Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

[Rumley]

Hey everyone. I was wondering what everyone else's worst boat purchase was and hoping I might feel a little better about mine. I bought 4 yes ago a 12' Peterborough (from what I am told) 2 person speedboat with I beleive 1967 evinrude lark motor 40 hp with electric shift for 800 bucks and trailer. Ran good in the yard when I looked so I impulse bought. After putting new lights bearings and tires on the trailer Got it to the lake and wouldn't run. Countless hours at home and I found the side casing of the head was cracked. I bought a 40hp Johnson 1972 was told it was a 79 but whatever. More countless hrs Installing lights, new ignition, taking out previous electronics and with that and I had 3 trips to the lake with it not running and finally a trip of success. I got 26 mph with 2 adults and the only way it would plane was both ppl leaning over the bow to get it down. Next few times out to the lake wouldn't run. I have now had it 4 yrs and had it running on the lake twice and have a total of aprox 2500 dollars invested. Tried to sell for the original 800 and can't get an offer over 400.
So I was just wondering if anyone has any similar stories that they would like to share

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

i have had several lower units let me down, but nothing else.

what are the symtoms of your motor, what has been done, what is the compression and have you checked spark with a tester. carbs properly cleaned and rebuilt, fuel lines replaced?????

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

I can't say I've had anything that I couldn't fix but I'm sure we've all bought boats that ended up needing something unexpected. I don't consider a boat a bad purchase if the motor is bad, or the other way around. That's the great part about having an outboard powered boat, if the motor isn't right, or can't be fixed you just hang another one.
I'm not sure everyone here knows what a 12' Peterborough is so maybe a few pics would be in order too. It sounds to me like that motor isn't 100% or else that boat is carrying some extra weight somewhere you don't realize. Most of the 40hp motors I have do pretty well. You may also just need to try a different prop. I have a 1959 Evinrude 40hp twin on a 17' aluminum center console that moves along great with two guys onboard. The boat weighs about 800lbs.

I've bought many boats just to get a good motor or trailer, most were bought with the assumption that their next stop would be the city dump after I pulled the engine and whatever else I needed.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

I would say that all the boats I have bought were like my women: Not a bad one among them and I loved them all. Especially a little 14 foot, closed bow, tri-hull Glastron. It had rolled and tucked upholstery and full canvas among other niceties. It was a piece of work and I wish I still had it.

However, I did buy a Chrysler engine advertised as an 85 in running condition for 750 bucks. It was really a 90. WOW! Lucked out---NOT! Again, after replacing three pistons three weeks in a row, (same cylinder) and innumerable hours troubleshooting electrical problems, I finally got it to run the following season. That was a learning experience. Now I buy engines assuming they do not run and expect to do a rebuild. Most recent purchase was a 200 Rude V6. I expected to put about 1500 bucks into it but upon dismantling the front end I discovered that the crank and 4 rods were rusted. Got it cheap so I will part it out and make back my money

I do still have the 90 Chrysler engine after using it about 20 years more and it now runs 44 MPH on my 15 foot Glastron.

BTW: The 10 footer in the avatar was purchased for 100 bucks and the engine was 80 bucks.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

14ft Owens, 60hp Evinrude. Nothing but trouble with boat and motor till I sold it.
This was over 25 years ago back in England.

 

[Rumley]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

I'm thinking it's the carb that is giving me issues. I swapped it from another top end I have but I don't have a huge amount of mechanical knowledge. I tried changing the trim position (not power trim) but now I have a steering cable binding up. I just don't understand why I can fire it up in the driveway and then get it to the lake and it won't start. The original time it wouldn't run was due to terrible gas (it had an inboard tank and when I siphoned it out there was lots of rust and flakes. So I bought a gas can and pulled out the inboard tank.

On a side not I will try to upload some pics soon

 

[JB]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

Tracker Tournament V17.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

99% you have very dirty, clogged carbs. the high speed jets are in the bottom of the bowl, and easily clog.

also you have to set the idle speed when running it on muffs, to about 1,000 rpms, the adjust the idle, on the water. the reason being is exhaust goes out the lower end of the motor. on muffs there is not any backpressure on the exhaust,

in the water the motor has to force the exhaust out the lower unit. the motor has to turn faster.

read the TOP SECRET FILE, 1st thread in this forum. ethanol, carb cleaning

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

Worst boat we ever owned (the ONLY bad one) was a 1983 Renken 19' bowrider, that we ordered brand new in 1983. Several areas in the top deck that looked as if they had been patched. My dad should have never agreed to take the boat home from the dealer, but it arrived late and we were wanting to go boating. Numerous gelcoat cracks in it within 2 month of ownership. In 1988, with the hull basically cracked (almost in half) below the widshield area, we trailered it to the factory in Charleston, SC. There, they replace the hull with a brand new 1988 hull, reconditioned our top deck, and put our old deck and engine/drive in the new hull. It was a much better boat after that, but noticeably SLOWER.
Bad boat, bad dealer, but in the end good customer service from Renken. Too bad they went out of business?!

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

but in the end good customer service from Renken. Too bad they went out of business?!

The Renken family still builds boats in the Charleston area as the Sea Fox and Mariah brands.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

Hey everyone. I was wondering what everyone else's worst boat purchase was and hoping I might feel a little better about mine. I bought 4 yes ago a 12' Peterborough (from what I am told) 2 person speedboat with I beleive 1967 evinrude lark motor 40 hp with electric shift for 800 bucks and trailer. Ran good in the yard when I looked so I impulse bought. After putting new lights bearings and tires on the trailer Got it to the lake and wouldn't run. Countless hours at home and I found the side casing of the head was cracked. I bought a 40hp Johnson 1972 was told it was a 79 but whatever. More countless hrs Installing lights, new ignition, taking out previous electronics and with that and I had 3 trips to the lake with it not running and finally a trip of success. I got 26 mph with 2 adults and the only way it would plane was both ppl leaning over the bow to get it down. Next few times out to the lake wouldn't run. I have now had it 4 yrs and had it running on the lake twice and have a total of aprox 2500 dollars invested. Tried to sell for the original 800 and can't get an offer over 400.
So I was just wondering if anyone has any similar stories that they would like to share

Hey Rumley, welcome to iboats forum. Sorry to hear about your troubles. If you want to keep trying, I have a '72 Lark I will donate to the cause. Hasn't been used for years but was overhauled before being stored away. PM me if you want it.

 

[crackedglass]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

Worst boat we ever owned (the ONLY bad one) was a 1983 Renken 19' bowrider, that we ordered brand new in 1983. Several areas in the top deck that looked as if they had been patched. My dad should have never agreed to take the boat home from the dealer, but it arrived late and we were wanting to go boating. Numerous gelcoat cracks in it within 2 month of ownership. In 1988, with the hull basically cracked (almost in half) below the widshield area, we trailered it to the factory in Charleston, SC. There, they replace the hull with a brand new 1988 hull, reconditioned our top deck, and put our old deck and engine/drive in the new hull. It was a much better boat after that, but noticeably SLOWER.
Bad boat, bad dealer, but in the end good customer service from Renken. Too bad they went out of business?!

I had the same boat, but I'd have to put it at the top of my list as one of my favorites, it was bought new by a buddies dad and I got it after he upgraded.
It never had a single issue for the 10 years I owned it. It did go through three engines, the first was bad when I got it due to a failed VRO pump, the first engine I hung on it was old and tired, and I finally hung a 175 V6 on it and from there on out it was a completely different beast. Never any issues with the hull or fiberglass, and it's still in use today by the guy that bought it from me 5 years ago.

I don't think I can think of a boat that I'd call my worst boat, I've bought a few junkers for parts but knew what they were when I got them. I pretty much assume any older boat or engine will need a major overhaul when I buy it and will only pay accordingly. If I had to list my least favorite boat, it would have to be one old trihull I had with an I/O, it was stern heavy and needed far more maintenance than I cared to deal with. It pretty much taught me to stick with outboard boats. I still made money on it when I sold it though, I paid $200, sandblasted and painted the trailer and sold it three years later for $1750. It was my second and last I/O powered boat.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

Sounds like the original poster's problems come from inexperience and lack of research on what to look for in a boat. Can't say any boat I've ever bought is the "worst", I've always got exactly what I expected. Some of my best buys have been on boats in the "worst" shape.

I don't consider a boat a bad purchase if the motor is bad, or the other way around. That's the great part about having an outboard powered boat, if the motor isn't right, or can't be fixed you just hang another one.

My experience has been the exact opposite. The great part about buying an inboard or I/O is that you can drop in a brand new 300-400 HP longblock for well less than $1500. Never seen any kind of outboard with even half the power that can come close in price.

 

[Rwebber77]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

About 2 years ago I purchased a 1965 Thomboy runabout for $800 with every intention of completely restoring it. The wooden hull is sound but the transom needs to be rescrewed and sealed. Since I bought the boat I have given it new paint below and above the waterline, a new floor, and new vinyl all the way around. I think total now I have spent somewhere around $1500 just in materials (I obviously purchased countless tools I needed) and have still only taken it on the lake 3 times. Luckily the 90HP Evinrude runs strong and starts every time!

It is now about 70% complete and my goal is to sell it very soon and hopefully get something back out of it.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

The Renken family still builds boats in the Charleston area as the Sea Fox and Mariah brands.

Thanks for that info. But I don't think I'll rush out to buy one. All I have ever heard about current Mariah's is that they are a FAR CRY from the original ones.

cracked, glad you had success with your 19' Renken. It's possible we got the only bad boat made that year, but I doubt it. The 1988 hull was noticeably improved with more weight and spray in flotation. So that tells me that Renken had issues that they had corrected by 1988. But from 1988 to 1995 when we sold it, the hull and deck were flawless, so it sure seems they got it right, the second time around.

 

[dan t.]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

The worst boat I ever bought was a?????? I never did establish what brand it was. 22ft of junk. the next boat I bought was a 21 ft Campion Skeena,wow what a learning experience.305 chev, 800 omc stringer drive. made it thru the first summer, leg blew on the last trip.25 miles on the kicker,thank goodness for the easy steer.pulled leg and motor, overhauled upper gearcase,cleaned and painted motor.Now to check out soft spot in the floor. to make a .long story short, complete gut and new stringers. Second season, started good, ended on 7 cylnders. I could go on all night about the window leaks. But in the end after I had fixed just about everything on the thing I got 5 years of dependable running and only sold it for about $5000 less than I had into it

 

[crackedglass]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

...........

My experience has been the exact opposite. The great part about buying an inboard or I/O is that you can drop in a brand new 300-400 HP longblock for well less than $1500. Never seen any kind of outboard with even half the power that can come close in price.

Thats true but not so much if the boat is smaller or only able to handle say a 4 cylinder. I had a Mercruiser 120 in one boat and the same boat in an outboard with the same hp ran circles around me. The big difference was the weight. The stern drive and engine were just plain heavy while the 120hp outboard only weighed in a bit over 300lbs. The Mercruiser set up had to be over 500 or more.
That same boat would have done just as well with a 70hp on it without all that weight.
If I had tossed in a V8, it probably would have sunk.

On the flip side, I'd take a straight inboard boat with any engine, no gimble bearings, bellows or shift boots to fail or leak.
I'm an auto/truck mechanic by trade, my first thought was that I'd be better off with an automotive type engine, was I ever wrong.
The engine itself wasn't a problems at least not until the brand new manifold rusted out after 18 months and not long after the next overhaul, saltwater finished off the water jackets around the waterpump.

The boat was fine once I tossed the Mercruiser set up, filled the hole, and mounted a bracket with a good used outboard. The boat was fine from then on, even better then one that came with an outboard since I had more room and no splashwell.

 

[crackedglass]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

Thanks for that info. But I don't think I'll rush out to buy one. All I have ever heard about current Mariah's is that they are a FAR CRY from the original ones.

cracked, glad you had success with your 19' Renken. It's possible we got the only bad boat made that year, but I doubt it. The 1988 hull was noticeably improved with more weight and spray in flotation. So that tells me that Renken had issues that they had corrected by 1988. But from 1988 to 1995 when we sold it, the hull and deck were flawless, so it sure seems they got it right, the second time around.

I've actually had several Renken boats, three 19' Fisherman series, a 1980, 1982, and a 1983. I also had one Renken trihull. The trihull was small so I didn't keep it long but it ran and suited me fine till I found something better.
I was given the 1980 19' Renken, it was well used but in good shape, it needed nothing major when I first got it. I sold it in favor of a bass boat for a period where I fished mostly only freshwater, but later hunted down another 19' Renken to use in bigger water. I found the 1983 and ran it for several years then sold it, only to wish I had kept it so I went out and bought the 1972, also the same model. The 1982 was a more deluxe model but wasn't as well kept as my 1980 or 83 was. The 1982 was showing some soft spots in the deck near the drivers feet where the glass had worn away. The 1982 was the only one that had factory carpet too, which I tossed in favor of a good heavy coat of epoxy paint when I first got it. I only kept that one for a year, I sold it when fuel prices started to climb in favor of a smaller aluminum boat. All three are still in use, the new owner of the 1982 is replacing the deck over this winter. None of the three every had any transom or hull issues and all three were trailered long distances to the ocean and back bays in NJ and run hard. The 1983 was on the water this year till it nearly got frozen in at the marina. I also have a buddy that runs a 1977 Renken 21' cuddy cabin with an OMC stern drive and 302ci Ford engine that's been running it since new with no issues. I've been on that boat hundreds of times and it's never needed any deck or hull repairs.

The newest Renken I have first hand experience with was about a 1985, which again was a 19' but not mine. I looked at a newer one but it just wasn't my style boat. I think 1985 was the last year they made an open Fishing boat like the early 19' Fisherman series?

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

cracked it seems "most" of your experience is with their fishing boat line. And I too had heard they had a good rep in that area.
Our 83 19' was purely an open bow runabout. And like a lot of manufacturers in the early to mid 80's, it was obvious this was "cheapened up and rushed out the door". Wood seat bases all rotted, lightweight vinyl, the original carpet was thin and looked bad after the first summer. But again, the 1988 hull was better, and the carpet they put over it was nicer too. We never did have floor rot issues, to its credit.

 

[BTMCB]

Re: Worst boat you have owned / worst purchase

Since this is my first boat and I love it, haven't had a worst boat. On to next thread...