Need your help. Would you go forward?

CR dog · 10-16-2006, 05:09 PM

I was approached with a proposition this weekend on obtaining a bigger boat. A buddy of my wants to get rid of his boat, moorage and storage. I was debating whether I would want to spend the money to get it seaworthy again. This is the boat

1979 24ft Reinell hull with custom cabin. (Old cabin was ripped out in mid to late eighties and replace with an Alaskan style enclosed cabin.) Cabin is in good shape. He wants $3500 for the boat.

350 GM motor 1200 hours, water manifolds may have to be replace. Drain plug on manifold is rusted out. Last year the motor started up just fine.

OMC dual prop stern drive looks to be in good shape.

15hp kicker 2 stroke.

I'm a little worried about the motor. 1200 hours seems a lot. I called Steven's Marine for a rough estimate on new motor. Motor and out-drive approx $12K. Then there's the labor.

I don't know if I want to put a lot of money into it. Who is currently running a older seventies sport fisher Reinell? Are they really good boat hulls. How should I approach this? I'm currently run a 18 footer out of Ilwaco into the CR Buoy area, so this would be an upgrade for me. (I think he is offering the boat due to he might be getting a little nervous going out in my 18 footer.)

Or should I just keep saving my money for that 21 to 26 foot Seaswirl Striper? I always wanted a bigger boat, (bigger fuel tank), to make it out to the Halibut grounds and Tuna trips. What should I do?

crabbait · 10-16-2006, 05:28 PM

Figure out how much you think it would cost to get the '79 Reinell seaworthy and then look at what else you could get for that amount of money. I think you will find that there are better choices for the money.

Chromaflage · 10-16-2006, 05:37 PM

Whatever you do, get a marine survey! It's amazing how a $3500 investment can turn into a $15000 investment or more if it needs a lot of work.

CrF

Hoghunter · 10-16-2006, 05:41 PM

If it was me I would pass. Reinell's were an okay boat when they were first made and then went downhill very fast. You could see hundreds of them here in Puget Sound in the 70's and early 80's. Now it's very rare to see one. The only boat made in that era that I would consider is a Uniflite, GlasPly or Tolly.
You still see many of these on the water today.

Something Good · 10-16-2006, 05:43 PM

I would buy a new or newer boat in good condition and never let it go down hill like this one. I have owned a couple of fixer uppers and they both costed way more than they were worth in the end. Doing boat repairs instead of fishing is no fun either.

Chromaflage · 10-16-2006, 06:46 PM

Quick question - when you say "dual prop" are you talking about counter rotating props? If so, that outdrive alone may be worth what you're willing to pay for the whole boat - if it's in working condition.

Megabites · 10-16-2006, 07:53 PM

FYI your estimate on motor is about twice what you can get them for. There is a place in Tualatin or Tigard somewhere that sells brand new marine motors at half the rebuild price that you will get from Stevens. If you go ahead with this let me know and I'll track down the info. We just put one in my friends boat. I also know a mechanic that will do the swap for a good price. Don't forget manifolds and risers in your estimate. THere are some good aftermarket aluminum manifolds that will save you some money and last longer than cast iron.

Megabites · 10-16-2006, 07:55 PM

Just noticed the OMC part of your post. OMC parts can be a bit tough to get these days. As far as I know there is only one source left for them. Maybe something worth looking into.

Tinman · 10-16-2006, 09:29 PM

My gut reaction is to pass. The boat is a quarter-century old and likely to cost lots of money to restore. Plus it might be tough to trust such an old boat offshore when you don't know its history.

PhoebusGroup · 10-16-2006, 09:38 PM

The Jeanne-Marie is 12 years old and I dropped $3K into her last winter for things below the water line. Hoses and sea cocks, the washdown pump, and such as that.

As previously state, do budget for maintenance for boats of this age.

Kind regards,

PhoebusGroup
aka David King
The Good Ship Jeanne-Marie

Grady252 · 10-17-2006, 07:52 AM

Unless you are very mechanically inclined and can do most of the work yourself you need to run not walk away from this project. Anything to do with a boat is usually specialized and therefore usually high priced, and unless you are capable of doing most of it yourself you will spend way more money than the boat is worth when completed. You can get a marine engine with warranty through Motorworks in Spokane Wa. for around $2500.00, you can have the outdrive rebuilt for around $1500-$2000.00, so if you are handy and can change out the motor yourself, and handle some ofthe easy repairs you may get into the boat for an ok price (as long as there are no structural issues!!!

)

You would have an older boat with new running gear, so it would likely be pretty dependable. You could look into upgrading the outdrive with a more modern one, they can be found for a pretty reasonable price.

The bottom line is can you afford a newer boat with all the stuff you want?? If not this may be a step in that direction if you can do a lot of the work and you go into it knowing you will never get reimbursed for all the time spent on your project.... It is your hoby at that point.

Good luck on the decision.

BIGALSURF · 10-17-2006, 08:16 AM

This summer we came back into port in Astoria with a boatload of salmon. A few boat slips away was a guy who was working on an old boat. He asked how the fishing was and we said great. He said that again this summer he had spent all his free time working on the boat and not going salmon fishing, but that "soon" he was going to get it running, turns out he's been doing this now for 8 summers in a row.

I hated to point out to him that by the time the boat is "ready" his body may not be. If I were you I would just keep fishing and saving and wait until you can get a boat that will fish, instead of a massive project that keeps you from fishing!

It strikes me there are so many great guys on this board with empty tuna seats you can get your fill of going way offshore with them. Or think of it this way, $3,500 will get you 200 trips on a charter boat fishing for tuna. At ten trips a summer, that's 20 years of fishing on a charter boat, all without the work of fixing up the "old boat".

My two cents anyway.

corrirod · 10-17-2006, 08:30 AM

Grady hit it right on the head. Whatever $$'s you put into this WILL NOT COME BACK OUT. Having a new motor in an old boat doesn't equate to more value, unfortunately.

As someone suggested, you may want to spend the money to get a survey which could help you see whether or not there will be other monies that need to be spent besides the motor and outdrive. Old boats fall apart. It's not all their fault it's just the nature of the beast. Anyone that's ocean fished for more than a year or two knows that nuts come loose, bolts rust, STUFF HAPPENS, and thats on the good ones!

When you start talking about having to spend $5,000+ dollars to get an old boat running you really need to think about whether or not you should use that money as a down payment on a newer model that has had less wear-and-tear.

It's one thing if you know the history of the boat or you have a real good knowledge of the owner and his history with the boat but it's a crapshoot outside of that. I'm looking at a used boat myself right now and all these same things are going thru my head too!

corrirod · 10-17-2006, 08:35 AM

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$3,500 will get you 200 trips on a charter boat fishing for tuna.

Hey BigAl, where the heck are you finding a tuna charter trip for $17.50 per trip?

I'm definitely not buying a boat now!

Pilar · 10-17-2006, 09:43 AM

It is not unusual to get 2000 hours out of an engine and outdrive. With luck and good maintenance that is. I hate to include luck as part of my plan.

Having revived two boats now I would say drive on. The first one was a learning experience for me and worth the expense overkill. Not worth it in any other sense. The second involved a fair amount of luck and the keen eye of my former partner in spotting a boat with huge potential.

The price for the repower is too high. I repowered my 'Kismet' for just under $5000. The new motor was a custom rebuild not a crate motor. I did not replace the outdrive and I am a skilled mechanic and did much of the work myself. KEM in Tualatin will give you a great price on a new motor.

OMC is not my favorite by a damn sight. I prefer Mercruiser and I can explain why if you want to drink a barley pop over it.

All in all I'd say walk away and look long and hard. You'll find the right boat if you don't place artificial time pressure on it. You'll know when you find it too if you listen to your inner voice.

Good luck.

CR dog · 10-17-2006, 02:29 PM

Thanks all. I'll take all the advice very seriously. I think I'm just going to continue with my 18 footer until the right boat comes along. I know what I want. So in time it will come.

fyshndad · 10-17-2006, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corrirod

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$3,500 will get you 200 trips on a charter boat fishing for tuna.

Hey BigAl, where the heck are you finding a tuna charter trip for $17.50 per trip?

I'm definitely not buying a boat now!

I want to reserve 10 trips on that boat right now I will pay in advance

Who do I make the check out to???

Chrome Bumper · 10-18-2006, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fyshndad

I want to reserve 10 trips on that boat right now I will pay in advance

Who do I make the check out to???

Chrome Bumper, cash only though, you can drop it off on the corner tonight in a brown paper bag.

I have a 78 reinell, just changed out the transom, think the fiberglass is a bit light throughout. The 10000 for repowering and the 3500 up front will buy most of a pretty nice ready to go boat.

When the rain falls, the nights are long and the taxman is calling there will be some good deals.

BIGALSURF · 10-18-2006, 02:36 PM

Hey, you're right! My math sucks. That would be 20 trips wouldn't it? So you're saying I didn't pay $11 for my boat now too, right? I'll have to go look at that visa bill again... where the heck did I lose it?

And maybe I'm not getting 30 mpg on my boat either! Hmm...

OK, how many salmon is two salmon per person. I have such a hard time with that one when I'm seasick.

5 Salt · 10-18-2006, 10:21 PM

run away!!!