"Tony Thomas" wrote in message
news:6FIuc.21519$pt3.17948@attbi_s03...
Budd, we are just trying to offer options. However, given the following
limits:
1. 1000 lbs w/ trailer and all gear
2. $2000
3. Small enough to store at a mobile home park
4. Stable
5. Carry 3 people plus gear
6. Easy to load and unload

If you had stated all this before, we would not have offered some of the
options.

It's been stated along with my being handicapped and on a fixed income
(Social Security)

Sounds like your wanting to beat us up for offering options that we did
not
know were out of your range until just now.

What us???? Yours was the only suggestion that made no sense in relation to
my parameters and you stuck to in even after I reminded you of a few details
you missed.

Sorry, Tony, but the only one I was having a problem getting thru to was
you.

Goog luck and happy boating. Sounds like your going to be stuck w/ a jon
boat.

--
Tony
my boats at http://t.thomas.home.mchsi.com

Tis better to be in a friendly Jon boat than to be on a yacht with those who
think they are better than you.

Goodbye, Tony. I hope you learn to be less bigoted some day.

Budd

I'm getting the feeling that used is going to be the way to go but every
used boat I've had so far, like used cars, has come with a load of problems.

I'm getting to a point where it's not so easy for me to patch rock rips in
an aluminum canoe used to shoot rapids in the Colorado Rockies, or to
rebuild a wooden boat from a Stevenson day sailer design ( Winged Dinghy)
into a serviceable rowboat ( Great boat designs, btw)

Nor will I get to build my Stevenson's Projects "Weekender" sailboat I
bought plans for.

Do you have any tips as to what to watch out for in a used boat? The
obvious, of course, is damage to the hull like a rip, but how can you tell
if a weld is cracked or a rivet popped?

I think there is a Lund Dealer in Grand Junction CO, about 3 hours away from
me.

Budd

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Budd Cochran" wrote in message
...

I've seen several boat / motor / trailer combos on the net for 50% to
75%
more than I can afford. That's why I came here looking for advice.

Contact dealers for Lund and Alumacraft about used boats. For instance, my
14 ft Lund (just the boat) sold 5 years back for about $2000 new. I got a
deal on the prior year's model for $1600. When I've seen them used,
they've
been in the $1000 to $1400 range, mostly from private sellers, not
dealers.
But I recently asked my dealer about trade in value and he said he'd have
to
give me a price which enabled HIM to sell my boat in the aforementioned
range.

I've run into quite a few Alumacraft owners who are also very happy with
their basic models, so those are worth looking at, too.

Finally, a friend of mine let me borrow a 47 lb thrust MinnKota trolling
motor a month ago to see if that was enough power for my boat. If you end
up
finding something in 14' range, I'd go one step higher. My primary use for
a
trolling motor is to move around in quiet backwater without scaring all
the
fish. The 47 lb motor was fine for that purpose, but if it's going to me
your primary means of propulsion, you'll want something larger.

"Budd Cochran" wrote in message
...
I'm getting the feeling that used is going to be the way to go but every
used boat I've had so far, like used cars, has come with a load of
problems.

I can only speak for the one I own, and what I'd look for. Look at the boat
with and without the motor on the transom. With the motor on, see if you can
spot any sag, which could mean someone towed with the motor up, but the
motor fell. With the motor off, give a transom a few good hard yanks and
look for any play that seems abnormal. As far as the hull is concerned, any
major dents will be obvious, but a properly designed hull isn't going to
suffer much from the occasional bump with a log or rock.

The Lund WC series boats are popular with Canadian guides who sometimes drop
the boat (without motor) from the fly-in airplane before landing to deposit
passengers. They're nothing but hull, and VERY solid metal benches with some
sort of composite board on top. I've encountered some obstacles in 5 years
which should've done more damage to the bottom, but still, I have nothing
but scratches.


I think there is a Lund Dealer in Grand Junction CO, about 3 hours away
from
me.

Call him. My dealer explained that he's more likely to TAKE a small boat in
trade if he knows he's got a serious buyer who's looking. This is especially
true as the season progresses. The dealers don't want to be stuck with
inventory, especially low-margin boats which take up space they could use
for fancier boats.

Thanks, Doug.

I'll call him tomorrow and see what's available. Gas, locally, is over $2.10
a gallon for 85 octane and even at 29 mpg, it would be an expensive trip.

I looked at Lund boats back in the mid 80's just before losing a good job
due to a downsizing. I liked the solid look and was considering a 17 foot
with a 20 hp motor, trolling plate, fish finder (flasher) and remote
steering. It was a package I could tow easily with a 6 cylinder Valiant.

Budd

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Budd Cochran" wrote in message
...
I'm getting the feeling that used is going to be the way to go but every
used boat I've had so far, like used cars, has come with a load of
problems.

I can only speak for the one I own, and what I'd look for. Look at the
boat
with and without the motor on the transom. With the motor on, see if you
can
spot any sag, which could mean someone towed with the motor up, but the
motor fell. With the motor off, give a transom a few good hard yanks and
look for any play that seems abnormal. As far as the hull is concerned,
any
major dents will be obvious, but a properly designed hull isn't going to
suffer much from the occasional bump with a log or rock.

The Lund WC series boats are popular with Canadian guides who sometimes
drop
the boat (without motor) from the fly-in airplane before landing to
deposit
passengers. They're nothing but hull, and VERY solid metal benches with
some
sort of composite board on top. I've encountered some obstacles in 5 years
which should've done more damage to the bottom, but still, I have nothing
but scratches.


I think there is a Lund Dealer in Grand Junction CO, about 3 hours away
from
me.

Call him. My dealer explained that he's more likely to TAKE a small boat
in
trade if he knows he's got a serious buyer who's looking. This is
especially
true as the season progresses. The dealers don't want to be stuck with
inventory, especially low-margin boats which take up space they could use
for fancier boats.

Find an Alumacraft (AlumIcraft?) dealer, too. Based on conversations with
owners at launch ramps, they seem to be well constructed, too. Slightly
different layouts, but still serviceable.

Earlier, I mentioned the friend who let me borrow his trolling motor.
Because he lives out in the sticks, he spends more time driving around rural
farm country. A couple of years back, he was looking for a second boat.
After a week of driving around, he'd seen a dozen parked on lawns with for
sale signs. In many cases, they're very much underpriced. And, he worst
thing he saw was boats which were filthy, needing nothing but an afternoon
with a scrub brush. He ended up finding a 16 ft aluminum boat for about
$300.00.

Might be worth a tank of gas to pack a big picnic lunch and drive around
aimlessly. :-) Or, if you're going to see that dealer, take some back roads
on the way home.

-Doug

"Budd Cochran" wrote in message
...
Thanks, Doug.

I'll call him tomorrow and see what's available. Gas, locally, is over
$2.10
a gallon for 85 octane and even at 29 mpg, it would be an expensive trip.

I looked at Lund boats back in the mid 80's just before losing a good job
due to a downsizing. I liked the solid look and was considering a 17 foot
with a 20 hp motor, trolling plate, fish finder (flasher) and remote
steering. It was a package I could tow easily with a 6 cylinder Valiant.

Budd

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Budd Cochran" wrote in message
...
I'm getting the feeling that used is going to be the way to go but
every
used boat I've had so far, like used cars, has come with a load of
problems.

I can only speak for the one I own, and what I'd look for. Look at the
boat
with and without the motor on the transom. With the motor on, see if you
can
spot any sag, which could mean someone towed with the motor up, but the
motor fell. With the motor off, give a transom a few good hard yanks and
look for any play that seems abnormal. As far as the hull is concerned,
any
major dents will be obvious, but a properly designed hull isn't going to
suffer much from the occasional bump with a log or rock.

The Lund WC series boats are popular with Canadian guides who sometimes
drop
the boat (without motor) from the fly-in airplane before landing to
deposit
passengers. They're nothing but hull, and VERY solid metal benches with
some
sort of composite board on top. I've encountered some obstacles in 5
years
which should've done more damage to the bottom, but still, I have
nothing
but scratches.


I think there is a Lund Dealer in Grand Junction CO, about 3 hours
away
from
me.

Call him. My dealer explained that he's more likely to TAKE a small boat
in
trade if he knows he's got a serious buyer who's looking. This is
especially
true as the season progresses. The dealers don't want to be stuck with
inventory, especially low-margin boats which take up space they could
use
for fancier boats.

LOL Take a quick look at a Utah map in the S.E. ... no back roads between
Moab and Grand Junction CO ... it's all desert!!!!

Driving around sounds like a good idea, but I've only lived here a few years
and much of that laid up sick ... time for the yard sales!!!

Budd

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Find an Alumacraft (AlumIcraft?) dealer, too. Based on conversations with
owners at launch ramps, they seem to be well constructed, too. Slightly
different layouts, but still serviceable.

Earlier, I mentioned the friend who let me borrow his trolling motor.
Because he lives out in the sticks, he spends more time driving around
rural
farm country. A couple of years back, he was looking for a second boat.
After a week of driving around, he'd seen a dozen parked on lawns with for
sale signs. In many cases, they're very much underpriced. And, he worst
thing he saw was boats which were filthy, needing nothing but an afternoon
with a scrub brush. He ended up finding a 16 ft aluminum boat for about
$300.00.

Might be worth a tank of gas to pack a big picnic lunch and drive around
aimlessly. :-) Or, if you're going to see that dealer, take some back
roads
on the way home.

-Doug

"Budd Cochran" wrote in message
...
Thanks, Doug.

I'll call him tomorrow and see what's available. Gas, locally, is over
$2.10
a gallon for 85 octane and even at 29 mpg, it would be an expensive
trip.

I looked at Lund boats back in the mid 80's just before losing a good
job
due to a downsizing. I liked the solid look and was considering a 17
foot
with a 20 hp motor, trolling plate, fish finder (flasher) and remote
steering. It was a package I could tow easily with a 6 cylinder Valiant.

Budd

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Budd Cochran" wrote in message
...
I'm getting the feeling that used is going to be the way to go but
every
used boat I've had so far, like used cars, has come with a load of
problems.

I can only speak for the one I own, and what I'd look for. Look at the
boat
with and without the motor on the transom. With the motor on, see if
you
can
spot any sag, which could mean someone towed with the motor up, but
the
motor fell. With the motor off, give a transom a few good hard yanks
and
look for any play that seems abnormal. As far as the hull is
concerned,
any
major dents will be obvious, but a properly designed hull isn't going
to
suffer much from the occasional bump with a log or rock.

The Lund WC series boats are popular with Canadian guides who
sometimes
drop
the boat (without motor) from the fly-in airplane before landing to
deposit
passengers. They're nothing but hull, and VERY solid metal benches
with
some
sort of composite board on top. I've encountered some obstacles in 5
years
which should've done more damage to the bottom, but still, I have
nothing
but scratches.


I think there is a Lund Dealer in Grand Junction CO, about 3 hours
away
from
me.

Call him. My dealer explained that he's more likely to TAKE a small
boat
in
trade if he knows he's got a serious buyer who's looking. This is
especially
true as the season progresses. The dealers don't want to be stuck with
inventory, especially low-margin boats which take up space they could
use
for fancier boats.

IMHO,
If you are handicapped you should really look into a small used pontoon boat.
They are really easy to enter/exit.

Fredo

Read the thread. I've already addressed that suggestion.

Budd

"FredO" . wrote in message
...
IMHO,
If you are handicapped you should really look into a small used pontoon
boat.
They are really easy to enter/exit.

Fredo

I looked at a 14' fiberglass Thundercraft runabout (1978) with an 85 hp
outboard about 3 weeks ago. Owner wanted $2400, but I could have gotten him
down to $2k or less, I'm sure.

Anyway, used boats in decent shape ARE out there. Keep looking, and I hope
you find what you're looking for soon.




"Budd Cochran" wrote in message
...
OK, folks. I'm thinking of getting my first new boat and I need some
advice.

I'm thinking I need a light, trailerable boat ( my tow vehicle is a 95
Chrysler LeBaron FWD) with about a 1000 pound capacity (I'm physically
handicapped and I figure a somewhat larger craft will be more stable for
entry and egress but I need it to be pretty light in weight ( because the
car has only a one ton tow capacity) so I can load and launch it easily.

My physical limitations are from blood pressure and heart trouble,
diabetes
and Post Polio Syndrome.

So, what styles / lengths / brands should I look at?? I once had a used 12
foot aluminum Jon boat, but it was a bit narrow and quite tender when
approaching hull capacity. I borrowed my brother's old aluminum 12 foot
Sears rowboat once and lightly loaded it was fun, but it was a bit heavy
to
cartop (this was before the health probs hit.)

Oh, price is important too. I may go for a used boat / trailer if I find a
great deal. VBG

TIA

Budd