Good deal too!

He;s been mowing an older couples lawn for about the last five years
and doing errands for them etc. Well to the communities misfortune, the
elderly Mr. James past away a month ago.

Mrs. James had mentioned that she didn't want the boat anymore, it was
taking up space and it reminded her too much of "Billy".

So, my nephew inquired to her if she wanted to sell it, and she said
yes, she would. He asked her how much she wanted for it, and she
countered with "how much do you think it's worth?

My nephew told her that it wasn't his boat it was hers. and that was a
decision for her to make.

"I'll tell you what. I know it's worth more than $500.00 but you've
been kind to us. For you? I'd take $500.00..."

So, he bought it, and promised he'd take excellent care of it.

get this. 16 ft. jon boat with wheel steering . fish finder. all the
tackle, rods, live well, "Sears"
trolling motor , bench and front swivel seat, two batteries , trailer,
and 20 hp Evinrude!

Even thought it sat for about 4 years. It's going to need new
batteries, lower end work (impeller and oil)

He's so proud of it, and the cool part is this I told him this
weekend, we'll work on it and next
weekend we'll hit the river with it and see what it will do.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Good deal too!

He;s been mowing an older couples lawn for about the last five years
and doing errands for them etc. Well to the communities misfortune, the
elderly Mr. James past away a month ago.

Mrs. James had mentioned that she didn't want the boat anymore, it was
taking up space and it reminded her too much of "Billy".

So, my nephew inquired to her if she wanted to sell it, and she said
yes, she would. He asked her how much she wanted for it, and she
countered with "how much do you think it's worth?

My nephew told her that it wasn't his boat it was hers. and that was a
decision for her to make.

"I'll tell you what. I know it's worth more than $500.00 but you've
been kind to us. For you? I'd take $500.00..."

So, he bought it, and promised he'd take excellent care of it.

get this. 16 ft. jon boat with wheel steering . fish finder. all the
tackle, rods, live well, "Sears"
trolling motor , bench and front swivel seat, two batteries , trailer,
and 20 hp Evinrude!

Even thought it sat for about 4 years. It's going to need new
batteries, lower end work (impeller and oil)

He's so proud of it, and the cool part is this I told him this
weekend, we'll work on it and next
weekend we'll hit the river with it and see what it will do.


What a great catch. Teach him well and keep him safe.

Step #1 - a boating safety class for him.

Step #2 - make sure he is insured!

;-)

Oh yes, Jim.

I'm going to do what I can to make sure he knows whats going on. I
want him to be safe, and have fun. He's pretty good with handling a
boat, though. He's been out wwith me int he CCraft enough to watch
where he's going, courtesy to other boaters. being responsible to wear
a life vest, and MAKING SURE his guests do the same.
I'm going to make sure to stress to be compliant with all state and
local laws, with tags and ins. as well.




JimH wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
Good deal too!

He;s been mowing an older couples lawn for about the last five years
and doing errands for them etc. Well to the communities misfortune, the
elderly Mr. James past away a month ago.

Mrs. James had mentioned that she didn't want the boat anymore, it was
taking up space and it reminded her too much of "Billy".

So, my nephew inquired to her if she wanted to sell it, and she said
yes, she would. He asked her how much she wanted for it, and she
countered with "how much do you think it's worth?

My nephew told her that it wasn't his boat it was hers. and that was a
decision for her to make.

"I'll tell you what. I know it's worth more than $500.00 but you've
been kind to us. For you? I'd take $500.00..."

So, he bought it, and promised he'd take excellent care of it.

get this. 16 ft. jon boat with wheel steering . fish finder. all the
tackle, rods, live well, "Sears"
trolling motor , bench and front swivel seat, two batteries , trailer,
and 20 hp Evinrude!

Even thought it sat for about 4 years. It's going to need new
batteries, lower end work (impeller and oil)

He's so proud of it, and the cool part is this I told him this
weekend, we'll work on it and next
weekend we'll hit the river with it and see what it will do.


What a great catch. Teach him well and keep him safe.

Step #1 - a boating safety class for him.

Step #2 - make sure he is insured!

;-)

When I get off work, i gotta go over and pull the dry rotted (flat)
tires off the trailer, and go to Rural King and get some new
replacements before we can even tow it. they're junk. Well also check
out the wheel bearings to see what they're made of too.

I'll let the kid do the work. He's 17 with limited mechanical
experience. so it's almost up to him.

After we get it home, , we'll put a battery in it and see if it cranks
over (it shouldn't be stuck) then I'll look in the carbs, and blow out
the lines, and install new filters, and drop the lower unit.

My local marine guy is great, he's semi retired, will let me use his
books, and naturally all parts will go through him.



JimH wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
Good deal too!

He;s been mowing an older couples lawn for about the last five years
and doing errands for them etc. Well to the communities misfortune, the
elderly Mr. James past away a month ago.

Mrs. James had mentioned that she didn't want the boat anymore, it was
taking up space and it reminded her too much of "Billy".

So, my nephew inquired to her if she wanted to sell it, and she said
yes, she would. He asked her how much she wanted for it, and she
countered with "how much do you think it's worth?

My nephew told her that it wasn't his boat it was hers. and that was a
decision for her to make.

"I'll tell you what. I know it's worth more than $500.00 but you've
been kind to us. For you? I'd take $500.00..."

So, he bought it, and promised he'd take excellent care of it.

get this. 16 ft. jon boat with wheel steering . fish finder. all the
tackle, rods, live well, "Sears"
trolling motor , bench and front swivel seat, two batteries , trailer,
and 20 hp Evinrude!

Even thought it sat for about 4 years. It's going to need new
batteries, lower end work (impeller and oil)

He's so proud of it, and the cool part is this I told him this
weekend, we'll work on it and next
weekend we'll hit the river with it and see what it will do.


What a great catch. Teach him well and keep him safe.

Step #1 - a boating safety class for him.

Step #2 - make sure he is insured!

;-)

Well, this evening, we went to look at the trolling motor. It was
stuck, so we went to take off the propeller, it was brittle as
bakalite, and it broke, so I split the remaining plastic from the
shaft. grabbed the shaft with some vice-grips and it wobbled a little
but that was about it. Sprayed it down with some penetrant, and worked
it back and forth. got the armature to spin a round or so, but while
holding onto the motor, I felt some crunchy grinding going on inside. I
figured it was had, so I went to take out the 3/8" bolts that hold the
motor together, and even with a short handled rachet, I figure they'd
give a real fight. but no. the first one was froze in the end and was
so rusted out, that the 1/4th" bolt shank was so rusted out, it twisted
right off because it had been reduced down to about nothing.

Then out came 4 years of rusty water. No need to go any further. I
told Mike we may as well take it off. it's not going to work, and not
really repairable. and not necessary (for the moment).

We took down the lower end of the engine to inspect the impeller and
sure enough it was cracked and breaking. hopefully the new kit will be
in tomorrow.

wrote:
Well, this evening, we went to look at the trolling motor. It was
stuck, so we went to take off the propeller, it was brittle as
bakalite, and it broke, so I split the remaining plastic from the
shaft. grabbed the shaft with some vice-grips and it wobbled a little
but that was about it. Sprayed it down with some penetrant, and worked
it back and forth. got the armature to spin a round or so, but while
holding onto the motor, I felt some crunchy grinding going on inside. I
figured it was had, so I went to take out the 3/8" bolts that hold the
motor together, and even with a short handled rachet, I figure they'd
give a real fight. but no. the first one was froze in the end and was
so rusted out, that the 1/4th" bolt shank was so rusted out, it twisted
right off because it had been reduced down to about nothing.

Then out came 4 years of rusty water. No need to go any further. I
told Mike we may as well take it off. it's not going to work, and not
really repairable. and not necessary (for the moment).

We took down the lower end of the engine to inspect the impeller and
sure enough it was cracked and breaking. hopefully the new kit will be
in tomorrow.

Found out the live well isn't working. Oh well, that can be
investigated later. you turn it on and it takes out the 5a. fuse. I
believe the air pump is also junk. but that can be dealt with later.

OK, we got the impeller installed. lower end greased. I called my
insurance guy aboutt he boat and trailer and he got stuff worked out.
for the trailor -"License applied for" Boat- Water Certificate went off
with proper fees and Conservation copy in a water tight baggie and dict
taped to the inside of the boat. fire extinguisher still full and in
good order, we installed an electric horn instead of the little bottle
jobs that tend to leak off. tow rope, tie rope. trailer winch greased,
rope is in good condition. jackets. two 6 gal. tanks. two life jackets
and a couple oars. So far the boat is equiped with what is allowable
to be legal
So far so good. I'll eventually get him a small duffle bag for weather
essentials, like rain parkas and fresh socks extra warmth clothing ,I.
already got him a waterproof first aid kit and water proof flashlight
and that will go in there too!

He'll be here in about 20 minutes. His boat is already hooked up to my
car. , then it's off to the Wabash river for the "sea trials". I've
already had it on the muffs. it runs great. No leaks, and the tanks are
loaded with regular (no gasahol) and Amzoil 2 -Cycle mix.

He was wanting to take it too the lake, but I told him it would be
best to go to the river, so we can go up stream in case something
konks you can at least float back to the docks. sounded good to him.
Besides, it's different. He's been on the lake many times, but never on
the river. it's also really scenic. and you can go up stream for a good
20 some miles before you start hitting the sand bars.

He thought it was a good idea.

So, here's off for the maiden voyage of Mikes Monarch Jon Boat. Of
course I'm planning on having more fun than he is. LOL!

wrote in news:1158874548.516116.59150
@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:

Good deal too!


The good deal is the look on your face typing this right now.
Congratulations...(c;

I was at Bushy Park, a public boat landing with two sides on an earthen dam
on the Cooper River in Charleston. I docked my boat on the public pier and
parked the car. When I got back, just across from my boat was an old
runabout that had seen better days with a tired old 2-stroker hanging off
the back....

A little girl was sitting in the passenger's seat of weathered plastic.
She smiled at me as I walked up to get in my boat and said, "Hey, mister.
How do you like my dad's new boat!", waving her hand across the gelcoat
like those models you see in a car commercial....

Of all 8 boats tied up on the dock, some costing over $30K I'm sure, that
old runabout was about the finest boat in South Carolina. All you had to
do was ask her! As I drove away to go downriver, Daddy was coming down the
dock and I saw her jump up out of the finest boat in SC to meet him.

Man, that was one wonderful boat......(c;....much nicer than mine.....

Wow, great story. My first boat was similar to what you described. She was a
tired I/O, that ran good, but the vinyl was just worn looking, and the hull
had a few too many meetings with the dock. I'm sure my son felt the same way
as that little girl, and we sure had a lot of fun in that boat. Now we have
a new boat (last spring), but he asks me on occasion if the folks that
bought our old boat were taking good care of her. I assured him that they
were... It was their first boat as well. There's nothing like your first
boat!

--Mike

"Larry" wrote in message
...
wrote in news:1158874548.516116.59150
@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:

Good deal too!


The good deal is the look on your face typing this right now.
Congratulations...(c;

I was at Bushy Park, a public boat landing with two sides on an earthen
dam
on the Cooper River in Charleston. I docked my boat on the public pier
and
parked the car. When I got back, just across from my boat was an old
runabout that had seen better days with a tired old 2-stroker hanging off
the back....

A little girl was sitting in the passenger's seat of weathered plastic.
She smiled at me as I walked up to get in my boat and said, "Hey, mister.
How do you like my dad's new boat!", waving her hand across the gelcoat
like those models you see in a car commercial....

Of all 8 boats tied up on the dock, some costing over $30K I'm sure, that
old runabout was about the finest boat in South Carolina. All you had to
do was ask her! As I drove away to go downriver, Daddy was coming down
the
dock and I saw her jump up out of the finest boat in SC to meet him.

Man, that was one wonderful boat......(c;....much nicer than mine.....

"MGG" wrote in news:ZcLQg.5109$7I1.122
@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net:

There's nothing like your first
boat!


I bet your son loved the old boat more than he does the new one everyone is
scared to death they're gonna make that first scratch on. I hate new boats
for that reason. It's a BOAT to enjoy, not a work of art that must be
protected like the Mona Lisa, spending every waking hour polishing and
cleaning and trying to make absolutely sanitary in every way. Oh, I hate
to go aboard those things.

My first boat was a big, ol' oak rowboat from my grandfather, my Chrismas
present when I was 8. Christmas on Owasco Lake in upstate NY is a terrible
time to give a little kid a rowboat. I opened all the presents with my
cousins at my grandparent's house on the lake, always a family reunion if
the snow wasn't too deep to get there. The men would have gone hunting on
my grandfather's dairy farm the day before and spent that day preparing the
pheasants for cooking, a family tradition now long lost.

So, I'm done opening the few presents I got and wondered why my
grandparents hadn't given me anything. After everyone had cleaned up
Grandma's living room and the adults were hugging their coffee cups, my
grandfather calls me over to that wicker rocking chair I grew up in and
hands me this little ring box all wrapped up and says, "Merry Christmas,
Larry". I opened the box and in it was a rusty padlock key on a little
chain. "What does this go to?", I asked. "Oh, you'll have to find a lock
it fits, but it's here at the lake, somewhere.", he said with a smirk at my
dismay.

I tried it in all the locks I could find and it didn't fit. "Wait, I think
the snow may have covered a few more.", he said. The men went out to his
odd little double garage, one side for the car and his workbench, the other
side a little garage to store the boats in winter. They shoveled the new
snow away from the garage so the door would open, and the key fit
perfectly, of course. OPening the door, I found the old oak rowboat, all
restored in secret by my grandfather.

It was painted the same green as the tables at our state park because my
grandfather knew someone. The gunwale and inside was sanded and varnished
to a beautiful shine, hundreds of tiny wooden ribs perfectly curved to fit
the hull which formed the deck. There were 3 seats. One to sit and steer
the outboard tiller, one in the middle to row with the matching varnished
oars in there gleaming brass oarlocks and a little one up in the bow. On
the stern was an antique Elto tiny outboard motor I learned in the spring
would bite you really hard if your and got too far over the gas tank near
the spark plug's knurled screw that held the spark wire onto. Of course,
the rope wrapped around the fully exposed flywheel in the little groove to
start it and the spark handle stuck out from under it to set the precision
timing. There was a little cam under it that opened the throttle plate on
the tiny float carb. A one quart gascan for refilling the 1 quart gas tank
I always forgot to open the vent screw on completed the massive 1hp power
plant. One of my grandfather's life-long friends gave him the motor that
had been stored for years. The two of them totally disassembled it and
restored it like new, even finding the Elto logos that made it look
original. I suppose it was as much their boat as it was mine.

They came out several hours later to retrieve me from my Christmas present
before the frostbite killed me. It would be months before the lake melted
enough to roll Grandpa's dock out into the lake on its big steel wheels
before I could launch the boat, having Christmas morning all over again.
Of course, it sank until the wood swelled and sealed itself. I bailed for
days with a coffee can...(c;

I had all the latest safety equipment....a whistle, a floating boat cushion
with two cloth handles, the gas can to get home and a snack from Grandma.

When I joined the Navy in 1964 to avoid being drafted for cannon fodder in
Vietnam, the boat was handed down to my cousin, Stevie, and, like all my
other stuff, disappeared. I don't think I want to know what happened to it
and spoil my memories of the thousands of hours me and my friends spent
tooling around the lake at 5 knots, camping out under it on the rocky shore
a long ways from any camps along the railroad's property on the western
shore. A lot of fish died in that boat, too, big Bullheads on their way to
my grandmother's kitchen.

My mother was horrified but didn't put up much of a fuss, as usual. "He'll
be fine. I taught him.", my grandfather would tell her....(c;

Boot up Google Earth and enter:
Moravia, NY, my hometown. There are two roads leading out of town to the
northwest, one on each side of The Inlet, the creek that feeds Owasco Lake.
Follow the Eastern one towards the lake. Near the SE corner of the lake, a
dirt road forks off to the left and ends up at Southeast-On-Owasco, a
little lake community of shacks and cottages populated in my youth by
factory workers from Smith Corona Typewriters in Groton, NY, and the local
workers and farmers from the town, in the mud choked, leech-infested, weed-
to-wind-up-on-your-prop, Southeast corner of Owasco Lake. Where the road
splits left and right as it enters the community, see that clump of trees
hiding an old two-story cottage straight ahead if you were coming down the
road? That's where I grew up, mostly. From the time I was about 8 or 9, I
rode my bicycle from my parent's home in Moravia's south side, through town
to that lakehouse, and back, probably 3 or 4 times a week. I knew every
farmyard dog that would come out to chase my bike away....(c;

I was the luckiest poor kid on the planet..............
I'm 60, the last one left to go. It's been one helluva ride......
Don't forget to bring your fishin' pole 'cause you CAN'T USE MINE!

Larry,

You may be right. While I do try to take good care of the boat, I'm not a
fanatic like most new boat owners. When we're out, we have fun. If something
gets spilled, we mop it up, and clean it later. If the gelcoat gets
scratched (and it has), I'll try to buff it out, but I won't lose sleep over
it. If you spend more time detailing your boat than having fun in
it...boating's not for you.

That was a GREAT story, BTW. I'm somewhat familiar with the area having
lived in Auburn for a couple of years about 25 years ago. I dated a gal for
a while who's had a place on Skaneatles Lake. Beautiful country...LOUSY
weather I went straight from there to California and never looked back.
That's not entirely true...I do miss all the water in that area.

--Mike

"Larry" wrote in message
...
"MGG" wrote in news:ZcLQg.5109$7I1.122
@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net:

There's nothing like your first
boat!


I bet your son loved the old boat more than he does the new one everyone
is
scared to death they're gonna make that first scratch on. I hate new
boats
for that reason. It's a BOAT to enjoy, not a work of art that must be
protected like the Mona Lisa, spending every waking hour polishing and
cleaning and trying to make absolutely sanitary in every way. Oh, I hate
to go aboard those things.

My first boat was a big, ol' oak rowboat from my grandfather, my Chrismas
present when I was 8. Christmas on Owasco Lake in upstate NY is a
terrible
time to give a little kid a rowboat. I opened all the presents with my
cousins at my grandparent's house on the lake, always a family reunion if
the snow wasn't too deep to get there. The men would have gone hunting on
my grandfather's dairy farm the day before and spent that day preparing
the
pheasants for cooking, a family tradition now long lost.

So, I'm done opening the few presents I got and wondered why my
grandparents hadn't given me anything. After everyone had cleaned up
Grandma's living room and the adults were hugging their coffee cups, my
grandfather calls me over to that wicker rocking chair I grew up in and
hands me this little ring box all wrapped up and says, "Merry Christmas,
Larry". I opened the box and in it was a rusty padlock key on a little
chain. "What does this go to?", I asked. "Oh, you'll have to find a lock
it fits, but it's here at the lake, somewhere.", he said with a smirk at
my
dismay.

I tried it in all the locks I could find and it didn't fit. "Wait, I
think
the snow may have covered a few more.", he said. The men went out to his
odd little double garage, one side for the car and his workbench, the
other
side a little garage to store the boats in winter. They shoveled the new
snow away from the garage so the door would open, and the key fit
perfectly, of course. OPening the door, I found the old oak rowboat, all
restored in secret by my grandfather.

It was painted the same green as the tables at our state park because my
grandfather knew someone. The gunwale and inside was sanded and varnished
to a beautiful shine, hundreds of tiny wooden ribs perfectly curved to fit
the hull which formed the deck. There were 3 seats. One to sit and steer
the outboard tiller, one in the middle to row with the matching varnished
oars in there gleaming brass oarlocks and a little one up in the bow. On
the stern was an antique Elto tiny outboard motor I learned in the spring
would bite you really hard if your and got too far over the gas tank near
the spark plug's knurled screw that held the spark wire onto. Of course,
the rope wrapped around the fully exposed flywheel in the little groove to
start it and the spark handle stuck out from under it to set the precision
timing. There was a little cam under it that opened the throttle plate on
the tiny float carb. A one quart gascan for refilling the 1 quart gas
tank
I always forgot to open the vent screw on completed the massive 1hp power
plant. One of my grandfather's life-long friends gave him the motor that
had been stored for years. The two of them totally disassembled it and
restored it like new, even finding the Elto logos that made it look
original. I suppose it was as much their boat as it was mine.

They came out several hours later to retrieve me from my Christmas present
before the frostbite killed me. It would be months before the lake melted
enough to roll Grandpa's dock out into the lake on its big steel wheels
before I could launch the boat, having Christmas morning all over again.
Of course, it sank until the wood swelled and sealed itself. I bailed for
days with a coffee can...(c;

I had all the latest safety equipment....a whistle, a floating boat
cushion
with two cloth handles, the gas can to get home and a snack from Grandma.

When I joined the Navy in 1964 to avoid being drafted for cannon fodder in
Vietnam, the boat was handed down to my cousin, Stevie, and, like all my
other stuff, disappeared. I don't think I want to know what happened to
it
and spoil my memories of the thousands of hours me and my friends spent
tooling around the lake at 5 knots, camping out under it on the rocky
shore
a long ways from any camps along the railroad's property on the western
shore. A lot of fish died in that boat, too, big Bullheads on their way
to
my grandmother's kitchen.

My mother was horrified but didn't put up much of a fuss, as usual.
"He'll
be fine. I taught him.", my grandfather would tell her....(c;

Boot up Google Earth and enter:
Moravia, NY, my hometown. There are two roads leading out of town to the
northwest, one on each side of The Inlet, the creek that feeds Owasco
Lake.
Follow the Eastern one towards the lake. Near the SE corner of the lake,
a
dirt road forks off to the left and ends up at Southeast-On-Owasco, a
little lake community of shacks and cottages populated in my youth by
factory workers from Smith Corona Typewriters in Groton, NY, and the local
workers and farmers from the town, in the mud choked, leech-infested,
weed-
to-wind-up-on-your-prop, Southeast corner of Owasco Lake. Where the road
splits left and right as it enters the community, see that clump of trees
hiding an old two-story cottage straight ahead if you were coming down the
road? That's where I grew up, mostly. From the time I was about 8 or 9,
I
rode my bicycle from my parent's home in Moravia's south side, through
town
to that lakehouse, and back, probably 3 or 4 times a week. I knew every
farmyard dog that would come out to chase my bike away....(c;

I was the luckiest poor kid on the planet..............
I'm 60, the last one left to go. It's been one helluva ride......
Don't forget to bring your fishin' pole 'cause you CAN'T USE MINE!