Well I think I found a Pontoon boat that will be just fine
New ones are as rare as hens teeth, no deliveries until early winter, at best; prices are rising faster than a tide in the Bay of Fundy.
A boat dealer has a friend with a 2006 20 foot Sweetwater with a new (20 hour) 2019 Yamaha 75 HP motor. The deck was redone with the new boat vinyl floor product ( I detest boat carpet). The trailer is included, the full motor warranty will transfer to me and be inforce until 2023.
Financing is approved, it will save me well over 10+ grand over a new one and get me into the water next Sunday. I will sell the Bass Tracker II I have and make a tidy sum on it based upon today's market. What ever the Bass Tracker sells for will go straight to the principle on the boat loan.
Looking forward, I will toss every extra penny I can at the boat loan. The day it is paid off is the day I put in for SSI and announce my retirement.
Tomorrow will be the final inspection. He is offering to run it on the water with me, a great plus in my mind. He is buying a BIG tri-toon because he realized (his wife told him) the 20 footer was too small for his party boat wishes. His wife TOLD him to get a bigger boat, she must be obeyed. I find it amusing a wife telling a husband it is mandatory to spend 70+ grand on a new boat; but hey as long as I get a good deal on this one I am happy.
It is 2 feet longer at 20 feet than I wanted and does not have the modern rear extended motor mount as most new ones do but the purpose is relaxing, fishing and forgetting the world so I think it will be just fine for me and up to seven buddies.
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Good for you enjoy it!
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Good luck............
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Enjoy.
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Which 7 buddies on here are ya gonna invite? Keep in mind I am a snob and don't drink cheap beer!😁
Enjoy your new toy and your retirement when it gets here! Bob
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That's what we did was bought a used unit. Everything we have is paid for, and we intend to keep it that way.
If this rain keeps up, you won't have to haul it anywhere, you can fish from the yard.
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I have boating experience - coxswain on the WI crew team! I'll bring beer just tell us when.
😀
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cbxjeff: 31513546685979/comments/31513522321563
I have boating experience - coxswain on the WI crew team! I'll bring beer just tell us when.
😀
Jeff, you should have been with me on Erie last Saturday. Battled 6 footers coming in from walleye fishing. Only thing I caught was three of my own lines, and three green people. That's a bad day right there!
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Those things are fun, but they're a genuine chit fest to get back on the trailer. And that's if it's calm. Throw in a little wind and/or current and it turns into a comedy show.
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Sounds like a great deal. Enjoy your boat and be safe.
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Odds are the wind will not be your friend. Rented a houseboat down on Lake Powell where the wind has been known to blow.
Quite the experience. Brother in law had his pontoon there, it handled it quite well. Enjoy!
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It was my experience trying to dock houseboats in quartering winds that prompted my comment above. It can be quite the test of skill.
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I heartily concur Rocky. Trying to tie up to one of those floating "loo's" in a 20 knot wind can be a real bugger.
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Well it is a done deal, I bought it. Was on the Ohio River out of St. Mary's WV today, wind, waves and all for over an hour. I loved it. The 75HP Yamaha was so quiet I did not realize he had it idling. The trailer is great, has center pontoon guides, no rust and LED lights. The Pontoon has new ($$$) Vinyl woven flooring, no dents or leaks and new trailer tires.
I am pumped about getting it in time for the 4th weekend.
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Congratulations!
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Good for you! I hope you enjoy it for many years. I have mixed feelings about our toon, only because I would rather get from point A to B like my StarCraft, but I always readjust myself to the low and slow of the pontoon after a few minutes.
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Just pulled my boat out of the barn and got it pressure washed. Ready to hit the lake when wind advisory is lifted. Enjoy the water!
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Good for you, Bruce! Hope you get many enjoyable days on the water with it. Was that 75 HP engine enough to push it around pretty good? Not enough to ski behind, mind you, but enough to get you off the water at a decent clip should bad weather suddenly arise?
Lawdy, lawdy, now you'll have to invest thousands more in GPS equipped side scanning infra-red radar full color fish finders, GPS controlled 80 pound thrust 36 volt trolling motors, electric downriggers with positive charge black boxes, new fishing rods and reels to go with all of the above equipment, and plenty of sunscreen. Don't forget worms!
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Geez, Bruce! For the money you spent on that boat, you could have put a set of floats on your airplane and had the best of both worlds!
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Enjoy it.
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NeoBlackdog: 31513546685979/comments/31513548214299
Good for you, Bruce! Hope you get many enjoyable days on the water with it. Was that 75 HP engine enough to push it around pretty good? Not enough to ski behind, mind you, but enough to get you off the water at a decent clip should bad weather suddenly arise?
Lawdy, lawdy, now you'll have to invest thousands more in GPS equipped side scanning infra-red radar full color fish finders, GPS controlled 80 pound thrust 36 volt trolling motors, electric downriggers with positive charge black boxes, new fishing rods and reels to go with all of the above equipment, and plenty of sunscreen. Don't forget worms!
It did 24 MPH at 5,800 RPM. His normal cruise is around 4,000RPM and it was fine for me. He pulled his kids on a tube all the time. His crowd is pretty big 8-12 people being normal. The Tri-toon he got has a 140 HP motor that will be better for his water sports needs. I just want a cruiser and fishing platform that is easy to handle. The Ohio River can get choppy but I will not stray far from the shelter of islands; plus there are a lot of docks along the river that can be used in emergency. The local lakes will be fine, no more than 10 minutes to get to the ramp or good shelter from storms.
I will need to have the Bimini top fixed this winter, it has a spot that the threading is coming lose. I put the Bass Tracker on Craigs list this morning so it should sell fast with all the goodies on it.
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bpost: 31513546685979/comments/31513523388187
https://forums.gunbroker.com/discussion/comment/11280158#Comment_11280158
It did 24 MPH at 5,800 RPM. His normal cruise is around 4,000RPM and it was fine for me. He pulled his kids on a tube all the time. His crowd is pretty big 8-12 people being normal. The Tri-toon he got has a 140 HP motor that will be better for his water sports needs. I just want a cruiser and fishing platform that is easy to handle. The Ohio River can get choppy but I will not stray far from the shelter of islands; plus there are a lot of docks along the river that can be used in emergency. The local lakes will be fine, no more than 10 minutes to get to the ramp or good shelter from storms.
I will need to have the Bimini top fixed this winter, it has a spot that the threading is coming lose. I put the Bass Tracker on Craigs list this morning so it should sell fast with all the goodies on it.
Sounds great, Bruce.
If you are in the Ohio River, you may want to consider getting a good anchor to hold you against the current in the event of engine trouble. I doubt a trolling motor is going to do you much good, particularly if you are fighting both current and wind.
Have fun,
Don
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Enjoy your pontoon. You'll have no trouble at all on the Ohio with that. Just watch out for the bouys to show you the shallow areas. I know there are a few around the Wheelersburg area. Noticed them when I took my son's bass boat to Freedom outdoors last week. Be safe and catch some big blue cats.
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