Dart?

[boatingbob]

I have a fiberglass boat that needs some work and I want to know if it's work the effort. Has anyone heard of a Dart boat? it's not those fancy wooden Dart boats I find on a search. I believe it says Explorer on the side plate. Basically it's just short of 14' and it has a covered bow. I have a 1962 40 horse Johnson on it and want to pull skiers and cruise, maybe fish also. So if you have any ideas if it's worth fixing or if you have another boat style/size that would better suit my motor and needs.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Dart?

Bob, how about some pictures. it comes down to all restorations. do you really like it, enough to spend the money and time. a 150 to 200 lb person is going to have to use 2 ski's to get up. great for teaching kids to ski.

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Dart?

Tashasdaddy is right. If you like the way the boat looks and it's overall layout, then by all means restore it. If it's really rotten inside (floor, stringers, transom) it will be a lot of work. If you're a bit iffy on the boat, it might be best to find another project, there are lots of old boats that need some TLC.

As for the 40HP, it will certainly pull a skiier in a small boat like that. In my opinion, it's about as low of a HP boat as you'd want to use for skiing behind, and will take a bit of work on the skiiers end to get up.

All-in-all, if this is one of your first boats, you can get a good feel for restoration, spend some time on the water, and catch a severe case of two-footitis!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Dart?

this is now a double post.