I just bought the most expensive thing a man can own. A cheap boat.
1973 Chaparral 15 with original '73 Evinrude Starflite 85hp.
The good: Bought from the original owner. The motor fires right up and runs well. The boat was brought out of storage about 2 years ago and the motor was fully serviced. Motor has always been run on non-ethanol gas mix. It appears to have a new starter, 2 new coil packs, and a new control module at least. Steering cables were recently replaced professionally and it has a brand new Lowrance Elite 4x fish/depth finder. It has a new marine battery. The PO recently replaced the floor with treated plywood and it has new carpet and new seats throughout. The hull seems solid, even the transom, and it appears to be really solidly built.The trailer is...uh...it has a trailer with a fairly new axle.
The bad: It needs a prop. It needs new fuel tanks. The axle is upside down and the spring perches are the wrong spacing, so one spring is half on the perch and leaning. It only has one U-bolt per spring. The axle was a bodge replacement when the old one failed mid-trip, but the old man had no idea anything was wrong with the way it sits now. The PO admitted he was no mechanic and that's painfully evident. When he put the new floor in he used nice long wood screws to hold down the plywood. The 2 front screws on each side went right through the hull where it curves upward. He had never noticed this.
The fish finder, front running light, and bilge pump all connect to the battery with speaker wire on alligator clips. The bow turn down of the keel has obviously been bashed and repaired. It's not the best work. On top of that repair is a foot long section and inch wide, right on the keel, of what looks like gray-white bubblegum or silly putty but it's rock hard. I'm assuming it's some kind of patch on the patch, which doesn't seem ideal. But it's probably water tight...
It seemed like a water-going version of the old garbage Roadkill drags out, so for now it's project boatkill. And it will have Finnegan Speed and Marine stickers at some point.
First plan is to get the prop, tanks, screw holes, and bilge pump squared away and then get it on the water for further testing. I've got the parts coming to flip the axle, weld on new perches, and U-bolt it correctly but I'm pretty sure it will make it 35 miles to the lake the way it is. He's been dragging it that way for a while.
Future plans include a battery cut off, an actual fuse panel and basic electrical system, and a bimini top. I might actually think about cleaning it up and buffing up the lustrous brown gel coat if she behaves herself.
