A look at a first time boat owner with all the challenges and experiences as I learn to maintain and operate an older boat.

A little bit late to start this.  I bought this boat a little over two years ago.  We had been looking  for this model and found it for sale in NJ. Oh, and it was Jan.  I inquired about it and a couple weeks later there was a Jan thaw where the temps were in the 60’s.  We checked it out but didn’t make any decisions till a few weeks later.  It took me a bit to digest everything.  I took lots of pictures and spent the day carefully going over every inch.  Eventually I put in an offer and it was accepted and I held the boat with a deposit on condition of a satisfactory sea trial.

Winter can be long and even more so when waiting.  I finally get notification from the broker that it would be ready in a few weeks.  A week later he cancels letting me know seller is having health issues and needs time to undergo surgery and recover.  What can you do?

I decide to wait while looking for something else.  Nearly a month goes by and I get a message, seller is ready to commission the boat.  A few days later another message telling me they found an issue with a sticking valve upon start up.  At that point, I was under no obligation to move forward but I was also back at square one.

Seller fixes the boat after a bit of time and sea trial is scheduled.  One more trip to NJ and if I buy it, then another.  This will make it 5 trips total.  I hammer out some concessions from with the broker but it’s now as cheap as it is going to get.

The good.  The cylinder heads are gone over by a machine shop.  While at it, the seller has to replace the exhaust manifolds, risers and elbows as this was the cause.  He thought it be just good enough to pass and might have if he had changed the gaskets and cleaned them up that last season.  I get a full series of pictures of the cylinder wear and over all condition of the motor.

The bad.  Engine been taken apart.  Was everything torqued to spec?  What else wasn’t taken care of. Is it a good enough deal if I need to do major work to it?

Moving forward, first season was pretty short but no issues with the boat.  The surveyor found a few small things I was able to easily take care of.  Boat had 315 hours when I bought it.  360 hours at the end of the season.

Fast forward to present.  Getting ready to launch and will be keeping it in a slip in RI after trailering the boat which began to get old.  The real adventure starts now.