ah_long

thanks for the compliment.. you hafta pay 13% on any boat you purchase anyways

i think it's your life, and you should be responsible for it... if you don't wanna wear it.. it's all urs... i think there should be a law for minors to wear their seat belts, but i think adults should be able to make the decisions for themselves "if you drive on the wrong side of the road, or drive too fast, drive with no lights etc" is something that would endanger someone else and I agree that should be legislated... but seatbelt doesn't affect another person... I say if someone else wants to go for the Darwin award, go for it.. just the same idea of using winter tires or not.. I actually think we should legislate winter tires before seat belts

I wear mine, but not because of the law, but because it could save lives I actually don't agree with the seat belt law in principle, it saves lives, but I don't feel that the government should be interfering with how I protect my life

rebuilt the water pump today, took some time to find that shift rod connector screw did some vacuuming and cleaning...

here's a few decent deals I've sent my fd http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/boa/2651251971.html http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/boa/2644994709.html http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1998-Alumacraft-Tournament-Pro-170-100127121 http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2003-Crestliner-16-Angler-Sc-99873091 http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2002-Tracker-Tournament-V18-99160260

pulled the carbs out and rebuilt them hoping to fix the non starting/idling issue.. and then discovered one of the fuel line cracked.. all fixed up now, just waiting for a gasket and a screw and back in they go

teaser

hey, just got back and going to write a report on it Weather: Nasty Departed from home @ 5:30am So my friend Jackie came and picked me up to pick up a boat from the States. I was originally looking @ a couple of boats (Ranger R61 & Triton) and have negotiated and decided on the Triton TR-17 from Clayton Marina. Took the 401 and started on a long drive to Thousand Island. On the way, I was surfing the internet and found out the Ranger I was originally interested in had a pretty significant price drop, but since it's 60 miles south of Buffalo and I'm heading to Clayton, NY, I stuck with my original plan and went to pick up the Triton. Crossed the border with no issues and got to the Marina @ around 9am. And I saw the shiny Triton TR-17 waiting for me @ the lot. Everything looked well when we drove in and I was excited. We looked over the boat and I started to have some doubts about this boat. The sales guy told me it was in mint condition but well, it's not really mint and although I know it's a 1999 boat, it didn't give me the vibe that the boat has been taken care of. There are rips on both passenger and driver seats, locks on compartments doesn't work, a chunk of gel coat was nicked off the bottom of the hull and the boat is just not clean. Anyhow, we took it out for a test drive. The motor runs well and everything mechanical and electrical works. We took it back and I started to think about it, I negotiated the price assuming the boat was mint condition as described, but being an @nal person that I am, I ultimately decided to walk away. I told myself, better waste a few hundred bucks than to drop 7 grand and feel bad about it. As we're leaving, Jackie said let's go take that Ranger, as if he knew what I was thinking. But since he was driving, I didn't want to put him thru another long drive (about 480kms from Clayton Marina to where the Ranger is). But well, since we're in the US already, I took his offer and left Clayton @ 11am. We stopped for gas and some quick lunch and drove straight to the Marina where the Ranger is. We made a stop @ Gander mountain and picked up some Rapala DT-14 for $1.48 each... SCORE! After about 5 hours on the road, we got to the Marina @ 4:30PM, half an hour before they closed. I saw the Ranger @ the Lot and when I saw it, it made a connection with me and I knew that was it. The Hull is in better condition that some of the late 2000s that I've seen and it's obvious it's been taken care of. When testing out the electronics, the batteries were dead, the marina put in a brand new cranking and trolling motor battery in there. After some back and forth and testing, everything checks out and I know it's time to buy. I haggled a little bit more and struck a deal . Believe it or not, I saved about $2800 by going with the Ranger instead of the Triton. We hooked everything up, and started driving home. We stopped @ pizza hut for a quick dinner (cheap, $10 for any large pizza) and went straight to the border @ Peace bridge. I had all the documents (title, registration, bill of sale and original online ad). Going thru the border was a breeze, took about 20 minutes to finish up all the paper work, donated some money to the Harper Government and we're on our way. When I got home @ midnight, I realized the CBSA didn't give me the RIV form 1 and I had to call to Peace bridge CBSA and get the file numbers and I'll need to get a replacement asap in order to get the trailer transferred. After a full day and 1000km of driving, I finally got the boat I want. A shout out to Jackie for being such a good friend. So here are some of my conclusions and thoughts of buying a boat in the States - Don't be intimidated, it's not as complicated as you think - Request tons of photos in advance, don't make the mistake that I did. If the seller has nothing to hide, he/she would be happy to help. - Although you've driven a long way, don't be afraid to walk away from the deal if it doesn't feel right - Even when the price is right, still haggle - Try to budget your time so that you can go to the DMV to get a temp trailer transit permit - Make sure you leave the CBSA with RIV form 1 Is it worth it? Yes I saved about 20~20% on my boat

it's going towards some HDS units w/ LSS

i personally don't see how it's trouble.. just like buying any other boat.. all you have to do is to submit the papers to customs when you bring it over and pay the taxes... it's not as complicated as buying a car

well... She's a 1999 Triton Tr-17 w/ Evinrude 115 FICHT w/ SS Prop. 70lb 24v Minn Kota Pro Bow Mount, Dual console I'm saving about $1-2k in comparison to what we have in Canada pictures will come this weekend

Thanks for all your help guys, I've just struck a deal with a marina in the US. Picking up the boat this Friday. Definitely a better deal than the used market in Canada.

u caught more walleye in 1.5 hours than I did for my whole friggin life...

thanks guys, I found a few nice bass boats across the border

12" is for amateurs this is da bomb

could someone give me some pointers to how to buy a boat from the states? What cities are good to look and what websites aside from craigslist are there? Thanks

that was fast, that's one of the boats on my radar but the seller never replied to me.. guess you're the reason..congrats

called them up and even told them the boat saids max 90hp, but they sent it to underwriting and said it's fine

nononono.. the boat doesn't do 60MPH+, it's just that if the new motor pushes the boat over 60MPH, then it's not insurable with this company

i mostly fish solo or duo, so i think it should work good.. but if you put 3 or more ppl on the 165, I find it too cramped up

I called MD marine insurance (the current insurance policy on the boat) and it's a green light the only thing that won't be covered is if the motor falls off due to the increased weight but I don't see that as an issue so hoping all goes well @ the test drive

finally got a hold of him.. going to take the boat out this coming week

interesting, never thought about that.. I'll give that a shot... personally I don't see a problem with the larger motor and let's face it, who doesn't want a faster boat

as far as weight is concerned, I know it's the same as the 90 so it's ok there.. just concerned about insurance and all those legal crap.. I'm on hold with my insurance CO right now and see if I can get a green light from them If anything, I'm thinking about buying a 90hp cover and put it on..

I highly doubt there's a governor installed on it.. I share the same concerns as you, I'm not too worried if I lose the boat as much as if someone else gets hurt