Thanks Barb.
Here is the true poop:
It was a no brainer to tell the true color of this deal. No description or price in the add other than 23 foot Jet boat and the owner did not even know the model number or have any pictures of the boat. It was on CL for a month before curiosity go the best of me and I sent them an email as the add did not even have a phone number in it (it was a yard sale add!). It could have been most anything. CV19 with a swim platform, CV23, CV-21 with a swim platform or possibly even a V-212. I did not get a reply for several days and was leaving to go visit Bruce's boat the weekend after I got the email response so I told them I would get in touch with them when I got back to see is the boat had been sold or not. When I returned a week later I called the seller to see if I could come look at it and they were busy. I was in the area that day and it would have been easier to see it then but, OK, later dude! (it's 50 miles across town to where they live) Several more missed connections and then last Wednesday I was returning from Prescott to Phoenix, again driving through that area on the way to get my taxes done, last minute as usual, I called to see if I could stop and have a look. I had about 30 min before my tax apt. Had a hard time finding the right house as they mini ranches in the area had no house numbers on them. Finally spotted the transom of a CV-23 behind a house next to a couple of trucks. Went to the door and was greeted by Cujo, a Boxer the size of a Clydesdale. Owner came to the door and directed me to the side gate to come around back to have a look. It had the last few dust storms on it, no cover, pealing paint. My heart sank a bit because from 100 feet it looked pretty good. Up close it looks like it is ready for burial. Now I see why he was only asking $1000.00 Thinking this is going to take a lot of sawzall blades, I got closer and realized the trailer had pretty new tires and good chrome rims. OK, "I can use those". The trailer it'self is in pretty good shape and has a new spare as well. That is 2+'s. The owner standing at bay sipping his glass full of Merlot, tells me how this thing is "killer fast" and has a "600hp 460". Then says "but it may need some engine work to get it going again because it has been sitting so long" I did not say a thing thinking .. ya, and pigs fly today! Looked inside and the miss matched shag and Home Depot carpet are coming up here and there and the cushions look like they were put together after a case of the Merlot, about 3:00 in the morning, during a moonless night in Alabama. The boat is red and this guy has no neck! Well, he goes on to tell me he had parked the boat about 18 months agao, put sta-bil in the gas and sealed up the carb. He lifted the engine cover to show me the engine and I saw the alumunum exhaust.
Ahhhhhh, MAYBE!! Anyhow, I had to get to the accountant's. He said "what do you think?" I said I think it looks like a pile of crap! He chuckled and repeated the words in the add, "ProJect BOTE"! I shook my head and he said "make me an offer". I was driving my mini van. I said, man I do not need another headache. But if you take $500 I can do that now and come back for it in a couple days. He replied that some guy had offered him $800 for it and he had accepted that offer but the other buyer wanted to trade a $800 gun for it and that was a no-go so the second buyer was going to sell his gun and come back. I left. I got to the accountant 20 min late, missed my appointment (Was only able to drop off my paperwork there and was unable to talk over my bleak tax situation with the accountant). Stewed over the boat all night thinking of the aluminum center rise exhaust, Edelblock intake and water jacket cover. Called Lawson up in MN to ask his opinion (THAT was a good idea!) and his advise was that a extra set of tires is a good thing to have and if the rest is as bad as it looks he would help me cut it up and we could have a good time doing that much! Well, the next day, I had a few more things to finish up. A couple of things sold off of my Craigs list add that amounted to $900 in my pocket. The old green ford had not been out of the garage in 6 months, and I could use a drive anyhow. I got a call from the accountant, taxes are done, come get them. Killing two, three actually, birds with one stone, I drove the truck over to the other side of town all the way over expecting it to choke on the old gas
(it ran great
) I got there about 4:00pm gave him $800 of my $900 CL$ and drove over to my buddy's place where I have a couple of the boats parked. He is a motor head and car nut with a good connection with a body shop where I have wanted to take the ford to get the door fixed, dropped the boat and the two of us took the truck over to the body shop and dropped it off. Back at his house an hour later he asked if I wanted to stay for dinner. Sure, love to. While he was making dinnner, I though I would see if Hotwired would fire. Tinkered for 20 min and finally got it to start (it had sat for 2 months or more). Curiosity got the best of me so I pulled the battery out of Hotwired and put it in the 23, pulled the coil wire off and thought I would see what bad scraping, clunking noises the engine might make. It turns over nice and tight, good compression. Pulled the duck-taped bag off the carb and gave a squirt of starting fluid. POP! Backfire through the carb. A little gas trickled through the glass fuel filters. Cranked a couple more times and got a couple more lite fires. Tipped a can of gas over the carp to drop in a little fresh gas down the throat and turned the key again. BOOM, CRACKLE, CRACKEL, BOOM, RUMBLE ..! Holy CRAP! This thing runs!!! It sounds VERY tight and VERY healthy. Much akin to the hard kicking rumble of a certain BBC 502 I have drooled over at the Summer meet, Bob's Black CV-21. She sounds real good!! Ran only for a moment. No water. I will take it to the lake in a week or so and let it run up to temp after draining the old gas and maybe doing an oil change.
She is not much to look at but, close your eyes and she sure sounds sweet! Time will tell the true story here but it looks like a true diamond in the pealing paint over another classic Glastron Carlson.
And yes, I really want to get at least one of these boats back to MN to leave there. Anyone want to come tow a boat back? My old Ford is going to get fixed and likely sold. I am also going to try to get my diesel back on the road, it still has a bad head gasket or something. Still not working or at least not much. Making do with odd jobs and selling Hobie Cat parts on Ebay. Life is not so bad!!!
