Re-power or buy “new to me”?

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Josh Reynolds

Active Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2021
Messages
27
Reaction score
6
Location
Fairport , NY
Here’s the story,
I worked hard and saved every penny to be able to purchase my first boat so my family could experience all the fun memory making activities I enjoyed growing up. After a year of searching for what I wanted for our first boat I found this gem on Craigslist in a neighboring town. 1997 Nitro 185sf. I’ve spent the last 2 years tweaking it here and there more to my liking. Had the boat detailed including oxidation removal the first week I had it. Then over that first winter I changed the water pump, updated the trolling motor to a used powerdrive (added I-pilot to that), put 2 humminbird’s on, new batteries, added a 3 bay onboard charger and had the seats re-upholstered. Last summer the trolling motor decided to auto-deploy at 40mph and you’ll see in the pictures how that turned out. Thankfully it never made contact with the bow. So once again I updated the trolling motor to a new terrova. It’s great for fishing but it tends to have some drag in its ass so to speak when it comes to skiing tubing etc. It also has a chip in the fiberglass where previous owner must’ve hit a rock. No structural damage but cosmetically I would like to get it fixed. So the question is, do I put thousands more into this boat that I could potentially see keeping for a very long time with some more tweaking to suit my needs/wants or do I sell the boat and use the money to put towards something newer/outfitted with my needs/wants?
Pictures of all the work over the last 2 years
 

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Josh,
NIce looking rig that you have cared for well! Safe and functional, you know what you have. That won't necessarily be true when you get someting else. It's all about your priorities and budget... Good luck!
 
Heck of a lot of work. Great job. Looks great. As far as selling and buying newer it all comes down to your budget and what's available. How much you paid for your boat. How much money you put into it. How much can you sell it for now. I sold my 2007 boat last year and got 75% back on what I paid for it. Way above NADA book value. Boats last year were in so high of a demand it was a sellers market. Check out boat listings for your type of boat to get a idea of your selling price and the price of a newer one. Sold mine on Craig's List. Good luck. On a another note. I had the same thing happen to my brand new Minn Kota power driver trolling motor. I now have a short rope looped from the trolling motor head to my bow cleat. I got lucky no damage.
 
Beautiful boat. We have a 2008 189sport (basically the same just a different number) and love it. Sometimes I want a bass boat, but when our boys come home and they are able to go with us it make it worth while. It's also nice with the extra seats to take Mrs Boss to the lake for dinner.
 
Nice looking rig! Before I would drop $$$$$$ for a bigger and newer motor, I would have to think about the overall worth of the boat afterwards. Enjoy your boat and start saving for a newer rig that meets your expectations.
 
I have a 2001 fish and ski. When I dropped a piston in the 125 I opted to have a 1996 Yamaha 150 rebuilt and installed. It cost me $3k and I couldn't be happier. Like you, I also upgraded the trolling motor to a power drive and added the 3 bank charger. All total I have about $11k invested in my boat. I'm happy with it.
 
If you plan to keep it forever, then it simply doesnt matter what you spend on it. For the price of a new boat, you can do a LOT of restoration on that one :)
 
Many folks buy used and then sink a ton of money into it changing, adding and fixing this and that. Even new boats people add things (I am not the exception LOL). It all comes down to your personal preferences, time, money and whether you are a DIY'er or not. I recently sold my 1999 boat I've had for 14 years. Over that time I rebuilt the original motor, put on a 3.0L motor and last year a new 4 stroke motor. New trolling motor, electronics, and misc. other upgrades and gadgets. Luckily, the used boat market being what it is, I was able to recoup over 200% of what I paid for the boat 14 years ago. Keep in mind though it was a highly sought after custom boat! My point is, the resale values differ from boat to boat. You have to ask yourself how long will I keep it? Am I will to lose money when I sell this boat ("NEVER" trade one in)?
 

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