I've decided against this boat. I think you all are right. Better to
spend more money on something that is less likely to require a ton of
money.

On Sat, 26 Nov 2005 13:43:56 GMT, Shortwave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Fri, 25 Nov 2005 13:54:43 GMT, Charlie Brown
wrote:

Someone is selling a 1972 Orlando Clipper for $1600. It is in good
condition with an 1986 trailer and Johnson 70 hp motor.

At this price, run as quickly as you can away from it. The major
problems with these boats are the floor and transom. The transoms
usually rot from the bottom and chances are if the floor had to be
replaced, then the transom is probably rotten.

If you are hot to trot on this, take a good close look for rot, grab
the skeg of the outboard and lift it and move it from side-to-side. If
there is any movement in the transom it's junk and not worth it. Tap
the transom and see if there are any "dead" spots - if there are, then
it's junk. Look for weeping around the drain plug hole - if any, it's
junk. Get somebody in the 250 lb class to walk around inside the boat
to check the floor - most likely they only replaced the floor and not
the stringers - they are probably also toast.

Most of these boats used a balsa core for the fiberglass along the
bottom and once that gets even slightly wet, it's toast. Tap the
bottom and see what it sounds like. If it sounds dead, it's toast.

The engine, depending on the year, may be ok - do the usual,
compression checks, general condition, look for water in the gear
case, etc. Anything wrong like unbalanced compression or it won't
start (you should at least run the engine), then forget it.

The trailer is a trailer - maybe worth $300 if it's in exceptional
shape.

Based on a further post, your budget allows you to purchase a much
better boat without having to go through the hassle of "refurbishing"
this one. Trust me on this - boat projects always cost three times
what you have budgeted - that's just the way it is. For a boat like
this, it's not worth even the purchase price.

If everything is fine and dandy and it actually is sound, offer $400
and start from there. If it goes over $500, forget about it.

Good luck.

Tom