Well I just got my first boat, went with the maxum cruiser... so far
so good but there several cosmetic issues I need to address and I am
hoping you guys can give me some guidance. I am located in Seattle wa.

1. I want to order a new cover for the boat. The oringal cover is
getting work out and has a few rips in it. What is a good supplier for
something like this? I have no idea even where to look.

2. The ceiling of the cuddy has some water stains in the carpet. It's
pretty ugly and the previous owner said when he got the boat 3 years
ago it was just like that. I am thinking of ripping the carpet out and
either replacing the carpet or simply painting the cieling.. what do
you think of the painting idea?

3. The boat has a fish finder and a depth guage but it doesnt have a
GPS unit. Can you give any good tips on picking up a GPS unit? I dont
feel like spending 2K on a GPS unit and there seems to be several
around the $500 range.

Thanks for all the input,
Jeff

1. I want to order a new cover for the boat. The oringal cover is
getting work out and has a few rips in it. What is a good supplier for
something like this? I have no idea even where to look.

Mac's Upholstery, just north of the Ballard Bridge. 206-783-1696. Very good
work, reasonable but not cheap price. The outfit across the street from the
Rock Salt (approx) on Westlake is supposed to be good, too.....but I don't know
much more about them. Mac's is always a safe bet.

2. The ceiling of the cuddy has some water stains in the carpet. It's
pretty ugly and the previous owner said when he got the boat 3 years
ago it was just like that. I am thinking of ripping the carpet out and
either replacing the carpet or simply painting the cieling.. what do
you think of the painting idea?

I think you'll find that underneath that carpet there might be some pretty
rough looking scrap wood. Paint won't help it much. See why the foredeck is
leaking and fix that. Then experiment with trying to clean the stains off the
carpet. If you rent a Rug Doctor with the
upholstery attachment it can be used to clean carpeted headliners.

You do know why they put carpeted headliners in boats, right? It prevents high
heel marks on the overhead.

3. The boat has a fish finder and a depth guage but it doesnt have a
GPS unit. Can you give any good tips on picking up a GPS unit? I dont
feel like spending 2K on a GPS unit and there seems to be several
around the $500 range.

I'm very pleased with a Simrad that I picked up through Sterling Yacht Center,
but if you want to spend a mere five "boat bucks" you might consider a basic
Garmin instead. Always had good luck or good service with Garmin.

You might have some luck getting a more deluxe but slightly outdated unit for
you nickel if you scope out the inventory over at Second Wave, half a block up
from Leary Way in Fremont. (I always have fun telling folks from out of town
that Leary Way was named after Timothy), :-)

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
1. I want to order a new cover for the boat. The oringal cover is
getting work out and has a few rips in it. What is a good supplier for
something like this? I have no idea even where to look.

Mac's Upholstery, just north of the Ballard Bridge. 206-783-1696. Very
good
work, reasonable but not cheap price. The outfit across the street from
the
Rock Salt (approx) on Westlake is supposed to be good, too.....but I don't
know
much more about them. Mac's is always a safe bet.

2. The ceiling of the cuddy has some water stains in the carpet. It's
pretty ugly and the previous owner said when he got the boat 3 years
ago it was just like that. I am thinking of ripping the carpet out and
either replacing the carpet or simply painting the cieling.. what do
you think of the painting idea?

I think you'll find that underneath that carpet there might be some pretty
rough looking scrap wood. Paint won't help it much. See why the foredeck
is
leaking and fix that. Then experiment with trying to clean the stains off
the
carpet. If you rent a Rug Doctor with the
upholstery attachment it can be used to clean carpeted headliners.

Oxyclean worked great for me on a ceiling fabric stain.


You do know why they put carpeted headliners in boats, right? It prevents
high
heel marks on the overhead.


lol. Good one!

(Gould 0738) wrote in message
You do know why they put carpeted headliners in boats, right? It prevents high
heel marks on the overhead.

I thought it was for traction!

Wow.. thanks for the info guys.. this is gonna help allot. I will try
cleaning the cieling rather then removing it.. I guess I am worried
about mold growing up there.

The reason we bought this kind of boat over just a open bow ski boat
is the ability to go up to the san jauns and that's why I was looking
at the GPS system. Should I be looking at gps systems with built in
electronic charts?

I scored when we bought the boat as we were able to take over the slip
in downtown kirkland. I did the mileage check last night, 1.6 miles
from my front door! how perfect is that!

I am so excited!

"Jeff MacDuff" wrote in message
om...
Wow.. thanks for the info guys.. this is gonna help allot. I will try
cleaning the cieling rather then removing it.. I guess I am worried
about mold growing up there.

The reason we bought this kind of boat over just a open bow ski boat
is the ability to go up to the san jauns and that's why I was looking
at the GPS system. Should I be looking at gps systems with built in
electronic charts?

I scored when we bought the boat as we were able to take over the slip
in downtown kirkland. I did the mileage check last night, 1.6 miles
from my front door! how perfect is that!

I am so excited!

We just sold our '94 3200SCR. The leak we had was through the canvas onto
the arm rest at the helm (secured by screws) that were not properly sealed,
resulting in water penetrating down into the cabin and onto the head liner.

Oxyclean worked wonders. It took some repeated applications but it got it
clean.

Check your windshield hardware (where it secures to the deck) to make sure
the fasteners going into the deck are properly sealed.

The reason we bought this kind of boat over just a open bow ski boat
is the ability to go up to the san jauns and that's why I was looking
at the GPS system. Should I be looking at gps systems with built in
electronic charts?

Yes. Particularly on a boat where there is little or no space for traditional
charting and the compass is around here, somewhere, I mean I swear I saw it, at
least once....... :-)

But, take the time to learn how to read a chart and have at least a basic chart
Atlas
(like the Evergreen Cruising Atlas) aboard at all times.

If you're new to boating, please consider a
course through the local power squadron or USCG aux. Fall classes are just now
beginning to organize. Look for announcements in local boating publications, or
check www.usps.org for Power Squadron listings.

I am so excited!

Congrats!

I will try cleaning it, and I will check all the hardware... thanks
for the pointers.

I plan on takeing a coast guard class to get certified, and a friend
of mine that races sailboats ( also sailed for south africa to brazil
) is gonna help me out a bunch.. hopefully you wont hear me on the
radio calling "uuhh... HELP!"


Jeff

Well this sale went south!

The purchase was contingent on a inspection being done, well when they
pulled the boat out of the water this morning we found tons of
blisters and missing gel coating. Also the mechanic says the rubber
below's on the outboard need to be replaced and they run about $1500
because of all the labor involved.

So I am back to looking for moorage, then I will find a boat... thanks
for all the help guys... I am gonna go drink away the pain

check out the pic's: http://www.madhaxor.com/badboat

That boat is very typical of any 10 yr I/O you will find in salt water,
especially in the south were blisters are more of a problem than in the
north.

If you want to find an older boat with minimal blisters you need to find a
boat with an epoxy bottom and bottom paint.

The problem you found on the outdrive will occur on any I/O boats that are
kept in the salt water. You will either need to store the boat in a boatel,
or use one of the power lifts available for smaller boats. The other option
is to go with a boat with an inboard instead of the I/O.

"Jeff MacDuff" wrote in message
om...
Well this sale went south!

The purchase was contingent on a inspection being done, well when they
pulled the boat out of the water this morning we found tons of
blisters and missing gel coating. Also the mechanic says the rubber
below's on the outboard need to be replaced and they run about $1500
because of all the labor involved.

So I am back to looking for moorage, then I will find a boat... thanks
for all the help guys... I am gonna go drink away the pain

check out the pic's: http://www.madhaxor.com/badboat