Ahoy Vio Holda

[insanitylivz]

Hello all. I have been reading through the forums for a while now and finally decided to register. I have been on boats before but I have never owned one. Back in January i was diagnosed with cancer and decided to start living life while I had the chance. I didn't have a lot of money being a single dad but I wanted to find something that I could share with my 3 and a half year old. After months of looking I found and purchased this old boat off of craigslist for 200.00. I ended up paying 95.00 for the trailer in one of the pictures. Its a 16 foot so I have some modding to go there too or maybe I will find a trade. I know it was pricey for the shape of the boat but I wanted something that I could work on while doing chemo since I have a lot of down days. Anyway, more about the boat.

It is a Vio Holda and measures right at 14 foot long. I am assuming from the look and length is is the "Skee Liner" found herehttps://www.fiberglassics.com/wiki/images/0/0f/Vioholdabxx001.jpg. I was concerned with the dent on the starboard side. You can see where it hit a rock at a pretty good pace. After checking on it though it is still water tight and does not seem weak at all. I have started cleaning it up and the aluminum is fairly decent considering the pictures. This isn't going to be a fancy boat by any means since im running with very limited funds, but it will be something that my son and I can enjoy in the coves.

I have a lot of questions but have no clue where to start. I am planning on redoing the transom (I am capable and handy with fixing things) and most likely go over the welds with some marine sealant to be on the safe side. (It sat in the pond for 3 hours without leaking but you never know.) For starters we will just be using it as a paddle boat with no motor until I get it registered. Hopefully after I get it registered I can find a cheap 3 to 9hp engine to put on it. I'm not quite sure if I should put seats in it or not. Like I said Im so new to this but I want to have some fun with my son and this looks like the right way to go. I already have the life preservers and his lightning mcqueen life jacket, flashlight, emergency sealant, oars, and anchor. I am ordering bow and stern night lights off amazon just in case we are out at night.

I have mixed emotions about painting it. I thought about a couple coats of primer inside then a greyish plastic paint type on the interior. The exterior i kind of wanted to keep aluminum because I like the look. Maybe just a stripe or something. Haven't seen many Vio Holda boats on the net so I am hoping this is going to be a fun project.

Well thanks for listening to the rambling and I look forward to hearing from you guys. Maybe one day my lil old boat can look half as good as some of the boats I have seen here.

Cheers, Chris

 

[ccm]

:WELCOME: Hi & welcome. You have a nice boat there. If your on a really tight budget I wouldn't go the paint the whole thing rout as it is a lot of prep work and can take awhile to do + the added cost of primer, paint, & supplies. I would defiantly put some seats in it as sitting on benches for hours on end will make fishing & boating really uncomfortable. A cheap solution to a nonslip easy to clean floor is using rubber matting. I suggest using 1/4 inch thick matting as it is cheaper and weighs less, also it makes the boat even more quiet which is good for fishing. Now about those dent's, I personally think they give the boat some character. Sorry to hear about your diagnosis and I sincerely hope that everything turns out for the best.

 

[insanitylivz]

ccm » 02 Jun 2014, 02:49[/url]"]:WELCOME: Hi & welcome. You have a nice boat there. If your on a really tight budget I wouldn't go the paint the whole thing rout as it is a lot of prep work and can take awhile to do + the added cost of primer, paint, & supplies. I would defiantly put some seats in it as sitting on benches for hours on end will make fishing & boating really uncomfortable. A cheap solution to a nonslip easy to clean floor is using rubber matting. I suggest using 1/4 inch thick matting as it is cheaper and weighs less, also it makes the boat even more quiet which is good for fishing. Now about those dent's, I personally think they give the boat some character. Sorry to hear about your diagnosis and I sincerely hope that everything turns out for the best.

Thank you for the encouragement. My diagnosis was pretty good so I'm lucky. The matting sounds like a great idea. I have been looking at seats and they seem to be found pretty cheap however I adhere to the old adage you get what you pay for. I don't mind the dents either. You are right about the paint job. I am sure I could use that money in better places. Thanks for the post and the information!