want cheap boat for waterskiing

[JMAC]

Up here in central Maine, while driving the back roads, you can see a lot of old f'glass speedboats in the backyards. I'm thinking that I'd like to get one of these things to stick on our lake and teach the kids how to waterski. Also to get them interested in boathandling. My sailboat doesn't seem to fulfill their need for speed. I think that I could tell if the hull itself is worthwhile, and I bet that I can tell a good trailer from a bad one. Do you all have any tips for checking out the condition of the motor? Are 1960's and 70's motors well made and durable?

I'd like to spend less than $1000 for boat motor and trailer. Any other monies available for boating are tagged for my sailboat restoration.

[Mike Vogdes]

I do a fair amount of work on small boats of this type and there are certainly lots of good deals out there. The most common place to look for trouble on an older production fiberglass boat is the transom. Usually the core is plywood and over the years the outboard motor mounting bolts and any other penetrations in the transom will allow water into the core rotting the transom plywood. Also the floors are usually covered in some type of carpet hiding more rotted plywood however this is a much easier fix.

[Ken Hutchins]

A concern to have about older outboards is the modern gas. I haven't played with old outboards, but have had lots of problems with old snowmobiles burning pistons running modern gas. I've minimized the problem by lowering compression with thicker head gaskets and increasing the oil in the mix.

[Venchka]

Why not an aluminum boat? Are they scarce in Maine? Folks ski behind aluminum flat boats down here all the time. Of course they heace their own set of problems. My brother replaced a Grumman flat boat last year because the rivets were leaking. The new boat is all welded.

[Stiletto]

I have found that older outboards can be ok if they have been recently used. They dont like sitting. As long as they start fairly readily and pump water ok and dont show too much corrosion they can be worth buying if the price is cheap enough. A broken pullcord on hand start models can be a sign of starting problems (a lot more pulling than usual.) A quick check with a dealer of the brand you are looking at can verify if parts are readily available.

[John Bell]

I can point to a couple of 16'-17' bowriders with late 70's 85-115 HP OMC outboards locally that could be had for $1000 or less. They'll need some work, but you'd be hard pressed to spend another $1000 to get them running well.

Why not wood? A friend of mine bought a nifty wooden late 50's Cruisers, Inc. lapstrake ply 16'er for about $600, spent another $500 replacing the keel and keelson and another $600 for a 1979 Johnson 100 HP outboard. And it's quite the nice ride.

[JMAC]

The other part of the equation is that the boat should also be comfortable for my folks to tour around the lake in. I think a 60's boat that still looks like a boat and not an athletic shoe would be nice.

Do the larger motors have keyed starting? John, where are you located. As for wood, I've got a wooden wharram catamaran and a 23' centerboard sloop that keep me busy enough.

[John Bell]

Originally posted by JMAC:
Do the larger motors have keyed starting? John, where are you located. As for wood, I've got a wooden wharram catamaran and a 23' centerboard sloop that keep me busy enough.I'm at N 34° 07' 55.1" W 84° 38' 13.0" , or at least that's where my boat is. :D

That's the Atlanta, GA area.

Most remote start outboard have keyed ignition. And if they don't, it's not a big deal to add it. A hidden kill switch is easier, though.

[imported_Conrad]

Just about everything over 40hp will have electric start- and you'll want that as a minimum for skiing with kids. 60hp is better, and if you want to give it a try, starting on a single, 85-100 is the minimum.

Older OB's tend to be pretty durable- if there's some bounce/compression when turned by hand, and the water pumps, chances are its fine. The down side is very poor fuel economy compared with newer machines, and bulk. The older V-4 Evinrude/Johnson motors are pretty tough, 85- 135hp in different states of tune, with a lot of cheap parts on eBay, etc. They are actually pretty easy to rebuild if you have any experience with wrenching.

I'm always looking for interesting older glass boats (that look like boats!) since "retro" is in! There are some good ones out there, a throwback to my youth, and not much money for the fun they can offer! ;) smile.gif

[merc412]

I learned to ski behind a 58 35hp Johnson Sea Horse hanging on a 14' plywood runabout. It had no problem pulling adults up. Tough little motor. Any outboard that has been sitting a while will need some attention to water pump impellor and carb. If it has compression it can be made to run. I bought a 65 50hp Mercury 4 cylinder in the mid 80's and did nothing more than rebuild the carbs, replace the fuel pump diaphrams and water pump impeller and change the lower unit grease. It then ran for 6 years till I sold it with very little attention. You should have no trouble finding a ski boat for the target price. Do NOT pay the asking price unless it is in the water running!

[Andreas Jordahl Rhude]

www.fiberglassics.com (http://www.fiberglassics.com) is a great place for advice on older classic fiberglass boats. You should readily find a user boat with working motor and trailer for under $1,000.00. www.aomci.org (http://www.aomci.org) is the site for old outboards. I have a 1967 110 HP Mercury sitting on my 1957 Thompson wooden lapstrake boat. An excellent boat and the motor just purrrrsss. I've had her for three years and I've never even changed spark plugs!

[John Bell]

IMO, horsepower has only a little to do with how well a particular boat pulls skiers. I used to have an aluminum garvey bass boat with a 35 HP Johnson that would pull skiers a heck of a lot better than my buddy's FG bass boat with its 70 HP Merc. The difference was weight. The bigger had a much better top end than my little boat. But the lighter, lower powered aluminum boat got out of the hole much quicker which made it a lot easier to ski behind. The 70 would get you up, but only after a long drag where it would finally get up enough speed to get you and it up on plane.

[Noah]

Last year I got a 1962 Penn Yan with a straight 6 I/O for $300 bucks including trailer...it was wood too. After I fixed the steering system, new battery, etc I ended up selling it for $1100.

It would have been a great boat for waterskiing. Lots of power, lots of room inside.

Noah

[JMAC]

So if the boat is sitting in a snowbank, and it looks promising and the motor is hanging off the back, how do I check compression? Or if I wait til spring and I'm up to my knees in mud, does it need to be cranked, or pulled, or turn the prop?

And Noah, do you still have your folkboat? I was following your stories about the time you patched it up and launched it.

[John Bell]

Po' man's compression check: Remove the shroud and turn the engine over by hand. You should feel a good 'bounce' as each cylinder reaches TDC. If it turns over too easily, or only bounces twice per rev on three cylinder engine, then it may have a problem.

[Noah]

I do have the Folkboat. It's currently sitting in a barn waiting for some work, and or a new owner. It's a great boat, but it does have a few problems.

I'm not ready to give it away, but I'm thinking about it. Maybe a trade for a new Roller Furler...

Good luck finding a boat,

Noah

[brian.cunningham]

Sounds like they'd make a nice donor boat for parts.

How cheap is a "holed" boat.

The hardware/engine could then be transfered.