Hello,

When I was a youngster, my uncle took me boating and skiing on the
Mississippi and other rivers and resevoirs often. He taught me about
how to read a channel, the bouy markers, and how to ski and have the
best time of my life. That was over 30 years ago. For many reasons,
I was not able to expand on and enjoy this great recreational
activity since, until now.

I am buying a small, [just like he had], 16' runabout with an older
85 horse two stroke motor, but affordable for me, and I'm thinking a
good place to start. It's reasonably priced but I'm a little
uncertain about the motor due to its age. I figure I can replace or
repair it without too much expense. What encourages me about the
boat is that the man who owns it invested over a $1,000 in a nice
full canvas top that is high enough to stand up in, and a new, very
nice trailer that he said was more than $1,500. He wants $3,500 for
the entire package.

We're taking it out this afternoon. If I do buy this boat, I'll be
using it on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers in Oregon. I want to
educate myself on what my uncle began. How can I best do that?

Thanks for reading!