My first boat at my latest cottage was a 1962 Starcraft, aluminum riveted.

It'll do you fine... cause you won't have it for all that long. That's the
thing about starter boats... they get you on the water and used to how
things work. Then, 2-footitus sets in, and you want something bigger, faster
and sexier looking.

So who cares if it leaks! That's what bilge pumps are for. Who cares if it's
noisy... you're on the water! Who cares if the paints peeling... soon enough
you'll be selling it to another newbie and probably buying a glass boat.

By the way, I'm glad my first boat on this lake was aluminum... and not very
expensive, cause I got a little directionally challenged one night on the
way back to the cottage, an island passed me on the wrong side of the
boat... then I smacked a nice big rock square on with the bow. It put a
shark's bite in the bow, and I bent the aluminum windshield frame with my
forehead. The battery came loose and ended up under the bow. It took me 15
minutes to locate it and reconnect it in the dark... fired up and drove
home. Since the "bite" was above the water line, I never bothered to fix
it... just looked like a dork driving it around for the rest of the summer.
Then sold it to my marina guy for spare parts and bought a nice fglass boat.

Mind you... if I had been driving a glass boat that night... I probably
would have sunk and not had a boat for the rest of the year.

2-stroke o/b's are really simple engines... and if you are buying a boat
with the same vintage engine, then there should be lots of retired guys
around that know that engine inside out... who have nothing to do, and will
be happy to see you and your motor. In the end, you will spend more time
talking to them than they will spend fixing it... but your motor will work
and you will have made a friend.

Happy boating.



"johnagner" wrote in message
...
I'm looking to buy my first boat, and i'm on a limited budget. a friend
suggested i buy one with an outboard. i'd use it in a new jersey bay, for
some pleasure boating and perhaps a little waterskiing. I've seen good
prices on old aluminum vhull starcraft boats from the 60s and 70s. would
such a boat be a good buy, since aluminum doesn't deteriorate like
fiberglass, and since these boats seem to go pretty fast with a 90-110 hp
outboard. please email replies to