I keep hoping to find a free boat on a nice galvanized or aluminum single axle trailer, but no dice yet. My current boat trailer is functional less than ideal.
I keep hoping to find a free boat on a nice galvanized or aluminum single axle trailer, but no dice yet. My current boat trailer is functional less than ideal.
ultraclyde wrote: I keep hoping to find a free boat on a nice galvanized or aluminum single axle trailer, but no dice yet. My current boat trailer is functional less than ideal.
This boat was bought at a repo-auction for a pittance, without a trailer. Somehow they found a trailer for next to nothing--but like I said, it is wayyy too big for the boat.
Free boat? Hahahahhahhaaha...
Obligatory hole in water joke
mtn wrote: Just FYI to everyone--this is a free boat only to my wife and I. Anyone else it will probably be around $8,000. It has seen low use and high maintenance. Probably going to pass unless I can find cheaper storage though.
Any rule/restriction about how long you need to keep your free boat? Take it, use it twice, complain about logistics and sell it. Profit.
Or bring it on down to KY and I'll store it for you, just let me know which weekends you'll be using it on Lake Cumberland. 
If I have read this correctly you store a boat for someone else and you will have to store your boat elsewhere? Find nice heated storage and pass the bill on if they want you to store their boat
pilotbraden wrote: If I have read this correctly you store a boat for someone else and you will have to store your boat elsewhere? Find nice heated storage and pass the bill on if they want you to store their boat
The boat that would be ours in this situation will not fit in our yard or garage; the boat that we will be storing will--and that is likely only a temporary solution (9 months or so).
FIL is trying to give us a nice speedboat worth $8k; we will be storing his fishing boat that is worth about... $3k? All the value is in the outboard. It's a barebones fishing boat that doesn't even have a floor.
Hard to charge family to store something when they're giving you an $8k boat, but I see braden's point. It might be easier to do that if it was dad's fishing boat that was the reason you cant fit the ski boat at your house, but I get the impression it wouldn't fit even if the little boat as gone.
ultraclyde wrote: Hard to charge family to store something when they're giving you an $8k boat, but I see braden's point. It might be easier to do that if it was dad's fishing boat that was the reason you cant fit the ski boat at your house, but I get the impression it wouldn't fit even if the little boat as gone.
Yeah, it wouldn't fit--it would either take up too much garage space, or else it would be too heavy to park on the grass (where FIL's fishing boat will be going)
I park a 3200 pound sailboat with it's thousand point trailer on grass. I used the big 18inch by 18inch paving stones from lowes to spread out the weight on the ground to keep the tyres from sinking into the dirt
mad_machine wrote: I park a 3200 pound sailboat with it's thousand point trailer on grass. I used the big 18inch by 18inch paving stones from lowes to spread out the weight on the ground to keep the tyres from sinking into the dirt
We'll be able to muscle the little boat back there though, even on wet grass. The big boat we won't be able to muscle back there, and it would just be too much of a PITA to get it back there. Basically its just too big to store at home (tight driveway, tight lot).
How often do you use a speedboat now? Are you soon to have kids (IIRC you're recently moved to an area with good schools in mind)?
Life gets real busy real fast with kids, and you probably won't be able to participate in as many hobbies as you do pre-kids. If boating is not your top hobby, it easily could fall to the backburner when kids are in the picture.
Robbie wrote: How often do you use a speedboat now? Are you soon to have kids (IIRC you're recently moved to an area with good schools in mind)? Life gets real busy real fast with kids, and you probably won't be able to participate in as many hobbies as you do pre-kids. If boating is not your top hobby, it easily could fall to the backburner when kids are in the picture.
Currently I use my dads about 30-40 times a year. This one would fill much the same role, but more pleasure oriented than fishing oriented than my dads. I'd probably still use both quite a bit, tbh. Being on the water is about my favorite thing.
Realistically speaking this isn't happening though. I have two more places to call for storage, but it just isn't going to be affordable.
You are already out 30+ times without the burden of ownership.
It has worked very well for me to have a friend(s) with a boat rather than to own a boat.
John Welsh wrote: You are already out 30+ times without the burden of ownership. It has worked very well for me to have a friend(s) with a boat rather than to own a boat.
I know. It doesn't make sense for a lot of reasons, but my wife really wants it.
What about splitting the cost of storage with your in laws? (They currently own the boat right?)
There was a place in Madison called skipper Mike's or something like that that stored your boat in a large Warehouse on a lift, right by the water. Call them up and they would have your boat in the water and running in 30 minutes. When done, just hop back out of the boat and toss them the keys. They of course had winterizing and gas and service tech's (and rescue boats) too.
It wasn't that much more expensive than a regular storage unit, but holy crap did it make boating easy.
Maybe find a place like that and split the monthly fee?
skipper buds
Robbie wrote: What about splitting the cost of storage with your in laws? (They currently own the boat right?) There was a place in Madison called skipper Mike's or something like that that stored your boat in a large Warehouse on a lift, right by the water. Call them up and they would have your boat in the water and running in 30 minutes. When done, just hop back out of the boat and toss them the keys. They of course had winterizing and gas and service tech's (and rescue boats) too. It wasn't that much more expensive than a regular storage unit, but holy crap did it make boating easy. Maybe find a place like that and split the monthly fee?
Nah, not worth it. Other things in play here that make it difficult, ultimately I'd like to either have it outright on our own, or else not have it at all.
(FWIW, Skipper Buds is very, very close to where it is stored right now in Door County).
So, the solution for this--for now--is that I've paid for a slip for it where my parents have a vacation home--$150 until October 31. We'll get about 2-3 weekends out of it. My FIL will be storing it over the winter at that same marina; total cost for the storage and slip will be about $1,000. That takes us to May, when we'll come up with a more permanent [and much cheaper] solution.
Frankly, the solution that makes the most sense is to sell it, but at least it isn't my problem. I am just sharing in the problem!
Here is a craigslist-quality picture of it--the one in the garage. The white aluminum is the one that is currently living in my yard.
It's too bad you are so far away as I am looking for something just like your free boat to not pay a lot for and still get a few weekends out of before the season ends. I'm coming up empty-handed around my local area. The closest thing to a decent cheapie I find around here has cracked glaze and upholstery galore. The clean ones are all $10k+.
Huckleberry wrote: It's too bad you are so far away as I am looking for something just like your free boat to not pay a lot for and still get a few weekends out of before the season ends. I'm coming up empty-handed around my local area. The closest thing to a decent cheapie I find around here has cracked glaze and upholstery galore. The clean ones are all $10k+.
Too bad that this isn't for sale either. My MIL has dictated that we (we being my wife, FIL, MIL, and I) keep it--even though I am doubtful she'll ever be able to even get in it all anymore.
When sentimental people and things get involved, throw logic out the window.
Have you seen these? They look like they might be halfway decent options:
https://poconos.craigslist.org/boa/d/sunbird-170br/6230821758.html
https://scranton.craigslist.org/boa/d/1989-sea-ray-160-bow-rider/6272773394.html
https://scranton.craigslist.org/boa/d/1998-stingray-rx180/6264043420.html
mtn wrote:Huckleberry wrote: It's too bad you are so far away as I am looking for something just like your free boat to not pay a lot for and still get a few weekends out of before the season ends. I'm coming up empty-handed around my local area. The closest thing to a decent cheapie I find around here has cracked glaze and upholstery galore. The clean ones are all $10k+.Too bad that this isn't for sale either. My MIL has dictated that we (we being my wife, FIL, MIL, and I) keep it--even though I am doubtful she'll ever be able to even get in it all anymore. When sentimental people and things get involved, throw logic out the window. Have you seen these? They look like they might be halfway decent options: https://poconos.craigslist.org/boa/d/sunbird-170br/6230821758.html https://scranton.craigslist.org/boa/d/1989-sea-ray-160-bow-rider/6272773394.html https://scranton.craigslist.org/boa/d/1998-stingray-rx180/6264043420.html
I have my search limited to 20-22' boats because the two main places I'd be taking it are bigger water where there is going to be waves and chop, plus the dual axle tandem trailer seems to go with in most cases - and since I'm towing interstate - 4 wheels > 2.
The ideal search has a Sea Ray or Chap 210 bowrider as the right stuff but there seems to be a drastic difference in price for anything > 19'. All the 17-19s are $6500 or less at 10 years or older. All the 20-22 are twice that or more unless really beat to crap. But... that should change next week.
Afterall... the Harleys are starting to appear in front yards already because it's been chilly and it's not even Labor Day. Boats are next. No one spends $1500 to winterize and store it in a rack if they have any doubts about wanting it again next year ;)
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