Who Enjoys a Challenge?

[SignWave]

Hey Everybody,
Just short note to share the latest. As some of you may have already noticed, I posed a photo of some "inspiration" elsewhere within this board.
The purpose of this roll is to acquire an aluminum boat this week end..

So the gist of this thread... THIS BOAT IS A PIECE OF CRAP. It needs alot of TLC and Im willing to take the challenge...just not sure if its worth it or not.
I have to take two ferries to get to it, Ive never seen it in person and I think the price is a bit steep(without seeing the thing) The story as to what I was gonna get has changed three or four times...and the guy keeps cutting back on what he was wiling to part with.. Oh and I let the same guy park his truck at my place for an entire month free of charge while he was up north doing some logging. Never even said "thanks"... but he did show up on my doorstep upon his return with a beer in hand and he did hoark in my garden right in front of me...

16ft, welded aluminum, with a honda 45 4stroke Extra long shaft (hahahahahahaha!!! sigh), no paper work to show ownership though i know its really his to begin with.... its most likely been in the weather for no less than a year, the railings, console, and sole are all in need of some attention. The guy cut the railing so he could mount a sheet of plywood to act as a wind break..... smart huh? Of all the dumba$$ ideas.. I thought I had some, but that takes the cake.. I know this sounds really sketchy and Im sort of at a loss. I should go look at it at least.

what do you think?

[KBar]

At least look at it and take some pictures for us. Once we see it ourselves, we may have a ton of ideas to help save you a lot of headaches and money.

Pay close attention to the motor, a boat without a motor is not worth much. In fact if you can, have him start it up so you can hear it but make sure he puts the muffs on it and runs water through it. Honda does make a good motor. Some questions to ask, What kind of water has it been in, salt or fresh, was the motor winterized every year, does he have repair records, spin the prop, how does the shaft feel, pull off the cover, look for any cracks or excessive rust.

Keep us posted

[Dustyhaze75]

boat .........

lol .............nice guy. how could someone be so rude ? real polite ! sounds like you should get away from a guy like that. I hate people like that. think of it this way .......................it was cheap for you to find out what kind of guy he is. it cost you 1 month parking. give people 1 chance, now you know to stay clear of him. It's better than finding out while in business together or where money is involved. as for the boat .......sketch sketch lol lol ..........just joking. ya i think you should look at it.

[SignWave]

Im gonna go have a look. I have nothing to lose except the cost of gas and the ferry. Im sure tht the engine is going to need some work. Buddy said the oil was clean, but that means little if the rings are fried.. I dont know if hte guy has cups for it or not and I dont own a set yet either. I will take my compressin gauge however... and a few other goodies...like a hammer and a screwdriver!!! Hahahahaha!!!

I'll be back tomorrow evening with the skinny. I'll either have the boat or not.. only two decisions here. I am kinda looking to the challenge of it all. this is the second boat Ive built. or should I say rebuilt. I have a pic of the first one around here somewhere.. I'll post that too for comparison. the two boats are from the same builder and are the same model. the license numbers on the hull are even within 3 points of each other too. Its a long story how that came to be but anyway.. Arny said it best... I'LL BE BACK!

[pthunberg]

Honda makes a good motor but it is expensive to repair if it needs work. The Honda 45 HP engine is a real workhorse. I have seen a few at work with a 1000 hard hrs on them. Lots of towing and young drivers.

Paul

[monte55]

If the boat thing doesn't work out, you could always take a dump in his garden

[k.a.m.]

i know down here where i live boats are a dime a dozen so i might seem a bit skeptical but i wouldnt waste my breath or gas on it i dont know what kind of boat it is or what it is worth but already you have painted a bad picture i can only imagine what the motor has gone through if he has mangled the boat up like you say.

[SignWave]

i at least have to go have a look. Boats up here arent a dime a dozen and thats one of the problems; especially aluminum boats. Since i have the tool I could fix it. ( turning sh t into gold is something im very good at). anyway, im off. fill y'all in t'night. it going to be an exciting day one way or the other.. if it doesnt work out, we will have gone sightseeing along one of BC's beatiful coastline drives..that in itself should drop a little stress...

adn there will be no garden dumping... I may have to find a tree though....

[SignWave]

I bought the boat. pictures to follow. It was actually in pretty good shape. Still needs a whole lotta TLC but its doable.

[HMW]

I was gonna say, if he does that type of work then his maintenance is probably just as crappy. But.. Its urs now. Hope its good

[SignWave]

here are the pics.. and description .

I was gonna say, if he does that type of work then his maintenance is probably just as crappy. But.. Its urs now. Hope its good

HMW,You are somewhat right. I used that issue to my advantage, I payed alot less than what is was really worth. I made up all kinds of BS. : "its in poor shape, there are electrical shorts and i cant even start the thing.. Lookit all the junk in it and whats with that plywood windshield?!?!? This boat is a peice of crap. Im going to have to spend months on it...."

cosmetics... pure cosmetics. The engine looked very clean on the inside of the case. the plug were a little dry but I think the cylinders will be okay-I think.... #3 was a bit rusty so there is a possiblity of damage. lets hope for the best. The engine is a 50horse 4stroke honda. It has a long leg on it.Buddy told me that is is a kit and it can be shortenend up.. The boat needs a short leg not a long leg. if you can see the way its mounted in the pics...
Anyway the trip was worth it. I even saw another one like it along the way. I stopped and talked witht he guy and made a new friend.. Gotta like it when that happens....

Have a look at the pics.

[SignWave]

some more pics of the hull

These are some of the "before" shots. When I get teh ball rollIng, I'll post some more pics..

I spent today, removing all the garbage from the boat - wood, steel bits, misc debris and useless items. I power washed it a bit so that i could work on it in sort clean state. There are alot of rust stains on it and Im going to have to get those out or they'll drive me nuts.. I have some hydrochloric acid that should do the trick... and alot of elbow grease.

First strp will be to see if the engine will run. Im sure it will, butr how well, I dunno. their is a broken wire somewhere.. thats actually the first thing to find.. Again Im sure its a simple fix... Ill update as I go along...

[monte55]

Now.........That's a chick magnet

[SignWave]

Wait till she's finished! Ive got some very cool ideas for this hull. Not sure what to her yet though...

[k.a.m.]

well i am impressed SignWave that is a tough looking hull lots of potential was wondering what he pulled with it? i saw the towbar also is that .125 guage or thicker? around here that hull would find a home fast. crabbers and beach shrimpers would probobly be all over it especially with the four stroke.