Advice you can give from these pics? 1985 Sundancer 250

Island Time Buffalo said:
Grand River Fairport Ohio? Or Grand River Port Maitland Ontario? (I've been to both)
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Fairport :)

I cannot say it enough how helpful and interactive you and everyone else have been. It's the scariest purchase I've ever made so I want everyone to know how much you have helped!

P.S. I joined a forum for Bayliners and its nowhere as active and haven't gotten any responses to my hello lol :(
 
Gombajuice said:
Fairport :)

I cannot say it enough how helpful and interactive you and everyone else have been. It's the scariest purchase I've ever made so I want everyone to know how much you have helped!

P.S. I joined a forum for Bayliners and its nowhere as active and haven't gotten any responses to my hello lol :(
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Well, I wouldn't blame that on your choice of boat. If it has a Merc outdrive in it, I think you could still learn from this group. Besides, I'll bet there's other forums out there that would cater to your rig and be more responsive than the one you found. Hang in there!
 
Nater Potater said:
Well, I wouldn't blame that on your choice of boat. If it has a Merc outdrive in it, I think you could still learn from this group. Besides, I'll bet there's other forums out there that would cater to your rig and be more responsive than the one you found. Hang in there!
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Yep it does! I definitely want to stick around here. Just feel like a trader doing so lol!

BTW, I finally got a call back from someone who was recommended by my marina office and they want almost $1,700 to do this and said it shouldn't be in there more than a week TOPS!!! That is almost 1/3 the price of the boat and honestly I lost my breathe hearing that and feel sick to my stomach right now.

I usually beat the odds when people joke about expenses when buying things like houses or cars because I do my homework, but OMG that hit me hard lol.

I think I may just monitor my hull best I can and go from there. I trust you all much more than any other answers I have gotten. hopefully its not just because I am trying to be cheap and you all are saying its not needed haha!
 
Gumba, little ed about paint. I use ablative look it up. Each fall it gets power washed at pullout. Spring, i just slap a little new paint where the hull is showing. I never repaint the whole boat. 1 gallon last 2,3 years. Takes about 1/2 an hour. If you have to paint, its not a big maintenance item.
 
The very first bottom paint is lot more than slapping on paint. Hull is slick, paint wont adhere well, hence 1700. Requires serious prep work. Whenever I bought a new boat I negotiated it into the purchase price. You’re out of luck there.
Now, that said, mine has been in slip since 6/5 while we did some engine work related to overheating. Accumulated serious fur on water line, prop, tabs. Took it out it had a hella time getting on plane to wash off the fur. I can only imagine how bad it would have been without paint.
 
So 2 weekends in and I already beat the hell out of this thing...

Just here to vent and maybe this can make others feel better about their own fuck-ups...

So far I've learned that a break wall extends past where you cant see it above water. I was going slow, paying attention to depth and making sure it was not getting shallower, but my caution did not matter. Jumped the break wall. Luckily I pulled it out of the water and it just scraped up the bottom and I chewed up the prop, BUT no other issues. Will fix end of season with a new prop and bottom paint.

While pulling it on the trailer to inspect, I caught the corner of the steel boat launch and took a 4 inch chunk out of the side of the boat where the brand name is. I learned to have more than one fender on both sides of the boat, not just the side you dock on, and make sure you have TWO people at the launch controlling both the front and back ropes. I will be looking for ways to fix this and probably just put a whole new brand decal across the side. I do have a friend that works with fiberglass so hopefully he can help.

I am a cautious and intelligent person who never really F's up and takes great care of everything I own, so this is hurting a little extra. I'm embarrassed and extremely mad at myself.

Lessons learned and no one got hurt! Trying to stay positive :(
 
Gombajuice said:
So 2 weekends in and I already beat the hell out of this thing...
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I was backing my 18 footer away from where we had beached for lunch when the prop found the only large rock in the murky water. I'll tell you what, when backing, there's absolutely no give in the outdrive! 'Thought it'd rip the whole assembly right through the transom. I'm glad yours was no worse.
Welcome to the club; we have jackets...
 
Gombajuice said:
So 2 weekends in and I already beat the hell out of this thing...

Just here to vent and maybe this can make others feel better about their own fuck-ups...

I am a cautious and intelligent person who never really F's up and takes great care of everything I own, so this is hurting a little extra. I'm embarrassed and extremely mad at myself.

Lessons learned and no one got hurt! Trying to stay positive :(
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We've all been there at some point during our boating experiences.

I actually like visiting a local marina when I'm out and about that has a great little restaurant and sit on the deck over looking the boat ramp. It's entertaining on busy weekends. :)
 
I try to always scout out the ramp before I show up with the boat. And I always look at charts to see what is around. I've been very lucky I guess.

But I did get a skid steer stuck on a head wall one time. But that is a long story and for a different forum platform.
 
I went thru a LOT of aluminum props my first year or two. They were like sacrificial zincs. After i learned the lay of the ‘land’ i got stainless. Never looked back. Back in May i bumped bottom in 1 foot where there should have been a red bouy but wasnt, that SS prop not a scratch.
 
boatrboy said:
I was always told there are two types of boaters, 1 who has hit ground and the other who is about to. A guy at my club said there is a third- one who lies about it:):)
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HAHA love it!!

I guess I got it out of the way early lolol
 
Pirate Lady said:
I went thru a LOT of aluminum props my first year or two. They were like sacrificial zincs. After i learned the lay of the ‘land’ i got stainless. Never looked back. Back in May i bumped bottom in 1 foot where there should have been a red bouy but wasnt, that SS prop not a scratch.
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Wow that makes me feel better! Are they simple to replace yourself? I will look into stainless. Nice suggestion!
 
Nater Potater said:
I was backing my 18 footer away from where we had beached for lunch when the prop found the only large rock in the murky water. I'll tell you what, when backing, there's absolutely no give in the outdrive! 'Thought it'd rip the whole assembly right through the transom. I'm glad yours was no worse.
Welcome to the club; we have jackets...
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Thanks for having me!! Haha.

Luckily no one was removed from the boat. Had all necessary safety gear at my fingertips ;)
 
Little Ducky said:
We've all been there at some point during our boating experiences.

I actually like visiting a local marina when I'm out and about that has a great little restaurant and sit on the deck over looking the boat ramp. It's entertaining on busy weekends. :)
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I wish I could 'Dislike" this post lol. NOT COOL! Maybe one day I'll be able to do the same thing and reminisce, but right now its a pit in my stomach lol
 
JHornsby3 said:
I try to always scout out the ramp before I show up with the boat. And I always look at charts to see what is around. I've been very lucky I guess.

But I did get a skid steer stuck on a head wall one time. But that is a long story and for a different forum platform.
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I found out that apparently the fish-finder that came with the boat is also a chart plotter. Wish I would have known and taught myself how to use it before. Every time I played with it I just thought it was too advanced for me and I didn't care about fishing and the only thing useful was the depth finder lol
 
Gombajuice said:
Wow that makes me feel better! Are they simple to replace yourself? I will look into stainless. Nice suggestion!
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Very simple. A SS will cost about $300. About the cost of 2 aluminum. And if you do damage them they cost more to fix. BUT you will repair an aluminum much more. I have never had to repair a SS. I believe the initial investment pays for itself many times over.
I believe the Bravo series come standard with SS. Alphas come with aluminum.
 
Gombajuice said:
I found out that apparently the fish-finder that came with the boat is also a chart plotter. Wish I would have known and taught myself how to use it before. Every time I played with it I just thought it was too advanced for me and I didn't care about fishing and the only thing useful was the depth finder lol
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I have sat at the helm for hours playing with mine. And the structure scan works perfect. Tested it by having my boy roll from the front of the boat to the back and do it again and again. Also have it hooked up to my phone, and the wifi at both my house and my fathers next door. But I bet I won't remember how to work it when we get it out on the water. Hopefully next week after all the photo op's this weekend. Work is work.
 
I play with mine a lot too, and still don’t really know everything, sooooo many different settings, manual is very helpful tho…as far as paint Gomba, my boat sits in a slip from May to Oct, I’m in Michigan, and I take a brush and either clean the bottom out at the sand bar, or don goggles and do it at the dock, all the scum comes off easily:)
 
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