I don't know but I wouldn't say they're dead...yet, my Chris craft is an '83 and the marquis is a '77. I'm redoing the interior on the Marquis at the moment, but the Chris just got a good workout this past weekend.

Viva!

On 7/21/15 10:40 AM, Tim wrote:
I don't know but I wouldn't say they're dead...yet, my Chris craft is an '83 and the marquis is a '77. I'm redoing the interior on the Marquis at the moment, but the Chris just got a good workout this past weekend.

Viva!


Different strokes...three to five years, and I'm itchy for a new boat.

A smaller boat I was on recently seemed really nice to us:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YokmT8Kft8

On Tue, 21 Jul 2015 10:57:11 -0400, Keyser Söze
wrote:

On 7/21/15 10:40 AM, Tim wrote:
I don't know but I wouldn't say they're dead...yet, my Chris craft is an '83 and the marquis is a '77. I'm redoing the interior on the Marquis at the moment, but the Chris just got a good workout this past weekend.

Viva!


Different strokes...three to five years, and I'm itchy for a new boat.

A smaller boat I was on recently seemed really nice to us:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YokmT8Kft8

===

Let us know when the IRS gives you approval to buy. BTW, it's a flat
water, short range boat.

Wayne.B wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jul 2015 10:57:11 -0400, Keyser Söze
wrote:

On 7/21/15 10:40 AM, Tim wrote:
I don't know but I wouldn't say they're dead...yet, my Chris craft is an '83 and the marquis is a '77. I'm redoing the interior on the Marquis at the moment, but the Chris just got a good workout this past weekend.

Viva!

Different strokes...three to five years, and I'm itchy for a new boat.

A smaller boat I was on recently seemed really nice to us:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YokmT8Kft8
===

Let us know when the IRS gives you approval to buy. BTW, it's a flat
water, short range boat.


And a floating RV. There is no style to that barge.

wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jul 2015 07:40:53 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

I don't know but I wouldn't say they're dead...yet, my Chris craft is an
'83 and the marquis is a '77. I'm redoing the interior on the Marquis at
the moment, but the Chris just got a good workout this past weekend.

Viva!

Mere pups. My Harris is from 1974.
I am looking at having a new one built but the guy I want to build it
is in Ohio and getting it here is a trick. I have a buddy in Ohio and
I may incorporate this into a road trip.
I rebuilt this boat in 1990 and I still do not see any production
boats that are built as well. Fire and Marine in Ohio builds
commercial stuff and they will build me anything I want.
In the end, it's cheaper than getting a Bennington or some other
premium brand. I am not really interested in all of that furniture and
they will not give you much of a discount if you delete it.

Have it lashed atop a freighter coming down the Ohio river to New Orleans.
Acquaintance did that when he bought a 32' aluminum Cat in Australia. Tied
to the top of a container ship going to San Pedro.

Greg what's wrong with your Harris? I thought you were a 'if it works, don't fix it' kinda guy?

Now I understand, Greg. Would it be worth installing a third, single tube in the center? "Tri-toon?" style instead of going with a whole different rig?

On Tuesday, July 21, 2015 at 1:52:04 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jul 2015 12:09:21 -0500, Califbill billnews wrote:

wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jul 2015 07:40:53 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

I don't know but I wouldn't say they're dead...yet, my Chris craft is an
'83 and the marquis is a '77. I'm redoing the interior on the Marquis at
the moment, but the Chris just got a good workout this past weekend.

Viva!

Mere pups. My Harris is from 1974.
I am looking at having a new one built but the guy I want to build it
is in Ohio and getting it here is a trick. I have a buddy in Ohio and
I may incorporate this into a road trip.
I rebuilt this boat in 1990 and I still do not see any production
boats that are built as well. Fire and Marine in Ohio builds
commercial stuff and they will build me anything I want.
In the end, it's cheaper than getting a Bennington or some other
premium brand. I am not really interested in all of that furniture and
they will not give you much of a discount if you delete it.

Have it lashed atop a freighter coming down the Ohio river to New Orleans.
Acquaintance did that when he bought a 32' aluminum Cat in Australia. Tied
to the top of a container ship going to San Pedro.

They want about $1800 to trailer it down here and I figure it will
cost about a third to half that to drive up and get it by the time I
buy food and a couple of hotels. If I spin it that I am just going up
to visit my buddy that is not bad at all. I figure I would drop the
trailer at the boat guy, go visit for a few days and pick it up on the
way back.

I might consider a Bennington S class if I could get one cheap enough.
I have a friend at the dealer watching for one that was sitting in
someone's yard rotting for a several years since I don't want any of
the topside stuff anyway. Then the question might be, what to do with
the motor if it came with one. I guess I would decide after I saw it.
My motor is 3 1/2 years old with over 800 hours on it. I still might
prefer that to a pig in a poke.,

There's a 25ft 2008 Premier Castaway with the PTX center toon close by for sale. It was left out to pretty much rot for several years. Needs new carpet and furniture. Two fishing seats in both the front and rear, live wells at each end, too. 150 four stroke Yamaha with 150 hours. Probably could be bought for $15k or maybe less.

wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jul 2015 17:20:41 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Tuesday, July 21, 2015 at 1:52:04 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jul 2015 12:09:21 -0500, Califbill billnews wrote:

wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jul 2015 07:40:53 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

I don't know but I wouldn't say they're dead...yet, my Chris craft is an
'83 and the marquis is a '77. I'm redoing the interior on the Marquis at
the moment, but the Chris just got a good workout this past weekend.

Viva!

Mere pups. My Harris is from 1974.
I am looking at having a new one built but the guy I want to build it
is in Ohio and getting it here is a trick. I have a buddy in Ohio and
I may incorporate this into a road trip.
I rebuilt this boat in 1990 and I still do not see any production
boats that are built as well. Fire and Marine in Ohio builds
commercial stuff and they will build me anything I want.
In the end, it's cheaper than getting a Bennington or some other
premium brand. I am not really interested in all of that furniture and
they will not give you much of a discount if you delete it.

Have it lashed atop a freighter coming down the Ohio river to New Orleans.
Acquaintance did that when he bought a 32' aluminum Cat in Australia. Tied
to the top of a container ship going to San Pedro.

They want about $1800 to trailer it down here and I figure it will
cost about a third to half that to drive up and get it by the time I
buy food and a couple of hotels. If I spin it that I am just going up
to visit my buddy that is not bad at all. I figure I would drop the
trailer at the boat guy, go visit for a few days and pick it up on the
way back.

I might consider a Bennington S class if I could get one cheap enough.
I have a friend at the dealer watching for one that was sitting in
someone's yard rotting for a several years since I don't want any of
the topside stuff anyway. Then the question might be, what to do with
the motor if it came with one. I guess I would decide after I saw it.
My motor is 3 1/2 years old with over 800 hours on it. I still might
prefer that to a pig in a poke.,

There's a 25ft 2008 Premier Castaway with the PTX center toon close by
for sale. It was left out to pretty much rot for several years. Needs
new carpet and furniture. Two fishing seats in both the front and rear,
live wells at each end, too. 150 four stroke Yamaha with 150 hours.
Probably could be bought for $15k or maybe less.

That is more boat than I want and Premier is not really that good a
boat. anyway. To put this in perspective, all of the aluminum on the
one I was going to have built comes in at around $12k
I really want to stay in the 20-21' range because that is about all
that will fit on my lift and if it gets too big, it won't go a lot of
places where we go. I have an 18' Tracker I might be able to get for
free but I would kick back whatever I could sell the ~2008 50 Merc 2
stroke for. I am just not looking for an 18 either.

The good Bennington looks OK (that may be the G not the S) but it
really comes down to how they are built. I am tough on them.
That is why that commercial grade boat looks so good to me.

Maybe buy the toons and buy an aluminum welder and weld up a deck frame.
Add enough supports to use a composite deck.

On Wednesday, July 22, 2015 at 2:59:53 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Wed, 22 Jul 2015 00:48:19 -0500, Califbill billnews wrote:

wrote:

The good Bennington looks OK (that may be the G not the S) but it
really comes down to how they are built. I am tough on them.
That is why that commercial grade boat looks so good to me.

Maybe buy the toons and buy an aluminum welder and weld up a deck frame.
Add enough supports to use a composite deck.

The deck frame is usually bolted to the toons but you need to get the
tubes that have good supports. That is the biggest flaw in the cheap
ones. My boat has 2x2 square tube for the stringers instead of the "Z"
or "C" channel most boats use and everything is through bolted with
3/8" 316 SS hardware.

It seems you are just poking around in the mangroves. The square tubing gives you slightly better dimension stability for fast running over rough stuff. Why does that matter?

Composites are really pretty heavy. Plywood seems to be the best deck.
It gives you a whole lot of dimensional stability and if you get the
right grade, it lasts a long time. Mine is 25 years old (MDO) and
still doing well.
The trick is sealing the edges and all penetrations well.
There are boats with aluminum decking bit they tend to be noisy.

And the aluminum decked boats are "flexy". You can see them twisting at speed in the rough. I have to say my Premier is rock solid even when the lake gets very rough, and I've been in Charleston Harbor when it was fairly nasty with no ill effects.