If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

[projo198]

I bought my boat towards the beginning of this summer, and it was my first. I didn't know much about boats mechanically, but this one started up on muffs and was cheap so I grabbed it up.

In retrospect man there were some serious red flags! Thinking now if I were to go today and look at a boat just like mine was I would say "no thank you" and drive away...

It is an OMC, and the owner couldn't get the boat to shift into drive, only reverse. Also neutral was somewhere in between neutral and full forward.

Though the motor started it was probably idling at around 1500, and when it did go into gear you surely knew it!

I replaced the lower shift cable and started the learning process, but that first day on the water was an eye-opener for me. We ended up tying off, swimming most the day and getting towed back in when we were done. We hadn't made it very far from the ramp lol.

All ended well (Thank God)! After becoming a self-learned boat mechanic (much thanks to this forum) I got the shifting right, fixed some motor issues, aligned the motor and a few other things that have resulted in a great summer and nicely running boat. But it could have been SO MUCH worse.

So now I know what to look for in a new one. Anyone have simiar unlikely success stories when buying a boat?

 

[akorcovelos]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

I bought my 4th boat from a "close family friend" of 17 years. Only boat I didn't take on a water test because he promised me everything was up to snuff and he is a fellow shade tree mechanic. Big mistake. Turns out he didn't properly winterize it, so a new top end and $1k later I learned you can't even trust your "friends" when it comes to buying a boat.

 

[southkogs]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

My current boat (in my signature) was my first swipe at an I/O. I knew next to nothing about them, handn't found these forums yet but had owned a similar OB bowrider for years (I've been around outboard boats and sailboats for a long time).

I wound up getting the boat cheap because it wasn't working quite right. Over the last three years I've become an OMC Electric Shift mechanic, and have had to repair/replace the tilt, steering, upper gear case, head gasket and some trailer work. Oddly, I probably don't have $4K in this boat between purchase, repairs, registration and gas in all the time that I've owned it.

We use it pretty regularly during the summer, and I constantly get people asking me about it at the ramp. All in all, it's worked out pretty well.

 

[projo198]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

akorcovelos; sorry to hear that, but you just prompted me to review the winterizing procedure for mine lol..

southkogs; good stuff. Everyone warned me against buying a boat, but to be honest if you're at least half a mechanic and take the time to learn boat maintenance is pretty affordable. It's the shops that throw your money in the water, not you!

 

[jkust]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

I recall reading something about learning or repeating history. I'm just happy that it didn't turn into a 'and the floor and stringers were rotton' story.

 

[calvinator]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

When I was buying, I focused too heavily on the boat, motor, storage, marina.... Overlooked the trailer. My trailer wound up needing all new brakes, axles, tires, wheels, lights, wiring, coupler, some rollers, winch, safety chain, and paint. The trailer was always a work-in-progress... Should have just ditched it and bought a new one.

 

[wcasey5]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

projo198 your story matches mine almost exactly. I went to a local RV dealer for some parts for my pop-up, and there was this boat sitting in the yard. Shiny, trailer included. Cheap price. It was exactly the type of boat I wanted, except I would have liked an outboard. Cuddy cabin, 3.0 omc, 19 feet, bayliner. It was fiberglass, and it ran, so what could possibly go wrong. After I got it home, I got on the forums and basically sweated until I took it out for its first run. There was a small leak, and it was hard to shift. A couple of the transom bolts were way loose. Some chips in the gel coat where the previous owner must have beached it regularly, and a new lower shift cable. I did all the work myself and learned a ton. Total cost of repairs was under $250 (parts, tool, supplies), I've had the boat out on the chesapeake 9 times this summer and had a ball! Shifts and works fantastic. Total investment under $2K

After hearing all the horror stories, this could have gone wrong very fast. I was lucky. I will enhance my luck by testing the transom this fall, and replace if necessary. The floors are very very solid, by I may replace them and the foam so I can gel coat the floors instead of carpet. I'm very happy. I'm even happier that I got lucky..... with the boat.

 

[emoney]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

Usually, my biggest regrets when it comes to all things boat related pertain to putting off certain projects. I avoided a steering cable on a jet boat because of horror stories I had heard for almost a year. When I finally tackled the project, only took me about an hour. There's plenty other stories like it, but they're all the same "mo"; avoid doing something because I'm afraid I'm not capable, etc. etc. They all send the same message at the end: wow, that wasn't that difficult, why in the heck did you put it off that long dummy?

 

[JEBar]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

my first boat was a preowned v-hull fiberglass speed boat powered by a Merc 50 hp that was purchased in the late 60's from a dealer .... I knew nothing about boats, figured he did .... the first time out that boat taught me about cavitation and second taught me how a large hole can form in the side of the power head when a rod breaks .... took the boat back and the dealer gave me all of my purchase price back against the purchase of another Merc powered preowned boat .... it was a tri-hull which taught me just how rough a boat's ride can be .... third trip out the motor locked up .... back to the dealer .... this time left with a new v-hull powered by an Evinrude .... it would take a bit of thinking to come up with a list of the boats we have owned since .... only one was preowned and it too had serious motor issues .... with my luck, a warranty is a very good thing

Jim

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

i bought a boat and a few red flags were showing but my wife was keen and it was cheap. i couldnt find a soft spot or anything so i was happy. a few weeks later after a fishing trip there seemed to be little white trails in the rear thats painted black then i sore a insect.....after looking on the net it turned out to be a wet wood termite and the boat was infested with them. $1500 later the termites were evicted and im happy as punch as its a great boat for the total amount i have in it. plus i got to buy new tools, learn some neat tricks and learnt alot from my mistakes so it wasnt all bad. great thing is im not longer worried about the boat i know ever nut and bolt so i can relax and have fun and im not worried if it plays up or hits gets a scratch or a chip as i know how to fix it now.

 

[ihaveabrownboat]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

Had one of these stories with a new to me boat this summer too. The Kid thought a boat would be fun and I wasn't that hard to convince. Found an old Mercruiser 165 equipped Glastron for cheap. I knew enough to check out the wood and could readily see some other issues that I knew I could address. Six weeks later had done just about everything to the boat from one end to the other.

Engine block was busted so picked up a salvage short block and rebuilt an engine for it. Gimble bearing, all bellows, shift cable, rebuilt the trim pump, rebuilt the alternator, had the harness out of the boat to clear someone else's attempts at adding things previously, new fuel sending unit, new trim gauge, did a little upholstery repair, bilge blower and pump and a new line from the bilge pump to the fitting, completely resealed the drive and replaced the water pump, and a few other small things I'm probably not thinking of now. Pretty thorough mechanical resto by the time it was done. Oh yeah, and replaced a couple of keel rollers on the trailer, some carpet, replaced the tail lights and pulled new wire in it.

The hull, floor and transom are all good though. Even with all the work still only have about $2500 in the boat. And it's been on the water twice. So far so good. With basic maintenance it should be relatively reliable from here on out. May still have to swap a prop. But that's all that's (hopefully) left to sort out.

 

[eavega]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

I had two lessons in buying motors early on in my boating life. The first motor I bought was a 1960 10 HP Johnson. It was sold to me by a local boat engine mechanic, and he told me the only thing it needed was a diaphragm for the fuel pump. Lets see; new fuel pump, carburetor rebuild, new coils, points, condensers, impeller, reseal the gearcase, new prop, and I had the motor that was promised. The lessons learned was 1. trust but verify ANYTHING a seller tells you, and 2. I did learn the basic systems of a two-stroke outboard, which has served me well with all of my subsequent motors. Each one was a step up from the last, but the basics (ignition, fuel, power, cooling) are all pretty much the same. Well, maybe not ignition. That did change significantly between the 10 HP and the 70 HP.
Now the "trust but verify" lesson was not learned until after the second motor. Seller told me it was a 1973 25 HP motor, and all it needed was a carb cleaning. He had gotten it to run in the past, but had gotten to the point that it wouldn't start anymore because of a dirty carb. Lets see, first of all the motor turned out to be a 1967 20 HP, and that motor took replacing the carburetor (carb body was actually cracked and leaking) re-sealing the lower unit, impeller, new coils, new fuel pump to get it to run.
What I learned from the second one (and have learned a little more from each successive motor and boat I have bought) is if you ask the right questions and don't get a satisfactory response (either a truthful seller that will disclose a potential problem, or a verification that whatever issue you are questioning is not a problem), then the deal is not worth it. Don't be afraid to take a pass if you are unsure about any aspect of the purchase.
For my latest acquisition, I knew going into it I was not going to get a water test (boat was nowhere near the water, seller did not have time to take it to the nearest lake, over an hour away from him). I think I spent about a half hour crawling around the boat, under the boat, inspecting the ski locker, engine space, under seats, etc looking for any signs of rot or failing structure. I spent an additional hour doing compression and spark tests on the motor, running it on flushers until motor came up to temperature, checking fluid levels and conditions, etc. In short, by the time I was ready to lay down money for the boat, I had spent close to two hours going over every inch of the boat and knew more about its condition than the seller did. I should mention that its the second boat I had seen that day, both over an hour from my house, and about 45 min from each other. Can something hidden still be wrong with the boat? Sure, but that may happen with a brand new boat also. I left the seller's home with the boat and the knowledge that I had made as good a purchase as I knew how.

 

[Mad Adder]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

LOL, ok here goes....

I bought a 1980 MFG Gypsy 15' with trailer for $500. It turned over, but didn't run. After weks of messing with it, I got it running after buying a Power Pack (didn't need to), chasing all the wiring (nothing really fixed) and learning not to "over prime' the engine. Once I got it running, I found that the lower unit did not work. I pulled the unit to find the gears were broke....as in split in half.
I bought a used lower unit and had it running.
I went to take it out.....and the trailer studs fell out one by one. I ended up buying all new studs and new tires and rims to replace the old weathered ones. I planned on doing this next year, but figured I would knock it off at once. Never made it to water that day.
First time out, it overheated. Back home, I found out that I missed the water pump with the tube. After setting it up right, I ran it on the muffs for about 15 minutes.
First time on the river, I asked for directions out from the launch (I heard there was a path to follow to get up stream) and the douche bag gave me directions to run across and hug the right side. This ran me right into the shallows. When the guy pulled out himself, he ran right up the middle. I was not impressed and not had a broken boat again.
Turns out the top of the shaft where it is splined broke right off (1971 50 hp Johnson).
So, at the end of the season, I have two broken lowers to build into one. I was on the water twice, both times for less than five minutes, and am now a total of $1500 into this project, including new seats and safety stuff.

Yea, if I knew what I know now, I would not have bought it. The up side is that I have learned a lot and got a great deal of advice from members on this board!!!! Here's to next year!:facepalm:

 

[emoney]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

(Ok, since no one else is going to take this opportunity, I suppose I will)

"....my wife an engagement ring!" Ok, ok, make that "FIRST WIFE!!". Buwahahahahahaha

 

[DDameron]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

Thought I would throw a little comedy in this thread

I purchased my fist boat out of someone's back yard while doing a property survey for them...
I asked the wife, home alone at the time, if she would be willing to part with the boat that appears to have not moved in years, parked under her tree in the back yard...
She proclaimed "TAKE IT! Get it out of here!"...
I asked her to discuss this with her husband and call me at their earliest convenience...
The husband called me that night and told me "The wife said you want to purchase our boat? I bought a Harley 3 years ago and have not touched the boat since... if you pay off what I owe on it, you can have it!" I asked how much, and he paused for a few and came back with "I owe $340 bucks on the aluminum trailer I purchased new, the year I parked it! Give me that, and it's yours!"
I accepted and he even put new trailer lights on it before I made it back to their house
So.. in short, I bought a new aluminum trailer & my first boat for $340 & about $100 worth of materials to get in cleaned up, gummed up carbs and bad gas... pics below of before's and afters... long story short, approximately $450 got me and the friends on the water for better than 2 years without a hitch


P.S. After cleaning this mess up, I found, burried under a foot of pine needles, under the dash, a brand new, still in the plastic, boat cover...

 

[ricohman]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

Oh yes......
Bought a Starcraft Capri 15 with an 80hp Merc outboard.
Dragged it home.
Went to repack the bearings and found out they were rust and dust. The spindles were ruined.
Remove axle, buy new axle, torch off spring perches and weld them to the new axle and reinstall.
No trailer lights....another few hours of work
Boat is on the water but it stalls at low speeds.
Rebuild fuel pump, rebuild carbs
Still stalling, and now running on three cyclinders.
Repair wiring harness.
Up and running.
Have an onboard fire! The dummy who installed the fish finder used lamp cord and no fuse!
Running again.
Power trim quit in the up position when we beached.
Lie on my back in the bilge scum and repair wiring to pump.
Take her home. Sell the boat and buy new.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

I got lucky as well although I was prepared for disappointment. My current boat was listed at $1800. It was gutted and was going to be a restoration project. It was the hull I wanted, the trailer looked good, and the motor was a good one with power TnT. I would have paid the $1800 but I would have wanted to test fire the motor. However, I offered $1000 and the seller accepted my offer. For that price I didn't test a thing. Just hitched her up and drug her home. Once home I hooked up a battery and some fuel and tried to start the motor. It cranked but no fire. Squirted some gas in the carbs and it fired and quickly died. Did about the most troubleshooting I'm capable of performing and found mud bee deposits in the fuel line just inside the connector. Cleaned out that and she fired right up. I was pretty stoked at that point.

 

[akorcovelos]

Re: If I knew what I know now I would not have bought my boat, but I got lucky....

I bought my 4th boat from a "close family friend" of 17 years. Only boat I didn't take on a water test because he promised me everything was up to snuff and he is a fellow shade tree mechanic. Big mistake. Turns out he didn't properly winterize it, so a new top end and $1k later I learned you can't even trust your "friends" when it comes to buying a boat.

Just an update on this post. I had the drive pulled at the end of the season to find the PO had tried replacing the bellows, key word 'tried'...another $1k later and I have new gimble, bellows, U-joints, lower shift cable, and fuel level sensor. Funny how fast a $5k boat turns into an $8k boat....