My First Boat

[Rosscoe]

Like others, I have been around boating most of my life. We had a cabin on Knife Lake north of Mora in the 60's. Had an old wooden boat that had to thrown in the water so it would swell and bailed out in the spring. Then a 67 or 68 Polaris Traveler with a 59 50HP Johnson on it. Despite the motor appearing to be near mint when we got it, it was someone problematic. I recall being towed in more then once. We had fun with that and everybody except me learned to ski behind it.
My personal first boat was a 67 Larson All American. Pretty much a basket case when I bought it from my dad. He bought it for the motor to install on now my, 67 V163 Bayflite.
The floor was bad, no motor, no seats and the finish was in poor condition. I rubbed it all out, did some minor repairs to the hull, replaced the floor, carpet, rewrapped all the uphostery, new seats, new steering system, gauges and picked up a used 1985 50HP merc from Blue Lagoon Marine in Minnetonka. That motor turned out to be a great, reliable motor. Started instantly and never let me down. Moved that boat along too. Based on the speedo, with just me, no trim, I saw 41 mph.
When my dad decided to sell the 163, I bought that and swapped motors, pulled my stereo, gauges and horn. Replaced that 50 with my current 100hp about 6 years ago.
Now I have 3 Glastrons in various stages of life.
Last pic, was engine swap day. I pulled the Bayflite home from my dads up my McGregor that weekend.

[cheapboat]

My first boat I bought on Ebay when I was looking for a canoe. It was cheaper than I could get a canoe and I loved the fins. It is a Tomahawk Skimate. I put the steering wheel in it from the only boat my parents ever had. My second boat that brought me here is a 64 Glastron Bayflite Deville that I got from a friend.

[wiliermdb]

My first boat was a 1968 Kingfisher bomber style bass boat with the original 40 hp Johnson. This was the motor with the electric shift. Ran great except after about 3 years it started to drop out of gear quite often. I used the mess out of that boat. I once ran it over 50 miles on just under 12 gal of gas fishing for speckled trout and red fish in the marsh below New Orleans.

The boat was basically a fiberglass jon boat with two bench seats. The floor was the bottom of the boat and you would watch if move as the boat was going across the water. It was a retro green. A bit darker than mint ice cream.  It had cable steering. 

Best part was the entire package was free from a guy who I still fish with today. I dated his daughter in high school and we've been friends since. It was his first boat back in 1972. I got it in 1997 and kept it 3 years.  I sold it on a magic tilt trailer I purchased for $1200.

[Rosscoe]

My first two boats were jon boats, couldn't find any pics of those.  The first "real" boat I owned was a 1961 Cutter Tornado, 62 Merc 700 FGS;

Hey Mark
I just noticed the upgraded steering on you Cutter. Did you do the swap and were you able to retain the original wheel?
Those old white mercs are a beautiful thing of you ask me. Was that a 4 cylinder?

[MarkS]

It was the original Ride Guide system that the dealer mounted on the boat when it was new Ross.  (I bought it from the original owner, everything was just as the day he bought it.)  I had to disassemble and clean the rack, cable, etc. with a lot of help from Joe Poole.  The motor was a 700 FGS Stack Six, never had a wrench on it before I got it and brought her back to life.  Had to replace all the fuel lines, fuel pump and carb rebuild, timing belt, and the motor wiring harness was completely shot.  (I had to reconstruct myself as no one offers them anymore.)  Man I wish I'd never sold that motor.  Parts are just SO HIGH on that antique stuff I was afraid to keep it much longer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko0eOwJM6gg

[Rosscoe]

Ride Guide. I never realized they even had rack type steering back then. Just cables and pulleys.

[scott r bishop]

My grandfather always had a boat, that's what got me into water skiing at a young age. Usually a Crestliner of some sort with an Evinrude 135 on the back. My first boat was a 74 GT150 which Mike and I gutted and rebuilt (2nd photo). Had a lot of fun in that boat, put a Merc 115 T/T on the back with a jackplate, great boat, wish I still owned it. But it was sold to purchase our current baby, the 1979 CVX16SS. That boat made parting with the GT150 easier. This thread makes me wish I had a longer boat ownership history  Here's to hoping..

[Hyperacme]

Scott ..
I didn't buy my first boat until I was 30 years old !

[V153]

Well Scott, far as I'm concerned. You coulda done a lot worse on yer first & second boat choices. Ya gotta start somewhere ...

[wiliermdb]

Going back through the photo albums looking at the boats my dad had. First boat he brought home in 1963, before my time, was a white and red runabout with a 1958 Johnson 35 on the back. Nice looking little boat. After I came along in '70 he had a '72 Starcraft cuddy cabin. I have a good pic of mom holding me over the side waiting for dad to put me in the water. Later in '77 he came home with an 18' Arrowglass bowrider. It had a 165 hp inline 6 Mercruiser. That was a nice boat and pretty fast. He had the two barrel carb upgraded and a few other little things and had a cleaver prop. It was good for mid to upper 50's.

As mentioned before, I started off with the '68 Kingfisher bomber style bass boat with the original Johnson 40 hp. This past May I'd found a very clean '94 aluminum semi V Bass Tracker with a '96 model 88 Evinrude that was in pristine condition. I had it for 3 months and one day coming home from the river, I was forced off the road and the trailer flipped and pretty much destroyed the boat. Insurance gave me a check for 85% of my coverage and I kept everything. Motor had a destroyed cover and one broken spark plug but that's all fixed now. Recycled the for $500 and sold the trailer for $450. Kept the motor so I'm ahead by at least $2500. Unfortunate for the Tracker but I wouldn't have the CVX if it wasn't destroyed.

Hopefully the CVX stays for many years.  I was relaxing today and just decided to put a fresh coat of wax on the topside. She sure looks good.

[Retro Performance]

I think this is 1975 or 1976, The first one I owned myself. It is a 14' Desilva I bought from a local racer...I got it with no motor and put the Sea King on it. I was 14 or 15

[OleRed]

1956 /57  .  my first boat, and first mate .. "tuffy"  I'm the one with the hat

[Bayflite73]

First motor boat is my '73 V-174 Bayflite picked off of Craigslist once I got the bug back in 2007. Before that I was a canoe guy. I still have my dad's 82 Alumacraft in the garage and a Bell Woodsman royalex canoe my wife and I bought in 2004.

She grew up around boats as her dad had a '54 14foot runabout. I don't remember the brand though. I'll have to ask her. I actually had the opportunity to buy it off of him, but it needed a LOT of work and he wanted $1000 for it. That and it only sat 4. We had 5 in the family at the time and now we have 7!

Glad I waited until the Glastron came up! I knew nothing about them before I bought her and couldn't be happier!

[Retro Performance]

OleRed,  That is Way too cool.  Tell me there is NOT a built flathead hidden behind you two?

[wiliermdb]

Been cleaning out around the house the last few weekends to make way for my girlfriend and her two boys to move in when we get hitched and I finally came across the pictures of my first boat.

1968 Kingfisher with the original 1968 Johnson 40 with the electric shift lower unit. Ran great for about 4 or 5 years and then the solenoids just wouldn't hold it in gear. I ran the hell out of that boat. I remember running it close to 50 miles through the marsh area below New Orleans catching red fish and speckled trout. Fished with it both fresh and salt water. Skied for hours and just cruising the river during the summer.

That 40 would start right up and run like there was no tomorrow. It had the manual choke lever behind the door that folded down in the front of the engine cover.

I got the boat and motor for free from an ex-girlfriends dad back in '96. It was his first boat he bought new in June of '68. It had the cable steering and trolling motor. Just had to get a new trailer.