Hourston 172," Was this a good buy

[Bruce 09]

Hello New to the forum and I am looking to start saltwater fishing . first boat other than my little fly fishing boats .
I have been doing research and have decided on a Hourston or Double Eagle.
My friend bought this boat on an auction for me . So my dilema is I was going to go get it but now he has giving me the option of him keeping it . So my question is,is this a good buy? I thought it was originally but unknown engine condition Has me second guessing
I have to make my decision in the next few days
Here is a link to the boat
https://www.gcsurplus.ca/mn-eng.cfm...=1&str=1&ltnf=1&lcn=291295&lct=L&sf=ferm-clos

Thanks in advance. Any opinions or advice appreciated

 

[Fish Assassin]

I am not clicking till someone else does......

 

[Hookin'up]

link is safe.
Govt of Canada auction site.
looks like a great buy BUT lots of unknown conditions

 

[Fish Assassin]

Looks like a fishing machine.... I like it. That's a great price.

Thanks for checking that link out Hookin'up... Nervous being it was his first post.

 

[trophywife]

looks great.. get the motor scanned, tune er up ,,give er..

 

[Peahead]

Its a commercial so likely lots of hours on motor and certainly on boat. If the boat is sound and the motor has average hours and good compression its a good deal. If not, it could be anything from a decent deal to a bad mistake unless you check it out properly.... because essentially you are buying blind and taking a big risk. Big risks can have big rewards or big failures........as said above, have motor checked by mechanic if at all possible before you decide and I'd do a survey if you don't have anyone you know that can check it out for you - moisture reading from transom wood etc.

 

[saltydawg]

This Hourston hull is very sea worthy for 1 or 2 people. I had the same in soft top. Great fishing hull for our waters. The motor is the question though. You won't know until you get it checked out. cost you a couple of hundred bucks. If the motor lets you fish for 3 or 4 years. Hurray! But if you have to spend a bunch of money or if the motor is worn out.....not so good.

 

[Bruce 09]

Hello everybody .
Thanks for the replies I really appreciate it.
Sad it is so far away and I kinda have to make my decision final before my buddy takes it. We are both on the fence, but once a decision is made I cant back out,him the same.
As far as survey, I cant. With that year of boat whats the odds of having stringers and transom wet ? lets say engine was toast, any value in it ? rebuilding or selling for parts .
Is the boat and trailer worth it as is, then and just re-power
It is only for me and one other person most of the time, so the size seems ok. The 17'2" model looks like a lot more of a hull than the older 17' I was looking at locally earlier .
Also whats the headroom at entrance on these? The Older 80's 17' I looked at was kinda low
thanks again

 

[Dogbreath]

Let him keep it-too old/too many unknowns as detailed above you could easily be in for another 10 grand if things go south.

 

[Birdsnest]

If the motor runs well yay!!! If not, Boooo!!! Pretty simple really. Lucky it is a 17' with a hard top. Nice to have on the west coast. Those older hulls are made with allot of glass so they are generally tough even with rotten stringers and they are usually rotten or soaked. But there are limits. You can tell when you run them in chop what is going on.
Id be interested if anyone here has run a boat with a soft floor and bottom. Back in the day I did and those boats are all still in service.

 

[Mighty Sylvan]

Yank the equity out of your house and buy a new boat. Your wife will leave you but you will have a nice boat.

 

[Rum Buddies]

Its a commercial so likely lots of hours on motor and certainly on boat.

I was gonna say, looks like that boat has been beat to hell for a 1995 - but the price is certainly right and there's not much to those boats, it can all be fixed with a little cash. Just make sure the stringers and transom are good, the other stuff is easy.

 

[calmsea]

The value is in the engine, not so much the hull. You could get lucky with the stringers and transom. Being a 1995 it should not be all rotten if it was not grossly neglected and beat up. Typically after 30 years you see the wood falling apart no matter how you store your boat or keep it dry. But if you are somewhat handy and don't mind getting your hands dirty you can fix that yourself should it turn out to be bad. And it doesn't have to be right away as a Hourston can take some beating even with rotten wood. I think you are going to like this boat. And even if the engine has some issues, 2 strokes are not too hard to work on and a replacement used 2 stroke in the worst case that this Envinrude packs it in soon is not a bank breaker these days. Go for it, I say.

 

[Fishbreath]

If I read the ad correct the Boat is in Ontario. If that is the case, don't forget to factor in the cost and or time to get it back to BC

 

[Gear'n'beer!]

Not too sure why the gel coat would be worn off that high on the bow? if it was close it would be a good deal but that is a long way to trailer a boat in the winter...... Hell of a lot of fuel and rock chips. You probably can't find that deal here but it's not here. If you are in Ontario go for it, otherwise the time money etc doesn't make sense.

 

[Fish Assassin]

Put it on a train or contact a transport company. Bet you could get it out here if you tried for under $500

 

[jeffywestcoast]

I think it most likely is not a bad deal, it was an ex-fisheries boat though so it could have some bad JUJU, it has wear on the bow and the giant rub rail like a tug boat from sneaking up and rafting other boats 5K doesn't get you a lot here so I think your friend was pulling a solid for ya and this could be a decent fishing boat with a few upgrades. hopefully it works out for you this turns out to be a excellent westcoast boat.

 

[Bruce 09]

Hello everyone. I have decided to take it.
I have been looking for that same hull for a few months when I decided I wanted to some some fishing,or exploring here . I was wanting a 17.2 or 18.2 hardtop without cuddy but couldnt find any where. looking for similar double eagles as well . I had looked at a lot of older 17' but the newer 17.2 seemed to have a lot more space and capacity .
I am out here five months or so a year and stay on the island for half that , and year did a month on Haida as well. I have been working back in Sask for the rest.
I Stayed out here this winter though and want to start fishing in the next month or so.
I bid on it when I was going to be in Sask for Christmas visiting but lost the bid and figured it was gone. I came back here and the guy I had been talking to said the original guy couldnt come up with the money so after a few weeks I was awarded it. But now I was 1500 kilometers further away from it.
I know I am taking a chance especially on the motor was supposedly running but they cant confirm hours. But after looking for months everywhere close I am not convinced in the next month or so I can find anything comparable that doesn't need re powered, or podded then re powered anyway.
I am going to be looking at transport now, either truck or train heard some good deals potentially , or I think I will take a trip, not the best time of year but not a big deal. I don't mind the long trips and can do some sight seeing and visiting along the way and I have some time off as well .

If anyone has any good ideas on hauling it though, I would love to hear them.

I do really appreciate all the input everyone put in .

 

[Fish Assassin]

Get new wheel bearings and start the move. I think it's going to be a great boat. Bet most of those marks polish out.

 

[Bruce 09]

Yeah there are some funny location excessive wear marks on a few spots and one of the caretakers says it is really clean every where else and the corners and floor had no cracks anywhere he went and did some jump tests and thinks it is solid but again who knows. He felt it really looks clean otherwise . The big black rub rail does not look the greatest but probably works well I have some ideas anyway to customize it I am looking forward to working on it . I think the seats should be pretty good though for what I want to use it for, don't know what they are really , or if they are any good or not but right style anyway