Tri Hull Boats

[sneaky freak]

Me too!

Me three a far cry from 20$ though lol

[wdtorque]

very stable but a little rough. you made a heck of a deal.

Ditto!

[EdO]

Yes. $20 bucks. Has a 1972 125 Johnson on it that works! No rust in the gas tank, but every piece of wood and upholstery in it will have to be replaced. Seemed like a good deal to me.

Dale, like how rough? My Uncle said he had a tri-hull Boston Whaler that was every bit as smooth as his deep v hull boats. But, this is the same Uncle that will tell you he shot a 12 point buck that fell in the creek and came up with a 5 .lbs bass on its antlers!

Also, anybody in the Flower Mound area that knows a ton about boats willing to come check it out and help me get on track getting her water ready? Otherwise, I am just going to start ripping out wood and replacing broke crap as I go.

Looks to be solid in the picture. Have the transom checked to make sure it's not rotting/rotted out internally. Sometimes the bolts that go through the transome to hold the motor mount on have not been sealed properly and let water into the wood portion of the transom. Many transoms are two pieces of fiberglass with a plywood center in a sandwich arangement. The 125 is not going to win you any races, but for a fishing/fun boat will do nicely. The motor is the real key. If it's in decent shape, you did well. The motor is the most expensive part of a boat and motor. It's been awhile, but the last new boat I bought was in 1996. It was a Ranger package. The Boat, motor and trailer was $21000. The motor was part was $11800. So the boat and trailer were 9200. My how things have changed.

Had some bad math that needed correcting!

[admiral]

check the transom by pushing down on the engine to see if it flexes,if the floor is soft the stringers under it are probably rotten,if not the boat will ok.some of the omc engines back in the 70s had high ring high compression pistons but most have either been rebuilt years ago or hauled to the scrap yard if its still running its probably been rebuilt.

[gvick]

I had a 18' it was tough. Had to have the transom, floor and stringers replaced but that was normal for a boat that old. They are rough but not as rough as a flat bottom because they are heavy.

[texasair]

Check the trailer carefully.

Painted trailers never get painted on the inside and rust from the inside out.

You don't want a critical part to collapse from internal rust at 70 MPH.

Bang it with a hammer, pinch it with C-clamps or big jaw channelock or vice grips. The soft spots can be on the trailer as well as the stringers, floor or transom.

[Bearkills]

I had a 18' it was tough. Had to have the transom, floor and stringers replaced but that was normal for a boat that old. They are rough but not as rough as a flat bottom because they are heavy.

Stringers are wood right? What makes it such a big deal to replace them? I was going to get into ripping it the floor tomorrow. But looks like rain. Probably Sunday. I'm going to start a rebuild thread.

I know nothing about outboards so I'll leave that to the pros but it looks brand new under the cowling.

Checked the transom, I could stand on the motor and it didn't flex at all.

[Rick24]

who cares u got it for 20 bucks

[EdO]

who cares u got it for 20 bucks

[Bearkills]

who cares u got it for 20 bucks

I care because it's going to take a lot more than that to get it in the water (1k+) and I could just sell it if it's crappy and not worth the investment and save my money for something I know I will like.

But hey, thanks for the constructive input to the thread!

[homegrown]

Had a '78 VIP 15' tri-hull a few years back with a '78 Evinrude 85 HP and loved that boat. I sold it but had no reason to. We fished that boat on Richland Chambers more times than I can count and it gets rough when the wind gets up. Never had any problems staying dry but the tiny seats in the thing were a joke. Absolutely impossible for me to sit behind the wheel in the drivers seat so I had to sit on top of the backrest and look over the dash.


HG

[Mister Bubba's bulletman]

Running yet?

[Bearkills]

Not yet. I've been side tracked getting bow ready for first Turkey season in a few years!

[kumathebear]

I'd like a deal like that!!