After visiting the cemetaries and placing flowers on family graves, my wife and I stopped and bought some plants and garden stuff for her and a new reel for me. We got home and after putting together her arbor for one of the flower gardens, I came inside to think about fishing. My arthritis has been acting up lately and sitting in the john boat kills me after a couple of hours. I thought to myself how nice it would be if I could afford a pontoon boat. I got on the internet to do some dreaming and found a listing for a 8' X 16' pontoon boat for $400.00. I thought it either had to be a typo or a piece of crap. The lister lives about 20 miles away so I gave them a call. I left a message and went about putting up the trellis's for my wife. At 5:30 the phone rang and it was the seller. He had placed the ad this morning and had gone out to do chores. When he came home, there were 20 messages on his phone. He told me I was number 6 caller and asked what I wanted to know. It's got metal pontoons and metal decking. There is only one attached chair and it has a railing. It comes with the trailer. I was told that the pontoons are water tight and the decking is solid. I told him I'd like to see it and he told me that he would give me directions but it was going to be sold to the first person to offer his asking price. I jumped in the truck and took off. When I got there two different potential buyers were already there. I got out of the car w/checkbook in hand walked up and introduced myself and quickly looked the boat over. For $400. I decided it was a deal. I wrote out the check and handed it to him. One of the other guys said "Hey! I was here first!" The other guy immediately piped up that he would give $600.00 for it. The first came back at $800.00. I figured I had just lost out on a buy when the seller stated "I told all of you that the first person to give me my asking price would get the boat." He then reached his hand out to me and said "I hope you get a lot of fun out of it." As those two left, I hooked it up to the truck and started out of his drive as another car showed up. The driver looked at me and what I was towing and slammed his hands down on the steering wheel. I brought it home thinking about how my wife would probably be upset and I'd be chewed on for hours, if not days. I pulled up in front of the house and my wife came running out. She looked at the boat and said "How much did you spend?" I told her and she said "WOW! That was a really good deal!!!" Dang my luck....................was really good today!!!!:d
Congrats on finding an honest seller. He said he would sell to the first person who paid his asking price and he kept his word. That is getting rare, even here in Iowa. I hope you get lots of enjoyment with your new boat.
I have one I'd sell ya. Sylvain 14' john boat on trailer. I have an older Martin gas motor that I'd throw in if the price is right...
You did good. Seller must have money because it's hard to believe that in this ecomony he didn't take highest bider no matter what he said on the phone. How many of you wouldn't have. I know I would have, just being honest here.