I have an o3 Wrangler and there is a dude with a 99 21' Caravelle Interceptor Volvo Penta 5.0 that wants to trade +/- cash depending on negotiations. The Jeep is fun but is not 3-year-old family friendly. My son/wife love being on the water, but everyone tells me a boat is nothing but trouble. I don't know much about boats but have heard Caravelle is a respected name in the boat industry. I kind of prefer the Jeep and want to get a cheapo hunting boat, but that would not be family orientated. Link to boat: https://nashville.craigslist.org/boa/d/lawrenceburg-99-caravelle-interceptor/6787329188.html My Jeep/Deer Cart:
It is a 20 year old fiberglass boat. Many manufactures used wood stringers encased in fiberglass these are prone to rotting as well as the wood in the transom. Volvo Penta is no longer, getting lower unit parts are expensive and hard to find. Check out I boats .com and check out the forums they have a check list in a sticky things to inspect in buying a used boat. If there is a soft spot in the floor of the boat run away that is a indication of rot. If it were me I would not make the trade.
Sounds to me like you are settling for something you really do not wish to have ! You say you really wish for a cheapo fishing boat ???? and you like the jeep- some folks just love to buy stuff, Quite some time ago I decided to get what I want and need, not to settle for less ! If I can not afford it I don't buy it until I can
Awesome, I am super hesitant about boats. I'll check out the site and I was also unaware of the Volvo issue. I'd like a family boat and it would get used, but I don't want the issues that come with boats. My biggest issue with the jeep is that we do not get to use it for family fun, where a boat could fill that gap. JEEP Just Empty Every Pocket; Seems I like to throw money at stuff lol. I've talked to the guy, the more I dig into this boat, the more I need to avoid it. For what I need to get out of my Jeep, I'd have to steal the boat. Oh well, might look at some others (newer) though.
That's a new one for me! LOL! I don't know much about boats. That being said, I bought a 2003 Hunter 356 sailboat a couple of years ago and it seems like all I do is pay dock fees. My plan is to do the Great Loop but it's just finding the time and learning a whole lot more about being a seaworthy sailor. So, in hindsight I should have waited to purchase the boat bc it will not be until 2021 until we do the loop.
Bob you are a far more patient man than me. I used to be the first mate when ever my dad moved the floating RV from Tennessee to Floriday. We would pass a sailboat on the Tombigbee waterway get to the stopping point for the night at the marina. Refuel, pump the head, tie the boat down, have a few beers, go out for dinner get back then the sailboat would coming putting into the marina. The loop trip is interesting but only in a power boat. I was so glad when my Dad sold the boat, one more trip from Pickwick to Palmetto I would have gone crazy.
I'm more into looking at bikinis and drinking beer. That does sound like a lot of fun, kind of like RV'ing the country.
I'm passing on the original boat I posted, talking to the "guy" was actually talking to a young "adult" (kid) and I just don't want to deal with potential issues. I'm going to keep looking, might see something that catches my eye.
You should see the waterways I am going to have to navigate to get to the Gulf.. Furthermore, I will be enlisting you to help me through the locks, lol!
I am a lock pro, it always bugged my dad that I was better at using the bow and stern thrusters, he could never park worth a crap.
I will bring my own rope hook, can get front and back secured within 20 seconds, get me some bleach spray with oxy to spray the bumpers with after the lock. I can rig one hell of a spring line too. I do know the gulf from Mobile to Sarasota.
It really depends on what you put in it I will be running 2 motors that are over 50 years old and a 2002 4 stroke. If you use the right fuel and treat the fuel and go thru proper storage motors are reliable. Like anything else you pay to have it done it will cost you more.
I have been in the insurance game for over 28 years. I have insured a lot of boats in that time. I can honestly say, that other than fishing boats, every owner of a pleasure boat was absolutely thrilled to call me and cancel the insurance on their boat when they sold it. Never once have I had someone with regrets for getting rid of a pleasure boat. Most of them were seldom used and always had issues and expenses. Unless you are buying something new, I would give it some really serious consideration. You can rent boats from a marina for the few times a year you might go and be way ahead, even if they seem expensive at the time to rent. If you have lots of cash to throw at repairs and maintenance and fuel and you don't get stressed about weekend plans being changed because a boat wont run, then go for it!
A big part of why my dad moved the boat to Tennessee from florida was the cost during hurricane season. Plenty of people are happy to see the floating RV broken up insured after a storm they at least get closer to market price rather than trying to sell it.
That boat would definitely fall under the “break out another thousand “ theme and the only 2 vehicles I have ever owned in my life that I wish I would never parted ways with were a ‘69 #’s matching Chevelle SS and a’73 CJ5 that I did a build on. It was a fun vehicle but a new baby 28 years ago made the decision to trade it off. Not very practical in MN winters with 6” of lift and a rag top for carting the little one around in. Should have bit the proverbial bullet and kept it and bought a different vehicle outright.
I sold my 04' wrangler (2.5" body lift, 4.5" suspension lift, 35" swampers) in 2006 and have missed it every day since. It was my present to myself for coming home from Iraq alive and for not killing my first wife and her new found boyfriend when I was gone. (true story) I grew up on a lake, my dad eats, sleeps, breathes fishing. that being said, he has always had a family friendly boat so everyone could enjoy the water. Unless you live on a lake, I would shy away from owning one. towing it, storing it, winterizing it when it can't be used at the drop of a hat is not worth it IMHO.