Top 10 MISTAKES Buying Your First PROJECT BOAT 

Best part of video says “cause there cool dudes”lol

Heck yeah! Back at it! Been tuning in my Avenger and Blackmax150 for a few weeks out here in Colorado. Pretty much have all the cobwebs out of her now. Ps mine was doing 60MPH yesterday with a 17P 3 blade and trim only half way up.

Yes #1. If it looks like it's going 100mph siting on the trailer. It's a 'cool' boat. Curious when you re-do the floor what you'll find. You may remember I had the 20ft Avenger and had to add a lower drain plug. Being an '83 my floor was glassed over. Hand laid of course. No chopper gun.

Awesome video and cool boat suggestions!

Keep em coming love these videos

Awesome concept to restoration of bad ass boats ! Your vids are very helpful and entertaining 😊

My first project boat was also a disaster. I only lost $400 thankfully. In the end, I learned so much about boats I felt like it was worth it. I learned how to replace axle bearings on a trailer, how to tow/back a trailer in general, found out all the different kinds of boats there are, got my boating license, learned engine diagnostic skills etc. All on a 90s jet boat that never got in the water 😂 I can’t wait to look for something worthwhile now that I actually have some kind of idea what I’m doing. (I was 23 years old with zero boat experience last time)

I started following you when I picked up 71 ceebee avenger and want to say your sleekcraft build was a gold mine of information. Keep up the sweet videos!

Glad you are back posting. Gotta get to the bottom of the overheat problem A set of one piece heads may help

I totally agree about so many cool boats just left abandoned amd wasting away, same with airplanes. Overall, you've learned a ton in a relative short period of time. I agree on staying away from jet boats unless you have mechanical and boat experience. They may be inefficient as hell but not much cooler than a big block with water injected open headers and a big roost coming out the back! Actually the only jet boat like that ive been in was an Avenger with a 460 Ford! Im ready to see that Sleekcraft on the water!

i'm currently in the process of a partial restoration of a 1992 Seaswirl Spyder 188 that I picked up as our first boat over the winter. Extremely solid boat that just needs some TLC. SUPER cool boat that has loads of personality.

Finally your Back :)

DUDE...lol Great too see you again

Didn't piss me off, couldn’t agree more with your philosophy. I have restored a couple now, 1982 Vanguard Banshee (Glastron GT-150 Canadian copy) and a Swiftsure (Glastron CVX-16 Canadian copy), both if these get looks and comments all the time from people that see them. I do believe that qualifies them as cool, ha ha. I also have a 1980 Glastron CVX-16 that will be the next project boat. One thing, the first boat was sitting in a field on the ground, second was on a trailer in a field and the third was at the side of a house on a trailer. So ya, they all need a complete tear down and rebuild, rotten transom, stringers and floor, got these cheap or free, so I don’t mind the expense and work too much, itching is another thing, but it goes away eventually. Oh and yes, Mercury outboards all the way!

Brilliant 😅

Mako's are fairly common and mostly worth restoring IF you can do it and get your "value" back meaning it will probably cost more than its worth if you are trying to flip it, you can restore it then run it as a personal boat for 5+ years and get your moneys worth out of it them probably sell it for more than what it was worth before restoration within reason.

First, all the Merc Fanboy action! Then again, I come from a completely different world of all my motors being pre-1965, including pre-OMC. Second, in the words of L. Francis Herreshoff, “If God had meant for us to have fiberglass boats, he would have planted fiberglass trees.” But in all seriousness, the Merc/OMC war rages on as big as Ole himself. Being on the OMC side of the house and into vintage/antique iron, I never have an issue with finding parts. Sierra still makes a lot of parts for the old Big Twins and the evolved versions of the Fat Fifty. My '31 Elto Super C and '29 Johnson V45 are a bit more of a challenge, but even then the parts are out there (and on occasion they are NOS). My '38 Johnson PO-38 has parts all over creation - and cheap. For the sake of full disclosure, my feeble-minded brother fell under the spell of Carl K. Fortunately, he's pretty much limited to the "Mark" era and four-cylinders. We both own a few examples of the pinnacle of Mercury engineering - the glorious "Silent Neutral" of the Dockbusters (700, 800). If you didn't guess by the quote, I go for the other end of the dock appeal. Give me an old, rotted, wooden husk of a boat and I'm sold! All of my boats have been wood and "free" (to start) since I was a kid. '59 Lyman 16.5, '61 Thompson Cortland Sea Lancer, and a '52 Wagemaker Wolverine. I doubt I could ever get the money value of the time and money I spend working on them back, but that isn't how I define their value. Then all turn heads and are definitely not built for speed. The Lyman (before being crushed by a jealous tree) and the Thompson are both awesome in rough water on Lake Ontario. For speed, I'm probably going to slap together some Sea Fleas this summer and may toss on an old '48 KE-4 for the kiddos to kick around in. On a final note, if the biggest reason for the success of Mercury was smart enough to switch to OMC, shouldn't everybody? God bless Charlie S.

Yes! Another video. Thanks and greetings from the Netherlands PS: How about Honda engines? ;))

Really enjoying your video series! Where in Wisconsin are you? I’m in Milwuakee area. Anyway I just picked up a 1974 Glastron Carlson CV 16 green metal flake with a 1150 tower! Minor restoration needed all the major stuff is there, transom seems good, soft floor under splashwell but main floor seems solid. Hoping for a first splash this weekend. I’m an engineer at Mercury Marine would love to talk with you further! Thanks!

Is my project boat cool? 1991 Sylvan pontoon 😂. I already know the answer just wanted to add something you may have overlooked on the project boat criteria list. With the price of 'nice' boats through the roof I got one that needed some engine love and a new floor for pennies, the goal wasn't to make $ on it but to have a tool to float around the lake with the family and friends. I will get my $ back from the use of it even if I end up scrapping the boat when I'm done. This pontoon is the reason I stumbled across your content, I was looking for resources on working on old merc outboards as I've been a mercruiser guy up to this point. My merc 75 is 1/2 as cool as the V6 you run 😊. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing your projects with the world.

I was wondering what happened to you guys, cool to see a new vid!

Hmmm...there's speed cool, fishing cool, cabin cool, offshore cool, suntan cool, party cool, looks cool, brand cool, size cool... I like my 1990 Wellcraft 230 Cuddy with a 150 Merc Saltwater because it's cool in size, fishing, cabin, suntan and offshore. To hell with the rest of the cools.

All good points and advice, However I am still restoring my 2nd Chris Craft 168 Scorpion.

Excellent video! I bought and sold a lot of boats. Your advice is right on the money! Do you have a video on jet skis which ones are the most reliable? Or maybe your answer is to stay away from jet skis?

Hi! Stumbled across your channel, love the vids. I restored a Piranha Bagheera with my brother years ago, ended up repainting it in 2K and rebuilding the complete transom and the result is stil beautifull after 15+ years (don't know if u know the model/brand, little racy boats and the bagheera is one of the smallest models, google it, im curious what your opinion is). I dont have so much time to take it to the water as I did when I was younger and didn't had kids but won't sell it because its not in the way and in my opinion it's a cool little boat. 40hp 4cyl Mercury 2-stroke on the back is good for 50km/h not fully loaded, it's like +-30mph i believe and with some effort it pulls a kneeboard or ski's. The factory max hp for the boat is 75hp, but at the time we were able to buy a very nice 1996 40hp so thats the way we went. Greets from the Netherlands.

Its amazing seeing all the avengers that are still on the water

I have two cool boats i was thinking of selling plus a lot of cool parts. Mint Condition 1988 Stratos 200VT Rocket with an evenrude 200XP shell with a built 1987 johnson 200GT looper under the cowl. The other toy would be my 400lb hull 1986 STV Pro Comp Sprint Bottom with stepped sponsons. One of the engines is from Don Wright. Its a 2.5 engine out of his boat called tinker toy world record of 156mph / 1000 ft. Plus one of those rare 1985 all aluminum 300hp european mercury mod vp 2.4s and an extra 2.4 oval port engine. Interesting this is Roark Summerford built both of these boats. I'm getting too old for this stuff.

I bought a 1978 Ranger Bass boat with a 150 Mercury Tower of Power outboard. It took a little to get running and driving, but I love the restoration part. In my mind, the tall Merc is cool and I always wanted a Bass Boat. Ranger boats are classic.. It may not be worth much in the end, we'll see, but I think I picked a good one to restore. What say you?

My first boat was a Bayliner Capri 5.0. It was a cool boat and we had lots of fun with it, but, when you go out on lake Washington and there’s any type of chop it was not fun at all. All you could do was plow slowly so you wouldn’t get beat up. What type of hull would be best for a big lake with wind and chop?

Thank you very much, for all the valuable information. You're talkin my language Glastron, hydrostream, Sea Ray Pechanga CB Avenger, velocity they're known for bad transoms. After 1986. I'm partial to my checkmates I wish the boats they made today look this cool as the ones from the 80s how can I subscribe and I would like to see the other video where you replace the floor and the one where you build the fastest race boat. Thank you

I was given a free 1959 silverline swift, boat is in pretty good shape and original mother is running rough, but the trailer is where it need most of the work. This will be my first project boat and not sure if its a muscle car in the boat world.

Is a 1990 24’ arriva with a 454 carbureted cool/worth restoring? I made him show me it run first and it idles well. It needs entire vinyl, cracked exhaust manifold and gel coat needs help. The floor seems good so far. The snow is still melting so I didn’t get a great look at it the floor. But the lines are cool and it’s really a sharp looking runabout.

1979 cruiser yacht beachcomber 21 ft boat. cuddy cabin. skylight in the cabin. v8 engine. forward facing wakeboard tower with fishing pole holders off the sides. what do you think cool or not? had to do major motor work to it last summer. head gaskets and every bolt on besides steering pump and alternator. impeller pump housing replaced as well...been a pain in the butt but tell me i got something cool xD

Well…..I’m smack dab in the middle of redoing a 1979 Checkmate Enchanter. Came with a tree and nothing else. Replaced the transom, knees, transom support, stringer and floor. Foamed and glassed the floor. Hopefully putting the rear part of the cap on this week. I did the transom similar to the way you did the blue Aristocrat by cutting the back cap off. Got a ton of flack about that on the Checkmate forum. What is the latest on the Aristocrat?

I found a skiff style boat for free not sure if that’s what it’s called it’s a much older fish and ski type boat made of fiberglass and is somewhat squared in the front it’s on a trailer with a Johnson 70 on it , should I take it and fix it? Stored outside and was holding water inside before I pulled the drain plugs when I looked at it

Is a 1960s searay 170 srv worth restoring? I love the lines of them and that classic flaired bow look.

Well, you said v-drives and jets were no good…does a direct drive inboard count.😂 I’m restoring a ‘73 Century Ski Fury 19. Bright orange gelcoat, goofy 70’s muscle car graphics and a 440 Chrysler. Maybe you’ll make an exception? She’ll be in the water this summer. While I understand you not liking the ability to trim, but the center mounted engine gets on plane instantly and mechanically it’s simple. Love your channel and if I could upload a pic, I would. You were a massive inspiration in my project! I had a Glastron GT 15; all the Carlsons were super cool. One of my most vivid memories from the early seventies was seeing a guy launch a black and blue, sparkly Checkmate with a tower of power and a bunch of pretty girls in bikinis on it…

i'd like to say that almost any brand that isn't Evinrude, Johnson, chrystler or Force is probably good :)

Blah Blah Blah.......where is that SST, wanna sell it? J/K.... love your videos and all the info you share. But on a serious note we all wanna see the blue rocket on the water because that is by far your coolest boat!

Ok. Here me out. I know you said jet boats arent worth restoring. I normally wouldn’t get one. But….. I came across a 73 Tahiti Jet drive. Powered by the original olds 454 Big Block. The boat is cool as hell! Heavy gold metal flake and burgundy two tone gel coat. Brown diamond tuck interior. I can get it for 1200. Motor needs rebuild (which i can do myself). The boat looks as cool as the one in this video. Just a lot duller.

I’m considering something ski from the late 90’s, 96 and newer up to 2001ish. I love the look of these boats and want to avoid cabureted. I’m looking at CC, Tige, Malibu, mastercraft and centurion. Any insight? I realize none of them are “cool” but to me they still have the low sleek sporty look and the power to back it up.

Doing a 1977 Checkmate Vmate1 currently. cap split transom replacement. Just got an XR4 for it too. Goal is 80mph.

What do you have against a dodge omni? I love them square box looking, 90hp grocery getter. So what if you park one in front of your house and your home depreciates by 75k.

About to start the restoration of my 1975 Glastron Carlson CV-16 with 115 inline 6 Mercury Outboard. Theres tons of sentimental value, but is it worth it?

Actually a pretty good video with some insightful information and straightforward. However he contradicts himself totally with the steel prop. In one point he says don't get a V-drive because of damage you could do to it and then goes on to say steel props are better. I would never consider a steel prop for basic boating on lakes that have lots of shallow parts..all you do is hit a log and now you're getting all kinds of new gears in the lower unit instead of just replacing the prop. Aluminum props are meant to bend on purpose so they don't do damage to anything else. Also it doesn't hurt my feelings that he doesn't like tri hulls with open bows but he completely leaves out how practical boats like that are versus his closed bow boats. We would take out a speed boat type boat maybe a couple times a year tops, but the tri hull that we restored we get tons of compliments on it, and it's super practical for fishing, pleasure boating ,Beaching, or pretty much anything else.. so a big factor he left out with restoring a boat is how often are you going to use it when you're done, so that it's worth all that work you put into it

It's a matter of what you like, not what someone thinks is cool. The boat you show in this video to many people, including myself, is not cool. Going out on a lake and running back and forth as fast as you can would be boring. An old center console fishing boat is cool. Old Tri hull fishing boats are cool. I'm currently restoring a 1976 Caddo bass boat with an Evinrude. I can get any part I need for the Evinrude. Why would i restore this boat. Because buying one in great shape would cost around $2500, it will cost around $700. To $1200. for restoration. What's cool is up to the person, not some basic design.

How ya feel about a 1984 cuddy cab asi imperial? Its a big project, things fucked, but could receive it for free. And i feel like i sortof have to, it doesnt hold much sentimental value but im just not sure ill necessarily love working on a big project with a full schedule and 2 kids running around….things gonna be 70 before it gets back in the water😂

Promoting Sarah's excellent chesticles and swimsuit rig in the thumbnail was deceptive... I'm kinda mad. Good video as always dude 🤌🏼

my first project was a omc stringer drive and that alone killed it

What about a 1985 19’ eliminator tournament ski 351w direct drive ?

I’m just curious about option on a boat I just bought for 500 from a mid 70 year old guy who’s the original owner it’s a 1973 sidewinder but it has a original 165 inline 6 stern drive mercruiser.

I know you say stay away from jet boats but i love the big v8 and the stream the jet drive leaves if you know of any for cheap free please pass it on Also my boats a 79 baja ss with a tower of power 140 on it

What do you think about an 88 Sanger / 18'?

Just started a restoration. I cant find any info about what type of boat it is. I have asked on forums and ask groups on facebook with no success. Do u have an email i could send a pic to to see if you can identify what it is? Many thanks

Your boat be super cool unlimited merc 700R on it. 😊😊

Glad to see you back on YT. What was the final resolution on your overheating issue? Did I miss that video? Due to health reasons I have a project boat I need to sell. 1976 Glastron GT-150 with an Evinrude 135 Silver Starflite engine. Located in Atlanta GA if anyone is interested.

What are you thoughts on Regal's stepped hulls? Never heard you mention them on any of your videos so maybe you don't have an opinion.

If I had a dollar for everyone that said "jets are inefficient" So here we go I grew up on all drive boats through the 70's I'll List them, Outboards, Stern drives, Jets, Direct drive and V Drives. I've owned Outboard , Direct drive and a Jet. I have been able to run the Jet drive on one tank of gas faster and longer than any other "drive" boat. Learn how to drive and trim people ! Oh yeah before you all jump on me I am a mechanic by profession. Boater by passion.

2010 18' 6" Crownline 180BR- MerCruiser V-6 TKS 4.3L - Hott!! or not?

Is a 77 condor custom cool? A jet boat , although you hate jets

To be fair, aren't all boats "project boats"? Besides most people don't have a great helper like you do. 😉

1980 checkmate worth restoring?

🤣 I adopted an old Correct craft last year! it's a disaster! but it was cheap! it's a 1973 Martinique with a Holman Moody 351 ford V8. Cool or no?

1978 Mark Twain going for $1,250, mercury motor. Worth it? Hull is plain and faded

Wish I looked at my last project boat. Would have saved me from rebuilding the engine 😅

I did a 1959 Plastyle 16ft. Red over white with a Mercury 500 "White cloud" outboard. (Google it, i have the only one left in existence).So tell me is that rare and cool enough for you?

Why not a Yamaha instead of Mercury?

Thought you were gone forever bro

Not true mercury parts are getting hard to find also I work on both

#1 - Do not under any circumstance buy a $500 boat thinking you can resore it cheap. Once you peel back the onion, well, Rob and Sarah now know. 🙂

The mercury only comment is just ignorance. Mercs are great but so are alot of other motors

How is #1 simply not just buying a boat? ;-)

Is it a cool boat 1994 four winn 190 with inboard 5.0 cobra engine😊

Stopped watching after you told everyone to buy mercury. Didn’t even mention older 2 stroke yamahas

Dude, your timing sucks. I picked up an old Bayliner. 'Nuff said.

Top mistake is buying the project in the first place…..

Checkmate’s are another good resto candidate. I like the older Baja’s as well. Jared @wavetowave has lots of articles on good restorations

1962 Glasstron Jetflite cool or not? Got a 1971 Mercury 800 80hp thunderbolt...boat 13ft