Then it came to my attention that my grandpa had a small jon boat sitting in his garage that was not being used. The only problem was that there was no trailer and I do not have a vehicle that I want to try to throw a 14' boat onto to take to the lake, let alone the 350 mile journey to get it to my house in the first place.
Lastly, it occurred to me that I could probably purchase a trailer for less than $200, make any necessary adjustments, and pick up a boat. So I put the plan in motion, while watching the local classifieds I decided to get an idea of what adjustments I would need to make to a trailer that would more than likely be intended for a v-hull fishing boat. I called my other grandpa who has owned a few boats to ask for some advice on the subject.
This is where my plan for boat ownership took a turn I wasn't expecting. After a few minutes of discussion my grandpa informed me that a friend of his had a boat that he would like to give away. We arranged a time to go look at it and this is what I found:
It isn't much right now but it is mine.
The Good, Bad, and the Ugly
Good:
- The gentleman still had both the main outboard motor and the trolling motor in the garage, out of the weather
- Structure is sound, there aren't any visible holes or leaks
- Paint on the exterior is in relatively good condition
- Trailer is in decent condition, if nothing else I had a trailer
- Price is right
- Engines haven't been run in years, don't know what it will take to get running, or what condition they were in when last used
- Boat hadn't been covered, all seats are entirely rotted out
- Wiring, etc. is shot due to weathering
- I am now a boat owner?! What have I done. This could go down as one of my best or worst decisions
I realize your post is quite old, but perhaps this will get to you.
ReplyDeleteI too picked up a mid-50s Arkansas Traveler, but in somewhat greater need of repair.
The info I'm looking for is regarding the name emblems on the rear sides. Mine are missing, so I intend to reproduce them. I can tell by the remains of the paint on my boat that they were like yours, not the "arrow" design they switched to. However, I can only see the outline on the starboard side, which is what shows in your photo.
My question is if the two sides were identical, or if there was a left and right version.
I'm inclined to think they're identical, but I'm often wrong.
Yours if the only photo of that detail I've found, so I hope this gets to you.
That's a nice boat. I hope you got it on the water.
Thanks
Richard Caverly
rcaverly@gmail.com