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Between a rock and a hard spot

TRIGGER

TRIGGER

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Sep 25, 2011
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10,538
Location
Cunningham TN
Going to try to make this as short as possible. Almost bought a ranger last year when dad found out about it he called and said "do not buy a boat I want to give you mine I'm too old to use it anymore" I did not want to take his boat but he insisted.
The boat is a 2005 Aries 21' bass boat with a 92 Johnson 200 engine. Dad got the boat cheep because it had hit a log resulting in a busted hull. He cut the floor out and fixed the hull from the inside and found the engine used and put it on.(7 years ago) Fast foreword to a few weeks ago when the lower unit when out on me. I got a new lower unit and installed it went on a test drive and now the engine is lacking in power I pulled it out of the water and noticed water leaking well not leaking but pouring out of the bottom of the hull so I climbed underneath to see the hull has split wide open again. As a matter of fact there is a crack running down both sides of the beam from the back up to in front of the seats(about 7-8 feet. GREAT Then I get home and check the compression and have four cylinders at 95 one at 85 and one at 60. Now I have a nice looking 21' bass boat that won't run correctly or float either. It would be a shame to scrap the boat and motor but it would also be a shame to sink more money into a 92 engine ($3,600.00 just for parts)or a boat with this kind of structural damage.
 
If I could afford it I would buy a new or at least newer boat & motor.

Never been a fan of pumping money into something.
 
RUGER":2zfq0elg said:
If I could afford it I would buy a new or at least newer boat & motor.

Never been a fan of pumping money into something.
Click to expand...

Promised myself after getting this boat for free I wouldn't buy anything else major until I pay my land off. May just have to patch the cracks the best I can and run until it just won't run anymore. If I can hold off until this time next year I will have the land paid for if nothing major happens.
 
When ever I talk to some of my friends about buying a used boat, they always say I would be buying someone elses problems. Someone elses problem couldn't be any worse than what you have. That boat sounds cursed. I would get rid of it before sinking another penny into it. Sounds like the boat hull should never have been fixed. It was probably totaled by the insurance company and then salvaged. You should just cut out a section of floor and hinge it so you can always have easy access to fix it when it cracks again. I definitely would not sink the money in the motor if its $3600 plus labor. In running condition its only worth about $1000, maybe. C&O marine has a used 2003 model 225 merc for $5200. I imagine you could talk them down a little on it if you had cash in hand.

Another option would be that if you are willing to sink the $3600 plus labor into the motor, I would get a newer more reliable aluminum bass boat with that money and just live with a smaller boat until you get your land paid off.
 
Are you a tournament fisherman or do you just fish for enjoyment? I promise you I derive just as much enjoyment out of my 16 foot modified vhull aluminum boat with a 25hp Johnson motor than anyone with a big expensive bass rig. I fish the Cumberland for giant stripers and bass. I also regularly troll and fish Percy Priest lake for crappie. Perhaps downsizing for now may be a good alternative until your land is paid off.

Grand total, I have $3000 into my boat, motor, trolling motor, fish finder and trailer. I looked for months and finally found the right one on craigslist several years ago. I wouldn't sell it for anything. If you look, you can find deals.
 
Priorities and not to mention the safety factor on the boat. Two hundred horses is gonna put a lot of stress on it. Bad things can happen quickly with that. Take whatever loss if any and move on.
 
Dbllunger":2ch31kab said:
Are you a tournament fisherman or do you just fish for enjoyment? I promise you I derive just as much enjoyment out of my 16 foot modified vhull aluminum boat with a 25hp Johnson motor than anyone with a big expensive bass rig. I fish the Cumberland for giant stripers and bass. I also regularly troll and fish Percy Priest lake for crappie. Perhaps downsizing for now may be a good alternative until your land is paid off.

Grand total, I have $3000 into my boat, motor, trolling motor, fish finder and trailer. I looked for months and finally found the right one on craigslist several years ago. I wouldn't sell it for anything. If you look, you can find deals.
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This! ^'

Unless you fish tournaments, or big rough water, a bass boat is not NECESSARY..... nice but not necessary.
The hull is scrap. Not worth the money to fix it.
Sounds like the motor is now a parts motor. Costs more to fix than it is worth.

Strip all the hardware off the boat and sell on craigslist/ebay. Put the money in a jar.
Remove motor/steering cables/control package. Strip and sell as parts. Put the money in a jar.
Dump hull in landfill.
Sell trailer Put the money in a jar.
You have a good start at a Tracker style aluminum fishing boat.

The benefits are smaller more economical motors (both electric and gas)
Lighter for towing. Good variety of floor plans and layouts available. No gelcote to scratch.

Cons. More hull noise, Not good for big choppy water. Wind pushes them around easier which goes both ways +- Slower with max speeds in the 30's
 
You have sentamental feeling for the boat because it was given to you from your dad, belive I can get that, but as others have said about down sizing I had a fiber glass heavy boat boat for years, down sized to a 16 ft aluminum craft with a 25hp motor and I have no regrets at all, the truck dont even know its bag there when driving to the lake and catfishing bumping the boat against rocks (unintencially) you don"t have to worry about chipping the fiber glass. Your decision, aluminum sure has less head aches to me! Good fishing to yea!
 
fishboy1":wflrjt6f said:
This! ^'

Unless you fish tournaments, or big rough water, a bass boat is not NECESSARY..... nice but not necessary.
The hull is scrap. Not worth the money to fix it.
Sounds like the motor is now a parts motor. Costs more to fix than it is worth.

Strip all the hardware off the boat and sell on craigslist/ebay. Put the money in a jar.
Remove motor/steering cables/control package. Strip and sell as parts. Put the money in a jar.
Dump hull in landfill.
Sell trailer Put the money in a jar.
You have a good start at a Tracker style aluminum fishing boat.

The benefits are smaller more economical motors (both electric and gas)
Lighter for towing. Good variety of floor plans and layouts available. No gelcote to scratch.

Cons. More hull noise, Not good for big choppy water. Wind pushes them around easier which goes both ways +- Slower with max speeds in the 30's
Click to expand...

^good plan
 
Trigger,
If you are going to run that boat with a hull breach wear your life jacket and I would probably not plane it off. If it is split they way you say and taking on water, you are asking for a bad accident under power. If you still want to fish, fish close to the ramp using the trolling motor.

We watched the coast guard rescue a couple guys who swamped their boat when a thru hull fitting failed. Back at the dock, the story was that they hit a board knocking the bait well pick up off the bottom of their boat. Didn't hit the motor so they kept going. Took less than 5 minutes at cruising speed to take on enough water to bog down a 24' V hull. Once it came off plane it swamped quickly. That is with a 1.5" hole.
 
TRIGGER said:
I'm going to silicone the cracks and run it till it won't run any longer. I will stay close enough to the ramp. Why not? If it were winter with cold water I wouldn't though.[/quote

I doubt seriously that silicon will patch the cracks.

Make sure your life insurance is paid up!
Click to expand...
 
A split like what you describe can be fairly dangerous. Sure hope you beach it

Perhaps you could give your boat to this East Tennessee feller:

A good ole East Tennessee Country boy won a bass boat in a raffle drawing.  He brought it home and his wife looks at him and says, "What you gonna do with that.  There ain't no water deep enough to float a boat within 50 miles of here."

He says, "I won it and I'm a gonna keep it."

His brother came over to visit several days later.  He sees the wife and asks where his brother is.

She says, "He's out there in his bass boat," pointing to the field behind the house.

The brother heads out behind the house and sees his brother sitting in a bass boat with a fishing rod in his hand down in the middle of a big field.  He yells out to him, "Whattayadoin'?"

His brother replies, "I'm fishin'.  What does it look like I'm a doing."

His brother yells, "It's people like you that give people from Tennessee a bad name, makin' everybody think we is stupid.  If I could swim, I'd come out there and whip your a--!"


In all seriousness, Don't think I'd be riding in a boat with siliconed cracks.
 

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