What was your First Boat?

[gofish]

Originally Posted by Skools Out

hey newbies tell us what ya had when ya started even if it was a Bayliner lol

Cool thread Skools, glad you brought it back from the dead.

I'm a newb around here. Here's my brief boat-owning profile:

@20 yrs old. Grandpa gave me and my cousin his old 14' Kennedy Craft (1970's model w/ a 1976 20hp Merc.) Still runs, cousin still uses it.

@26 yrs old. Went in w/ two buddies and bought a 1985 V-20 Step-Lift w/ a 150 Yamaha for $2500. Eventually bought the other two guys out for $500 a piece (So that's $833 initially + $1000 buyout= $1833). I'm 29 now and I run it 2-3 times a month, mainly diving/spearfishing off of it.

I have been on all types of size and make boats growing up in Panama City, FL, but those are the only two that I've actually owned.

I can say without a doubt that a V-20 rides better than any other 20/21 ft boat I have ever personally been on. I had never been on a V before I bought mine, so I completely lucked out in discovering the beauty of a Wellcraft V-20.

Ragan (gofish)

[tsubaki]

Somewhere around 14, my father got tired of me taking his homemade Geechee boat and got me a silver 10 foot aluminum boat with a 3hp turn around 180 degrees for reverse outboard. Boy did I wear those out!
Started driving and had a 1960's style 14' semi-V hull with same era 40hp Evinrude for saltwater fishing.
Some later stuff.
12' fiberglass v-nose w/7.5 Johnson
16' tri-hull w/70 Johnson
12' Sikescraft w/9.9 Johnson
15' Owlcraft w/30hp Johnson
These are still with me presently.
Flare 16' tri-hull w/70 Evinrude
14' aluminum boat w/25 Evinrude
Ashcraft V16 w/50 Johnson
17' Mohawk canoe
oh and the V!

[shubey61]

I think i was 12 when i got an 8' aluminum pram, I had to row the first year. The 2nd year I saved up & got a 3.5 HP Eska. Wore that out in 2 seasons, then got a 4 HP Merc. this one had F N R ! The 2nd. boat was a 12' Mirro-Craft w/a 6 HP Johnson. I think I was around 20 when I when a bought a 1977 15' Arrowglass w/a 55 HP Johnson. Then around 24 I got a 1983 24' Renken w/a 3.8 liter OMC I/O. Ran the hell outa that boat for at least 6 seasons. Then a traded that in for a 1988 Glasstream w/a 3.0 Mercruiser I/O What a POS! Only 1 season with that one. Then I aquired my parents 1987 21' Chris-Craft Cavalier in 1991, It only had 42 hrs. on it. I still own it to this day. Then in the summer of 2006 I bought a 1969 12' Aluma-Craft with a 1986 8 HP Evinrude, still have that one. Then in spring of 2008, I got my 1990 V-20 with a 200 HP Johnnyrude.

My dad raised us on a early 1970s?, Tcraft, 22' I believe. I/O, four cylinder that was always breaking down and under powered.
My first boat, my 1989 V20. My dad bought it for me brand new for graduating college and we went with the Yama 225 because he wanted no more problems and lots of power.
Dad past in 1993 from bone cancer. He had it at the time he bought it for me and didn't get to go on it that much with me because of pain. He was happy to see me enjoy it...that is why I haven't parted with her(memories). The golf course he use to play at was right on the ocean and I would call him when I was coming by and he use to love watching it go by...man I miss him.

[reelapeelin]

Where's Hammer w/his 1st boat??...

[cfelton]

I started with a 16ft. Juniper homemade flatbottom boat with a 3hp Evinrude. My dad found it sunken in the Chowan river, brought it home and rebuilt it. We fished it till he passed in 1980. I kept patching it until it was totaly rotten and scraped it a few years ago. Around 1990 I was given a 37ft. Colonial with twin Chryslers 6cyls. I worked on it for about a year and had arranged to have it pulled to paint the bottom when a hurricane sank it in 25ft of water in Bennets creek in Gatesville. I tried pulling it up to the top and pumping it out but couldnt keep it up on top, so I pulled it on shore with one of our log skidders and scrapped it. I then bought and rebuilt a 1972 Carolina plyboard boat and a new 25hp evinrude, still have it. In March of 06 I bought my 77 v20 with a 170 Merc. Ive spent hundreds of hours restoring the boat ,engine, drive and trailer but now have the boat Ive always wanted.

[bradford]

Santa brought me a Sevylor 3 man scout raft when I was 7 years old. It was camoflage and oar powered. Mom and Dad got me a 17 lbs. thrust Minn Kota trolling motor for it for my birthday. A year or so later I found a 10 ft fiberglass semi-V on the side of the road for sale for $25. I bought it with some of my lawn cutting money and later added a 3hp sears air-cooled outboard for $40. Never could get the sears outboard to fire, so I put the Minn Kota on the back. Used it in the lakes around Stone Mountain and in the creek me and my friends used to dam up behind our house. Years later Mom accidentally backed over it in the driveway one afternoon when I was painting it. For my 10th birthday we went to the Atlanta Boat Show and Dad bought an 87 Sylvan V-171 bowrider. We took it to Lake Lanier EVERY weekend for the first few years, sometimes on both saturday and sunday. I ended up putting more hours on it than Dad even though I was only in my preteen years. Fast forward to my early 20's, Ended up living on Wilmington Island Ga. and had to have a boat again. Bought a 13ft Gamefisher with a 4hp Mariner. Paid $800. Was great to use in protected back waters, but wasn't stable enough for the girl who eventually became the Wifey. Bought a 14ft Fisher Marine with a 30hp Mariner. Paid $1300 and ran the schiit out of it almost every day sometimes. Wish I never sold that one. Bought an 86 Donzi 18 2+3 (yeah, BIG change) with 350 Mercruiser Paid $7100. Was great for hauling *** (63mph) and making a bunch of noise with through-hull exhaust. Dad talked about selling the old Sylvan and I got sentimental and bought it off him for $2000. He felt sentimental and gave a $1000 back. The wifey and I decided to move to Florida and I had to sell every thing to keep from having to move it, and also the new place didn't have all the room to park all those boats. Sold every thing except for a 90 Kawasaki Jet ski I got in a trade for the Sylvan. The Jetski was fun except everyone on a boat hates you and most jetski folks are pricks. Started reading the boat trader and looked at a couple in the 18-22ft range. After looking at 3 different V-20s, I bought mine for $5100 and sold the Jetski to a buddy of mine. Decided except for the weather, the clear water and white sand beaches I didn't like Florida so we sold the house before the market crashed, and moved back to good ol' Wilmington Island. Since being back I've acquired a 12 ft fiberglass skiff, and the twin to the Jetski I had before, both for free and a 14 ft Mckee Craft with a 50 hp suzuki for $850. Sorry to be so long winded.

[nipper]

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.

[eight]

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.

[Stillrunning]

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.