Boat that doesn't want to be sold....

[Pony]

Anyone have a boat that never gave you problems until you try to sell it??

Trying to get my 14ft Alumacraft ready to sell. I have owned it 7 years and NEVER had an issue with it. I decided to do a little maintenance and clean up on it as I am getting ready to list it. I had a fuel pump kit laying around and decided to put it on before listing it. Installed it a week or so ago and since then have been looking for the transducer of the fish locator I was going to put on and include with it.

Put the locator on today, vacuumed the boat, cleaned it up, and decided to fire it up (never did it after the pump install).....and OF COARSE I cracked the pump housing and need to replace it. Why couldn't I leave well enough alone??

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Boat that doesn't want to be sold....

Just because, Pony. Just because. :watermelon:

 

[sublauxation]

Re: Boat that doesn't want to be sold....

My dad had a boat sold a couple years ago. He ran it for the guy in a tub in the driveway and everything was great. They negotiated a price and then my dad insisted that they take it for a test run on the lake. When they got there it wouldn't start. Naturally the buyer backed out. Over $300 in electronic components and 2 months later he was finally able to sell it. On a positive note at least he didn't have an angry guy come knocking on his door the next day.

 

[colbyt]

Re: Boat that doesn't want to be sold....

As bad as that was for your Dad, I thint the no knock on the door was worth the hassle. It sure would have been for me.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Boat that doesn't want to be sold....

.... Why couldn't I leave well enough alone??

1. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

2. If it ain't fixable don't break it.

OUCH. :grumpy:

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Boat that doesn't want to be sold....

Yeup! Went to sell a trailer this spring, cleaned it all up and found a buyer. Then they got here we found the lights didn't work. New puppy had gotten into it and chewed the wire coming out to a clearance light. I knew the lights worked 2 days earlier because I'd used it. Cost me $50.00 on the sale!

 

[Pony]

Re: Boat that doesn't want to be sold....

1. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

2. If it ain't fixable don't break it.

OUCH. :grumpy:

Lesson learned I suppose. The new pump housing is coming today via UPS. Guess I will slap her on and add brand new fuel pump to the CL add.....

 

[eavega]

Re: Boat that doesn't want to be sold....

Last year I had my 1976 Yarcraft Yankee for sale. Buyer was at the house, and I was going to run the motor. Muffs were hooked up, and I got into the boat to raise the warmup lever and start it up. Lever would not budge. tried to move the gearshift lever through its travel. Got it in forward and the lever also jammed. No idea what was going on. Buyer was patiently waiting for me to start the motor, but with the gearshift stuck in forward the motor wouldn't start. The buyer finally just said "screw it" and left. I disassembled the control and found that the screw that holds the warmup lever in place worked loose and jammed itself in the travel slot for the control lever. It took me about a half hour to disassemble and reassemble the remote control. Afterwards it worked perfectly, but that sale was lost.

Fast forward another week when I had another buyer. We had agreed on a price, hooked up the trailer to his car and were saying good-bye. My wife then nudges me in the side and discreetly points out that a nut had come off of the bimini framework, and it was only being held in place by a screw with no nut. I was going to say something but the new owner drove away at that very moment. I figure he would find out by the time he got home.

That little Yarcraft apparently did not want to get sold!

 

[CV16]

Re: Boat that doesn't want to be sold....

Does it count if I always had problems with a boat but the guy I sold it to 12 years ago has had no problems at all? I replaced just about every part you can think of on my first boat. Almost every time I used the thing, something broke. I had to search down so many wiring problems it isn't funny. I did rewire the whole boat after a while. Almost every mechanical part you can name got replaced. The worst was a short in the neutral safety switch. The boat would run great and then just die. It didn't matter what I did, couldn't figure it out. That took a guy in the next slip telling his buddy that the same thing happened to him on a trip to Florida. I was so happy I was at the lake that day. I tore my control box apart right there and found the bare wire. I was ready to give up on that boat, I was actually going to part it out as I would feel bad giving that headache to anybody! Some guy came up and offered me a good amount of money for the boat. He must have thought I was crazy when I cut his offer in half and sold it to him. I see that boat every summer for a fishing tournement. He says the only thing he has replaced are the bellows, plugs and oil. I guess maybe I did replace every part in a boat!

 

[Pony]

Re: Boat that doesn't want to be sold....

Fast forward another week when I had another buyer. We had agreed on a price, hooked up the trailer to his car and were saying good-bye. My wife then nudges me in the side and discreetly points out that a nut had come off of the bimini framework, and it was only being held in place by a screw with no nut. I was going to say something but the new owner drove away at that very moment. I figure he would find out by the time he got home.

Or the person behind him would find out!

Just hoping nothing silly happens when we run it for a potential buyer. I work a lot and keep that boat at my dad's house. He would probably be showing it off. He never runs the motor when we go out. That worries me because the symbols on the tiller are faded away and he will probably forget where it needs to be positioned to start or shift.

 

[britisher]

Re: Boat that doesn't want to be sold....

If Boats have ears, then just mention the word 'JunkYard' within earshot. That'll make the pesky thing sit up and work!!! LOL

 

[Volphin]

Re: Boat that doesn't want to be sold....

If Boats have ears, then just mention the word 'JunkYard' within earshot. That'll make the pesky thing sit up and work!!! LOL

I tried that once. She pouted and blew a trailer tire. LOL

 

[Pony]

Re: Boat that doesn't want to be sold....

If Boats have ears, then just mention the word 'JunkYard' within earshot. That'll make the pesky thing sit up and work!!! LOL

It's sort of like when after catching a bunch of fish you say that you are just going to catch one more fish and then head in......and immediately the fishing shuts off and you can't catch anything