What is the best beyond believable deal you've gotten for boat gear?

We all know what we enjoy isn't inexpensive- but have you benefited from a beyond stupid deal that was too good to be real?


What say you?

August 2012. After having to pay to have our jet ski engine rebuilt or replaced three times in five years I started looking for a RIB. We could still wakeboard and tow, but it would be stable.
Finally saw a Craigslist for a 2008 AB Nautilus 15 DLX with a 60 HP Yamaha four stroke. He was asking $10K.
We went to take a look at it. Older retired man who bought it thinking he would take up fishing. He had put only 23 hours on it! It was pristine. Also came with a EZ Load trailer with sealed hubs etc.
There was another guy interested so I offered him his asking right there and then.
These things go for ~ $24k. We have thoroughly enjoyed having it.

At the Dania Marine Flea market a great 6 inch Seth Thomas striking ships clock, $10.00

Yes the brass case is in need of a month of braso, and it looses 5 min a week , but new its pretty expensive....

No one cleans and oil these , so new German guts are over $650, so I guess -5 min a week will be fine.

Menzies, I have a friend who is always turning up deals like you got on the RIB. He once bought a used BMW M3, put headers on it and cleaned it up....looked sharp. Three years later he sold it to the fellow from whom he bought it for nearly $5,000 more than he paid for it. I, on the other hand, seem to buy everything at a premium and have no patients for selling stuff so I usually give someone a great deal and many times give it away.

Meeting my wife. She's signed onto some crazy dreams of mine like sea kayaking the coast of BC for six months, believing my photography is a worthwhile investment in time and money, and loves every minute on our boat. Best deal of my life

Last month, I needed to replace a sliding strip under my aft doors. I had 1/16 in thick UHMW plastic given to me free of charge in 2013 by Pineapple Girl (Thanks again, PG!) but it cracked after 2 years of service. I called Tap Plastics for a replacement and got a 9 ft long x 1/8 in thick VHMW strip cut to size for US $3.84. Works like a charm!!

To me, Trawler Forum is the best resource for me for advice and assistance. Many TFers have helped me with projects and improvements through the years, especially Cpseudonym and Codger2 in providing me free materials or labor. I've tried to do the same for others here where I can assist. It's tough to beat this site as a resource and a place to make friends, real or 'imaginary'.

The only unbelievable deal I have ever had is when I built it myself!

CaptTPT said:

The only unbelievable deal I have ever had is when I built it myself!

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Absolutely! I rebedded all 7 Pilothouse windows, also replacing 4 of the panes. Total cost was about $5-600. A fellow KK 41 owner had a shipwright replace and rebed the 3 front windows on his Pilothouse for $4,000.


Jim
Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum

FlyWright said:

Last month, I needed to replace a sliding strip under my aft doors. I had 1/16 in thick UHMW plastic given to me free of charge in 2013 by Pineapple Girl (Thanks again, PG!) but it cracked after 2 years of service. I called Tap Plastics for a replacement and got a 9 ft long x 1/8 in thick VHMW strip cut to size for US $3.84. Works like a charm!!

To me, Trawler Forum is the best resource for me for advice and assistance. Many TFers have helped me with projects and improvements through the years, especially Cpseudonym and Codger2 in providing me free materials or labor. I've tried to do the same for others here where I can assist. It's tough to beat this site as a resource and a place to make friends, real or 'imaginary'.

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Yup! What he said.


Jim
Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum

rardoin said:

Menzies, I have a friend who is always turning up deals like you got on the RIB. He once bought a used BMW M3, put headers on it and cleaned it up....looked sharp. Three years later he sold it to the fellow from whom he bought it for nearly $5,000 more than he paid for it. I, on the other hand, seem to buy everything at a premium and have no patients for selling stuff so I usually give someone a great deal and many times give it away.

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The late media mogul Kerry Packer sold a television network to "colorful business entrepreneur" the late Alan Bond for about $1 Billion, and bought it back when Mr. Bond`s empire "fell on hard times" for about $300M, remarking at the time "You only get one Bond in your life".
Packer had an ex minesweeper converted to a luxury yacht called the ArcticP.
I believe his son James still operates it in the Med, it`s just one a number of water toys.

Found and purchased a Lighthouse 1501 windlass for $600. New they cost $4,000-$5,000. Turned out was only 2 years new and came with remote control and digital chain footage counter. I sold my old windlass for $1200!

nwboater said:

Found and purchased a Lighthouse 1501 windlass for $600. New they cost $4,000-$5,000. Turned out was only 2 years new and came with remote control and digital chain footage counter. I sold my old windlass for $1200!

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So...freaking...jealous...

rardoin said:

Menzies, I have a friend who is always turning up deals like you got on the RIB. He once bought a used BMW M3, put headers on it and cleaned it up....looked sharp. Three years later he sold it to the fellow from whom he bought it for nearly $5,000 more than he paid for it. I, on the other hand, seem to buy everything at a premium and have no patients for selling stuff so I usually give someone a great deal and many times give it away.

Click to expand...

Jeeze, man...you've been reading my mail...

When the wife & I decided we'd build a boat I started combing the usual web sites for deals. Fleabay, Craigslist, Kijiji etc. That was just about 2008 when the market crashed and a lot of small boat builders were liquidating their stocks. We picked up a lot of hardware for deep deep discounts and stock piled them in our basement.

One of the biggest was the engine. Not new by any stretch of the imagination, a Yanmar 4JH-TE that came out of a racing yacht in RI. It only had 300 hrs on it. Virtually pristine in condition. Following year we bought a Tasco 555LP from the same guy for under $1K. At the time they retailed on Defender for $1650. The list goes on and on.

M/V She:Kon: She:Kon Spent to Date

Our boat never had a generator, besides a portable one I was using only on trips. A 4kw Kohler came up on Craigslist, It has a 2gm Yanmar engine and had only 350hrs, A young man was redoing his sailboat and bought a new engine and generator, he had this one in his garage.

It had been sitting and did not start, I took a gamble on it for 450.
Took it home and found no fuel getting to the injectors. Tried bleeding it but still no go. I decided to pull the injection pump and take it to Mack Boring for a rebuild. I unbolted it but it still would not lift out of the housing. I called Mack Boring and they told me the fuel rack must be stuck and how to free it so I could pull the pump. With the pump in hand I realized the fuel rack being stiff might be the whole problem, I gave it a good bath with diesel till it moved freely. Put it back on, bled the system and it started right up!!

New belts, impeller, oil and filter, Total fix < $100.

Its been running great for 3 seasons, its quiet and powerful.

Best boating buy I have made.

A friend of a friend called me and said "hey bob, "go look at this boat, my buddy needs it gone". I talked to the friend, set a time to look at it, and struck a tenative deal. His brother in law had unexpectedly died and left him the boat. It was in a boat yard and the friend was having some problems with management there. He had planned to refit the boat but just into it had went in partners with another guy on a different boat. After looking at it I agreed to purchase it for $1, pay the yard and move the boat. It was a 482 ChrisCraft Commander sportfisher, the yard bill was $12,000.