Its never perfect!

[FreddyTT]

Hi there,

Long time reader, first time poster. I bought a cuddy cabin from my friends when their daughter turned 16 as they moved up to a cabin cruiser. Now I can sleep out with the cabin cruiser guys on the weekends which is awesome. Its a 1988 Chris Craft 225. I love this boat. My buddy fixed a lot of stuff on the boat while he owned it and he replaced the vinyl. Since I got it I've continued the work but have gone crazy replacing and fixing. As Ive used the boat over the past two years and keep restoring it over the next 1-3 years, it irritates me when I see a blemish in the carpet, or a nick in the vinyl where the cooler goes behind the seat. Or something isnt perfect. I know I have OCD, but does anyone else put a lot into their boats and cant seem to stop looking at the smallest blemishes after dumping so much into it? LOL. I don't think anyone notices but me! I cant be the only one like this.

 

[79_banshee]

Good looking boat. Keep up with the ocd lol

 

[tpenfield]

The boat does look very nice.

For me . . .

What would be the opposite of OCD? I try to find a balance of enjoying the boat, keeping it in good shape, and not going crazy

 

[Scott Danforth]

I also have a bit of CDO.... (OCD with the acronym in alphabetic order).

however at some point like Ted stated, you just have to enjoy it.

 

[JASinIL2006]

I like my boat to look nice, and after putting so much work into restoring it, I aware of it's condition pretty keenly. But for me, the boat's enjoyment comes from using it and sharing it with family and friends, so I try not to worry too much about how pristine it is.

 

[shrew]

Treat your boat like a loved one (spouse, child, parent). If you truly love it as much as you say, then you wouldn't care what it looked like. A well used boat is a well loved boat. If you want a perfect boat, buy a new one, park it in the garage, pull up a lawn chair and stare at it.

 

[gm280]

A boat, just like vehicles, need to be taken care of. However, neither will ever be worth more down the road regardless the condition. It is just part of the universe. So keep it in good reliable condition and even clean, but try to relax and enjoy it as well. You have to balance those issues. I have a condition that I have to fix everything as soon as it breaks. And so I keep my vehicle for a loonnngggg time. But they look close to new. However, I also realize they are not worth anything more then the general NADA asking price regardless how nice, clean and new running and looking they are. JMHO

 

[JoLin]

It seems to be a lake boater thing. If I chased every spot, scratch and blemish my boat would never leave the dock. I keep it clean and keep it protected, and don't sweat the small stuff.

My .02

 

[Starcraft5834]

It seems to be a lake boater thing. If I chased every spot, scratch and blemish my boat would never leave the dock. I keep it clean and keep it protected, and don't sweat the small stuff.

My .02

i too have a cuddy,, had it 4 years now,, I agree completely with the Admiral.. mine's a 1987, have replaced vinyl, keep it clean, do routine maintenance and just enjoy the time with my family on it..

 

[wrvond]

Hi there,

Long time reader, first time poster. I bought a cuddy cabin from my friends when their daughter turned 16 as they moved up to a cabin cruiser. Now I can sleep out with the cabin cruiser guys on the weekends which is awesome. Its a 1988 Chris Craft 225. I love this boat. My buddy fixed a lot of stuff on the boat while he owned it and he replaced the vinyl. Since I got it I've continued the work but have gone crazy replacing and fixing. As Ive used the boat over the past two years and keep restoring it over the next 1-3 years, it irritates me when I see a blemish in the carpet, or a nick in the vinyl where the cooler goes behind the seat. Or something isnt perfect. I know I have OCD, but does anyone else put a lot into their boats and cant seem to stop looking at the smallest blemishes after dumping so much into it? LOL. I don't think anyone notices but me! I cant be the only one like this.

Of course there are other people like you. For some it is their boat, others have a special car or motorcycle. It's your choice what you spend your money on and if you want to make your boat as perfect as you can, then more power to you. There are much worse things to do with your time and money.
That is a beautiful boat and it's fast becoming a classic. Will it appreciate in value? Probably not in our lifetime, but so what? Use it the way you see fit and enjoy it.

 

[Mischief Managed]

To the OP: I am similar to you. I like to keep the boat perfect and routinely upgrade things to better than new. Enjoy it like a hobby.

It seems to be a lake boater thing. If I chased every spot, scratch and blemish my boat would never leave the dock. I keep it clean and keep it protected, and don't sweat the small stuff.

My .02

Maybe a trailer boater thing more than lake versus ocean. My boat is used in salt and fresh water, but it's trailer-kept and I am fastidious about maintenance, repair and appearance. It gets pretty dirty when I live on it for a week, but I clean it up shortly after parking it. Someone mistook it for a brand new boat this year while I was filling it at a gas station. I was beaming when I told them is was 16 years old...

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I too fell into the " I want my used boat to be perfect" group. I'm not as anal as I was just 3 years ago and enjoy it more now. I haven't let it go to the Dogs but fret less about 1 single blemish on the aluminum windshield frame. A pal bought a new boat and washed it every time he pulled it out, waxed it once a month. Someone put a nice gouge in it when he left it in the bay overnight for the very first time. He's on meds now.

 

[Patfromny]

I am ocd while building it or replacing something but then I just enjoy it. I figure that when building something, do it as perfectly as you can the first time and it will hopefully last longer and perform better. When I had my boat painted I brought it home and proceeded to put the engine on. I put an inch scratch in the splash well. The paint was so new it was still tacky. I looked at it and said, "well, it had to get the first scratch in it sometime, I'm happy I'm the one who did it and not one of my neices." My buddy helping me had turned white when he saw the scratch and just stared at me when I didn't freak out. What can you do? It's gonna get scratched. It can't be new forever...or even ten minutes in my case. Lol. I will get around to touching it up but that involves masking off the whole boat and I've had more important things to do to it so the scratch stays for now.

 

[frantically relaxing]

Bah.
Life's too short to spend half of it making things look pretty. Like our Chaparral we just sold earlier this year. We bought it in 2011, used it, kept it 'picked up', and took good care of it, but I never spent whole afternoons cleaning the thing up. Those hours are better spent USING and ENJOYING the thing. If it doesn't look like it just left the showroom, so what?

When I really clean up is when I'm ready to sell. And proof I took care of it is in the pics...

There's 4 pairs of pics, first pic is the day we got it, second pic was the day we sold it 5 years later...

They say those are the 2 best days of your life. It was definitely the cleanest 2 days that I owned it And all the days in between are now just fond memories, totally devoid of memories of time wasted on elbow grease

(and Bondo, NO grease is better than elbow grease!)

 

[MH Hawker]

i rebuilt my toon 6 years ago, the first season my dil and gs were on it she was after him to dont mess up the boat and i explained to her those things can and will happen so relax, and when its time i will rebuild it again, now lets enjoy it

 

[JimS123]

Our family boat is 33 years old. The towcar is 37. (Yes, a towCAR not a pickup truck that you use at the farm). Both are pristine because they are garage kept and well maintained. I guess you could call me OCD, but I just like my things to be nice after I spent all the hard earned money to buy them.

My maintenance polishing and refitting does not detract in any way from the time we use the boat. To the guys that argue that opinion, I would say what do you do in the evening when its dark or on rainy days? I don't watch football or netflix. I get personal satisfaction by spending an evening polishing the chrome or cleaning the upholstery. The smell of beer and carnauba are complementary.....LOL.

One of our other boats is 64 years old. Old wood rots, huh? Not this one. More garage kept. It sold new for $900, boat, motor and trailer. My last appraisal was $10,000. That one gets polished first.

​To each his own...



​

 

[JoLin]

My maintenance polishing and refitting does not detract in any way from the time we use the boat. To the guys that argue that opinion, I would say what do you do in the evening when its dark or on rainy days? I don't watch football or netflix. I get personal satisfaction by spending an evening polishing the chrome or cleaning the upholstery. The smell of beer and carnauba are complementary.....LOL.

Jim, you've got all your 'stuff' in a huge, lighted garage! What do I do after dark or when it's raining? I bring my boat back to its slip, where it sits exposed to the weather. I think it's great that you have the means to keep your boat pristine, but not many of us are in your position. I could spend every waking minute cleaning and polishing, and my boat and vehicles still wouldn't look like yours.

My .02

 

[Patfromny]

I applaud you jim. Maintenence is obviously something you love. I find it to be a chore. I love the results when she's all clean but the cleaning part is no fun. My boat is left in a lake 4 hrs away from me so it really has to be left as is until I bring her home. I might jump in the lake and wipe her down if she is real dirty but otherwise, I'm not spending a good part of my usual weekend pulling her and cleaning. If it was something I loved to do I might but it is just not. My brother is like you and keeps his stuff tip-top. There is a difference. His car and boat do look great all the time but he missed the house marathon on tbs. Lol

 

[JimS123]

Jim, you've got all your 'stuff' in a huge, lighted garage! What do I do after dark or when it's raining? I bring my boat back to its slip, where it sits exposed to the weather. I think it's great that you have the means to keep your boat pristine, but not many of us are in your position. I could spend every waking minute cleaning and polishing, and my boat and vehicles still wouldn't look like yours.

My .02

As I said...."To each his own". What I take from some posters in this thread is that SOME of us really don't care what their boats look like, and that their excuse for not maintaining is really just being lazy. Remember I said some.

For me a slip is not feasible. Just too much of a hassle. The cost of adding a little garage space is far cheaper than years and years of dockage fees. My son's boat is larger than mine and wouldn't fit in a standard garage, so he built a pole barn - another economical alternative when you consider that you could get 30+ years out of a boat. Fiberglass should last forever if you don't let the stringers rot.

My buddy's boat sits outside year round and he just found out that the 5 year old new stringers and deck are rotten again. He says he can't afford a shelter, but they just spent 100 grand for a new kitchen and sunroom for the wife. All depends where your priorities are. My wife is a boater and she supports the lifestyle, and after 45 years she's a real keeper...

 

[Patfromny]

As I said...."To each his own". What I take from some posters in this thread is that SOME of us really don't care what their boats look like, and that their excuse for not maintaining is really just being lazy. Remember I said some.

My buddy's boat sits outside year round and he just found out that the 5 year old new stringers and deck are rotten again. He says he can't afford a shelter, but they just spent 100 grand for a new kitchen and sunroom for the wife. All depends where your priorities are. My wife is a boater and she supports the lifestyle, and after 45 years she's a real keeper...

To each his own is the key statement. While I would put myself into the lazy group, I wouldn't say I was neglectful. I maintain everything I own mechanically to a fanatical degree because that is what keeps them running great. I don't wash my snowblower or chainsaw each time I use it but so what. I don't need the cleanest tools on the block. I need them to work. I'll wipe them down but that is it. I'll wash them once a year or when I'm cleaning the garage. They start first try every year though. That's all that matters to me.

Priorities is another key word. I think i would take a new kitchen over a garage for my boat every day of the week. A boat hanger doesn't raise the value of a house like a kitchen and no matter how fanatical you are, the kitchen gets more use than the hanger. A boat hanger might actually shrink your market of buyers where a kitchen, that no expense was spared, will widen it. I agree that your buddy spent alot but if he is in a nice neighborhood, that is what is expected. Boats are recreational, a kitchen is for living. The sun room, not me, but once again, he added living space rather than took away yard. Which some would consider a boat garage doing. Your priorities gravitate toward your interests....does your buddies wife cook or entertain often? They probably spent their money wisely. Just my .02. Everybody has their own idea of nirvana. For me it is work space too but not at the expense of living with old, outdated kitchens and baths. I'd do the kitchen everytime. Just me though.