Re: Can a cheap boat be a good choice for a person new to boating?
Hi there,
I lucked out this spring and bought a diamond in the rough. An '86 Bayliner with Volvo engine and outdrive for $800, including trailer.
It had sat for 12 years in a marina before I bought it (you can look up my other posts for descriptions of what it took to get it sea-worthy), and I've spent VERY LITTLE money getting it to the point it's at now.
The largest single expense was replacing the floor, which I did "unconventionally" for under $300. My total purchases, which include stuff like lines, flares, a wakeboard tower (another lucky deal), etc. etc. is around $1,000. Most of that stuff I'll take with me when I purchase my next boat.
My philosophy in buying a boat was that I wanted something with an I/O setup. I've heard (and experienced through friends) so many horror stories of "no spark" problems with outboards, and the very high costs of trying to get them running again, so I felt that if I stuck with an automobile-based engine I would have a much easier time. A friend on mine spent over $800 on electrical and ignition parts for a 90's 80 HP outboard and never did get it running. He's a mechanic, so I was sure he would be able to fix it. Anyways...
I can buy most parts off the shelf at the nearest auto-parts store (of course not marine-specific stuff like starters which are safety-issues, but stuff like wires, plugs, coil, etc.). And it is so much easier to diagnose since things are accessible, and relatively simple to remove and replace.
I definitely got lucky with my purchase. There are, of course, many crappy old boats out there. But there are options beyond a tin boat with a 9.9 that won't break the bank.
I had a good automotive mechnical background which helped me immensely, and I own a wide assortment of tools so I was able to do my own troubleshooting and repair. For example, I took the starter apart and cleaned the rust out of it, and it has worked great all summer. I did need to replace the solenoid, but found a little starter shop and got it done for $70.
The best thing you can do is be patient. Don't jump at the first deal that comes along, no matter how tempting. And don't talk yourself into something you don't think you can handle. It took me many months of searching to find the right deal (and I actually stumbled across it after yet another trip to see yet another basket case that the owner said was way better than it was).
One final suggestion - if you can score a trailer first, there are SO MANY great deals on boats out there that don't include a trailer. Especially between now and November when people (up here in the north anyways) have to find a place to store their boat for the winter. I have a list a page long from last year of boats under $1000 that were pretty good, but didn't include a trailer (and at the time I didn't have one either).
Hope that helps you, Good Luck!
Chris
