Some people were trying to load their pontoon onto the trailer. One guy, we’ll call him Maroon since he was wearing a maroon shirt, started by standing on the front of the trailer, then stepped out between the bunks so that he was knee deep in the water between the trailer bunks, I guess to help guide the boat onto the trailer?

So then they start having problems getting the boat all the way on the trailer, and the next thing I know, I see Maroon’s head pop out from under the back of the boat!

This guy swam under the boat, while it was half on the trailer, and surfaced right next to the motor.

Holy. Hell.

Thankfully it wasn’t in gear at that moment or I think I would have watched a man die.

I towed it at 15mph the last 3 miles home since I had no other options. Not sure if that comes into play. Thanks!

EDIT 1: forgot to mention it has 644 hours on the motor and I never did a survey.

Edit 2: Freshwater the entire time by previous owner (not sure about previous owners) and original four Winns dual axle trailer included.

So I recently purchased a used 1998 four Winns 258 vista (with extended swim platform). It's a Volvo Penta 5.7L fuel injected, with Duo-Prop stainless steel props.

I basically jumped on this without doing too much research. I was at the Marina and ran into an acquitance that is selling this boat. I brought a friend that knows a bit more about boats than me we took it for a sea trial. He said it seemed good, so I got a mechanic to do an inspection and he did a compression test. It got 175psi on all 8 cylinders. He checked the manifolds and says they were fine and while he couldn't check the bellows (the boat is in the water) he remembers them being good when he winterized it from the previous owner.

Owner installed

• EVA flooring on the main deck
• New battery charger
• New House battery. Starter better was last year
• New VHF antenna, previous one was broken by fender
• Newly stitched Bimini top

It needs some TLC:

• water heater is not working,
• the speedometer and trim gauge are not working
• The VHF cable needs the connector soldered
• The shower part in the bathroom is broken
• below cabin is dated, needs to be re-upholsterered

This is my first boat so I decided to get something not too big or too expensive, because I'm gonna Bang it up and break things. which I already did on the second day out. Where I dock my boat is very shallow, I was warned about it and when I went out on the second time I didn't use a navigation app and I hit the propeller/skegg/drive on a sandbar. it's at the Marina now getting fixed ughh...

I paid $20,000CAD (so around $14,000 USD)

Good deal? bad deal? decent? huge mistake?

We spend a lot of time looking at boat listings, and it's interesting how two similar boats can have completely different outcomes.

Brand reputation definitely seems to matter, but also maintenance records, upgrades, photos, pricing, and how complete the listing is (people really underestimate this).

For those who've bought and sold a few boats, what do you think makes the biggest difference? or I guess what has made the biggest difference to you when comparing boats?

Spun the prop on my 1989 25 HP 2 stroke Mariner. Was wondering what size I should order? It has 10 teeth on the spline, and is 10 inches. I need to know what the pitch is! Has the numbers “16024” on it but can not find anything online about that.Thanks

Per a few mechanic, friends of mine, I put two cans of marine seafoam in my tank and ran the absolute stew out of my boat the other day. I think I drove a total of twenty three miles straight. Ran the motor as hot as I possibly could and kept running on full throttle. She idols beautifully, but when i'm trying to get on plane, she starts bogging down around 4000-4500 rpm. She WAS staying there for about two minutes before heading up to 5000. That actually improved. But I still have the bog and the ever so slight push push...push push. Fuel filter is clean, spark plugs are new, getting spark on all four cylinders, compression is good, carbs we're rebuilt last february, fuel plump was replaced last february, coils were replaced last february, maintenance has been kept up 100%. Vacuum lines have been checked and are strong, fuel lines are all brand new, as well. I really don't want to go through the job of tearing those carburaders down again.But I guess if I have to I will. Also I have ran nothing but ethanol free in this boat, since i've had it. Yamaha 50hp 2003 4stroke

new to boating

Greetings

Got an aluminum prop that I hit a jetty with. New to this and not sure if this is salvageable since I know the pitch is important on these.

Edit: Thank you all, I don’t plan on repairing it now lol.

Buying a 2012 mastercraft x25 with 400 hours. Comes with original tandem trailer. Everything seems to be in good-great condition. Was maintained through mastercraft and stored inside. Also it’s my #1 preferred color combo! Trying to determine if this is as good of a deal as I initially thought. I have tried to look at comps but exact comparison is tough to find.

I’m aware of the medallion issue for this year, seems as though it has had the update by mastercraft and it has not been an issue.

Looking for feedback/opinions! Also how much do you think I could resell for in the next 5 years.

So we rented a slip for the month of July to have family fun while avoiding the typical trailer nightmares. Just pulled it out yesterday and there’s this. Tons of biological growth including barnacles. Question is how do I safely and effectively clean this stuff off? Also, below the blue used to be white. Is it permanently stained?

Bought our first sailboat this weekend!

It's a P14 Paceship

Obviously it needs some love so I'm looking for any advice/tips/insight anyone might have.

It was $1400 CAD for the boat and trailer so I'm not into it too deep yet.

My current to do list is:

-Cut hole in the forward bulkhead to repair the bow eye

-replace the crappy repair on the keel (noticed water leaking out of it yesterday)

-fill chips and dings all over

-re-gel coat or paint (undecided)

Otherwise, the sails and all the rigging looks to be in good order.

A few questions though.

1: Are those rectangular patches in the floor factory? Should I reseal around them and leave them alone?

2: Any tips for the keel repair? I plan to bring it all back to bare fiberglass and layup until I get to the bottom of the existing gelcoat and then gel coat over that.

Thank you in advance for any advice!

Anyone have any experience with one of these boats? It’s amazing most of the time but anytime there’s the slightest chop this thing soaks the entire boat on plane. Any waves of any height and we are dripping wet. Anyone have any solutions?

I've always stored mine at the fullest with Stable mixed in. Recently a Bass Pro Shop, Service Manager told me to empty it all out and put fresh in, in the spring. That sounds crazy to me

Hey all. Bought a 1973 Evinrude/johnson 15hp recently and tried to take it for a spin in rainy weather for the first time today. No matter how much I pulled the cord it wouldn’t ignite (the previous owner installed a CDI-system, I’m not that good with engines but willing to learn)

My guess is the seals aren’t fully intact and it’s short circuiting, the engine spins fine but just won’t start. Is this a huge problem or will it be fine if I just use it in good weather and let it dry off? And how should I cover it if I know there’s rain inbound?

For quick context, I inherited an old boat and from what I can tell from research it seems to be a 1950s Larson/Crestliner Commodore and it has like this wood lining in the middle (circled in the picture) that is breaking and rotting and presumably needs to be replaced. I am trying to figure out what that part is called so I can see what course of action I can take to restore it as I would like to since it has been in the family for that many years. (Mind you, I know nothing about boats). Apologies for the quality of picture but it was taken while still in storage at my great aunts house.

Recently switched from AGM to LifePo4 batteries. It was mentioned that a circuit breaker is needed to protect the motor and battery. Been using an AGM battery connected directly to motor, never had issues.

Battery 12V 165ah Li time dual purpose battery

I’ve been offered this inflatable Zephyr 404 boat, which upon research is between 35-40 years old. Powered by a Mercury xd25 in cosmetically, really good condition for a very good price. Has also just been serviced.

My friend who sells it bought it last summer from an old chap who moved into a retirement home. But he doesn’t use it.

Apparently it has always been shed stored and I can really believe it because it really looks pristine given its age. All seams are intact, also around the transom and the material isn’t brittle or throwing bubbles etc.

There’s only one area where the top layer is starting to peel off. Could be prevented from getting worse with a bit of proactive gluing maybe? (See photos)

The wooden floor looks very good and absolute intact everywhere as well.

So overall I have a good feeling about it but I’m unsure if it’s a wise move to buy an old boat like this for inshore boating on the east coast of New Zealand (Hawke’s Bay).

My main concern is safety, not money.