1st time boat owner

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 1st time boat owner

look at the bright side tho... You have found one of the best places to get great info on old boats and we love to spend other people's money.

How much could you afford to spend? what vehicle do you have to tow with? how far are you willing to travel? Are you right in the Pittsburgh area?

There isn't much on your local C/L but the right deal could pop up any second.

 

[Livelaughpens]

Re: 1st time boat owner

It's gotta be this one...https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/boa/4225499598.html

Yes, the first one is the correct ad and boat.

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: 1st time boat owner

I guess I am in the minority here, but I think for $500.00 its worth going to look at.

Read the thread at the top of the forum and you will know very quickly if it is worth it.

For a 36 year old boat it really doesn't look to bad to me.

I had a 36 year old boat until I purchased my Starcraft.

It had a cheap redone marine vinyl seat job.

It also had new carpet.

It also had the solid original, still gelcoat covered floor, and the original transom, with test holes revealed bright dry shavings.

It also had several keel scrapes like that one as well from where I beached it all the time. I say she is worth looking at.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 1st time boat owner

the floor in the boat in question is just plywood w carpet glued on.... I've been 'intimate' with more than one sea sprite of that era.... stored indoors it could still be solid but the side bolsters, seats, and carpet are telltale signs ... it's been wet a LOT.

 

[tazrig]

Re: 1st time boat owner

Time to look at the NEXT boat. These guys just saved you $500!!

 

[Livelaughpens]

Re: 1st time boat owner

Time to look at the NEXT boat. These guys just saved you $500!!

Yes they did!!

I was leery buying from a random person to begin with. And I think in the back of my mind, I knew it was too good to be true but didn't want to believe it. I'm glad I heard it from everyone else too.

Thank you all very much. And I will definitely be sticking around to learn and get more advice!

 

[tazrig]

Re: 1st time boat owner

Keep looking there are deals out there.
Bring us the ad for what you're looking at along with pictures if you can. lotsa of pictures! we'll do our best to set you on the right path!

 

[bonz_d]

Re: 1st time boat owner

Looked at the ad and 1st thing I look at is the engine and throttle control. That boat is powered by the electric shift engine which would eleminate it for me.

I feel I'm a pretty decent mechanic but I've turned down a number of these engines because the lower unit is just too problematic. Parts are just too difficult to locate.

I too would keep looking.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 1st time boat owner

look at the bright side tho... You have found one of the best places to get great info on old boats and we love to spend other people's money.

How much could you afford to spend? what vehicle do you have to tow with? how far are you willing to travel? Are you right in the Pittsburgh area?

There isn't much on your local C/L but the right deal could pop up any second.

soooo???

 

[Livelaughpens]

Re: 1st time boat owner

I don't want to spend too much, only because it's my first venture into boating. I want to make sure it's something that I want to do and want to invest more money into.

I have a Nissan Xterra and my boyfriend has a truck.

Travel wise, again, I don't want to go too far to find a boat. I wanna stay close to home in case there are problems or I have questions.

I am about 45 minutes east of Pittsburgh.

 

[Pale Rider]

Re: 1st time boat owner

Please be very weary when buying on CL, and bring someone with you whenever looking at a boat. If it runs, water test water test water test will reveal any running issues and leaks...

for a first timer, unless you can rebuild or restore a boat pass, and spend a little more on what you can enjoy now...


good luck in your search.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 1st time boat owner

I don't want to spend too much, only because it's my first venture into boating. I want to make sure it's something that I want to do and want to invest more money into.

I have a Nissan Xterra and my boyfriend has a truck.

Travel wise, again, I don't want to go too far to find a boat. I wanna stay close to home in case there are problems or I have questions.

I am about 45 minutes east of Pittsburgh.

gotcha... soooo say under $1000 max?

did you look at the boat I linked above?... it's nothing fancy and you'd want to stay on smaller waters so as to avoid big wakes from big boats but it would EASY to check out and almost impossible to lose money on it. Would make an excellent first boat for that size of budget.

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: 1st time boat owner

Please be very weary when buying on CL, and bring someone with you whenever looking at a boat. If it runs, water test water test water test will reveal any running issues and leaks...

for a first timer, unless you can rebuild or restore a boat pass, and spend a little more on what you can enjoy now...


good luck in your search.

Nothing wrong with CL. It's just an on line newpaper ad.

Don't fall for aesthetics alone.

 

[Pale Rider]

Re: 1st time boat owner

Nothing wrong with CL. It's just an on line newpaper ad.

Don't fall for aesthetics alone.

I`m just sayin, a lot of junk boats on CL, at least there is here...

 

[Livelaughpens]

Re: 1st time boat owner

gotcha... soooo say under $1000 max?

did you look at the boat I linked above?... it's nothing fancy and you'd want to stay on smaller waters so as to avoid big wakes from big boats but it would EASY to check out and almost impossible to lose money on it. Would make an excellent first boat for that size of budget.

I did. It's something to consider.

 

[Livelaughpens]

Re: 1st time boat owner

Nothing wrong with CL. It's just an on line newpaper ad.

Don't fall for aesthetics alone.

No, nothing wrong with it at all. I just don't know exactly what to look for, and I don't want to waste money on a lemon. (Are there lemon boats?!)

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: 1st time boat owner

Go outboard only and as simple as possible. Care and condition is key. Like I said for $500 I would certainly go look at the other boat just take the checklist with you that is at the top of the forum if it checks it is good to go. If it doesn't pass then you will have a very good idea of what to look for. You will not know how to spot problems unless you go look for problems its part of the learning curve.

This is out of your price range and is over priced but it would be a great first boat.

1967 Starcraft Alum 16ft boat and 9.9 Merc

Most boats in that price range are going to be projects.

If you have a way to do any repairs at all this would be a great boat to get.

http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/boa/4230110756.html

That Force motor is junk, and mostly obsolete, 8 bolts and 45 minutes it can be off. You can repower it with a decent Johnson/Evinrude or Merc for around $800 and have a really great boat for $1300

Even if the transom is rotten and the floor is trashed its an easy job though by looking at the pics it appears decent.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 1st time boat owner

Sig she could go look at 100 boats like the trihull she found and the chances of just one not being rotten is REALLY slim

The last one you just linked would be VERY much worth a look.... And honestly if the force is in good shape other than the lower it MIGHT be worth finding a good used lower unit to slap back on

Those engines, while not worth much of anything weren't particularly bad engines.... they get a little less mpg than a newer one but they can last a really long time and are fairly simple to work on.

IMHO 125 hp is a bit on the high side for a 16' tinny tho.... that boat would do fine with 40-70 hp and be a rocket sled with 90.

BTW O/P the reason he said replacing the rot is an easy job is because it's an aluminum boat..... On a fiberglass boat the wood is structural. Also it and fiberglass are permanently built into one piece and it takes a LOT of cutting and glassing (basically gluing) to put it all back together.

On the aluminum boat the wood floor is screwed down to aluminum 'framework' and same w the transom.....

I have to point out tho that while it is generally much easier than a glass boat sometimes the transom is quite difficult to get to so it depends on the specific boat on how "easy" it is.

 

[southkogs]

Re: 1st time boat owner

Just read through the whole thread, and I'm thinking my suggestion would be two fold:

First, consider waiting to purchase and saving up just a little more. You're very wise (IMHO) not spending a lot of money on your first boat, but staying under $1,000 puts you into the "fixer-upper" category in most cases. That's more work than fun, and I'm guessing you're not as much into working on boats as you are being on boats

A boat like this one THIS BOAT would fit what you mentioned doing, and probably be a decent boat for going around in (probably not that fast, but it'll getcha' there). It's out of your price range, but not so crazy that you couldn't save up a little more to get it. Somethings to note about this ad:

1.) The boat and motor are clean, and look well cared for = good chance they are, looks like the owner took care of this one
2.) Interior looks REAL good = It's hard to keep an interior up in an older boat, usually that means someone worked hard to keep it nice.
3.) It was stored inside = typically boats stored inside don't rot out as quickly or at all (mine's 40 years old)

Waiting and saving up another $1,000 or $1,500 may save you time, frustration and money later.

Second, in the meantime, you wanna' get out on the water and I don't blame you. A few hundred bucks can get you into a CANOE, which will do most of the stuff you want to do - but, you have to paddle it. I used to fish and paddle all over in one of these ? not bad while your saving up.

A little day sailer (sail fish / sun fish LIKE THIS ) won't be good for fishing, but they're kinda' fun to be on and easy to sail. You get a little wet, but you don't have to paddle.

You get the idea. Less is more for the moment, save up and get something a little better later.

Have fun hunting!

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: 1st time boat owner

Sig she could go look at 100 boats like the trihull she found and the chances of just one not being rotten is REALLY slim

The last one you just linked would be VERY much worth a look.... And honestly if the force is in good shape other than the lower it MIGHT be worth finding a good used lower unit to slap back on

Those engines, while not worth much of anything weren't particularly bad engines.... they get a little less mpg than a newer one but they can last a really long time and are fairly simple to work on.

IMHO 125 hp is a bit on the high side for a 16' tinny tho.... that boat would do fine with 40-70 hp and be a rocket sled with 90.

BTW O/P the reason he said replacing the rot is an easy job is because it's an aluminum boat..... On a fiberglass boat the wood is structural. Also it and fiberglass are permanently built into one piece and it takes a LOT of cutting and glassing (basically gluing) to put it all back together.

On the aluminum boat the wood floor is screwed down to aluminum 'framework' and same w the transom.....

I have to point out tho that while it is generally much easier than a glass boat sometimes the transom is quite difficult to get to so it depends on the specific boat on how "easy" it is.

Thats an 18' Holiday its rated to 140 hp and as far as that one goes the transom can be done with less than $100 worth of tools.

no problem drill the splashwell rivets, drill the corner piece rivets, unscrew the splashwell and unbolt the motor, remove old transom. Cut new transom, spar it about 8 times and reinstall transom, set splashwell back in place rivet back in place screw it back in to the transom rerivet the corner pieces. It will take longer for the spar to dry than for the install.

With the market as it is in the O/P s area that Holiday is by far the best choice, its about 2 hours away, but well worth the money. Shallow draft only needing about 18" of water to float, and durable for a first timer. Most importantly cheap. I wouldn't bother with a lower unit for that motor until the power head could be checked. Compression and spark. Even then you will definetly have carb problems. I'd scrap the Force and put an Evinrude/Merc on the back and call it a day. As a Matter of Fact I would offer the guy $350.00 Cash and tell him he could keep and resell the parts on the Force. (Cheapest fitting lower unit on ebay is $499.00) Its not cost effective at that point to keep an older obsolete engine running even Johnnyrude electric shift lower units can be had for $250.00


You are correct though Smoke the 16 foot Holiday does have a max rating of a 90hp 125hp on that particular boat though is a really good fit.

Good for fishing with a stern mounted trolling motor. Back to Back lounge seats for sunning, and enough power to pull a skier with if desired. It would probably work better if it were a Super Sport but then again I am biased. Ohhh and I am also a wave slapper reformed owner (Tri hull). I managed to find the one in a million that wasn't rotten and ran the dog snot out of it for three years, the dreaded tri hull with electric shift combo.