Greetings All,
I have been reading the posts in these forums for the last 5 hours and all I can say is wow! A week ago, I was looking for a hobby and now I own a 1968 Sears 15' runabout, a Crestliner 16' Apollo and a 1964 Johnson Meteor 90 hp. This was all by accident: the Sears was listed under hot tubs on ebay (I was looking for a birthday present for my wife.) I won it for $9.99. It is in pretty good condition and was listed as a tiki bar/hot tub for humor. I needed a trailer, so I kept hunting. I ended up using a $30 U-haul flatbed to get it home. Then I won the '79 Crestliner with a great trailer, 3 new gas cans, new top, battery, nets, etc. for $51.57. Now the backyard is full of boats, but no motors. Rude awakening: motors can cost way more than boats. Hours of ebay listings going far out of budget and new/rebuilt prices I can't even mention to my better half. Then everyone blinks on a listing (happens frequently) and I end up with a '64 Johnson that has good compression (supposedly) and cranks, but needs a distributor for $10.50 (I see an ebay one for $75.).
The boats are in good shape. The '68 Sears has a solid floor, but the rear bench is VERY soft. The Crestliner bow rider floor has been replaced and it can probably get by this season with a cleaning and wiring check/installation (the owner was currently using it for fishing with a Yamaha 90.) Out of all the questions I have, the most pressing is how to get the Johnson home (I have seen the jokes on other posts already...)
Can I carry the Meteor in the back of my '93 Explorer or should I rent a little U-haul trailer for the 400 mile round trip (always a catch)? And, since I think the motor weighs around 200 lbs, do I need to make/buy an engine hoist to get it out of however I move it or can it be muscled around safely?
Thanks for reading the long post!
I have been reading the posts in these forums for the last 5 hours and all I can say is wow! A week ago, I was looking for a hobby and now I own a 1968 Sears 15' runabout, a Crestliner 16' Apollo and a 1964 Johnson Meteor 90 hp. This was all by accident: the Sears was listed under hot tubs on ebay (I was looking for a birthday present for my wife.) I won it for $9.99. It is in pretty good condition and was listed as a tiki bar/hot tub for humor. I needed a trailer, so I kept hunting. I ended up using a $30 U-haul flatbed to get it home. Then I won the '79 Crestliner with a great trailer, 3 new gas cans, new top, battery, nets, etc. for $51.57. Now the backyard is full of boats, but no motors. Rude awakening: motors can cost way more than boats. Hours of ebay listings going far out of budget and new/rebuilt prices I can't even mention to my better half. Then everyone blinks on a listing (happens frequently) and I end up with a '64 Johnson that has good compression (supposedly) and cranks, but needs a distributor for $10.50 (I see an ebay one for $75.).
The boats are in good shape. The '68 Sears has a solid floor, but the rear bench is VERY soft. The Crestliner bow rider floor has been replaced and it can probably get by this season with a cleaning and wiring check/installation (the owner was currently using it for fishing with a Yamaha 90.) Out of all the questions I have, the most pressing is how to get the Johnson home (I have seen the jokes on other posts already...)
Can I carry the Meteor in the back of my '93 Explorer or should I rent a little U-haul trailer for the 400 mile round trip (always a catch)? And, since I think the motor weighs around 200 lbs, do I need to make/buy an engine hoist to get it out of however I move it or can it be muscled around safely?
Thanks for reading the long post!
