Post
by efendy » Sun Dec 18, 2016 2:31 pm
Hi All,
I actually bought a boat yesterday. 15 foot swiftcraft runabout. 4.57 cm approximately.
I went to Ararat to pick it up. Towing went smoothly.
The boat was a project boat. The guy actually spent more than he bought the boat for. But I was able to snatch it for $2100.
I'll list the pros and cons based on my limited knowledge and judgement on boats but mind you I've been working with all sorts of materials and machinery for the most of my life as a hobbyist so I can't call myself a complete newbie.
Pros:
- the hull was completely overhauled by the previous owner who is a mechanic and a very fussy bloke including extreme attention to detail who came across very genuine and honest. He had lots of help from a mate who is a panel beater and had experience with fibreglass. they replaced the floor and painted it with anti-slip coating. The boat was also painted completely. New windscreen installed.
- Most of the trailer is new.
- New seats with storage space underneath.
- new steering wheel and cables were replaced. Control cables were also replaced as far as I remember. New starting battery and 8amp 7 stage charger that should cost 150-200 by itself.
- Transom looks good, again to my untrained eyes. Very clean and solid.
- New fuel tank with new fuel lines.
- new life jackets (4x), 2 fire extinguishers installed under seat. Oars and other stuff.
- Boat and trailer are currently registered. Boat has 11 months registration.
Cons:
- Most people would suggest 40hp electric start Yamaha would be under-powered - I would love to be told otherwise though! :rofl:
- Even though the motor was serviced, carburetors overhauled, spark plugs changed I have no idea about the motor. The bloke said it always started without a hitch (I included a video of motor running at my place).
Not sure:
Would this be stable enough in nice weather to do fishing with two average size blokes? I guess we will find out soon!
The motivation behind the sale, according to the guy was that he enjoyed the process of fixing it but he had other projects in line and there was no space in garage. His wife was also there and she made sure he sold it to me. While she was very happy to see the boat go, the guy was very upset. The guy was very genuine and genuine. He went through all the features of the boat which probably took 1 hour.
It looks (at least to me) too good to be true but I looks alright so I don't know!
I would love to hear any constructive inputs, what I should look for safety side of things. How I can go about getting the motor (compression?) and boat checked?
Thanks everyone who has/will contribute(d).
Cheers
Last edited by
efendy on Sat Jun 03, 2017 11:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.