In my teens during the 70's my Dad had an 18' Penn Yann just like this.

http://www.monkeybutler.com/help/PennYann1.jpeg

http://www.monkeybutler.com/help/PennYann2.jpeg

He had it on a mooring in the Charles River near the Mass. Ave. bridge. That was a different era in Cambridge before it became the peoples republic. I don't remember the exact fee to get a mooring but it was cheap by today's standards, something like $20. It originally had a 50HP Evinrude but one day we went to go out and noticed the boat floating a little odd. Turned out somebody had stolen the OB right off the boat while it was in the water! That was the end of the mooring and the season. Over the winter he found a 90HP Johnson that really made that boat move.

Best memory on that boat was watching the bicenttenial fireworks in 1976 with Arthur Fiedler leading the Pops concert. When I was old enough to drive he let me trailer it where ever I wanted and eventualy he basically gave the boat to my brother and I. That lasted several years but sometime in the early 80' my brother ran aground and busted the bottom up. Without me knowing about it the boat eneded up in a bonfire on Whitehorse beach in Plymouth MA on the night before the 4th. I still get worked up thinking about that.

My mom worked at Harvard U. and one of the benefits back then was that they gave employees and their families access to the recreational facilities. This included the sailing club so from high school to my early 20's I sailed O'day dinghies and Lasers there. They also had a Soling but it was rare to get to use that. It was weird, a poor city kid hanging with Harvard students but some of them really used to look forward to me showing up because I had, uhh, local knowledge of access to supplies of recreational drugs.

After I moved west of the city in the mid 80's I had at various times:

A 12' aluminum skiff with a 8HP motor.
A Super Snark sailboat.
A canoe.

Five years ago my ex-boss gave me his fathers old 13' Whaler with a 25HP Evinrude.

Three years ago I bid $750 on a 17' Wellcraft/Manatee on ebay. Here's a picture of the two together.

http://www.monkeybutler.com/boat/boats.jpg

Two years ago I bought my current boat for $2600 then sold the 17' for $1200. Also that year I gave my ex-boss the Whaler back. Long story why but I'll just say I miss that boat.

That's it. I'm happy with the 250 right now,however I would like to replace the Whaler with something similar but that's not in the budget right now.

my first boat is my V.....still got her. :sun:

First family boat was my Dad's old 1950's vintage 15' Lyman with a 40 h.p. Elgin motor. Dad traded up to a 16' Speedliner in 1972 with an 80 h.p. Mercury. He quickly traded that for a larger 18' Speedliner and kept the same motor. Had many good years with that boat, and replaced the Merc. (very troublesome and unreliable) with a 1986 Evinrude 90 h.p. with VRO that never gave us a problem.

I bought that boat from Dad when he purchased his (now my) V20 in 1991. I gutted the old gal and put in new carpet, seats, etc. Believe it or not, that old plywood floor was still solid when I sold it in 1996 and bought a 20' Formula sunsport with a 265 h.p. Mercruiser. I still have the Formula.

I inherited my Dad's V20 in 2002 and still have it. I had to repower in 2006 with a new 4.3 litre 190 h.p. Mercruiser.

Anyone familiar with the Speedliner hull? I wish I had pix. Y'all would immediately recognize the similarity to the V20. It was a very good solid boat.

If we're going into family boats it was:

1974 Duo 17' trihull with a 115, we went out every weekend and once caught some sunfish.
Some 80s 17' I/O ski boat, used once
16' bass tracker with a 50hp merc, figured out how to catch fish in this one.
18' bayliner bass boat with 125 force
1993 20' regency sunbird with 200hp I/O, lots of good times in this one, about the time I turned 16
2001 21' ebbtide with 200hp I/O, fell off the trailer but had a thick hull
2001 tige 21v, dam wakeboard boat
2006 malibu v-ride, dam wakeboard boat
2008 23' malibu, not sure what it is, rides good and good for drinking beer

The malibus will turn as quick and sharp as you can throw the wheel, much quicker than unsuspecting passengers can stay in their seats. 330 hp also.

My parents have lived on the river most of my life so either me or my father had a boat.

1975 My first boat 12' John Boat with a Sears 9.9 (8 or 9 years old)

1980 I purchased a 14 Jon Dorey (spelling) with a 25 hsp Evenrude. I would also use that Evenrude on my 12' John Boat and it would fly (around 14 years old).

1984 My dad purchased a brand new 19' Cudy Cabin Bayliner with an AQ125 Volvo I/O we ran the dog crap out of that boat for about 10 years before it died.

1996 I purchased a 1983 20' CC Sea Ox while on vacation at the Outer Banks.

1996 One month after I purchased the Sea Ox I purcased my 1983 V20 CC which had a one month old 150 Johnson and sold the Sea Ox. I was not looking for a boat but was out with a buddy who owned the V20 and when he said he had to sell the V20 and then the price I just said "sold". I gave him $500 more for the works then he had just paid for the new motor but I did my good deed and helped out a friend. The boat still runs great and is sitting in my yard ready to catch some more stripers. I am now 44 and maybe one day I'll grow up.

First boat I had was a Chris Craft kitboat 8' pram. (oars) Built it with the help of my father.
After the pram I spent most of my time on the water in sailboats. They were:

Lippincott Comet - Cedar construction
Star - Olympic class boat with a full keel
Flying Dutchman - Sloop with a masthead rig. Had spinnaker, 140% jib, etc.

In the middle 50's i got into stinkpots and the first was a 16' Lyman klinker built, much like Monkey Butlers Penn Yan. Power, 22 1/2 HP Evinrude. No gears, just forward, no recoil starter, just rope wound around flywheel. Getting underway was an experience. Re-powered with an Evinrude 25 Bigtwin with forward, neutral, and reverse.

Went on with some larger boats such as a 32' Owens inboard with twin 283 chevvys.

About 12 years ago I got into building cedar strip canoes and kayaks. Built 2 canoes and 3 kayaks.

I have had my V20 Cuddy for about 8 years. The first 4 years I was in V20 partnership with my brother-inlaw. My V20 is as follows:

1984 V20
Bimini Top w all stainless hardware. New Sunbrella cloth this year.
60 gallon tank with added 24 gallon tank for far off shore fishing.
Raw water washdown
6 added rod holders in addition to the 4 gunnel holders
15' gunnel mounted outriggers
Anchor Ball
Porta Potti
Sitek VHF Radio
Garmin GPS
Sitek Loran C
AM, FM, CD radio
3 step stainless steel ladder on swim platform

I am currently working on rebuild and re-finish teak on rod boxes. I hope they will be ready for spring season. Refinished teak cabin door, teak gunnel treads, teak bilge door. My goal for all of the wood on the V to be done this spring.

I have an Easy Loader tandom trailer that the V lives on. The trailer is an ongoing refurb project. So far I have replaced the following:

Manual winch with a Dutton Lainson electric winch
All 32 rollers
All lights with leds
Jack
All bearings
4 tires

Original 1985 Yamaha 150 2 stroke, Repainting the leg and cowling as we speak. I am using computer matched Yamaha acrylic blue lacquer w/clear coat auto paint.
Racor 10 micron filter

Like they say, a boat is a hole-in-the-water that you pour money into!!! To me it is money well spent.

Geek

Not counting the canoes and dories I had as a kid my first real boat was a 1969 16' Bonita I just sold about a year ago. Had it for over 30 years. Motors on it were a 90 'rude, 115 'rude, and then a 90 yamaha.

I bought the V-20 when I moved here. The Bonita was Ok for Biscayne bay but, too small for offshore up here.

Here'a a pic.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...l/DCFN0001.jpg

and the 1977 165HP I/O V-20,...( 6 hp kicker)

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...al/Fantome.jpg