Looking for 1st boat - Opinions on a couple finds
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Forum Discription: Anything Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38384
Printed Date: April-27-2024 at 11:41am
Topic: Looking for 1st boat - Opinions on a couple finds
Posted By: Poorhouse
Subject: Looking for 1st boat - Opinions on a couple finds
Date Posted: April-06-2016 at 8:15pm
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Looking for our first boat. I posted here a year or so ago with a 1 owner 79 Ski Nautique a friend was selling for their father. Missed that one. Missed a low hour 2 owner 1985 Mastercraft. Not much else of interest has come up. Fast forward to this year. Mrs. Poorhouse is tired of waiting around. Kid is 6 now and fired up to get on the lake. Budget increase to low teens. Looking for something with an open bow, fuel injection and no wood stringers. Gentleman in our neighborhood is selling a 1998 Malibu Echelon open bow. 586 hours. Moonsoon 5.7 EFI, in nice shape. He is the second owner, its stored inside every winter and at their lake house for a couple months every summer. Asking $14k. Positives are it is local, it is a known good boat, it is basically what we are looking for. Negatives, not a walk through open bow, Malibu seems to not be as well regarded as Correct Craft. Boat has very low free board. I've read these can take water over the bow and swamp. I'm a new boater and may be blowing that out of proportion.   My top choice from doing research and enjoying the '79 Nautique we looked at is a Sport Nautique, up to 1997. One came up recently across the state. 1997 Sport Nautique, 615 hours. GT40, 2 owners. Always stored inside until this year. Sellers kids grew up and he downsized. No room for the boat so it spent the winter outside and he is selling. Said it is showing some slight wear on the upholstery. $14.5k with all his skiing, wakeboarding and boating gear. Pics aren't great, he is going to shoot some better ones this weekend. He's had the boat 5 years and has done nothing but oil changes. Said it runs perfect and has never needed anything. http://billings.craigslist.org/boa/5467062333.html" rel="nofollow - http://billings.craigslist.org/boa/5467062333.html  Looking for opinions on these 2 boats. Price, condition, configuration, etc. Open to other ideas or suggestions. Also wondering about my swamping concerns. Am I blowing this out of proportion. We will be on small mountain lakes mostly. Not a whole lot of other boats or wind. |
Replies:
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: April-06-2016 at 8:52pm
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Here's my old thread, almost 2 years ago and still shopping. Probably for the best. I think budgeting to the mid teens will get us exactly the boat we want in good condition. %20" rel="nofollow - http://www.correctcraftfan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=34341&PN=1&title=shopping-for-1st-boat-trailer-question Also of note is remarks about the poor quality of Malibus until the early 2000's. I had forgotten that. |
Posted By: SNobsessed
Date Posted: April-06-2016 at 8:52pm
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Once I drove an Air Nautique (open bow). I scooped up a few buckets of water by accident, wasn't the end of the world. It happens when you go thru wake without throttling up. If you are 'on it' the whole time, it shouldn't be a problem. Might be some ongoing education needed if you have other drivers too. ------------- “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Ben Franklin |
Posted By: LeftFieldEngineering
Date Posted: April-06-2016 at 9:01pm
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I worked on a boat just like the Malibu for a customer last summer. It was nice, but no correct craft. Idk what the going rate is for those two models, but if 500 bucks was the difference I'd go with the cc every time. As for the swamping concerned. There are two types of ski boat owners; those who've taken water over the bow and those who will. Of course an open bow will catch more of said water, but proper driving and a functioning bilge pump should keep you off the bottom. |
Posted By: Riley
Date Posted: April-06-2016 at 10:10pm
| I own a Malibu and think they are nice boats. I'd disagree about poor quality until the early 2000s. They're decent boats, maybe not quite as good quality as a Nautique, but still decent boats. I'm not up on prices as I have no interest in buying another one, but as nice as that boat is, I think the price is way high. Probably just under $10k is tops for a '98. |
Posted By: bkhallpass
Date Posted: April-06-2016 at 10:29pm
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That's not an Echelon, it is a Response. Echelon had walk through bow. Response did not. My understanding, same hull. As you suggested Response has a lower freeboard than than the Echelon, and the Response sold for a lower price when new. I'm pretty sure 98 was the last year of the Echelon. I have not kept up with those boats and so I don't know the resale value. But be be sure you are pricing the right model when doing your comparisons. Looking at the pricing on both those boats, I'm going to guess the prices in Montana are 2 or 3K higher than here in CA, which would not surprise me. BKH ------------- Livin' the Dream |
Posted By: bkhallpass
Date Posted: April-06-2016 at 10:35pm
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P.S. I have nothing against Malibu. My second favorite behind CC. If you want to talk to some guys that are just as crazy about their Malibus as we are about our Correct Crafts, then check out themalibucrew.com. BKH ------------- Livin' the Dream |
Posted By: Riley
Date Posted: April-06-2016 at 10:37pm
| I believe the boat above is an Echelon by the way the windshield tapers into the deck. The Response had a flat deck under the windshield. TheMalibuCrew.com is a great source for Malibus. One of our CCF members recently bought an older Malibu and maybe he will chime in as he's probably up on prices. |
Posted By: peter1234
Date Posted: April-06-2016 at 10:37pm
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pretty tough to beat a few of the last interesting c lists finds boats listed today. both beautiful and well cared for boats for the $ ------------- former skylark owner now a formula but I cant let this place go |
Posted By: 74Wind
Date Posted: April-06-2016 at 10:46pm
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Seems to me a bow rider with a wide bench and no walk thru is pretty pointless...kinda defeats the purpose. ------------- 1974 Southwind 18 1975 Century Mark II |
Posted By: bkhallpass
Date Posted: April-06-2016 at 11:00pm
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Well, apparently Malibu has done some weird sh-- just as we've seen from CC. I did some digging and found this on the Malibu forum: Echelon LX was walk a through for years 93-97. In1998 it shared the Reponse LX platform with the step over open bow. So, maybe that is an Echelon for 98, or at least a Response in Echelon clothing. BKH ------------- Livin' the Dream |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: April-06-2016 at 11:27pm
Response in Echelon clothing is what the seller told me. Echelon just has fancier trim. A better comparison to the Sport Nautique is probably the Malibu Sunsetter. I would prefer the slightly larger boat with a walk through to the bow. As for pricing the Echelon is right on NADA. The Sport is in the ball park, not sure what all options it has. I'm assuming there is some negotiation room in the price on either. |
bkhallpass wrote:Posted By: quinner
Date Posted: April-07-2016 at 11:09am
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Not sure what to think about the hour gauge in the dog house?? Check the dash hour gauge as well, iirc it should be a display window in the tach or speedo. That BU will probably have a better slalom wake but gives up tracking vs the CC. Tower on the BU is fugly, CC looks like factory or new dimension tower, much better looking. May just be the pic angle but the axle on the BU trailer looks pretty far back instead of directly under the motor, where it should be. Neither boat has what I would consider optimal bow seating, the BU probably has a forward facing bench and step over, the CC is a playpen and the cushion is missing in the pic? As far as driving an open bow, throttling over wakes works but is not your best option as it just chops all the water up, not good for your skier. If you simply shift to neutral the boat should just roll with the wave. A little practice and it's not that big a deal. Of those 2 boats based on the pics I would choose the CC for sure. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1143" rel="nofollow - Mi Bowt |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: April-07-2016 at 11:25am
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The Resopnse/Echelon is a nice boat. That tower undoubtedly gives the nod to the CC. I feel like I've seen plenty of hour meters on the engine like that. Nothing to get out of bed over. |
Posted By: quinner
Date Posted: April-07-2016 at 11:43am
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Another thought is what motors/hp in each?? ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1143" rel="nofollow - Mi Bowt |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: April-07-2016 at 11:46am
| read the post? |
Posted By: AAM196
Date Posted: April-07-2016 at 12:00pm
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Response looks to have brand new interior... the tower is an eyesore but can be removed... maybe you can trade it for a pair of cleats or correctcraftfan decals to cover the holes! Not sure if the Scarpa Suppression Plate fits the 98 response. Improves table if you barefoot. For a family boat, the Sport is hard to beat! Is that the original engine in the Sport? Don't be in hurry and watertest... you will know which to pic if any. |
Posted By: Riley
Date Posted: April-07-2016 at 12:07pm
| Both boats are about the same age and the same price. Typically, older Nautiques bring more money than Malibus. I think the Bu is priced high. They updated the hull on the Response in '98, so the Echelon probably has the older hull, which is good, but not as good as the newer hull for slalom. I'd be more interested in the Sport for the money. Try PMing 65Cuda. He may have some useful info. |
Posted By: 63 Skier
Date Posted: April-07-2016 at 12:11pm
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I'm partial to Sport's, you'd love that boat. There's one just posted in the Craigslist thread, a '94, can likely buy for under 10 grand but it's carbed and needs an interior, figure an easy 4 grand to do it right. If the '97 Sport has a decent interior that you can get some years out of that might be the better choice IMO, You should try to look at a "93-'97 Sport and then a "98 up so you get an idea of the difference with the flat back and trunk on the later models. For hauling a bunch of gear that trunk is extremely handy. ------------- '63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: April-07-2016 at 12:39pm
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I saw that 94 for $10,700, makes the 97 at $14,500 look like a deal. I ran NADA on the '97 Sport, I'm coming up with around $12,600 with the options I can tell it has. I might be missing a few things. Couple additional pics from the Sport seller. Going to need some upholstery work. Swim platform needs to be refinished. The exterior probably needs a buff and detail. I like the tower it has and I like the green color combo, that probably puts me in the minority... The Malibu interior is near mint. They are the kind of owners they are, everything is taken care of and kept in top condition. Exactly the kind of person you want to buy from. Not sure if it has the newer hull or not, read conflicting info on the date cut over. I'm thinking it does. It has a factory Wedge as well.   Thanks for easing my mind on the swamping issue. Considering the number of open bow boats running around I figured I must be blowing things out of proportion. I am prepared for a learning curve as we get into this. |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: April-07-2016 at 12:42pm
| Forget about NADA |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: April-07-2016 at 12:51pm
I realize it isn't the gospel. Just a guide and the market will dictate price. I've found some similar era open bow Malibus within 500 miles or so of me. Mostly in Boise. They are all priced higher than the one here. Same with MC Prostar 205s, a few for sale but anything nice is over $15k. A comparable one to the Malibu just sold in Seattle for $16k. I'm not seeing any other Sports in the area. |
Posted By: AAM196
Date Posted: April-07-2016 at 1:01pm
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If I HAD to get a bu... and it had to have a tower... and had to be open bow... Sunsetter: http://www.onlyinboards.com/1998-Malibu-Sunsetter-LX-for-sale-Lafayette-Colorado-55663.aspx" rel="nofollow - 98 Sunsetter Looks like a nice drive  But then again if a 98 Sport in same condition within $3 grand was available... I'd go that route. |
Posted By: bkhallpass
Date Posted: April-07-2016 at 1:24pm
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I'm pretty sure there is a Malibu dealer in Boise. That's mostly what I see when I travel up there. BKH ------------- Livin' the Dream |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: April-14-2016 at 12:08pm
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1997 Sport came up a few hours away. %20" rel="nofollow - https://missoula.craigslist.org/boa/5535897661.html Looks like a carb motor? 
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Posted By: desertskier
Date Posted: April-14-2016 at 12:38pm
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Looks decent. Snaps added to the transom must have a snap on cover and non-slip tape on the gunnels. Weird. Price is extremely high but that is probably negotiable especially if the "devoice" mentioned is true. http://missoula.craigslist.org/boa/5535897661.html" rel="nofollow - fixed link |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 10:40am
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To wrap this story up, I bought a boat over the weekend. Didn't end up with any of the boats previously mentioned. Found a 1 owner 1986 Supra Sunsport with 585 hours in Boise. Always stored inside, original interior in excellent condition. Engine looks near new. And what sealed the deal a, $7k receipt for stringer replacement. I couldn't pass it up for $5k. Boat was in Boise. Had a shop check it out last week. They said they would buy it if I didn't. Drove 800 miles Friday night and Saturday to get it home. Had it on the water Sunday. So much fun.  After spending significant time researching boats on the Mastercraft, Malibu, Supra and CCF forums, I was impressed with the amount of knowledge and helpful nature of CCF. I'm sure I will continue to search here as I learn about using and maintaining this boat. |
Posted By: Blamey
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 11:52am
Nice boat, can we get a picture. ------------- 96 Super Sport Previously: 95 Sport Nautique, 1980 Ski Supreme |
Posted By: 63 Skier
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 12:06pm
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Yes, pictures please. Congrats on the purchase, sounds like you found a very good deal. ------------- '63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 12:21pm
Couple pics from the maiden voyage. On plane.  You can see some of the interior here. Original upholstery. 
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Posted By: KRoundy
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 12:35pm
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Cool! Nice boat. Out on Flathead for the initial cruise? ------------- Previous: 1993 Electric Blue/Charcoal Ski Nautique Current: 2016 Ski Nautique 200 Open Bow |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 12:39pm
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Thanks! Whitefish Lake. About 20 minutes from leaving the driveway to being on the water. |
Posted By: 75 Tique
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 12:47pm
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Nice. I had an 89 Supra Comp that I was very pleased/impressed with. Enjoy! Beautiful Country. ------------- _____________ “So, how was your weekend?” “Well, let me see…sun burn, stiff neck, screwed up back, assorted aches and pains….yup, my weekend was great, thanks for asking.” |
Posted By: 63 Skier
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 1:02pm
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Very nice! It's such a fun family event when a new boat arrives and you get out on the water. The boat looks to be in great shape. Love the scenery! When does the snow disappear from the peaks, if ever? ------------- '63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 1:21pm
Snow on peaks in pic 1 to north and pic 3 to west will be gone early June. Maybe late may this year as it is a warm spring. Not seen is view to east into Glacier Park, snow will remain on peaks there until late summer if not all year. Thanks, it was a very fun day. The boat really is in great shape. The maroon areas on the hull need a buff, they are slightly oxidized. The lower rainbow decals are similarly showing some age. I'd like to take them off but the wife and kid really like them. Need to see if replacements are available. |
Posted By: AAM196
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 1:47pm
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Nice work Jake! There are a lot of older Supra's on our lake still... I am guessing your next step is to get a house or land on that awesome lake! Staring at those snow covered peaks must never get old! Good luck with it and remember to tuck your dock lines and fenders in when underway, esp when taking photos! |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 2:03pm
LOL it pained me when I saw that in the pics. This was the second time in my life launching a boat. Lots to think about and remember when it's a new experience. We did have an issue with a component on the trailer. It has a metal strap on the tongue that goes around the eye on the bow. That gave us to trouble when getting the boat off and back on the trailer. Our friends who are long time boaters had never seen anything like it. It seems like a great safety aid to me. I'm thinking it will get easier to use as we get used to trailering. |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 5:36pm
Here is the strap on the trailer.
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Posted By: backfoot100
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 6:06pm
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That's just the equivalent of a safety chain. As long as the person in the boat applies a little throttle while the person with that strap is guiding it over the bow eye, you'll find it's actually pretty easy to get attached. The person in the boat needs to know where the steering wheel centers though. As the boat comes onto the trailer the bow will guide itself into the "V" bow stop in the pic. Then center the wheel so when you throttle up a little bit the bow comes straight at the strap and and not at an angle. Or you can think of it like you want to steer the bow onto that strap as you throttle up. As long as you can do that, it'll load very easily for you. ------------- When people run down to the lake to see what's making that noise, you've succeeded. Eddie |
Posted By: backfoot100
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 6:16pm
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By the way a very cool boat Looks like the very first inboard I ever skied behind with a real boom. I practically killed myself, Tore a hamstring and fractured three ribs. I learned a valuable lesson that day. Let go!!! Thought I had died and gone to Heaven after struggling with a kneeboard and 100' rope behind an outboard that was marginal at best.. It was a great day....LOL I bought my American Skier that fall. ------------- When people run down to the lake to see what's making that noise, you've succeeded. Eddie |
Posted By: 63 Skier
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 6:17pm
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You say you had trouble with it both launching and retrieving. For launching, unlatch that strap and rotate it forward before you back down the ramp. Just disconnect the winch strap, rotate the bar forward, and re-attach the winch strap loosely. Then back it in. For retrieving, do what Eddie suggested, but if it continues to be a problem do the same as I suggested with launching, leave it off until the boat is out of the water and on level ground, attach it then. The winch strap can hold the boat while pulling it out, just be certain the winch crank is locked. ------------- '63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 6:40pm
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I really like the strap from a safety perspective. That makes sense re unloading and loading. We were loading/unloading with the boat engine off. Having never driven the boat, and being inexperienced with the trailer it seemed like a prudent decision. The issue unloading was the strap wouldn't come off the eye. It was like the boat had settled the eye on the bottom of the strap opening and wedged it on there. Had to back the trailer up a bit more get more float then it released. Loading we used the winch strap to pull the boat on. When undoing the hook the boat would settle back slightly and the strap wouldn't reach the eye. Pulled the trailer forward slightly and the boat settled in a position we could get the strap on. If the boat was running would have been easy to power up a bit and get clearance for the strap. I'm going to check to night and see if the strap will clear the eye and drop while on the trailer. |
Posted By: AAM196
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 6:49pm
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Jake, That is a very similar set up to our 83 MC trailer that I must have launched and loaded thousands of times... now I know the MC has almost 1/2 the freeboard as your sunsport but really the idea is the same. Once you get a good idea of how far the trailer needs to be in the water so the bow/boat is on the bunks just enough to hold boat in place but the stern is kinda floating so you can back off... when loading, the driver will pull slowly onto the trailer in gear till boat stops, then the 2nd person (who backs trailer into water) will hold bar and signal to the boat driver forward, backward, right, left as needed for bow eye to pierce the slot in the bar. Boat driver will just slowly apply throttle and steer as needed. It is quite easy and once mastered take less than a minute to secure boat onto trailer. When launching, even easier: 1) back the trailer to the waters edge. 2) unhook bow and lay the safety bar down on trailer, unhook stern straps if applicable! 3) boat driver hop in boat check oil and that drain plug is in etc while blower clears fumes. 4)Signal the car driver to slowly back into water, crank her up and reverse of trailer.. That being said... I like the bow stop pads better... Use a turnbuckle for safety if you choose... I always strap the stern to trailer. |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 6:50pm
When we were getting the boat started after killing the battery.... A woman came into the dock on another boat and nearly fell in the water when she saw our boat. Said her family had an identical boat when she was a kid. She learned to ski behind it and had never seen another one. Pretty cool. She shot a video of us pulling out. As for killing the battery, took a bit to figure out the cold start, battery was 6 years old and gave up on us. The issue was we were not giving the boat any throttle. The PCM manual said 3 pumps and throttle slightly ahead of idle for cold start. We were pumping from 12 oclock idle to 11 oclock. That amount did not open up the throttle. By the time we pulled the air cleaner to see if the butterflies weren't moving, figured out where they did start to move (about 10 oclock), pumped it 3 times there, it turned over 1 more time caught slightly then sputtered out. Ran home and got a battery out of a spare car and jumper cables. Jumped it and it started right up. Hot started fine as well. We did have another operator error with the neutral safety switch. Figured that out right before I pulled the ignition switch. Honey you've got it in neutral right??? Had to LOL, day 1 on the water. |
Posted By: AAM196
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 6:52pm
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Sorry... I see someone responded as I was typing etc... yeah don't launch with engine off... I see that mistake all the time, then owner has issues reloading if it doesn't start... or at least takes forever causing ramp congestion. |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 7:23pm
We will be under power next time. To our credit it is very slow this time of year. Our plan is to get out quite a bit in the spring, even if just for an hour to get proficient launching and loading before things get busy. The summer season really starts here at the end of June. |
Posted By: DrCC
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 7:36pm
| Need any Supra interior snap buttons ? |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 7:46pm
Sure, if you have some you don't need. |
Posted By: DrCC
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 7:48pm
| Color ? |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 8:05pm
| White |
Posted By: DrCC
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 8:24pm
| Dang, I have Blue, Charcoal and Light Grey. |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 9:15pm
LOL no problem. |
Posted By: MrMcD
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 9:51pm
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Congratulations on your new Boat. That should make this a great summer for your family. My brother had a Supra, I did his mechanical work to keep it on the water. I found it to be very well built, far better than the Malibu I owned for 20 years and I would put it on par with the Nautique for build quality. Not talking about steering, pulling or ski quality just overall quality of build. They used good materials and tried to make an upscale boat. My brothers did ski and drive very well, it rode well. I found the hull to be a little slow compared to the Nautique, his Supra with the same 351W engine ran about 3 miles per hour slower than the Nautique but it was very stable and turned equally well both directions, lesser boats cant do that. The sloped nose is attractive but you will learn to keep it up when turning in rough water or you will take a douse of water over the nose. Enjoy Mark |
Posted By: M3Fan
Date Posted: May-02-2016 at 10:27pm
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That Sunsport is a great hull. Awesome find. ------------- 2000 SN GT40 w/99 Graphics/Gel 2016 SN 200 OB 5.3L DI https://forum.fifteenoff.com |
Posted By: jbear
Date Posted: May-03-2016 at 1:10am
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as always on here with new owners...a great story. a great friend of mine from our ski club...Greg McDonald had a Supra and loved it. Was a very nice boat. LOL on the boom story partner! beautiful scenery! enjoy! john ------------- "Loud pipes save lives" AdamT sez "I'm Canadian and a beaver lover myself"... |
Posted By: diggit
Date Posted: May-03-2016 at 2:23am
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Congrats on the purchase! Looks like a great score and a great deal. Y'all are gonna love having a nice ski boat, and you'll get the looks from everyone on the lake with that beauty. The crew here on ccfan has gotten me through my first-ever inboard boat purchase and subsequent mechanical/electrical troubleshooting and made it easy and fun. Stick around, I'm sure you won't regret it! ------------- '93 Ski Nautique Black/Teal '77 Ski Nautique. Loved it. Let it Go. |
Posted By: Poorhouse
Date Posted: May-03-2016 at 10:37am
This boat has a lot of freeboard compared to many of the similar era ski boats we looked at. As a new boater I was worried about potentially swamping something really low. The friends we were out with have a Supra Comp. The freeboard on that boat is 2 or 3 times lower than ours, and the bow point even lower. It was getting water splashed onto the bow deck on the calm day we were out. It did look great in the water though. I had a long talk with the shop that did the stringer replacement. He had done another Supra of the era as well. He said the way the factory laid in the stringers allowed them to rot quickly. He also didn't like how thin Supra laid the hull material. He fortified the entire hull with additional mat layers to beef up the structure. Everything you can see on the boat does seem to be of good quality. I think the condition after 30 years is testament to that.
LOL, I'm sure the newby stories aren't done. My wife's experience with boats has made me much more comfortable with this endeavor. Her family always had boats so she was around them as a kid. She's from the Boston area. Her brother had a boat business 10 or so years ago. She worked for him summers when she was getting her second bachelors. She shuttled boats around Boston Harbor and to the south shore for him. She is comfortable navigating and docking boats. I think getting the boat on and off the trailer won't be any trouble for her. Side story - When she was back in school I was travelling a lot for work and would fly into Logan. The airport has a dock you can get picked up at. The airport shuttle takes you right to it. She would pick me up there. It was fantastic, no traffic, enjoy the sights cruising across the harbor with a cold beverage. Good times.
Thanks! Bought a new battery - After researching here I couldn't find a conclusive answer as to what the best choice is. Decided on an Optima blue top with the light gray case. I like the sealed batteries from a safety perspective. I have a charger with the correct setting for this type of battery as well to maintain it in the off season. $175 shipped from Amazon, hopefully it hold up. I'm lamenting I didn't bring my multimeter to check the alternator output when we had the boat out. Next time. Also bought a new Bimini, spent a few extra $$ and got stainless hardwear and Sunbrella fabric. Went with a Carver, seemed to have consistently good reviews and made in America. The boat has it's original convertible top. It snaps to the top of the windshield. We tried it out, I'm not a fan of the reduced head space. Plus the canvas had yellowed with age. Went with maroon for the bimini. |