Advice on Young Son's First Boat/Purchase

WJT2 · 09-10-2017, 06:48 PM

Alumacraft is a great boat and a long standing name as well. I spent many summers on Birch island and the Alumacraft I was allowed to use had a 5-1/2 HP Evinrude Fisherman motor. Great on gas consumption and my niece and myself ran this boat all day and forever. The motor was a 1955 which I have restored and runs like new. Great combo. The other Alumacraft had a Johnson 20 , only the BIG KIDS could use that!

Descant · 09-10-2017, 09:54 PM

If you have to hook up a trailer and launch/retrieve every time your son wants to go rowing, you need a different solution. How about an inflatable that you can haul aboard your primary boat?

fatlazyless · 09-13-2017, 10:42 AM

Just $150 ....... in Hudson, NH ......Sea Nymph is a quality name ...... these small jon boats are light weight, row very good, and big surprise here ...... they are very stable with a rower seated in the middle seat .... capable for rowing down giant 40'-Lake Winnipesaukee monster rogue waves!

https://nh.craigslist.org/boa/d/12-s...289587781.html ... includes oars and oar locks... what a super deal!

About sixty dollars Rustoleum spray paint: 1-coat; self etching Rustoleum primer for aluminum, dark grey, 2-coat; color Rustoleum your choice, and you have a newbie boat. Probably good to go with the Rustoleum 'Comfort Grip' handle which works good....about 5.82 at Wal-mart. Or, brush on a coat of Rustoleum John Deere green, tractor paint, designed for painting a tractor.

Woodsy · 09-13-2017, 11:20 AM

Seems like a GREAT deal to me for $1300.... That being said, sometimes life throws you a curveball. You can most likely get most of your $$$ back on a resale...

I say go for it!

Woodsy

ApS · 09-16-2017, 03:28 AM

If it wasn't for Lake Winnipesaukee's oversized-wake problem, I'd have suggested a square-stern canoe: power it up with paddles, oars, or with electric- or gas-powered propulsion. (Including Lehr- or Toshiba-propane).

A neighbor bought a damaged canoe, put in a wide transom, powered it with a 3.3 Evinrude: even with an adult at the helm, the danged thing absolutely flew!

A local legend!

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Just $150 ....... in Hudson, NH ......Sea Nymph is a quality name ...... these small jon boats are light weight, row very good, and big surprise here ...... they are very stable with a rower seated in the middle seat .... capable for rowing down giant 40'-Lake Winnipesaukee monster rogue waves! https://nh.craigslist.org/boa/d/12-s...289587781.html ... includes oars and oar locks... what a super deal! About sixty dollars Rustoleum spray paint: 1-coat; self etching Rustoleum primer for aluminum, dark grey, 2-coat; color Rustoleum your choice, and you have a newbie boat. Probably good to go with the Rustoleum 'Comfort Grip' handle which works good....about 5.82 at Wal-mart. Or, brush on a coat of Rustoleum John Deere green, tractor paint, designed for painting a tractor.

➸ While Sea Nymph is a good name, why would their jon boats row better than one with a pointed bow? (Which aren't so good in the slightest cross wind).

➸ And why the color green over "Sea-Tow" orange?

.

fatlazyless · 09-16-2017, 07:55 AM

Any one of these small row boats all row very well; a 12' v-hull, an 11' jon boat, or a 15' or 17' canoe. By sitting in the middle of any one boat, in the rowing position, it centers the weight and seems to make the boat more steady going over wakes and waves. With two aboard, the jon boat does surprisingly good, surviving 2-3' motorboat wakes out front my place at fl-3. After a few introductory rows with more confidence gained, it becomes fun hitting the wakes in the jon boat which bobs around like a cork.

I have an 11' Lund aluminum jon boat, and a 15' Sea Nymph aluminum canoe with an A-row-bic slide seat row rig with out extended oar locks, and both boats row very good. The canoe goes further and faster than the jon boat.

Relatively low priced; both boats cost about $400 each.....not including the oars.......from Craigslist.

For oars, I use the longest, light weight wood oars, that will fit, almost 7' long.....with pinned oar locks.

By not having a motor, gas or electric, the boat does not need annual state registration, or separate insurance, plus you get the exercise fun from rowing.

A-row-bic slide seat row rigs from the 1980's work good, were low priced, and are now impossible to find.

To get new paint to really stick to an aluminum boat with old, worn out paint, for a new owner, boat re-do, what works really good is the Rustoleum spray, self-etching primer for aluminum or stainless, dark gray, about $5.50/spray can, sold at Lowe's or Wal-Mart automobile body repair dept. This stuff is oil based, durable, and really sticks to aluminum good, and works with a top coat of latex or oil, spray or brush, any color. Rustoleum makes farm equipment paint in about six different colors like Allis Chalmer's orange, International Harvester red, Ford blue, John Deere green, John Deere yellow, and Caterpillar yellow made in quarts and spray cans, sold by Service Star Hdwe in Lakeport and it is very durable and costs about $12/qt which is a steal of a deal for oil paint as good as it is.

09-10-2017, 06:48 PM	#1
WJT2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Foxborough MA Posts: 176 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 4 Thanked 50 Times in 31 Posts	first boat Alumacraft is a great boat and a long standing name as well. I spent many summers on Birch island and the Alumacraft I was allowed to use had a 5-1/2 HP Evinrude Fisherman motor. Great on gas consumption and my niece and myself ran this boat all day and forever. The motor was a 1955 which I have restored and runs like new. Great combo. The other Alumacraft had a Johnson 20 , only the BIG KIDS could use that!

09-10-2017, 09:54 PM	#2
Descant Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Merrimack and Welch Island Posts: 4,404 Thanks: 1,360 Thanked 1,633 Times in 1,065 Posts	Trailer? If you have to hook up a trailer and launch/retrieve every time your son wants to go rowing, you need a different solution. How about an inflatable that you can haul aboard your primary boat?

09-13-2017, 10:42 AM	#3
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,779 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 300 Thanked 1,022 Times in 744 Posts	..... make this boat great again! Just $150 ....... in Hudson, NH ......Sea Nymph is a quality name ...... these small jon boats are light weight, row very good, and big surprise here ...... they are very stable with a rower seated in the middle seat .... capable for rowing down giant 40'-Lake Winnipesaukee monster rogue waves! https://nh.craigslist.org/boa/d/12-s...289587781.html ... includes oars and oar locks... what a super deal! About sixty dollars Rustoleum spray paint: 1-coat; self etching Rustoleum primer for aluminum, dark grey, 2-coat; color Rustoleum your choice, and you have a newbie boat. Probably good to go with the Rustoleum 'Comfort Grip' handle which works good....about 5.82 at Wal-mart. Or, brush on a coat of Rustoleum John Deere green, tractor paint, designed for painting a tractor. __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

09-13-2017, 11:20 AM	#4
Woodsy Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Weirs Beach Posts: 1,966 Thanks: 80 Thanked 980 Times in 440 Posts	Seems like a GREAT deal to me for $1300.... That being said, sometimes life throws you a curveball. You can most likely get most of your $$$ back on a resale... I say go for it! Woodsy __________________ The only way to eliminate ignorant behavior is through education. You can't fix stupid.

09-16-2017, 07:55 AM	#6
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,779 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 300 Thanked 1,022 Times in 744 Posts	Any one of these small row boats all row very well; a 12' v-hull, an 11' jon boat, or a 15' or 17' canoe. By sitting in the middle of any one boat, in the rowing position, it centers the weight and seems to make the boat more steady going over wakes and waves. With two aboard, the jon boat does surprisingly good, surviving 2-3' motorboat wakes out front my place at fl-3. After a few introductory rows with more confidence gained, it becomes fun hitting the wakes in the jon boat which bobs around like a cork. I have an 11' Lund aluminum jon boat, and a 15' Sea Nymph aluminum canoe with an A-row-bic slide seat row rig with out extended oar locks, and both boats row very good. The canoe goes further and faster than the jon boat. Relatively low priced; both boats cost about $400 each.....not including the oars.......from Craigslist. For oars, I use the longest, light weight wood oars, that will fit, almost 7' long.....with pinned oar locks. By not having a motor, gas or electric, the boat does not need annual state registration, or separate insurance, plus you get the exercise fun from rowing. A-row-bic slide seat row rigs from the 1980's work good, were low priced, and are now impossible to find. To get new paint to really stick to an aluminum boat with old, worn out paint, for a new owner, boat re-do, what works really good is the Rustoleum spray, self-etching primer for aluminum or stainless, dark gray, about $5.50/spray can, sold at Lowe's or Wal-Mart automobile body repair dept. This stuff is oil based, durable, and really sticks to aluminum good, and works with a top coat of latex or oil, spray or brush, any color. Rustoleum makes farm equipment paint in about six different colors like Allis Chalmer's orange, International Harvester red, Ford blue, John Deere green, John Deere yellow, and Caterpillar yellow made in quarts and spray cans, sold by Service Star Hdwe in Lakeport and it is very durable and costs about $12/qt which is a steal of a deal for oil paint as good as it is. __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake! Last edited by fatlazyless; 09-30-2017 at 07:07 AM.