the many people on this site who helped me along with the process. I knew nothing when I started.

So to answer your question is it worth it? You bet, but one of my biggest regrets is I should have given myself more time to complete the project but I wanted it ready for this summer. Should have allowed 1 year, not eight months. Meant alot of time in the garage when I should have been spending time with my wife and daughter, I regret that but fortunately my wife understood and my marriage is intact and healthy. The otherside is you can buy a boat that looks good, pay big $$$ only to find out it is rotten or the engine or drive is bad, or all three. I have heard many stories of someone buying a nice expensive boat only to find out afterwards that it has some serious problems. You would be worse off than with that old project.

I still have a glow when I take it out or look at in the garage. That is my baby. It looks and runs great, makes me proud of my achievement. Will I do it again? When we decide that this boat is no longer suitable for us, you bet. I will buy another project and start over. I have seen the same boat on sale here for $12,900, which is overpriced, it may be worth $10,000 to 11,000. I have about $6,500 sunk into it. If I were to sell it, I would have made $5 per hour. But doing it right and seeing the results of your efforts is worth more than that. I am putting my pictures together and will post links here when I am done. My advice, go for it. In the end you will be glad you did, but it is a long journey getting there.

Have a great day,

Rob.

 

[stand watie]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

to ALL:

well, i certainly hope these old boats are worth all the trouble, as i'm looking FOR a 1959 hull/trailer (in good enough condition to restore) to match my (original & ONE-owner) 1959 Gale Sovereign 35 outboard!!!

a cathedral hull or a WOOD runabout around 14-15 feet would be NICE.

i live in the Washington, DC metro area.

thanks, sw

 

[Jerico]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

When I started restoring my tri-hull my wife thought I was either nuts or hiding out in the shop to avoid her. About half way through the project she joined in and was as hooked as I was. After a summer of spending every weekend at the lake when I suggested bigger boat she was all for it. Worked on it through last winter and spent almost every weekend this summer out on it.

Was it a lot of work, absolutely. On the other hand, the satisfaction of taking something, reconditioning it, then getting so much pleasure for the investment is well worth it.

As a side note the wife and I agree that if we had a brand new boat, considering the cost, we would both be rediculous about that first scratch or first spilled drink. With the older boats and less cost, we'll fix it later. Just relax and have fun.

 

[Peaceful Pirate]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

Just from my prospective…I would not trade them for the new ones. Aside from the obvious cost difference, the very concept that you put your time and effort into one makes it that much more special. Sorry you are far away…I have a ’59 Glastron SureFire restoration project that a neighbor owns that he has asked me to sell for him. He just doesn't have the time to put into it. Nice boat that is about ready for paint and has about 90-95% of the original aluminum trim work, windshield and steering. Good luck to you one your project.

 

[Maj Easy 1]

Re: Are older boats worth all the pain u get restoing them?

i bought an older boat because i had no idea if my wife and son would enjoy boating....
my boat is the tootie fruity colored one in the center.....
the comparison pic shows what new color patterns i'm thinking of painting it.

i paid way too much for this ebay boat ($5,950.) partly because except for it's color it's exactly what i want at this time...

the engine and stern drive are running perfect (only 247 hrs.) and i've taught my son how to ski with it.... everything i buy will be for sale sometime so i'm very limited in how much i can spent fixing this boat up.
i'll have to paint it myself.... and maybe re-upholster myself as well, so that the boat's interior matches it's new exterior paint job... the current vinyl is in good shape i just don't like the color....