JimKW
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2009
- Messages
- 397
I was not planning on buying a boat. We had had one when our kids were smaller like teen and pre-teen years and enjoyed it while living in Northern Virginia. Well I was looking to buy a sports car, something like a Honda S2000. My wife said ?why don?t you get a boat instead?. I hadn?t really even thought of getting one, but you know started looking around to see what was available and how much I would have to spend to get something I liked. I had done just enough boating to know I didn?t want something drastically under powered like my Welcraft 196 with the Merc 470 was.
I was really looking at smaller boats with the 3.0L 4-cylinder, because that is what I could tow with my 98 Volvo V70 which had a factory tow rating of around 3300 lbs. I was trying to stay under 2500 lbs. The problem was I saw this Crownline 180BR with the 4.3L V6, but knew it was too much for me to tow. So then I start looking at bigger vehicles to tow with, and realize I can not buy any of the vehicles I am looking at and the boat. I would have been pushing $25 to 30K which was WAY out of my ballpark.
Then I decide I will sell the Volvo and buy a replacement vehicle for whatever I can get out of the Volvo. So I found a 98 GMC Envoy with a salvage title for $3500 and it has a towing rating of 5,000 lbs. So I call the guy up with the Crownline to see if it?s still available. It had been two weeks or more since I talked to him. I kept looking at all these other boats and almost bought one that I didn?t like near as much, but could be towed with my Volvo.
The guy with the Crownline was on vacation and would not be back until the weekend and he was taking another guy who has looked at it out when he gets back. Well somehow I convinced him that I had looked at it first and should have first dibs and that I wanted to buy it contingent on a test run on the water. I offered him $2k less than he was asking and he agreed to the price and that we would go out on it Saturday with the understanding it was mine unless I found something wrong with it which would negate the deal.
In the meantime I go look at the Envoy and buy it right on the spot using a PayPal account on the sellers computer right in his living room. My son in law and I drive it home that night. The boat is great and I buy it too and then sell the Volvo for $3600.
All because my wife said ?why don?t you by a boat instead of a sports car?. Maybe that?s why I have kept her around for 33 years.
We have enjoyed the heck out of the boat. My kids and grandkids love going out on the boat with Gigi and Papa Jim. And Papa Jim loves going out on it all by himself too. The really good part is that I can be in the water in less than a half hour from leaving my house. The place we go regularly is not a great place, but the water is clean and it?s close. Just wish it was a little bigger.
I was really looking at smaller boats with the 3.0L 4-cylinder, because that is what I could tow with my 98 Volvo V70 which had a factory tow rating of around 3300 lbs. I was trying to stay under 2500 lbs. The problem was I saw this Crownline 180BR with the 4.3L V6, but knew it was too much for me to tow. So then I start looking at bigger vehicles to tow with, and realize I can not buy any of the vehicles I am looking at and the boat. I would have been pushing $25 to 30K which was WAY out of my ballpark.
Then I decide I will sell the Volvo and buy a replacement vehicle for whatever I can get out of the Volvo. So I found a 98 GMC Envoy with a salvage title for $3500 and it has a towing rating of 5,000 lbs. So I call the guy up with the Crownline to see if it?s still available. It had been two weeks or more since I talked to him. I kept looking at all these other boats and almost bought one that I didn?t like near as much, but could be towed with my Volvo.
The guy with the Crownline was on vacation and would not be back until the weekend and he was taking another guy who has looked at it out when he gets back. Well somehow I convinced him that I had looked at it first and should have first dibs and that I wanted to buy it contingent on a test run on the water. I offered him $2k less than he was asking and he agreed to the price and that we would go out on it Saturday with the understanding it was mine unless I found something wrong with it which would negate the deal.
In the meantime I go look at the Envoy and buy it right on the spot using a PayPal account on the sellers computer right in his living room. My son in law and I drive it home that night. The boat is great and I buy it too and then sell the Volvo for $3600.
All because my wife said ?why don?t you by a boat instead of a sports car?. Maybe that?s why I have kept her around for 33 years.
We have enjoyed the heck out of the boat. My kids and grandkids love going out on the boat with Gigi and Papa Jim. And Papa Jim loves going out on it all by himself too. The really good part is that I can be in the water in less than a half hour from leaving my house. The place we go regularly is not a great place, but the water is clean and it?s close. Just wish it was a little bigger.
