Yea it looks like someone did a very partial repair crap job at some point and put a deck on top of the mess. Something you may have not considered is that if that is an original under deck Al tank of that vintage, there is a good chance that it also is close to done even if it is not yet leaking. Last year we removed and replaced the AL under deck fuel tank in our 1983 boat and also the entire fuel supply system. In order to get one that would fit we had to have the tank custom made by a small shipyard to DOT specs. We went top end on all the system components and the total bill was about $2500.00 and that was with us doing all the work except building the tank. It is a bigger boat so it would have a bigger tank and cost a little bit more than your boat, but still, it gives you an idea of just what it costs to fix up older boats if they are in bad shape and have not been maintained, repaired and updated over the years. Beyond the hull, motor and drive you could spend another 12,000. and up turning it or any similar boat into a fishing machine. If you were going to spend a lot of time in it fishing I would want a hard top or at least a canvas over frame top, because without it you will either be frozen in the winter or baked and sun burnt in the summer.
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Raab
Member
Yeah im pretty bummed about it i was willing to spend up to 3k to replace transom but I guess someone is looking after my wallet lol. Now that this boat is a no go what can i get for 3k? I wanna just use something to go fishing in and go crabbing. ??
brutus
Well-Known Member
at 3k,you going to have to shop around,remember BOAT means bring on another thousand,maintenance alone is at least a 1000$ a year.AS far as older boats Fiberglass over wood,almost all of them are rotten 80% anyway,i have looked at 15 plus boats in the last 3 year and 14 of them where rotten in one way or another,some of them just the smell of rotting wood was so obvious that it took me 3 seconds to walk away,(did not want a project)and my budget was $40000$,got my boat in the states for a good price,solid hull but still ended up spending lots of $ to get it where it needed to be.Good luck and shop around there is decent boats at 3000$ smaller boats,main thing is don t buy if it smell rotten unless you want a project
brutus
Well-Known Member
where are you located?
Raab
Member
Corey_lax
Crew Member
You'll be able to find something. Just have to find someone that doesn't think their boat is worth its soggy floorboard weight in gold.
I have a 1980 18' Starcraft, with the original Johnson 115HP with only 300 hours on it when I bought it. It had an elite 5 plotter, VHF radio, new gas tanks, new seats. I paid $2,000 for it. Transom is still solid. There are deals to be had.
Now with that said, I upgraded to a HDI 7 plotter, rewired the entire boat, bought a kicker, wired/mounted downriggers, bought downriggers, bought all the fishing gear, bough prawn trap puller, welded a kicker bracket. Currently getting pricing on a new canvas top. Needless to say, the boat/trailer was the cheapest part of the deal...LOL.
I have a 1980 18' Starcraft, with the original Johnson 115HP with only 300 hours on it when I bought it. It had an elite 5 plotter, VHF radio, new gas tanks, new seats. I paid $2,000 for it. Transom is still solid. There are deals to be had.
Now with that said, I upgraded to a HDI 7 plotter, rewired the entire boat, bought a kicker, wired/mounted downriggers, bought downriggers, bought all the fishing gear, bough prawn trap puller, welded a kicker bracket. Currently getting pricing on a new canvas top. Needless to say, the boat/trailer was the cheapest part of the deal...LOL.
brutus
Well-Known Member
BOAT
brutus
Well-Known Member
there are boats out there that go for cheap,with good bones to start,just need to be patient and shop around,i will say it again if it smell rotten it is rotten lol
Raab since you have a bad transom to practice on. Get a rubber mallet out of the tool box and practice sounding the transom by thumping it with the mallet. The sound, feel and vibration of the mallet can often differentiate the difference between solid good wood under the glass and where the wood is rotten. That skill will be useful as you evaluate other boats in the future. A solid transom should feel and sound the same everywhere and not have the dull thud sound.
Some mentioned that some boats don't have wood in them. That does not mean that they are all completely risk free however. Some have open cell foam sandwiched between glass construction. Once water gets into that plastic foam it stays there and the boat may get heavier and lose some buoyancy and stability. Lots to learn.
You came out of this not bad really, You are only in $500. and you have a motor and drive that at least work to sell and a hopefully a a good trailer. The cost of disposing of that hull could be pricey in a big city/urban area so I hope you can come out OK once you strip the boat and sell what you don't want and get it disposed of. With some very small towns/population areas you just cut it up and take it to the dump and there won't even be anyone there. In Victoria and likely the Vancouver area they may charge you by the pound as they weigh the truck going in and out or by the dumpster full if you have a dumpster dropped off and picked up.
You could consider saving that $3000. and add to it with a little private mechanic work on the side while you search. The more money you have, the more turnkey and the less risky in terms of buying someone else's problems. To bad you are not on south VI. as I would take you out for some fishing and crabbing. I have a theory that it is impossible to have too many friends with good mechanical skills.
Some mentioned that some boats don't have wood in them. That does not mean that they are all completely risk free however. Some have open cell foam sandwiched between glass construction. Once water gets into that plastic foam it stays there and the boat may get heavier and lose some buoyancy and stability. Lots to learn.
You came out of this not bad really, You are only in $500. and you have a motor and drive that at least work to sell and a hopefully a a good trailer. The cost of disposing of that hull could be pricey in a big city/urban area so I hope you can come out OK once you strip the boat and sell what you don't want and get it disposed of. With some very small towns/population areas you just cut it up and take it to the dump and there won't even be anyone there. In Victoria and likely the Vancouver area they may charge you by the pound as they weigh the truck going in and out or by the dumpster full if you have a dumpster dropped off and picked up.
You could consider saving that $3000. and add to it with a little private mechanic work on the side while you search. The more money you have, the more turnkey and the less risky in terms of buying someone else's problems. To bad you are not on south VI. as I would take you out for some fishing and crabbing. I have a theory that it is impossible to have too many friends with good mechanical skills.
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Raab
Member
I think i will be wearing a tool belt next time i buy another boat. I luckily found a buyer that had a sangster and needed the odd parts he baught it off me for $300.00
So i lost really $200.00. You do make a good point i now know what to look for and know to ask the right questions rather than go all in with my impulsive boat buying lol. The guy said the same thing about disposing a boat. Remove everything cut into peices to save money. And i would still be looking at $300.00.
And thanks for your generous offer. It is very true can never have enough friends that are in the trade.
island idiots
Active Member
Sorry to hear of your troubles Raab.
I too once bought a rotten boat. I have a project boat I have been working on for ten years. 1981 21 ft K & C. I acquired things as I went along. Stringers, transom all redone.
Its Podded, I have a several years old brand new kicker, rebuilt Mariner 225 mounted on the pod. Road runner roller bunk trailer that's never seen a boat ramp. Just finished all the basic operational wiring, rigging.
My health issues have made this a long process and its getting more difficult for me to continue. I am close to being done, but I don't think I will get it finished, so I may sell it.
I got way over 20 g into it.
It has provided me with many hours of toil and I learned some skills along the way lol. Aaargh.
I too once bought a rotten boat. I have a project boat I have been working on for ten years. 1981 21 ft K & C. I acquired things as I went along. Stringers, transom all redone.
Its Podded, I have a several years old brand new kicker, rebuilt Mariner 225 mounted on the pod. Road runner roller bunk trailer that's never seen a boat ramp. Just finished all the basic operational wiring, rigging.
My health issues have made this a long process and its getting more difficult for me to continue. I am close to being done, but I don't think I will get it finished, so I may sell it.
I got way over 20 g into it.
It has provided me with many hours of toil and I learned some skills along the way lol. Aaargh.
I have spent a fair amount of hours on ECVI on a crummy Gamefish 12ft AL boat. Too small to run down riggers though. A bit larger AL boat would be good. I had a 14ft Livingston that was awesome for handing rough water; spent most of it's life 4 miles offshore WCVI. Livingston had a wood transom but that's it.
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