$1500 Boat Suggestions

[fishrdan]

18' Chieftan with a 135HP outboard, should work good for everything all around. At $1500 I'd want the engine to run (check compression) and the boat not to be a total rebuild basket case. Though, with that age and having soft decks, I bet all the wood in the boat needs to be replaced: decks, transom, etc.. Under the decks will be flotation foam, could be waterlogged and need replacing. Do you know if the boat was stored outside or inside, covered, exposed to the elements for years on end?

Have any pics of the boat? $1500 sounds steep for a rebuilder, but if it's in good condition....

Also, something often overlooked, do you want to go boating, or do you want to rebuild a boat? It may be cheaper to spend more money on a boat that's seaworthy. (Not saying this one isn't.)

 

[mickyryan]

i like the chieftan

 

[Imadodgeguy]

Yeah pretty much all the wood looked like it was weathered, transom seemed solid. Motor had numbers like 140, 135 written on heads, like someone had done a compression test. They were all close together.

It could be had for 1k pretty sure. I put some pics in my idea book, not quite sure how that works.

 

[Imadodgeguy]

Its been under tarps so mostly protected, the seats aren't all roached out neither is the interior, just kinda old. Don't know how much it weighs, limit is 6500 on my Jeep GC v8 with tow pkg.

 

[Imadodgeguy]

Southkogs, jkust and others speak truth. I am not ready to buy a decent boat right now.

Do I want to go boating or work on a boat? I like both but as I'm getting older, the work part is getting less appealing.

Well, another crisis averted, you guys did a great job of coaching this rookie.

 

[fishrdan]

Your Jeep GC will tow it without issue. I tow an 18' Crestliner/140HP I/O that weights more than that rig with a 4.7L Durango W/tow pkg. Towed it up to Fish Lake, UT several times, bunch of steep grades, no problem.

 

[southkogs]

So, on the flip side - -

Find a little (say, 14'-ish) aluminum open boat with a small outboard and a set of oars. You can probably find something like that under $1,000. If you want a boat to just play with and get used to being out on the water a little bit, it's not a bad start. It could hold you over for a while, give you something to fish off of and explore the lakes and rivers a little.

Not what you wanted, but not too bad while you save up for what you wanted.

 

[Maclin]

So, on the flip side - -

Find a little (say, 14'-ish) aluminum open boat with a small outboard and a set of oars. You can probably find something like that under $1,000. If you want a boat to just play with and get used to being out on the water a little bit, it's not a bad start. It could hold you over for a while, give you something to fish off of and explore the lakes and rivers a little.

Not what you wanted, but not too bad while you save up for what you wanted.

And you could probably sell it for what you have in it when ready to move up.

 

[briangcc]

Just looked at that Chieftan in your ideabook. Seems to be in rather decent condition all things considered. While it misses the mark on having an open bow it does have a small cuddy that you can duck into should the weather get snotty. That might be a selling point for some as its also a spot to get out of the sun for a while. Could definitely tube/ski behind it. And it'd be a simple restore as you could work on it in parts/pieces at a time as $$ allowed.

Your Jeep would definitely pull that without issue.


Yes I'm aware I'm a bad influence!

 

[Imadodgeguy]

Evil boaters, ha! It doesn't take much to derail the train here.

 

[jkust]

Southkogs, jkust and others speak truth. I am not ready to buy a decent boat right now.

Do I want to go boating or work on a boat? I like both but as I'm getting older, the work part is getting less appealing.

Well, another crisis averted, you guys did a great job of coaching this rookie.

I'm now over 40 and my most important thing is my time. So like you, work/a project is very unappealing. I'll do something like a full stereo system, component and remote control swap with some light fiberglass modification as I did last season but that's about where it ends for me. Getting deep into a full rehab is way too time consuming when free time is so valuable. If an old fiberglass boat hasn't been rehabbed by someone else, by now it would be a rarity that an original condition boat wouldn't need some pretty in depth work. Does it happen, sure, but not at $1500. If it was me in your shoes, I'd pick up one of the aforementioned aluminum boats with a reliable outboard to get out on the water and start saving up to get over the $ hump of rehab boats.

 

[Imadodgeguy]

I hear ya, I'm 59 and I guess I'm realizing my rebuilding days are fast slipping away. The desire for it is still kicking but energy level isn't what it used to be sadly.

We have mostly reservoirs around here in Utah nothing too crazy as far as choppy seas, so something smaller would do fine.

 

[Leardriver]

There's nothing more expensive than a cheap boat, airplane, or other motorized device.

 

[444]

Find a running aluminum boat with an outboard.

Agreed. In his price range, aluminum and outboard or don't bother. I would rather deal with a tired obsolete old outboard on an aluminum hull than a brand new outboard on a rotten fiberglass hull, which the fiberglass ones in your price range will all be rot boxes.