Wondering About The Reader

After reviewing my site for a while here, I've discovered that I can't really tell if anyone is really reading this Blog. My hope is to build a community of old boat lovers who will share ideas, stories, and other information related to old boats. If you have been reading, and simply not left a comment yet, please drop me a line. Otherwise, I'm afraid Old Boats Blog may have to go.

Thanks

A Few Tips

I wanted to share a few short tips that have helped me with my old boats. I hope that others will add tips,or if you're shy, then please e-mail them to me at qmrp@valornet.com.

Tips:
1. After your first wax coat, use baby oil to continue that great new looking shine. It's true, plain old baby oil (the cheap stuff) can do wonders to improve and bring out the shine of your boat.
2. Use Petroleum Jelly on the inside of your boat snaps. This allows even old snaps to go and off easily and may save you the time of replacing them sooner than you would like. Just a little bit on the end of your finger and inside the snap does the trick.
3. On older motors always unplug the gas line at the end of the day and wait a few extra minutes on the trailer (with the motor still running in the water). When the motor stops, then haul your boat out. This allows the older carbs and reserves to burn out and keeps your carb from getting stuck or sticking as easily later.
4. Always use a new or newer gas can. Do not depend on older rusted cans unless you use a filter to ensure no rust by-products sneak into your motor. I prefer to use a new plastic can to run the boat with a new bubble and hose. This will help reduce leaks as well.
5. Remember, even when you're done, your old boat is still a project. Just like the one above where I will soon be painting the trailer and doing some hull touch up!

Thanks for reading again.

What are old boats?

For the majority of the people, running down to purchase a boat can sometimes be as big a deal as purchasing a house or a fine car. It doesn't have to be. You don't have to spend $20,000 or more for you family to have a boat to use.

Think about it for a little while...okay, times up. You use a boat for fun. You want to get out on the lake, ride around, and then head home. You don't live on it (most likely), you don't drive it to work, and you only use it for about three or four months out of the year. That is a small amount of time for an item that can cost big bucks.

Sure, if you want to go out and buy a new boat, go right ahead. After all, you can afford the payments of somewhere between $175 and $350 a month. I can afford them, but I don't want them. I want a boat that I can maintain, enjoy and pay cash for up front. I don't want to tie myself into a loan on an item that drops in value the minute I hit the lake.

So, this brings us to this "Blog". I didn't know what a blog was until Mac Addict ran an article on them. But, I do know it is hard to find information about old boats. I can find a great deal of information about wooden boats, but I'm talking about the old boat that you see sitting in a field with weeds growing around it. I'm talking about the boat that you pick up off E-bay for $50 to $250. I'm talking about the old boat that by summer will be cutting across the water with two huge differences between it and the newer models. The differences are simply cheaper insurance and no payments.

This blog is for people interested in old boats. I want ideals, stories, guys and gals who have either taken an old boat and restored it, or they want to read what other people have done to restore old boats. I have had the chance to own six boats in the last ten years. One was free, one cost $75, one cost $200, one cost $400, one cost $500, and one cost $1000. I have never paid over $1000 and all the boats I've had came with trailers and only one lacked a motor (the free one). I've rebuilt, cleaned, put new floor in and had a blast. My current boat is a 1972 Ebbtide with a 70hp motor. It was kept in the garage for years and has less than two hundred hours on the motor. Oh, and it was the $1000 one, but that still beats the heck out of $20,000 or more.

I'm interested in feedback and building a reader group. So feel free to contact me or send me your post. I want to build this into a great network of people interested in old boats.

Thanks for reading!