Thanks for the quick response, guys!! The aluminum 14' is a Lund. I
especially thank you for the hints on checking the hull and transom-
being a autobody man by trade,I really don't care for fiberglass
much,but the 'glass boat in question looks 100% better than the Lund...
There is a wooden panel which lifts out of the center of the floor-I'll
're-inspect the 'glass boat this afternoon Thanks!!!!
Shortwave Sportfishing wrote:
On 22 Aug 2006 05:26:01 -0700, "52hawk" wrote:

Please jump in here and give me any advice or insight you may have!!!

With a boat this old, you may want to do a very careful look see for
certain things - such as how solid is the floor and transom, any
excess movement in both (like grab the skeg of the engine and lift it
up and down watching the transom - any movement, you've got a major
problem. Same with the floor - walk about and make sure it's not
"squishy". There might be an access panel somewhere for you to take a
look-see under the floor - look around. Another good way to check the
interior stringers is with a bore light - essentially a long
screwdriver looking thing with a very long neck with a light bulb on
the end. Stick it in the drain plug hole at the stern and take a look
to see if it looks wet - stick your finger in it to check for "gunk" -
gunk would indicate that the stringers are going south.

Another trick when inspecting the boat is to find a small rubber
hammer (or even a big one) and just tap out the hull and transom - if
you hear a solid thunk, then it's probably fairly decent - if you head
a dead sounding thud, chances are the wood is no good. Believe me,
you will know the difference between a thunk and a thud.

Look for cracks and crazing - this boat will have normal wear/tear
issues for it's age, but any cracks/crazing should be surface only and
not with any depth.

Even if your are only paying $1,000 or so for the boat, spend $100
shop time and have the engine gone through with a written repair
report to you stating compression numbers, condition of the spark
plugs, etc. An hour of shop time can buy you a lot of engine
inspection.

These boats are no longer in production.

With respect to weights, no clue, but guessing based on other boats of
it's type, boat/motor/trailer maybe 1300 lbs - plus or minus 100 lbs.

Aluminum will always be a better boat, but a 14 with a 35 might be a
little problematic - in particular with an additional 8 hp kicker.

What kind of aluminum boat is it?