Bought it two weeks ago off craigslist for next to nothing. Nothing worked. Nothing electrical, the throttle and shift cables were shot, it definitely needed some TLC, but the hull is in great shape.. They could get it started, but it was a chore. It took forever to get it busted off. I know what you're thinking at this point. "That's exactly how NOT to buy a boat!" That's just me though. I'm a car guy and I won't buy anything that doesn't need work. Half the fun I have is working on stuff. So I replaced some switches, replaced the livewell and bilge pumps, throttle and shift cables, bypassed the VRO, put plugs and wires, new fuel line, primer bulb and filter on the outboard, rewired the primer solenoid to a button on the dash (key cylinder is bad), replaced the water pump impeller, serviced the lower unit, put it on muffs and it runs like a champ.
The story behind this boat is it belonged to a guy named Kevin that bought it new in 1991. In 2005 at the age of 44 he had a heart attack and didn't survive. The boat went to his father who used it some, and let his other kids and family borrow it. By about 2009 his father got a little too elderly to keep using the boat and he put it in a shed. He held on to it for sentimental reasons and finally at the age of 84 decided he should sell it. By that time it had sat for so long that some things had weathered on it. When I bought it he spent about 30-45 minutes telling me stories and all the memories he had with his son in the boat.. He sure didn't want to let it go. I think it was his sincerity and sentiment that convinced me to go ahead and buy it. I could tell that he was a sincere person letting go of something dear to him. He definitely wasn't a salesman trying to sling something by me.
So we took it out for the first time yesterday. Everything worked great. Engine fires on the first crank every time now (fuel primer solenoid was the only issue). It needs a little throttle adjustment as I wasn't getting full throttle, but it still got up to about 55ish. It has a Johnson 200 Outboard, so I know it'll scoot when dialed in. I still need to hit the gel coat with a little restorer and work on it some, as well as refinish the engine cowl. So far so good, and I'm really excited about it. The boat had the "Kevin" sticker on it when I got it, and I think I'm gonna leave it.
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