To take on another project or not! That's the Question!

[Josh256v]

12 years ago I bought a 1988 Stratos 256v for a song. It was rough, it had lived outside it's whole life, but I wanted a boat...bad...and at 20 years old this was all I could afford. I've put blood sweat and tears into the thing, tournament fished from it, and made a lot of memories. I've always wanted to upgrade, but financially, I've just never made buying a new boat a priority. Fast forward to today and I'm married with 2 boys and guess what? Still not quite in the spot to spend a lot to upgrade my rig. At the end of the day a 15.5' 40mph rig just isn't a family boat.

My good friend bought a 1989 Bass Tracker 1800FS (glass boat). It "looks" rough, but the 150 Merc runs great and the hull is solid. He offered it to me for $1500 which is about what he has is it. It needs a new switch panel, carpet, seats, trolling motor and a gelcoat restoration job (which I did with my Stratos). Transom and Floors seem solid. I used the lean on the motor and jump on the floor test.

Basically my thought is, if I take on this project, with a little elbow grease I can have my family out on the water in a boat with plenty of room and power to enjoy the day and also feel a little more comfotable fishing tournaments. Let's be honest, the little Stratos will wear you out running all over the lake on a tourney day.

Not really sure why I posted all this, just looking for opinions I reckon!

Current rig:


Possible project:

[CastingCall]

If it fits your needs, go for it! Even if it's not, the motor alone is likely worth twice what you're paying.
But (there is always a but), most any bass boat is not a "family" boat, especially with 4 people and no bench seat. If it's just you and the two boys, it will likely work great assuming it's got a middle seat. Will even work OK with 4 people but someone will need to sit on front deck facing aft for running.
So it's up to you to decide if it will fit what you need it to do... it's a great price!!