Sorry in advance for the long post. Hopefully some of you can get some "schadenfreude" from this, so that it wasn't a total waste.
This story happens in the hill country area of Texas this past week. I just got home today.
Saturday
Go pick up boat from barn near Canyon Lake, and drive the 60 miles or so to Lakeway on Lake Travis. Make it all the was to the Lakeway parking lot and snap axle on trailer. Wheel is off. Single axle trailer, port side is sitting on the ground. VERY fortunate that this didn't happen on highway at speed at night. Trailer is out of the way, so I call a 24 hr. wrecker and arrange a flatbed to come get me at 8 am Sunday morning. Go to sleep.
Sunday
Tow truck driver shows up at 8 am, and as he's dragging me up on his flatbed, I realize that we can launch the boat from the trailer from his flatbed. He agrees to try it, so we go to Emerald Point Marina (less slope on the ramp than Lakeway), and they let me do it. No charge, and it works great!
Wife runs the boat back over to Lakeway, and me and the tow truck driver take empty trailer to Ruckers Tire and Wheel for repair.
Get back to Lakeway, get kids together and head to boat for an afternoon ride. Make it a mile from the marina, and develop sudden vibration and loss of power. Limp back to marina, discouraged.
Monday
Lakeway mechanic doesn't work on Mondays, so I fork over a bunch of dough to rent a pontoon boat for 5 hours. Crew is happy. I drink beer.
Tuesday
Lakeway mechanic comes to boat and tests ignition. Tells me that I am only firing on a few cylinders, and we agree it sounds like a power pack. He also tells me he is way backed up, and doesn't really work on older outboards. So I hit the phones and find a local parts place that can get me a power pack from Houston overnighted, and find a local mechanic that works out of a home shop that can do the install. After an initial scare about the availability of a replacement axle for my trailer, one is secured (more heavy duty than needed, but in stock), and the trailer is fixed and retrieved. I drink more beer, feeling hopefully about tomorrow.
Wednesday
Wife and I limp boat to Lakeway ramp and load on newly fixed trailer without issue. I take boat to mechanic, and leave to go retrieve parts. Very expensive parts. I get them, return to mechanic. He opens box, confirms parts are correct. Then decided to do compression test on motor. Uh oh, 5 cylinders are good and one has zero compression. Game over! And to add insult to injury, parts store won't take back power pack and optical sensor since the boxes were opened. $500 down the tubes. Ebay here I come! Back to Lakeway, rent another pontoon boat for 5 hours, drink a bunch more beer. It doesn't help.
Thursday
Daughter who goes to UT has joined us from town, and mentions that her car's TPS monitor light came on for low tire pressure. I take car to fill tire, get a mile down the road and wonder how the heck she even drives this thing as it wanders all over the road! Back to Ruckers Tire and Wheel, $500 for two tires and a much needed front end alignment.
Sitting at the condo, wondering what else can go wrong when the weather kicks up. Wind starts howling. Large Spanish Oak tree snaps in half, barely missing the condo my kids were in as it comes down.
More beer
Friday
Decide to bring boat to Houston and sell it. The boating gods are talking to me. So I drive it back to Houston, waiting for something terrible to happen the whole time. But it doesn't. Were the gods sleeping?
Now before you say it, I know that it could have been way worse! Nobody got hurt, and I don't need to set up a Go Fund Me account to feed my crew. But it was pretty bad, almost got comical there at the end.
So what is this boat worth?
1988 Grady White Tournament 19. Dual console. I am second owner, have owned since 1994. Boat always stored inside. Very limited salt water use during my ownership. New cushions. Bimini top. Fuel tank replaced a few years ago. Garmin 541 included. Orlando's Fiberglass went through the boat a few years, replaced brass through-hulls, etc. Transom is sound. Boat will be at Orlando's for inspection.
Original single axle trailer in decent shape, just replaced axle
Fairly new tires and wheels
Engine is bad. 1996 Evinrude Ocean Pro 175. Had a bad cylinder with no compression. Might have bad power pack. One head leaks water. Tilt/trim motor is leaking a bit. Boat needs new power.
I am thinking $2500 for the whole load. Too high? Too low? I want to price it to sell, but I don't want to leave a ton of meat on the bone either.
Thoughts?
And don't bother saying "it's worth what someone will pay"... I know that...
This story happens in the hill country area of Texas this past week. I just got home today.
Saturday
Go pick up boat from barn near Canyon Lake, and drive the 60 miles or so to Lakeway on Lake Travis. Make it all the was to the Lakeway parking lot and snap axle on trailer. Wheel is off. Single axle trailer, port side is sitting on the ground. VERY fortunate that this didn't happen on highway at speed at night. Trailer is out of the way, so I call a 24 hr. wrecker and arrange a flatbed to come get me at 8 am Sunday morning. Go to sleep.
Sunday
Tow truck driver shows up at 8 am, and as he's dragging me up on his flatbed, I realize that we can launch the boat from the trailer from his flatbed. He agrees to try it, so we go to Emerald Point Marina (less slope on the ramp than Lakeway), and they let me do it. No charge, and it works great!
Wife runs the boat back over to Lakeway, and me and the tow truck driver take empty trailer to Ruckers Tire and Wheel for repair.
Get back to Lakeway, get kids together and head to boat for an afternoon ride. Make it a mile from the marina, and develop sudden vibration and loss of power. Limp back to marina, discouraged.
Monday
Lakeway mechanic doesn't work on Mondays, so I fork over a bunch of dough to rent a pontoon boat for 5 hours. Crew is happy. I drink beer.
Tuesday
Lakeway mechanic comes to boat and tests ignition. Tells me that I am only firing on a few cylinders, and we agree it sounds like a power pack. He also tells me he is way backed up, and doesn't really work on older outboards. So I hit the phones and find a local parts place that can get me a power pack from Houston overnighted, and find a local mechanic that works out of a home shop that can do the install. After an initial scare about the availability of a replacement axle for my trailer, one is secured (more heavy duty than needed, but in stock), and the trailer is fixed and retrieved. I drink more beer, feeling hopefully about tomorrow.
Wednesday
Wife and I limp boat to Lakeway ramp and load on newly fixed trailer without issue. I take boat to mechanic, and leave to go retrieve parts. Very expensive parts. I get them, return to mechanic. He opens box, confirms parts are correct. Then decided to do compression test on motor. Uh oh, 5 cylinders are good and one has zero compression. Game over! And to add insult to injury, parts store won't take back power pack and optical sensor since the boxes were opened. $500 down the tubes. Ebay here I come! Back to Lakeway, rent another pontoon boat for 5 hours, drink a bunch more beer. It doesn't help.
Thursday
Daughter who goes to UT has joined us from town, and mentions that her car's TPS monitor light came on for low tire pressure. I take car to fill tire, get a mile down the road and wonder how the heck she even drives this thing as it wanders all over the road! Back to Ruckers Tire and Wheel, $500 for two tires and a much needed front end alignment.
Sitting at the condo, wondering what else can go wrong when the weather kicks up. Wind starts howling. Large Spanish Oak tree snaps in half, barely missing the condo my kids were in as it comes down.
More beer
Friday
Decide to bring boat to Houston and sell it. The boating gods are talking to me. So I drive it back to Houston, waiting for something terrible to happen the whole time. But it doesn't. Were the gods sleeping?
Now before you say it, I know that it could have been way worse! Nobody got hurt, and I don't need to set up a Go Fund Me account to feed my crew. But it was pretty bad, almost got comical there at the end.
So what is this boat worth?
1988 Grady White Tournament 19. Dual console. I am second owner, have owned since 1994. Boat always stored inside. Very limited salt water use during my ownership. New cushions. Bimini top. Fuel tank replaced a few years ago. Garmin 541 included. Orlando's Fiberglass went through the boat a few years, replaced brass through-hulls, etc. Transom is sound. Boat will be at Orlando's for inspection.
Original single axle trailer in decent shape, just replaced axle
Fairly new tires and wheelsEngine is bad. 1996 Evinrude Ocean Pro 175. Had a bad cylinder with no compression. Might have bad power pack. One head leaks water. Tilt/trim motor is leaking a bit. Boat needs new power.
I am thinking $2500 for the whole load. Too high? Too low? I want to price it to sell, but I don't want to leave a ton of meat on the bone either.
Thoughts?
And don't bother saying "it's worth what someone will pay"... I know that...
