How many of you enjoy a "Beater Boat?"

[thill]

It's funny, because I recently sold my beater boat for one I thought would suit my needs better. It really is a better, more capable boat, but I still miss my beater. It doesn't help the the buyer keeps messaging me with how great the boat is and how much he's catching. I'm happy for him, but I secretly kind of want to buy it back.

My problem is that I haven't made many memories in my newer tinnie. I need to do that before making any decisions. Probably, I'm going to love the boat once I start using it.

Hopefully...

 

[Billy H]

Beater boat to beat all beaters 14 foot sears jonboat. The whole side is bowed out and smashed down a bit from a tree falling on it. Just sold it last week. Have many great memories and years fishing out of it on the local E-Motor only lake just in the condition you see it.

 

[Axhammer]

I’ve had a 1648 for almost 20 years now. It gets pressure washed occasionally, otherwise it’s a maintenance free boat. I use it for fishing & crabbing mostly. WhenI bought it, it had a couple seats bolted on, but I took them off. I’d rather sit on a boat cushion (throwable life preserver), it keeps my weight lower in the boat.

 

[Billy H]

Just came across this video of the beater I posted above. Not only did a tree fall on it once. An old barn fell on it as well. Thought you guys might get a kick out of it.

 

[LDUBS]

Yikes, that boat has seen some hard times.

 

[airshot]

I have owned a good number of boats in my 60 plus years of boating. Can't say I have had beaters, but the only new ones were a 10' Jon boat and a 12' Sea Nymph in my teenage days. Once I moved into something more than a rowboat, I paid more attention to how my boats looked. None were show peieces, but were kept good looking with regular maintenence. I make my boats fit my needs by outfitting them accordingly. Try not to scratch them, but if I do, no big deal. I do dry the interior with a fan when I get back and sweep up any debris on the floor and decks. When the boat gets parked back into my barn, the hatches get opened, towels/ rags are left out to dry or get washed if really messy. My boat is carpeted for now, so I have an old sweeper that cleans the debris up. When I get serious water marks and dirt on the hull, I do give it a quick spray wax/ cleaner job to keep it look decent. A beater...no...but a fancy new looking boat....no, not that either. Just a decent looking, well maintained boat that serves my needs. However, I would not be bothered having a beater boat, as long as everything worked and it ran well !!

 

[seahorse]

For years I fished out of a 1986 14ft Grumman modified V hull Crappie special with a 35hp Yamaha on it. I think I paid $400 for it in about 1988 or so. The thing was fast, agile, and would go places I wouldn't dream of taking my current boat. The motor was slightly modified, a larger carb, some port work, a lower unit swap, and some 9.9hp decals made it all legal on the lake here.

It sole purpose was to catch fish, put food on the table. I used it for crabbing, fishing, and trapping minnows and for duck hunting in the fall. The welded hull was thick and abusable but pretty heavy for a small boat but the motor made up for that, as did a pair of trim tabs and a hydrofoil on the lower unit. The forward stick steer also made it easier to work with, I could idle the motor down, leave it in gear and throw the stick over on the floor and it would slow circle a crab pot as I winched it up. It probably wan'ts the best choice for how I used it sometimes but it was cheap and got the job done,. Then I found a larger boat, and the Grumman got set aside, it sat for about 10 years before I needed the room, and in the mean time I had gone through a dozen boats, all larger. Now that I'm older, wish I still have that boat today. It was by far the best all around set up.
I could cover the deck in that thing with fish guts and bait and it always just washed right out of the carpet.
My buddy bought a new Tracker a few years ago but its got a side console that eats up floor space. Plus he pitches a fit if you get blood or bait on the floor or seats. I guess he never heard of letting a boat get seasoned so it don't smell so new and run off all the fish.

 

[David Atkins]

Looking for my next beater boat right now, thinking this winter will be perfect time to do the restoration in my garage / workshop. Having what is called a beater boat is terrific, here's to hoping this time when I locate one that I won't let someone talk me out of it after I restore her, funny but when cash is laid down on the table it seems to speak very loudly, lol...

 

[OldSailor85]

Not worrying about some scratches or dings is great.

As long as it floats, and is in good mechanical shape (everything works like it should), and has all the safety equipment, what more do you need for fishing?

I've owned some "show cars", and it's not always that great. A daily driver is a lot more fun and practical.

 

[thill]

Looking for my next beater boat right now... funny but when cash is laid down on the table it seems to speak very loudly, lol...

I'm in that process right now. Found a decent-looking Crestliner hull- no motor, no trailer, asking $1k.



I offered him $750, but then he decided he was keeping the steering console, so I offered $550.

He said I must be joking, so I thanked him for his time. Now he keeps messaging me, asking if I'm still interested.

I'm on the fence now. Somehow, he seems like he will be a pain to deal with.

 

[David Atkins]

I'm in that process right now. Found a decent-looking Crestliner hull- no motor, no trailer, asking $1k.

View attachment 122226

I offered him $750, but then he decided he was keeping the steering console, so I offered $550.

He said I must be joking, so I thanked him for his time. Now he keeps messaging me, asking if I'm still interested.

I'm on the fence now. Somehow, he seems like he will be a pain to deal with.

Typical seller trying to get the most money he can, logic says yes but when you have someone right in front of you with cash in their hand then you should also consider this "How would I feel if this was me on the other side getting a hassle" is it worth it, only you can make that decision? Good Luck!

 

[thill]

Trying to get the most is fine with me. But making an agreement, THEN deciding to strip stuff out of the boat, then agreeing again, THEN wanting to raise the price, THEN harassing the person when they don't agree to the higher price, THEN messaging again and again.... That gets old.

I think I'm going to let it sit for awhile. I might try again if he settles down, but usually, when I get a bad feeling about someone, it doesn't turn out well.

 

[David Atkins]

Trying to get the most is fine with me. But making an agreement, THEN deciding to strip stuff out of the boat, then agreeing again, THEN wanting to raise the price, THEN harassing the person when they don't agree to the higher price, THEN messaging again and again.... That gets old.

I think I'm going to let it sit for awhile. I might try again if he settles down, but usually, when I get a bad feeling about someone, it doesn't turn out well.

Great idea, stand by your guns!

 

[OldSailor85]

Trying to get the most is fine with me. But making an agreement, THEN deciding to strip stuff out of the boat, then agreeing again, THEN wanting to raise the price, THEN harassing the person when they don't agree to the higher price, THEN messaging again and again.... That gets old.

I think I'm going to let it sit for awhile. I might try again if he settles down, but usually, when I get a bad feeling about someone, it doesn't turn out well.

The world is full of people you don't want to deal with. This sounds like one.

Another boat will come along.

 

[monzster]

After getting my knees replaced 8 years ago. I got back into fishing. Before that I could hardly stand. I never owned a boat but started looking for a jon boat. Took me 2 years to actually find someone that had a boat and trailer that had titles to them and being in a budget made it even harder. I ended up finding a 14' 1973 Desoto Jon boat with a trailer for $500.00 with a trolling motor and decent seats. I call it a beater but it does what I need it to do. Doesnt leak and it floats. Over the years I had done stuff to it. I use it mostly on reservoirs. I do wish it was a little more stable but I just keep my butt planted in the seat. Its all I really need. Well not really cause 3 years ago I bought a Quest Angler 10 that I take on river's. The Desoto was just to heavy to put on a canoe slip which is what they have in our rivers. So I have the best of both worlds now.

 

[Ray Clark]

.... Now he keeps messaging me, asking if I'm still interested.

I'm on the fence now. Somehow, he seems like he will be a pain to deal with.

You moved on from that seller. Your apparent instinct about dealing with him is probably the best indicator. If it was me, I'd stay "moved on."

 

[thill]

Yes. I would probably drive all that way to discover holes in the boat, or a rotten transom or a title that had been signed to someone else or something else that he "forgot" to mention.

Still.... I do like that hull... I have a sweet little E-tec 40 that would fit perfectly on that boat. It might be worth a trip. I can always just leave if I don't like what I see.

 

[thill]

My last message to him was, "If you want $550 for the boat, let me know. That's my final offer." He stopped messaging me. Now, I notice that he is reducing his price. Maybe he will call, we will see.

In the meantime, at my wife's behest, I've decided to clean up the extra pontoon boat and get it gone before worrying about another project boat. But if I see the right one, I'll pounce on it.

 

[oilsmoke]

Around my way everyone wants a boat, motor, and trailer for $550.
I had my 16ft Mirrocraft hitched to the truck in my driveway this morning, I had just gotten back from a run down the river for some catfish.

I hosed it down, cleaned the fish and was letting it dry before putting it away. When I went out side I had a note on taped to the boat with a phone number and a story about how much they loved my boat and that they had one just like it years ago and would like to buy it. Then it said they have $300 if your interested.

Last month I put a 2000 model Stardraft SF 14DLX bare hull out for sale, no motor, no trailer, with a full floor, livewell, and split center bench seat. The boat was a nice clean, solid boat in great shape, but I had only bought it for its motor I got four people who answered the ad which I put up for $1100. A new hull is just over $4,400 and a used bare hull down at the dealer is over $3k and its not going to be as wide or deep as this one.

The first guy showed up and was looking over the boat, crawling under neath it it and all when I walked out and he started right off with 'Your asking too much for just a boat ain't you". "Would you take a couple hundred for it?"
He got pissed off when I said no thanks and burned tires away. The next two raved over how clean the boat was and kept asking what motor came with it and where the trailer was. One said he'd buy it if it were cheaper and if it had a new motor and trailer under it. I told him he could buy all that for it if he bought it, but his reply was he didn't have that kind of money and that his boat budget was only $200.

The other one offered me $100 and acted insulted when I told him he was wasting my time.
The last one wanted to trade me for a pedal boat that a tree fell on.

It sat for four months, listed on CL and chained to a tree on the lawn since April with no other attention.
I towed it to my cousins place in PA and listed it there for $2,500. He called me that Sunday and said he got $1,700 for it from a truck driver that happened to stop.
He said the guy forked over the cash, then flipped the boat over and slid it into the back of a box trailer full of produce he was hauling back up to Maine.

Its impossible to sell anything in an area where everyone is flat broke or just plain cheap.
Anything you list gets only scrappers and people with big dreams and no cash.

I probably would have sold it here for $800 if someone showed me cash but all I got was nickle and dime offers or guys saying its worthless and not worth anything.

 

[thill]

Just to be clear, I was offering $550 for JUST the hull. No motor, trailer, steering or console, and a soft floor.

Why do I want it? The outside isn't bad, and it's the size/type I want. I will replace the floor, add a front deck and clean it up. Should turn out nice, with a little work.