A new owner in the making

[dave603]

It being from Connecticut, One BIG question to ask him is if it was always run in Saltwater.
I had an old 84 Cruiser that was, nothing but headaches with overheating, even after we tore the engine apart.

[BroadHopper]

I bought plenty of used boats and this is my take.

Fresh water only! I bought some boats that were used in salt water and the corrosion problems were a pain. Even if it is a closed cooling system

Survey! Definitely have to boat surveyed by a reliable independent marine surveyor. I call my insurance company and they have a list.

History! Check out the history of the builder, who owned or built the boats during the year of manufacturer. What were the reviews? You can find the answers by Googling. You will find boat quality varies from year to year because of economy, owners etc.

Quality! Obviously a Thunderbird/Falcon/Formula boat is top notched while an older Bayliner will give you headache. You may pay a bit more for a higher end boat, but you save money on the long run.

[Ken]

I have rebuilt a classic g3. Replaced the transom, stringers, defects from the original mold etc. Old boats can be a tremendous amount of work and expense. I did mine because I wanted a g3 like I had when I was a kid on the lake. It was a love of the boat. If you are not prepared to work and work and work, then do not get a old boat. They can be a huge money pit. If you are doing it like I did as a project, then go for it.

[PatriotsFan]

I really appreciate all the friendly responses and I enjoyed reading all of your headaches lol. I bought the Jeep a few years ago, rebuilt it from the ground up and now I am having issues with my past life in the military catching up to me. So I am getting rid of her. I am now thinking I dont want the headaches of a boat lol. Im going to sit and think about it. Thanks everybody.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by PatriotsFan

I really appreciate all the friendly responses and I enjoyed reading all of your headaches lol. I bought the Jeep a few years ago, rebuilt it from the ground up and now I am having issues with my past life in the military catching up to me. So I am getting rid of her. I am now thinking I dont want the headaches of a boat lol. Im going to sit and think about it. Thanks everybody.

Aluminum boats with outboard power may not look flashy, but they rarely have structural issues, are very easy to maintain, and hold their value very well. My advice would be to start with one of those and see if you like it.

[tis]

If you rebuilt the jeep yourself, it seems like you are pretty capable so couldn't you fix any issues that you might have on a boat? I bought a brand new jet boat and used it for a couple of weeks and the engine blew so I was without it all that summer. So you can have issues, new or used.

[BroadHopper]

Originally Posted by Dave R

Aluminum boats with outboard power may not look flashy, but they rarely have structural issues, are very easy to maintain, and hold their value very well. My advice would be to start with one of those and see if you like it.

Or an all fiberglass boat such as a Boston Whaler, very little maintenance!

[MOXIE]

Dave R is correct. Sunbird boats are the cheapest built boats out there. I have a friend who got a brand new one in 93 ($14,000) and five yrs later he sold it for $2500. He used it mostly in the salt, washed it after every trip and the stringers rotted. The gas tank leaked and when he pulled the hatch, he found the rot. Every screw came loose. Junk boat.
Jeeps are easy to swap, find another boat that was a fresh water boat. If this boat is in Conn, I would bet it has a lot of salt in it's past. Good luck.
MOXIE

[RLW]

PatriotsFan, I was just browsing through the forum and noticed that you are fairly new to posting on the forum and glad you have joined us. Have fun and enjoy the Winni Forum while making many new friends.

[TiltonBB]

I agree with staying away from boats that have been used in salt water. It seems that once the corrosion starts there is no stopping it.

There is a magazine with a great website that calls itself "The Voice of The Great Lakes". It is Lakeland Boating.com. They have a boat search section with thousands of freshwater boats.

In 1996 I bought a large boat on Lake Ontario and had Miles Marine haul it to the lake. I sold it in 2003 for all that I had invested, including the trucking and the cost of having air conditioning installed. It is not often that it works out that way but if you spend some time looking there are some great deals to be found.

And, it was a good excuse to take vacations to the Thousand Islands area to go boat shopping.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

I agree with staying away from boats that have been used in salt water. It seems that once the corrosion starts there is no stopping it.

There is a magazine with a great website that calls itself "The Voice of The Great Lakes". It is Lakeland Boating.com. They have a boat search section with thousands of freshwater boats.

In 1996 I bought a large boat on Lake Ontario and had Miles Marine haul it to the lake. I sold it in 2003 for all that I had invested, including the trucking and the cost of having air conditioning installed. It is not often that it works out that way but if you spend some time looking there are some great deals to be found.

And, it was a good excuse to take vacations to the Thousand Islands area to go boat shopping.

I bought mine in Indiana 10 years ago and it was in awesome shape, no regrets at all.

Coincidentally, I plan to trailer mine out to the 1000 Islands for a multi-day trip aboard the boat. It's a shame NH does not allow overnight anchoring.

[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by Dave R

I bought mine in Indiana 10 years ago and it was in awesome shape, no regrets at all.

Coincidentally, I plan to trailer mine out to the 1000 Islands for a multi-day trip aboard the boat. It's a shame NH does not allow overnight anchoring.

If you are near Alexandria Bay, NY you should visit: http://www.boldtcastle.com. You can take your boat there or take a tour boat. It is quite impressive and the boathouse that was built for a sail boat is huge.

The boathouse building is very interesting and really like a boat museum. They call it a "Yachthouse". It must be a New York thing. The picture on their website does not do it justice. There are at least 10 restored boats of many different sizes inside.

The last time I towed a boat to Alexandria Bay it was about a 7 hour drive. It was interesting once you got off the interstate. A lot of small towns, farms and a different way of life. One of the ways to get there involves a lot of miles on roads along the St. Lawrence.

Winnipesaukee connection: Dave is taking his lake boat there!

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

If you are near Alexandria Bay, NY you should visit: http://www.boldtcastle.com. You can take your boat there or take a tour boat. It is quite impressive and the boathouse that was built for a sail boat is huge.

That's on the list of things to do. Hoping to do around 75 to 100 miles of cruising per day and lots of sight seeing during and in between. Did Narragansett Bay 3 years ago, Lake George 2 years ago, and a 210 mile cruise down the Hudson River around NYC and back last year. They are all great places to boat, but Winnipesaukee is still my favorite place, by far. It has the best of all of them and I'm glad it's also the most convenient.

Thinking 1000 Islands will be similar to Winni, but on a bigger scale. I love having a boat I can trailer easily, cruise at 35 MPH all day, and sleep aboard. I would not like to be land-locked in one lake. I like to explore...