"johnagner" wrote in message
...
I'm looking to buy my first boat, and i'm on a limited budget. a friend
suggested i buy one with an outboard. i'd use it in a new jersey bay, for
some pleasure boating and perhaps a little waterskiing. I've seen good
prices on old aluminum vhull starcraft boats from the 60s and 70s. would
such a boat be a good buy, since aluminum doesn't deteriorate like
fiberglass, and since these boats seem to go pretty fast with a 90-110 hp
outboard. please email replies to


John,

I was in the same place as you and decided to with the classic aluminum
boat. Light aluminum boats really scoot with a minimum of power and they are
much easier to horse around on land. I have had fiberglass hulls and I will
never go back!
I have looked at several boats before I settled on Crestliner. The
Starcraft hulls I looked at were mostly OK, but I favored the Crestliner
lines; the years I looked at they had the shape of classic wooden boats.

If you do get a riveted hull, expect to learn to replace leaky rivets on a
old riveted aluminum hull. It's not hard and will go a long ways towards
eliminating a source of annoyances. (a puddle in the bottom, of the hull)
Please note that you can't really re-set a rivet once its driven.

Welded hulls started about mid-60's and the older Crestliners seem to be
holding up pretty well. Some other brands did not do as well.

You may be able to just buy a boat and start boating. It really depends on
your temperament, pocket book and what you want out of a boat. I believe
that you should buy as cheaply as possible (within reason) on your first
boat. After you have run it for a while you will learn what it is that you
truly want from a boat. If at all possible, go boating with a friend before
you buy your first boat. This will help you learn the basics of what you do
and don't like about boats before you plop down the long green. Failing
that, many on the group recommend power-squadron training. I can't say how
it would work out but many recommend it.

No matter what sort of old boat you buy, expect problems with the wiring,
control cables, engine, batteries, and trailer. More than likely, you will
find that you can't live with some of the problems that the last owner did.
You will want to clear them up to make your boat work the way you think it
should. The act of boating should be pleasurable - sitting out in the middle
of a lake with a dead engine does very little to enhance the boating
experience. What you will or won't be able to deal with depends on how handy
and will equipped you are. Using a leaky rivet as an example; A replacement
rivet costs a few cents and 10 minutes if you cure it yourself. You may pay
a great deal more if you have a marine shop fix it.

Keep in mind that boating is not quite like driving - a relatively minor
problem may become life-threatening under the wrong circumstances. There is
a good reason they invented the phrase ship-shape!

To see what some other classic aluminum boaters are doing, see:
http://www.retrocrestliner.com/viewe...os%20index.htm

My boat is under page 16, to save navigation hassels, see pages:
http://www.retrocrestliner.com/viewe...Browne%20a.htm
http://www.retrocrestliner.com/viewe...20Brownea1.htm
http://www.retrocrestliner.com/viewe...2016browne.htm

I had a big block of overseas travel for work last year and completely shot
any chance of finishing my boat; I intend to splash my hull this year.

Best of luck,

Mark Browne