On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 23:57:43 +0800, Old Nick wrote:

On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 00:20:23 -0500, "johnagner" vaguely
proposed a theory
......and in reply I say!:
remove ns from my header address to reply via email

I'm looking to buy my first boat, and i'm on a limited budget. a friend
suggested i buy one with an outboard.


....and I disagree with most of what Nick said.

Here on the West Coast, where there's lots of things to hit, welded-aluminum
boats are de rigeur for commercial boats (fishing, commuter, etc.). They just
last and last (but they aren't cheap, don't look great, and sound wierd). As for
rivited aluminum: half the backyards in BC have a rivited-aluminum skiff tucked
away somewhere. The one I have is 1975, and it's still leakproof despite being
thrown around, dragged over rocks and gravel, etc.

Old outboards seem to never die. I've had several over 20 years old (my current
one is a 1989 Johnson) and they seem to just keep running (koff!koff! they
DO smoke a lot!). Not much to go wrong with an old 2-stroke...

So yeah, an aluminum boat with an old outboard is a great way to get into
boating. Just make sure you have an alternate way home (kicker motor, electric,
oars...) and don't go too far until you're sure the boat is reliable.

And DO have the boat and especially the motor checked out by an "expert" before
you buy.

Lloyd Sumpter
"The Tin Boat" Mirrocraft 12