search for a new to me boat

[Kroussin]

this thread stems from my previous (is this a mirrocraft). The deal on that boat fell thru so i am now still on the hunt for a descent boat.

situation and critereia. currently in the process of trying to sell my beloved wedding gift (from 5 years ago). I have sat down and talked with the wife in great detail about it.
It is a 2007 drz 400 E. i rode it alot the first three years i had it. was by far my favorite thingto do. however on year number 4 we got the news that our family is gonna be getting bigger and I couldnt be happeir,

1. i dont want to deal with a soggy hull so it will need to be aluminum.
2. tow vehicles arent the best as the wife drives a grand cherokee (wk) with the small v-6 and is gutless. and i drive a truck that handles like a sailboat
3. i do quite a bit of fishing but the wife inst much for it so it will have to be able to do both o.k.
alot of smaller lakes close to me that I like to fish so size will be a concern however have a camp on lake michigan so ide still like it to be able to handle some chop if i get caught out in a storm.

pictures of the equipment.









extended story on the bike if you wish to read it. i spent more time riding the bike when i was than I had working on the house so remodeling of my soon to come sons room began as soon as we found out he was coming that evolved into remodeling the entire upstairs of my house. project turned out nice. son came and life was good. but i just couldnt seem to get back on the bike, had no motivation to do so and would rather run around playing with my son or take the family out in the truck which i also built when i found out he was coming as my last truck was a regular cab short box set up vvery similar. i droped a good deal of money on the bike trying to get myself amped up...nope no go. so i came to the conclusion to put it up for sale. but I have a rule of eliminating toy's i cant do it i have to either upgrade them or swap out for a different toy. so i began searching for a new(to me boat) i currently have a 14' lowe with a mariner 9.9 small fishing boat. using this its hard to get the family involved as the wife isnt much for fishing and the son is too young. i will likely sell this after i get a little bigger boat.

 

[Kroussin]

Re: search for a new to me boat

when I get some time i'm going to call this guy.

http://northernwi.craigslist.org/boa/3112065055.html

 

[jestor68]

Re: search for a new to me boat

when I get some time i'm going to call this guy.

http://northernwi.craigslist.org/boa/3112065055.html
View attachment 155678

If you wait too long, I suspect it will be gone.

 

[Kroussin]

Re: search for a new to me boat

i suspect it may be gone by the time I sell the bike but i want to know whats out there once the bike does go. which ide love to see go TODAY!!!

 

[Kroussin]

Re: search for a new to me boat

well plans are set into action. guy is VERY intrested in my bike. at this point in time im willing to wheel and deal. bike has been for sale for a month and no one has even taken a test ride. buncha tire kickin strokers tho. so I am headed down on the 4th bright and early in the morning. gonna try and meet up with him before he has to be in this parade. yet i still want to take it for a descent ride before i pull the trigger. so hope all goes well. I havent been so excited for the 4th of july since I was 5!!!

 

[rivermouse]

Re: search for a new to me boat

If I were looking for another boat the one you found would do me fine. I would want to at least hear the engine run first.

 

[laserbrn]

Re: search for a new to me boat

Ya know what's funny? I feel like all the time people come on here looking for the WRONG boats, but they just can't stop themselves from buying it. All the "seasoned" guys come on and tell'em if you're going to spend < $5000.00 on an old boat your best off with an aluminum. Your best off with aluminum for a lot more money, but below $5000.00 it gets REAL hard to buy a boat that isn't to some extent rotted out or in need of a lot of help.

You found a gem here my friend. That boat looks like exactly what you are and SHOULD be looking for!

So is the guy who is selling the boat interesting in trading straight up for the bike? Is that what's going on here now?

 

[Kroussin]

Re: search for a new to me boat

yep as of right now its a stright up trade. think he might be getting the better end of the deal but i'm o.k. with that as long as the boat isnt a complete turd. i do understand that within my price range i am definatley going to have to do some work but again i'm o.k. with that as long as the motor doesnt completely give up on me.

transom is siad to have been replaced 5 years ago but how was it replaced as in what did they use. and the floor is aparently solid but no idea on any foam issues so i'll delv into that once i get it

 

[laserbrn]

Re: search for a new to me boat

Just make sure you run a compression test on the motor and that it runs right. If the compression test is good, then really there's only a few things that could be wrong and they shouldn't be that spendy to get fixed.

I have to think that trading your DRZ for an $1800 boat would seem silly. If your bike was more like a 2000 DRZ 400 I could see it. He should have to throw down a little cash on this deal. The DRZ isn't the most sought after model, but someone out there will pay you for it, c'mon.

 

[Kroussin]

Re: search for a new to me boat

i feel the same way but the bike market is VERY saturated up here right now. lots of mx bikes the kids are after and lots of street legal dual sports the adults want. not many people lookin for a "trail only" bike. when i bought this bike it was exactly what i wanted. didnt want the maintenance of the high strung bikes but didnt want the overly tame street version. i have had a lot of fun riding it for the years that i did. but it's time too move on. I put it up for sale roughly a month ago and have had one offer of 2200$ keep in mind its listed for 2500 firm. i shoulda taken the money. but i told him i would think bout it and call him the next day. called to tell him o.k. but it was too late he bought the same year crf 450 for 2000$ and treated it like he was rubing it in my face. my only reply was nice bike but HIGH maintenance.

 

[Kroussin]

Re: search for a new to me boat

If the guy tries to dicker me AT ALL or if somthing is amiss with the boat i do have the willpower to walk away!
bringing my brother-in law with me as he is my go to boat guy even tho he hates boats.

one thing to remember is the bike isnt PERFECT.
it could use a rear fender as the current one has a crack that has been saftey wired to keep it from spreading
the chain is going to need to be replaced next year (if he rides ALL summer)
and the battery is currently flat from sitting for the past two years.

 

[BonairII]

Re: search for a new to me boat

I would def assume that the bike market is soft right now....as is the boat market. The trade sounds okay to me.

The longer the bike is on the market, the less you'll get for it anyway.

 

[Kroussin]

Re: search for a new to me boat

everyone keeps telling me they think its worth 2500-3000 but they dont want to buy it for that. trust me ide rather sell it for 2200 drive down there buy his boat and pocket the leftover money. I really would but that just aint workin out for me.

 

[BonairII]

Re: search for a new to me boat

Are there any similar bikes for sale in your area, so you can gauge the price range for your bike?

 

[Kroussin]

Re: search for a new to me boat

yes & no. their are "S" models which are typically more valuable due to street legal. i had gauge my price off them bikes that might fall in the same catagory and obviously condition of my bike. tell ya what tho all it takes is a good quick rip on the bike to make me wonder bout throwing back in the basement for another couple years so needless to say once we get their and before i even look at the bike i'm gonna go for a 30sec shrat than go look at the boat. make sure my mind is in the right place and not overthinking the 95 deg and obnoxious humidity

 

[sasada]

Re: search for a new to me boat

Kroussion...I have to admit I love this thread! I personally spend too dam much money on my toys n don't use them much at all. I have a fishing boat that gets used one time per year then sits till I go back to Canada the next. We have had great boating weather n my pleasure boat has not even been started for over a month. This thread is what it's all about! I wish u and your fam the best in finding the right boat. Good luck n be sure the merc is a strong runner.

 

[laserbrn]

Re: search for a new to me boat

I just can't believe a 2007 DRZ is only worth $1800.00. I just have a HARD time swallowing that, but in reality if you get something you'll actually use does it really matter if it was a dollar for dollar trade? If the boat gets used more than the bike and you and your family can enjoy it together it's really worth more than the bike.

I'd be upset at the used bike market I guess, but seems like a few years ago $2000 would buy you an '89 KX 250, lol. Good luck, I hope that boat is in pretty damn good shape.

 

[Kroussin]

Re: search for a new to me boat

when you want a bike they are all top dollar when you sell a bike no one wants to spend anything.


WELL THE HUNT IS OVER!!!

picked up the 18' starcraft. drove most of the day today to go and get it cuz im impatient and oncall next weekend. so made the trek gave her a quick splash and she handles well. runs o.k. GREAT compression (120 all4) but needs to be ran. has a hesitation when you punch it yet it doesnt seem to matter where you are in the rpm range when you do just stumbles, bring her up in r's slow and she go's good. tops out about 32 with two guys in it (435-450 lbs) and that is according to the original speedometer in the boat.


K. im off to take it out for another spin!
i'll be the guy driving like he has no idea where he is going and at speeds varying from the smell of fart to wide open. hopefully there arnt too many boats out with these sweltering temps and holiday ()shyeah like that's really the case()

 

[Kroussin]

Re: search for a new to me boat

well it didnt sink and came back to the dock under it's own power. i love it. didnt cause any accidents or get any glares from other boaters. went to the first launch and was busy as heck. so decided to check a different lake and were only 2 other boats on the lake. had an awsome time and made it back to the ramp just before a storm hit (reports called for sunshine all day).

I now have a list of things that need to be addressed most of them minor and 2 minor/major area's
1. reverse wouldnt engage when i came back to the ramp to load up.
2. hesitation bared its head badly at the end of the ride and boat wouldnt pull out of the hole. (also had several people onboard) took back out with 2 again and was either GREAT or struggled to stay on plane while doing sprints back and forth.

get it figured out all in due time
gonna slap a coat of paint on the old lowe along with an old monkey ward motor i have in the basement and throw a for sale sign on her.

I know. i'm not wearing my life jacket on a new to me boat. i screwed up and set a bad example for my family and everyone on the boat.


B.I.L. driving

 

[Kroussin]

Re: search for a new to me boat

Thanks to everyone that gave me advice and convincing me to go 18'. so happy with the decision right now. there is soo much dang room in the back it's not even funny.