I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

[Silver Eagle]

Re: I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

I bought an 89 Arriva back in 95. It was a 21 ft bow rider. I sold it last year .It had an 230 hp Merc. I/O Chevy V-8. it was a great boat. I paid $9,000 for it and sold it 14 years later for $4,000.The biggest problem was the rubber bellows. They would leak after a couple of years So when ever they started to leak I'd have them replaced and I'd get the water pump done at the same time. The Chesapecke bay is hard on water pumps. One time I had to have my lower unit replaced. I had an Alfa One out drive.They cost around $2,000 to replace. I had hit a log at high speed and it tore up all the drive gears. Thank god for boat insurance. They paid all but $100.00 What Would I do?I'd keep the boat. First I'd put the plug back in the boat.Lower the out drive to operating level. Fill the boat with water to the floor level. See if any water comes out and mark it with a magic marker. If it comes out at the transom you know it the bellows. Than take the out drive off of the boat. Check it for worn gears or maybe it's dry inside. Look at the gears, see if they are bent. If your not sure take them to your local marina and have them check them out for you. While your at it change your water pump. Then if nothing seems to be bad put everything back together. Some times it's that litle thing that is causing all your problems. How's the fuel, Is it old. A good engine tune up cost around $250.00 have the spark plug wires ever been replaced?

 

[jayhanig]

Re: I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

I took the boat back to the shop today to get it winterized as cold weather is rapidly approaching and I don't know what I'm doing with it. He's charging me $100 which beats the other prices I obtained. While I was there I got him to show me exactly what he was talking about with the transom.

You can flex the outdrive all the way around it. When you do, there is a small but visible gap. Additionally, there is a hairline crack in the fiberglass underneath the outdrive running from 6" on one side to about the same on the other side. He said the bellows were fine.... it was the transom.

In any case, what I've done by winterizing is buy myself time. Time to fix it or to part it out... whichever way I go.

 

[ovrrdrive]

Re: I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

I agree with a lot of the above posts. The only reasonable thing to do if you want to keep the boat is to take a fiberglass course at your local adult education center over the winter and fix it yourself in the spring. If you can do it yourself it would be worthwhile but I wouldn't spend that kind of cash on a boat with a value that low unless my Mom conceived me in it or something.

 

[Purecarnagge]

Re: I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

Nobody here is mentioning time...

do you have the time to part everything out? Do you have the time to find a new boat...

If you truly like your boat... and you know whats wrong with it... thats half the battle, you could buy "money pit 2.0" in 3 months... 2k could have been ALOT of other repairs that wouldn't even cause you to think about selling the boat...

Anyways its just an opinion. This is assuming your boat is exactly what you need, and you enjoy it. Sometimes in some area's finding a good boat can be a really hard thing to do at a reasonable price.

 

[spdracr39]

Re: I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

Any repair quote that starts at $2000.00 is going to go up at least 50% if not more once they get your boat torn down. If you had water intrusion the gimbal bearing and u-joints are probably next then bellows, shift cables, outdrive full of water,, floor rotten stringers bad. I can promise you it will steamroll once they start and it will be " just another couple of hundred dollars" at a time. Your thinking will be well I've already spent this much ..... Then you'll find out you've got 7k in a 3k boat. Listen to what everyone is tellling you and pawn it off on someone else that thinks they can fix it. You'll get some of your money back and save lots in the long run. However, If you love the boat and it has everything you ever wanted or if you have the money to invest and don't ever intend to try to recoup your investment then plan on doing a total restoration and fix it. Any used boat is going to be purchase price plus fixing whatever caused the owner to sell it. Only a new boat can go straight to the lake without additional investment.

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

If you do not think you can do it yourself it needs to be parted out. You really have to be able to wrench on it yourself to have an old boat.

 

[jayhanig]

Re: I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

Well, I may be thick headed but I've decided to try to save the boat after talking to several folks who've actually looked at it.

I'd taken it in to the original guy to have it winterized since everybody agreed the engine was worth saving. While I was there the owner started a conversation where he asked me what my intentions were towards the boat. I'd pretty much decided I'd rather pay $6k towards a boat that might be worth $4k when all is said and done rather than pay $4k and have to disassemble it, store parts all over my garage and then MAYBE find a buyer who'd pay me more than fire sale prices for what I had.

(BTW: I'm not paying $6k for the repair; that's the sum total of what I'll have in the boat *after* the repair and includes the original purchase price, repairs already done, and the electronics I've installed.)

Well, the owner immediately came down from his original price since he knew I'd found somebody else to do the work for less. That being the case, there was no reason to pick the boat up from winterizing so I just left it there with him, along with a 50% deposit.

There are a few big advantages to do it this way: the other fellow is known for his fiberglass work; his mechanical abilities are unknown to me. My original guy's mechanical abilities are well known in the area. I know he will test the boat when he gets done and he will be evaluating it for mechanical and electrical problems as well as not sinking. If he gives his seal of approval I feel confident it's seaworthy.

Also, he will winterize it once again when he gets through so I don't have to worry about the engine until warm weather comes around again next year. In the meanwhile, I'll bump the starter once a month and hook up a battery charger on the same schedule.

I know there's always the chance this will blow up in my face but then everyone can say: I told you so.

You know, when my mother died back in 2005 my father made some comments about getting rid of one of their cars: a 1992 Taurus Wagon. He was thinking about giving it to charity. At the time, I was looking for a used truck to use as a Lowesmobile or a Home Depot Vehicle. "Well", I said, "charity begins at home." So he gave it to me.

Now my father's philosophy about maintenance was different than mine. To me, if something is installed, I expect it to work. To him, if it wasn't a safety item, it could be deferred until a time that never seemed to come. So the deferral list was about $3500 on a car not worth a $1000. Let's face it, the Taurus Wagon is the Least Stolen Car In America.

But I fixed it and then I drove it until earlier this year when the transmission seal blew out while I was towing a trailer. In the time I had that car, there was NEVER a job that I asked the wagon to do that it wasn't able to perform. So I paid $3500 for what took the place of a truck and drove it for 5 years while getting 30 MPG. It's blue book value was nothing compared to the value I got from owning it, even considering the money I put into repairs.

So I'm hoping for a similar situation with my Galaxy. Really nice 17' boats go for a lot more than what I'm putting into this one. With any luck, I'll get some use out of it before I move on to the next and that will be where its value lies.

 

[Pez Vela]

Re: I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

Your boat repair decision had me scratching my head until you explained that you also spent $3500 to fix up a beater '92 Taurus, the "least stolen car in America." Now I get it.

 

[jayhanig]

Re: I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

Your boat repair decision had me scratching my head until you explained that you also spent $3500 to fix up a beater '92 Taurus, the "least stolen car in America." Now I get it.

Make fun of it if you will. It cost me less than $60/month to acquire and keep that car running; not counting gas and oil. How exactly would I have done better to saddle myself with $350/month payments for a truck? The Taurus got the job done and if I scratched it, I didn't care.

You think I'd like to blow $10k or more on a new boat when I know I'm going to drag it across every sand bar within 30 miles, probably smack piers from time to time and enjoy other minor disasters as I learn what I'm doing and where not to go?

You learn on a beater. Then you buy something nicer. This is my first boat and I will learn. Maybe just not today. <G>

Maybe you were born an experienced boater. I haven't had that advantage. My grandfather, who did have these skills, died in WWII and I never got to meet him. My father didn't enjoy the water. So I'm having to do this the hard way.

 

[NYBo]

Re: I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

Jay, it's your boat and your money, so you do what's right for you. If the job is done right, you should be able to enjoy that boat for years to come, and that's the most important thing, IMO. (But maybe you don't want to listen to me, considering the boat I own!:redface

 

[jayhanig]

Re: I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

Jay, it's your boat and your money, so you do what's right for you. If the job is done right, you should be able to enjoy that boat for years to come, and that's the most important thing, IMO. (But maybe you don't want to listen to me, considering the boat I own!:redface

At least you were smart enough to buy an outboard. I wish I had. Around here it's the best way to go.

 

[Pez Vela]

Re: I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

So I'm having to do this the hard way.

I think that's what the majority of replies were warning against. Your logic is sound in many respects, but the risks of throwing good money after bad remain. I think your decision simply comes down to how you evaluate the risk that more unpleasant (and costly) surprises will surface. If the end result with the boat matches the success you had with the Taurus, then you will come out O.K. I wish you the best.

 

[jayhanig]

Re: I guess I'm going to bite the bullet...

I think that's what the majority of replies were warning against. Your logic is sound in many respects, but the risks of throwing good money after bad remain. I think your decision simply comes down to how you evaluate the risk that more unpleasant (and costly) surprises will surface. If the end result with the boat matches the success you had with the Taurus, then you will come out O.K. I wish you the best.

Absolutely this could blow up in my face again and the risk of throwing good money after bad certainly is higher than I'd like. But there's no guarantees that any other used boat could give me and I'd just be starting from scratch again. The only way around this might be to just buy a new OB. I'm not prepared to do that... yet.