Buying a boat, can I get a little help

PokeFAn · 11-10-10, 11:00 AM

I must say, buying a boat for me is a little bittersweet. I gave up my one hobby that I've stuck to for the last 12 years, car audio. I normally bounce hobbies like a working girl does... nevermind!

We have another kid on the way and I need more room in the Jeep so the speakers had to go. I guess it's a little impractical when your 30 anyway.

So, the money I got from selling my car stereo is going into a boat, I'm excited to finally get of the banks but I'm going to miss those subs! Here's one I came across that I think is a pretty good deal but I thought I'd get some input here first. It's all small lakes around here and I can't afford a real boat any way so I figured this would be a good mix of sturdy and stable/cheap. The guy is asking $600 although I'm going to see if I can get it a bit cheaper when I meet with him. Is that a fair price for a set up like this?

http://stillwater.craigslist.org/boa/2041586546.html

Any thoughts on the boat and just what I need to look at in general when I take a look at it. What questions should be asked, what needs to be inspected most? Any tips would be helpful, thanks fellas!

MississippiBoy · 11-10-10, 11:43 AM

The ad says "...motor and trolling motor worked great last time out." Find out when that was....could've been 2007....

Ask to take it out on the water, if he says no, I'd probably pass on it. Make sure there's no leaks, also. Other than that, there's not much that could go wrong on that boat.

CMorg · 11-10-10, 12:31 PM

Poke , I used to own a car audio shop. I too was a car audio fanatic. But , the truth is , you really dont need those subs around those little ears , unless you have a line driver or have the amp wired to a switch so you can shut em off when the little ones are with ya. I think you will enjoy the boat better anyway.

PokeFAn · 11-10-10, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMorg

Poke , I used to own a car audio shop. I too was a car audio fanatic. But , the truth is , you really dont need those subs around those little ears , unless you have a line driver or have the amp wired to a switch so you can shut em off when the little ones are with ya. I think you will enjoy the boat better anyway.

I hear ya CM, which is part of why they are being sold. I just don't get to enjoy them anymore. I have about 5 minutes of kid free rides everyday other than that they were always turned off. It's just sad because it's the one hobby that has lasted over time. Oh well, I still have my home theater!

Heading out now to take a look, I'll bring back better pictures in a bit.

PokeFAn · 11-10-10, 04:06 PM

Just got back, it looks good and solid. The seller said it's been about 6 months since it was out. Sounds and looks like he's taken care of it and didn't have a problem taking it on the water later. It's a 1969 Alumacraft and as far as I can tell possibly an F7?

The only problem I've got is the seller only has a bill of sale, he's had it for a while though. I've got one tag agency telling me it's a mess to get it titled and another saying that I just need a notarized BOS and they will get me taken care of. Does anyone have any experience with going this route? I'm pushing my budget already which is fine since this is much better than what I was looking at but I don't want to get me in a big mess that's going to cost more down the road.

lilmule · 11-10-10, 04:50 PM

nOne wet it make sure it doesnt leak,two while old motors can be good thats no longer made,parts cost more than a running motor almost,three no mention of price.
Its a very old alum boat with an old motor not worth a whole lot as on a trailer with tiny tires to boot,troller is a trasom mount with 36 pds thrust worth about 50 bucks on ebay used.Havnt bought a small boat in ages but with say an evinrude or a merc 6 hp bit more modern about 1000 bucks ,with that chyrsler could be a headache,My first motor was a chrysler it did ok 30 some years ago.
Suggestion take a friend along who knows something about boats,then float and run it,if owner wont let you pass.
Many states a notorised bos will do Tenn is one of them call whoever regesters boats,more small boats are actually stolen than large ones due to easy to move and if not motorised no title,so act like a detecive would,check it out copy vin numbers and motor numbers then contact local authorities to see if on a list.Owner wont mind if they are kosher.
Im currently running a 77 evinrude so its old but can get parts.
My guess boat 200-300,trailer 100,troller 50,accessories 50,that chrysler about 200 at best,havnt a clue as to what hes actually asking
I have owned alum john boats in the past with as lil as 4 hp to as much as ten hp,they can be fun lil boats,but generally dont cost a whole lot.
As for a comparison a 14 ft tidecraft built like a lowe boat with seats livewell,bilge pump,and drain plug with a post 85 9.9 about 1200 -1500 bucks
A more modern version of that with name brand motor 800-1000,still tiny tires but not well worn.

PokeFAn · 11-10-10, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilmule

One wet it make sure it doesnt leak,two while old motors can be good thats no longer made,parts cost more than a running motor almost,three no mention of price.
Its a very old alum boat with an old motor not worth a whole lot as on a trailer with tiny tires to boot,troller is a trasom mount with 36 pds thrust worth about 50 bucks on ebay used.Havnt bought a small boat in ages but with say an evinrude or a merc 6 hp bit more modern about 1000 bucks ,with that chyrsler could be a headache,My first motor was a chrysler it did ok 30 some years ago.
Suggestion take a friend along who knows something about boats,then float and run it,if owner wont let you pass.
Many states a notorised bos will do Tenn is one of them call whoever regesters boats,more small boats are actually stolen than large ones due to easy to move and if not motorised no title,so act like a detecive would,check it out copy vin numbers and motor numbers then contact local authorities to see if on a list.
Im currently running a 77 evinrude so its old but can get parts.

Thanks Mule, the outboard is kind of a bonus. I wasn't looking for an outboard yet any way and figured I'd add one later if I had the money. So if this one runs it's just a bonus for me. If everything checks out fine when we get it out then I'll probably end up taking it home unless someone thinks I'm just way over paying. So far it seems VERY solid and well maintained.

Price is $600 now but I'm going to try to get him to $550

He has no problem getting it on the lake so we'll see how it goes then

He gave me all the info he has, Ser. # last person registered and everything. I've talked to the one of the local tag agencies 3 times now and they insist all I need is the Boat and a BOS and they'll take care of it.

MississippiBoy · 11-10-10, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PokeFAn

I've talked to the one of the local tag agencies 3 times now and they insist all I need is the Boat and a BOS and they'll take care of it.

That's all we needed in MS to get ours registered. My dad bought a boat in 1993 or so and got it registered with nothing but a signed BOS. I registered the boat that I bought earlier this year with a notarized BOS and LA title, but the clerk didn't even look at the title, just the BOS.

lilmule · 11-10-10, 05:53 PM

Sounds kosher then,just see it wet and see it start.
In tenn its the notorized bos that matters nothing else.
And yes try to get it cheaper it always helps.Hope you enjoy it

bamabassman · 11-10-10, 09:03 PM

ditch the motor as soon as you can pal. although i love old mopars, this ain't one that i am dear to. you might get enough outa her to do some upgrades. other than what has already been told to ya, all i can say is good fishing to ya man.

PokeFAn · 11-11-10, 02:57 PM

Looks like I shouldn't have any problems getting it tagged so we're going to drop it in the water this weekend and make sure it's still solid. Come to find out a few of my friends actually know the guy I'm buying it from. One of them did some barn work for him this past summer. Everyone has said he's a great guy and extremely trust worthy, he's also a mechanic. While I know anyone can lie I have a feeling that if he says it doesn't have any problems that it's going to be a sound boat/motor. We'll see this weekend I guess. I'm pumped, tired of walking up and down the shore getting beat up by all the thorns and what not we have to trek through. I'm hoping to build a deck in the front and maybe a little storage underneath. Thanks for the help fellas, hopefully everything checks out this weekend.

11-10-10, 11:00 AM	#1
PokeFAn BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 15	Buying a boat, can I get a little help I must say, buying a boat for me is a little bittersweet. I gave up my one hobby that I've stuck to for the last 12 years, car audio. I normally bounce hobbies like a working girl does... nevermind! We have another kid on the way and I need more room in the Jeep so the speakers had to go. I guess it's a little impractical when your 30 anyway. So, the money I got from selling my car stereo is going into a boat, I'm excited to finally get of the banks but I'm going to miss those subs! Here's one I came across that I think is a pretty good deal but I thought I'd get some input here first. It's all small lakes around here and I can't afford a real boat any way so I figured this would be a good mix of sturdy and stable/cheap. The guy is asking $600 although I'm going to see if I can get it a bit cheaper when I meet with him. Is that a fair price for a set up like this? http://stillwater.craigslist.org/boa/2041586546.html Any thoughts on the boat and just what I need to look at in general when I take a look at it. What questions should be asked, what needs to be inspected most? Any tips would be helpful, thanks fellas!

11-10-10, 11:43 AM	#2
MississippiBoy BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: May 2007 Location: Ridgeland MS Posts: 3,923	The ad says "...motor and trolling motor worked great last time out." Find out when that was....could've been 2007.... Ask to take it out on the water, if he says no, I'd probably pass on it. Make sure there's no leaks, also. Other than that, there's not much that could go wrong on that boat. __________________ I smell smoke, and I hear sirens. Do you think that's a problem?

11-10-10, 04:50 PM	#6
lilmule BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Buchanan,Tn Posts: 2,685	nOne wet it make sure it doesnt leak,two while old motors can be good thats no longer made,parts cost more than a running motor almost,three no mention of price. Its a very old alum boat with an old motor not worth a whole lot as on a trailer with tiny tires to boot,troller is a trasom mount with 36 pds thrust worth about 50 bucks on ebay used.Havnt bought a small boat in ages but with say an evinrude or a merc 6 hp bit more modern about 1000 bucks ,with that chyrsler could be a headache,My first motor was a chrysler it did ok 30 some years ago. Suggestion take a friend along who knows something about boats,then float and run it,if owner wont let you pass. Many states a notorised bos will do Tenn is one of them call whoever regesters boats,more small boats are actually stolen than large ones due to easy to move and if not motorised no title,so act like a detecive would,check it out copy vin numbers and motor numbers then contact local authorities to see if on a list.Owner wont mind if they are kosher. Im currently running a 77 evinrude so its old but can get parts. My guess boat 200-300,trailer 100,troller 50,accessories 50,that chrysler about 200 at best,havnt a clue as to what hes actually asking I have owned alum john boats in the past with as lil as 4 hp to as much as ten hp,they can be fun lil boats,but generally dont cost a whole lot. As for a comparison a 14 ft tidecraft built like a lowe boat with seats livewell,bilge pump,and drain plug with a post 85 9.9 about 1200 -1500 bucks A more modern version of that with name brand motor 800-1000,still tiny tires but not well worn. Last edited by lilmule; 11-10-10 at 05:20 PM.

11-10-10, 05:53 PM	#9
lilmule BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Buchanan,Tn Posts: 2,685	Sounds kosher then,just see it wet and see it start. In tenn its the notorized bos that matters nothing else. And yes try to get it cheaper it always helps.Hope you enjoy it Last edited by lilmule; 11-10-10 at 09:05 PM.

11-10-10, 09:03 PM	#10
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	ditch the motor as soon as you can pal. although i love old mopars, this ain't one that i am dear to. you might get enough outa her to do some upgrades. other than what has already been told to ya, all i can say is good fishing to ya man. __________________ so many lures, so little time.

11-10-10, 12:31 PM	#3
CMorg BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Southern , IN Posts: 1,832	Poke , I used to own a car audio shop. I too was a car audio fanatic. But , the truth is , you really dont need those subs around those little ears , unless you have a line driver or have the amp wired to a switch so you can shut em off when the little ones are with ya. I think you will enjoy the boat better anyway.

11-10-10, 04:06 PM	#5
PokeFAn BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 15	Just got back, it looks good and solid. The seller said it's been about 6 months since it was out. Sounds and looks like he's taken care of it and didn't have a problem taking it on the water later. It's a 1969 Alumacraft and as far as I can tell possibly an F7? The only problem I've got is the seller only has a bill of sale, he's had it for a while though. I've got one tag agency telling me it's a mess to get it titled and another saying that I just need a notarized BOS and they will get me taken care of. Does anyone have any experience with going this route? I'm pushing my budget already which is fine since this is much better than what I was looking at but I don't want to get me in a big mess that's going to cost more down the road.

11-11-10, 02:57 PM	#11
PokeFAn BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 15	Looks like I shouldn't have any problems getting it tagged so we're going to drop it in the water this weekend and make sure it's still solid. Come to find out a few of my friends actually know the guy I'm buying it from. One of them did some barn work for him this past summer. Everyone has said he's a great guy and extremely trust worthy, he's also a mechanic. While I know anyone can lie I have a feeling that if he says it doesn't have any problems that it's going to be a sound boat/motor. We'll see this weekend I guess. I'm pumped, tired of walking up and down the shore getting beat up by all the thorns and what not we have to trek through. I'm hoping to build a deck in the front and maybe a little storage underneath. Thanks for the help fellas, hopefully everything checks out this weekend.

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