First boat - numerous questions

[adam lancia]

My family is going to be making the trek from Alabama back to Nova Scotia, across to Toronto, then back to Alabama this summer. We looked into buying a utility trailer, then renting one, then decided that didn't make much sense. So here's where we're at with it now:

 

We figured that we won't have room for everything in our small SUV for the long drive back to Canada this summer (next week actually), and aren't really thrilled about spending money on a utility trailer. So we decided to look at cheap boats and found a 15' 1972 Terry Bass Boat with a 40hp Johnson 40EL-73D outboard and a 40lb MinnKota Edge (brand new battery too). It's listed as weighing 835 lbs without any other equipment on it. The stick steer is kind of cool (works, even the manual tension adjuster), and the fact that it has a flat floor with a fair amount of room is a big plus. The engine started right up but needs an electric choke override lever (an $11 part online from what I've seen). The trailer has new tires, bearing buddy's and freshly packed bearings, and it tilts. The guy had it on the water in March to ensure it ran and didn't take on water (passed both tests I'm told but he said he'll take me out on Monday for further proof). I think we're going to make an offer on the boat for the simple fact that we'd be killing 2 birds with one stone. It'll be big enough to haul the extra stuff that won't fit in the car for the trip back, and we'll have a boat!

There were a couple of small dings in the front center of the hull, presumably from being driven up on shore. The transom looks good, no rot or cracks that I could see. What else do you think I need to look for once we get on the water?

Lastly, and probably most importantly considering the drive we're about to do: how does towing capacity translate into actual weight of all items being towed...? Is there anything I need to be especially considerate of when towing? Obviously we won't be able to travel as quickly as we would without it behind us, but what else? I'll register it here in Alabama before we leave, what kind of documentation do I need to bring in order to cross into Canada and back into the U.S.? Do I need insurance for the boat/trailer as in Canada, or am I covered by my car insurance while towing it...? Is there anything else I need to take into consideration?

Thanks!!!

[Old Ironmaker]

Adam, boats are not pickup trucks or trailers. Look at the capacity of the trailer and know what the gross weight of the boat is if you can with the motor. Boats coming out of a dealer are very closely matched to the weight of the boat. A few extra items in a boat like a few coolers is reasonable, loading it up like it is a mini van is not recommended.

 

Go to iboats.com and read the sticky at the op of the General Forum page for buying a used boat. I have copied and pasted it here numerous times. Go to NADA.com which is the Blue Book for recreational vehicles and find out the general worth of that boat. Boat prices vary from county to county let alone country to country.

 

My opinion, rent a trailer and take your time buying a boat.

 

I have a rule, never buy a snowmobile in the Yukon or a boat down south.

[OhioFisherman]

I haven't seen a stick steer bass boat in a lot of years!

[adam lancia]

Adam, boats are not pickup trucks or trailers. Look at the capacity of the trailer and know what the gross weight of the boat is if you can with the motor. Boats coming out of a dealer are very closely matched to the weight of the boat. A few extra items in a boat like a few coolers is reasonable, loading it up like it is a mini van is not recommended.

 

Go to iboats.com and read the sticky at the op of the General Forum page for buying a used boat. I have copied and pasted it here numerous times. Go to NADA.com which is the Blue Book for recreational vehicles and find out the general worth of that boat. Boat prices vary from county to county let alone country to country.

 

My opinion, rent a trailer and take your time buying a boat.

 

I have a rule, never buy a snowmobile in the Yukon or a boat down south.

 

Thanks for the info. That's an interesting rule about boats and snowmobiles ;-) I hadn't thought of it that way before. I'll be checking iboats.com out tonight. This is the closest I could get on NADA (the motor is a '73 and not a '74, and I'm fairly certain the trailer is the same age as the boat ('72). He's asking $900 but has said he'd entertain an offer. He has also offered to get me on the water on Monday to try it out.

 

I'm not going to be loading it up with a bunch of heavy stuff, just some lighter, bulky items that won't fit in the vehicle. I figure the total weight I'll be adding in cargo is about 150 lbs at the absolute high end.

 

The trailer rental aspect isn't great because it will end up costing us just about as much as buying the boat. We're heading out east first, which would be one rental fee, then to Toronto (another fee), then back to Alabama (third fee). It would be one thing if we were doing all of this driving within the 7 day rental window but we'll probably be in Nova Scotia for almost a month alone.

 

There absolutely isn't an inexpensive way to travel the distances we will be traveling, but there are more financially efficient methods. Ive been offered to have it inspected by a marine mechanic so if anything comes up there, I'll be taking appropriate action.

[porkpie]

Buy yourself a 14 foot tin boat with a 15hp motor and load it up. Do yourself a favour and don't buy a bass boat from 1974. I generally see those guys at the launch with the motor hood off looking disappointed. Not because an old boat can't run well, but because most boats of that vintage at this point haven't been very well looked after. It's a rare one that is.

[mikeh]

I think Adam needs the stability of a fibreglass boat, hopefully it won't be as tippy as an aluminium,, I looked at that boat online and the flat floor will make things easier. Is the boat open inside to see the fibreglass? If you think that is the boat for you, put a deposit down or buy it. Maybe next time you can find a 16 foot pontoon.

 

good luck

[Old Ironmaker]

Adam I highly recommend staying away from a 45 year old boat unless you are a marine mechanic otherwise you are looking to get into some serious pain. It's like buying your very first car that is 45 years old. Sourcing parts alone for a boat manufacturer out of business is a nightmare, even a Johnson that old it may be tough to get parts for. For 900 bucks buy a trailer and sell it when you are done for even 1/2 price and it costs you only $450.00. Please don't buy a 45 year old boat, believe me. It may not take on water now but I can guarantee you that over 45 years it is more than likely that the floatation is waterlogged and the stringers have been compromised. Do you have a link where we can see he boat.

 

Overloading a 14' boat trailer isn't safe either. like I said a trailered boat isn't a cube van.

 

Experience is a lifetime of mistakes, wisdom is knowing not to make them again.

Edited May 13, 2017 by Old Ironmaker

[porkpie]

I've trailered 14 and 16 foot tin boats loaded with camping gear, bikes and god knows what else all over the countryside for many years. As long as you have a reasonably good condition trailer that you've maintained it is a non issue. My many many hours of actually doing it under real world conditions tell me that, and no one with a hypothesis that it might not work out will tell me otherwise.

[kenzy31]

Buy two brand new hub assemblies, a jack, tire iron, a couple spare tires on rims and hit the road!!

[adam lancia]

Buy yourself a 14 foot tin boat with a 15hp motor and load it up. Do yourself a favour and don't buy a bass boat from 1974. I generally see those guys at the launch with the motor hood off looking disappointed. Not because an old boat can't run well, but because most boats of that vintage at this point haven't been very well looked after. It's a rare one that is.

 

A tinner isn't an option for a couple of reasons, the biggest one being that my wife is a paraplegic and needs to be able to sit in her wheelchair in the boat. Flat bottom inner floor and fairly stable are 2 big concerns.

 

I think Adam needs the stability of a fibreglass boat, hopefully it won't be as tippy as an aluminium,, I looked at that boat online and the flat floor will make things easier. Is the boat open inside to see the fibreglass? If you think that is the boat for you, put a deposit down or buy it. Maybe next time you can find a 16 foot pontoon.

 

good luck

 

Hey Mike!!! A pontoon is in our future, just not right now. There's a nice lake nearby where we can rent a slip and just leave it there without worrying about trailering it around,

 

Adam I highly recommend staying away from a 45 year old boat unless you are a marine mechanic otherwise you are looking to get into some serious pain. It's like buying your very first car that is 45 years old. Sourcing parts alone for a boat manufacturer out of business is a nightmare, even a Johnson that old it may be tough to get parts for. For 900 bucks buy a trailer and sell it when you are done for even 1/2 price and it costs you only $450.00. Please don't buy a 45 year old boat, believe me. It may not take on water now but I can guarantee you that over 45 years it is more than likely that the floatation is waterlogged and the stringers have been compromised. Do you have a link where we can see he boat.

 

Overloading a 14' boat trailer isn't safe either. like I said a trailered boat isn't a cube van.

 

Experience is a lifetime of mistakes, wisdom is knowing not to make them again.

 

I completely understand that there's lots that can go wrong with this boat due to its age. The thing is, even if it doesn't run well, isn't reliable and requires some work over the next 2 years or so, it's still less expensive and less effort (immediate future, i.e. this trip) than buying a utility trailer that will cost me twice as much (the cheapest trailer I have found is $1400) and then I'll probably have to sit on it when we get back. Not to mention that we aren't allowed to part a trailer in the driveway of the subdivision we live in (the boat will be parked at a friends place on the lake I like to fish). Even if the engine requires some tinkering to keep happy, I'm not opposed to that (I have a small engine mechanic down the street who loves older stuff) so I have some guidance there.

 

I come from a family of mechanics who love older stuff. I've seen when a project goes bad simply due to age and nothing else, but I've also seen how simple and easy to maintain an older piece of equipment can be given that it's predisposed to stand the test of time and have been taken care of. Here's a link to the local Craigslist ad: https://tuscaloosa.craigslist.org/boa/6121706823.html

[porkpie]

Fair enough Adam, I don't know your situation. I see your dilemma. I still think a boat of that age might be more trouble than it's worth but can understand why you'd be interested!

[adam lancia]

It's more than a little unorthodox to buy a boat when it's secondary function is to be a boat... Even if the damn thing doesn't know how to boat, it's still cheaper than buying a utility trailer. If we get a year or two out of it and piece it out afterwards, that'll still be a better investment than spending money we don't have on a utility trailer.

 

I'll keep you all posted once we get it on the water on Monday.

 

Thanks!!

[Old Ironmaker]

Just trying to help Adam. Good luck.

 

Porkpie. We too have loaded a 14' tinny with all manner of gear including Birch saplings complete with dirt balls. That was when were young and inexperienced. I am glad you have been lucky, we weren't. Watching the trailer wheel pass the truck on the 401 isn't fun. We had to talk our way out of a fine from Johnny Law that day too. As long as the load capacity is fairly matched to the trailer capacity it's all good. The "on water" weight capacity that might be on a Transport Canada tag is different than the trailer wt. capacity. for the boat is not the same as on the trailer. A guestimate is good enough. From what I got from Adam is that there is quite a bit of stuff he needs to move. I don't know if it's very heavy or not. I will stick to what I said based on real life experience too. There is no other type of experience other than real life.

 

Man I wish I still had my 5X10 trailer, I would lend it to you.

Edited May 13, 2017 by Old Ironmaker

[Old Ironmaker]

OK some optimism from me. I took a look at the boat Adam, cute as a bugs ear. Very similar to the tri hull SunRay we are working on now, same colour too. Looks as solid and well kept as a few pics can depict and will be a real head turner at the dock for sure, especially with that steering. The price is fair even in USD. Especially if you part it out like you said you might. Push down on the 40 with it in the tilted up position. If the transom flexes in anyway it will tell you a lot about the boat and it's future.

[adam lancia]

Just trying to help Adam. Good luck.

 

Porkpie. We too have loaded a 14' tinny with all manner of gear including Birch saplings complete with dirt balls. That was when were young and inexperienced. I am glad you have been lucky, we weren't. Watching the trailer wheel pass the truck on the 401 isn't fun. We had to talk our way out of a fine from Johnny Law that day too. As long as the load capacity is fairly matched to the trailer capacity it's all good. The "on water" weight capacity that might be on a Transport Canada tag is different than the trailer wt. capacity. for the boat is not the same as on the trailer. A guestimate is good enough. From what I got from Adam is that there is quite a bit of stuff he needs to move. I don't know if it's very heavy or not. I will stick to what I said based on real life experience too. There is no other type of experience other than real life.

 

I definitely appreciate all of the advice, it certainly isn't going in one ear and out the other by any means. Like I said, all said and done, we only need to haul about 150lbs of stuff in the boat at the most. We have a 2010 GMC Terrain and will be traveling with our 2 puppies (a 50lb Boxer and an 8lb Terrier) and our 4 year old daughter. We're going to have a couple of duffel bags and some rods and tackle in the boat, just bulky stuff that wont' fit in the vehicle. We'll be camping along the way so we'd like to keep the tent, sleeping bags and camping mats in the vehicle, plus my wife's wheelchair. You can see how it fills up quickly... I really appreciate the input, I'm going to trailer it behind my vehicle before handing any $$$ over to ensure things are kosher there.

 

Thanks!!!

[adam lancia]

OK some optimism from me. I took a look at the boat Adam, cute as a bugs ear. Very similar to the tri hull SunRay we are working on now, same colour too. Looks as solid and well kept as a few pics can depict and will be a real head turner at the dock for sure, especially with that steering. The price is fair even in USD. Especially if you part it out like you said you might. Push down on the 40 with it in the tilted up position. If the transom flexes in anyway it will tell you a lot about the boat and it's future.

 

I'll do that, I was wondering how I would check the transom other than just eyeballing it. I'm glad you asked for the link, I didn't think of posting that (DOH!). It's definitely a unique boat, I have my fingers crossed for a successful test on Monday.

[Sinker]

No offense, but I wouldn't touch that boat myself.

 

S.

[Old Ironmaker]

Adam after all this I didn't read where you were only putting 150 lbs in the boat, no problem whatsoever putting 150 lbs in it. I'm picturing it loaded with furniture or something. I need to read closer.

 

Don't travel with the engine up that high, travel in a down position. But check that the skeg won't bottom out when down. Often trailers for old boats aren't original and a replacement may sit lower than the original.

 

As far as transfer of title a good question for iboats.com, someone from Alabama will answer you I'm sure. Boat title requirements vary state to state. If there isn't a title in hand from the seller you have a problem getting it registered here, it is the Federal Gov here that registers the boat, the trailer is Provincial.

 

The insurance question can only be answered by your Insurance provider. You are towing a non Canadian boat and trailer, ask them and get it in writing. I know when I had a place and car in Florida I had to get insurance for both from a US company, it may have changed now but I doubt it. I could only keep that US car in Canada for no more than 6 months according to Canada and US Customs. I had a heck of a time from US Customs getting it back into the States when I went past 6 months.

Edited May 13, 2017 by Old Ironmaker

[adam lancia]

No offense, but I wouldn't touch that boat myself.

 

S.

 

What are your thoughts on it...?

 

Adam after all this I didn't read where you were only putting 150 lbs in the boat, no problem whatsoever putting 150 lbs in it. I'm picturing it loaded with furniture or something. I need to read closer.

 

Don't travel with the engine up that high, travel in a down position. But check that the skeg won't bottom out when down. Often trailers for old boats aren't original and a replacement may sit lower than the original.

 

As far as transfer of title a good question for iboats.com, someone from Alabama will answer you I'm sure. Boat title requirements vary state to state. If there isn't a title in hand from the seller you have a problem getting it registered here, it is the Federal Gov here that registers the boat, the trailer is Provincial.

 

The insurance question can only be answered by your Insurance provider. You are towing a non Canadian boat and trailer, ask them and get it in writing. I know when I had a place and car in Florida I had to get insurance for both from a US company, it may have changed now but I doubt it. I could only keep that US car in Canada for no more than 6 months according to Canada and US Customs. I had a heck of a time from US Customs getting it back into the States when I went past 6 months.

 

No worries, there was a lot of information in my post! I'm going to get a transom saver for it, just to be safe. I'll be getting a pair of straps for the back as well, plus a spare wheel/tire and a strap for the winch (there's a rope on there now). He has a title and it was registered here in Alabama (ran out this March), total cost was $53. I won't be registering it in Ontario unless it ends up being a gem and we keep it for a long time. We'll be down here for a good while....

 

The vehicle is an American one so the Canadian vehicle angle shouldn't be an issue. I'll give Geico a call this weekend. We won't be in Canada more than 2 months so I think we're good there. And I'll probably call Borders and Customs to figure out what I need to make crossing back and forth a non-issue.

 

iboats.com here I come...

[Sinker]

The boat is old, the steering set up is unique, and would be hard to get any parts for it if you had problems, and I wouldn't risk towing that trailer any distance. Anything can go wrong with a trailer. Springs can snap, spring shackles break, frames crack, bearings fail....you don't want any problems on your vacation.

 

Anything over 40yrs old is bound to have problems sooner than later.

 

S.

[adam lancia]

Well, I took it for a test drive yesterday and was pleasantly surprised by how well it ran and handled. It got up on plane nicely, the steering setup was actually really intuitive, and the trolling motor was great. It might need a little tinkering with over the summer to get it setup exactly how I want it but that'll be enjoyable.

 

Thanks for all the input, I'll keep this thread posted after the first official outing this summer!

[Old Ironmaker]

Experience has a tendency to curb enthusiasm. In my experience 45 year old mechanical items aren't up for much use, they are antiques.

[adam lancia]

Experience has a tendency to curb enthusiasm. In my experience 45 year old mechanical items aren't up for much use, they are antiques.

 

That's understandable, experience is the best teacher from what I've heard.

 

Little update on the trip: we covered 3200km over 4 days without a hitch from puppies, 4 year old daughter, parents, vehicle, or trailer/boat. My mileage dropped from 2mpg but I was expecting worse. Maybe it didn't kill my mileage because it's narrower than newer bass boats. No issues at the boarder either, even with a clearly full boat with a tarp over it's contents. It's nice to cross at a small border...

 

I'll be getting it on the water in the next couple of days, I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

[DanD]

Experience has a tendency to curb enthusiasm. In my experience 45 year old mechanical items aren't up for much use, they are antiques.

 

Not all antiques are worn out or can't be brought back to life.

 

Hears my proof of that.

 

 

67 year old Chevy, proudly sitting 8 hours North of home. The old girl loved very mile it took too get us to the fishing camp and back home.

 

Dan.