hmmm, repair my boat or sell it?

[f4igrad]

I am going back and forth on this decision. I bought a 1975 trihull for $600, had a bum motor. Got a 1973 Evinrude 50 HP for $400. So I have about $1000 invested. The boat has a long crack in its hull since I got it, so I cut a whole in the floor and glassed the crack, although I didn't go to the very end. I suspect the stringer on that side is a bit rotten as well because there is a soft spot under the drivers seat, right over where the crack is/was. The rest of the floor feels pretty darn solid considering the age of the boat. The engine starts and runs fine, but the clutch dog is worn and it slips out of gear at high RPMs. I am going to have to drop the lower unit and either flip the clutch dog around or replace it completely. The boat itself is in very good shape, the interior is redone and the surface areas are clean and free of scuffs and marks. The upholstery is all very nice as well.<br /><br />So, I am wondering if I should just sell the boat and recover my initial investment, or if I should fix the floor/crack/stringer as well as the clutch dog.<br /><br />What type of $$$ am I looking at when it comes to replacing a floor and perhaps a couple of stringers? How much time does it typically take to do this?<br /><br />Thanks for your opinions!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: hmmm, repair my boat or sell it?

say you drop another grand into it. you have a boat you know is good. you are going to be hard pressed to find a good boat, motor, trailer for 2 grand. sell the old motor as a parts engine on ebay. i use to throw stuff away, now i put it on ebay with an exact description. i was totally surprize what people buy.

 

[Always Broke]

Re: hmmm, repair my boat or sell it?

You probably heard it before but here it is again. A boat is just a hole in the water you dump your money into. Here’s some questions to ponder no one can answer for you. How much do you like that particular boat? Does it have a unique design that would be hard to replace if you went out and bought a boat like it in better shape? Are there different types of boats you would rather have? It’s up to you how you feel about the boat as to weather you want to fix it or not. You can start by searching some of the boats other people restored in the forum to see what you’ll be getting into, a lot of them have websites that take you through what they did from start to finish. Try to figure out what materials your going to be using and price them out to get a general idea of what it’s going to take to fix it then add a little more for the surprises that inevitably happen. Can you recover your grand you have invested? You have a bad boat that’s 31 years old and a bad motor 33 years old, ain’t much left except the trailer.

 

[alden135]

Re: hmmm, repair my boat or sell it?

I don't know where you live so this may not hold true there...<br /><br /><br />In my area, a boat like yours, in it's current structural and mechanical condition, can be easily found for $300-$500. <br /><br />You may be better off just fixing it and enjoying it.

 

[f4igrad]

Re: hmmm, repair my boat or sell it?

well, the engine should be an easy fix once i figure out how to drop the lower unit. around here, 5 hp motors go for $200-400 and the bigger ones go on up over $1000. If I fixed the gear and sold the engine, I could probably get almost $1000 for the engine alone. <br /><br />looking at boat trader, there are hundreds of boats for sale in my area, but NONE of the ones under $2000 have an interior that is even close to as nice as the one in my current boat. Now maybe their hull is sound (and maybe not), but the interior looks like crap. That is probably the main reason I am thinking about fixing the boat, because I might have to spend $4000 before I can get a boat that has a decent engine, a good bow/floor, and a nice interior.

 

[alden135]

Re: hmmm, repair my boat or sell it?

Thats the thing w/boats. Their values are all over the place depending where you are. I say if the interior is that nice, and the engine fix is that simple for you, then you should fix and keep.

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: hmmm, repair my boat or sell it?

Fix it...the right way. You will learn very much about your boat, yourself, and you will be proud of what you have accomplished. The boat will mean more to you than one you spent the extra money on. If it's done right, you'll have a good boat for years to come.

 

[michael-lagrange]

Re: hmmm, repair my boat or sell it?

You could by a brand new one and make payments on it forever...

 

[Bondo]

Re: hmmm, repair my boat or sell it?

A Boat with a Holed Hull Isn't worth a Dime.......<br /><br />Regardless of What the Interior Looks Like......<br /><br />I would Think it would take a Supreme act of Salesmanship to recover the money Already Spent.........