ok, so rather then posting 500 different questions in all the different areas of the forum i decided to just make my own thread and hopefully you all can help me along the way...here's the story:
My boat life started with a sweet sears gamefisher 12ft aluminum boat, with a little 5hp kicker motor on it - it was the first boat i ever owned and no amount of mother nature would keep me from using that thing. There was a few times when "normal" captains would have anchored ship and waited till the weather passed, but I would always press on...like an idiot, however I learned how to drive a boat really well and maneuvered that thing all over the local lakes and Puget sound. Needless to say it was a great first boat, solid, no leaks, no problems, and my (3yr at the time) kiddo loved it. Nearing the end of its life i had this great idea to pack the thing FULL of camping gear, convince the Ms, to come "boat camping" with me. Somehow we made it across the lake in 4ft whitecaps to a cozy spot and proceed to unload 300lbs of wet camp gear, blankets and sleeping bags included - not a wise choice for for camping or the relationship...Loved that boat, but the going from a single guy fishing to a couple camping - needs changed and I needed a larger boat...Here's a pic - Loved the reaction of driving this thing around...
So I ended up trading that little guy for an older Ford Bronco, that I sold for cash. The next day I stumbled across this little Jem - a 1979 Chrysler Tri-Hull Stripper with a 691cc Motor. When i showed up to inspect it, i was laughing out loud. This thing was puke orange, and filthy, with no seats. but i could not pass on the price. $300 for boat and trailer. Motor ran like a top. Boat smelled like a litter box. But, it was in my price range and deffinatly a step up. I get that thing home and the Ms. about killed me. Again...not a wise choice, however in her supportive way we used the hell out of that thing also. I scrubbed, and polished and waxed, and scrubbed, and scrubbed..but it was just ugly to the bone. It worked perfect great for fishing, stable flat and easy to get fish with in shallow water. I did what i could to pretty it up, installed used seats, fresh indoor/outdoor carpet. But never really made it into a swan. Here's a pic again, loved driving this thing around....I can't tell you how many times folks would say "i didn't even know Chrysler made boats" -
Now don't get me wrong, I loved that Chrysler, and it worked fine..for my needs...I was just getting the feeling it was time to either dump money into it soon or get rid of it sooner...Sooo while coasting the barter section of craigslist back in January i ran across this little add - a 1984 Bayliner Cuddy for trade "needs work" open to anything. I shoot the guy an email asking if he wants to trade boats, not thinking i would ever have a shot. Fires right back and said come get it. So off I go on this little adventure...drive the 45 miles south and take a look at the boat. This is what the guy knows -
1) "I think the motor works, but it stopped running last summer don't know why" - ok.. that's bad
2) "I pulled out the old floor because i fell through it, but its new plywood laid on top" - doesn't sound good either
3) "I'm sure it'll float" - Haven't owned boats for long but I think that's important.
4) "The cuddy's in good shape, just a hole in a couple of the cushions where a light caught fire" - of course there would be...duh
So the i can fix anything devil on my shoulder talked me into the trade and i signed over my old Chrysler, handed him my title and a bill of sale - he handed me his wadded up, oil stained title that was not ever registered and sent me on my way. The way i figured it, i could at least get the money back for this thing in parts,
And here is it - the way home...after i filled the tires up to the correct pressure and noticed that the trailer lights don't work. And so it begins -
My boat life started with a sweet sears gamefisher 12ft aluminum boat, with a little 5hp kicker motor on it - it was the first boat i ever owned and no amount of mother nature would keep me from using that thing. There was a few times when "normal" captains would have anchored ship and waited till the weather passed, but I would always press on...like an idiot, however I learned how to drive a boat really well and maneuvered that thing all over the local lakes and Puget sound. Needless to say it was a great first boat, solid, no leaks, no problems, and my (3yr at the time) kiddo loved it. Nearing the end of its life i had this great idea to pack the thing FULL of camping gear, convince the Ms, to come "boat camping" with me. Somehow we made it across the lake in 4ft whitecaps to a cozy spot and proceed to unload 300lbs of wet camp gear, blankets and sleeping bags included - not a wise choice for for camping or the relationship...Loved that boat, but the going from a single guy fishing to a couple camping - needs changed and I needed a larger boat...Here's a pic - Loved the reaction of driving this thing around...
So I ended up trading that little guy for an older Ford Bronco, that I sold for cash. The next day I stumbled across this little Jem - a 1979 Chrysler Tri-Hull Stripper with a 691cc Motor. When i showed up to inspect it, i was laughing out loud. This thing was puke orange, and filthy, with no seats. but i could not pass on the price. $300 for boat and trailer. Motor ran like a top. Boat smelled like a litter box. But, it was in my price range and deffinatly a step up. I get that thing home and the Ms. about killed me. Again...not a wise choice, however in her supportive way we used the hell out of that thing also. I scrubbed, and polished and waxed, and scrubbed, and scrubbed..but it was just ugly to the bone. It worked perfect great for fishing, stable flat and easy to get fish with in shallow water. I did what i could to pretty it up, installed used seats, fresh indoor/outdoor carpet. But never really made it into a swan. Here's a pic again, loved driving this thing around....I can't tell you how many times folks would say "i didn't even know Chrysler made boats" -
Now don't get me wrong, I loved that Chrysler, and it worked fine..for my needs...I was just getting the feeling it was time to either dump money into it soon or get rid of it sooner...Sooo while coasting the barter section of craigslist back in January i ran across this little add - a 1984 Bayliner Cuddy for trade "needs work" open to anything. I shoot the guy an email asking if he wants to trade boats, not thinking i would ever have a shot. Fires right back and said come get it. So off I go on this little adventure...drive the 45 miles south and take a look at the boat. This is what the guy knows -
1) "I think the motor works, but it stopped running last summer don't know why" - ok.. that's bad
2) "I pulled out the old floor because i fell through it, but its new plywood laid on top" - doesn't sound good either
3) "I'm sure it'll float" - Haven't owned boats for long but I think that's important.
4) "The cuddy's in good shape, just a hole in a couple of the cushions where a light caught fire" - of course there would be...duh
So the i can fix anything devil on my shoulder talked me into the trade and i signed over my old Chrysler, handed him my title and a bill of sale - he handed me his wadded up, oil stained title that was not ever registered and sent me on my way. The way i figured it, i could at least get the money back for this thing in parts,
And here is it - the way home...after i filled the tires up to the correct pressure and noticed that the trailer lights don't work. And so it begins -
