Free-its For Me
i like "free boats". I have two now- one i got for free and one i bought for 107.50 on ebay. They both had water in them- one i pumped out and had to repair bulkheads, the other i had to gut it completely. I may have gotten away with drying it out then putting in a dehumidifier to save some of the wood, but it had already started rotting. I don't feel i made a mistake with either one of them. I could never afford a usable/fixed up boat with my financial situation. So, i get them cheap and slowely repair and replace the items i need to. I am almost finished with the oday 25. I have new mainsail, clean and fresh interior- including cushions/pillows(made them myself. I have all new hardware, blocks, sheets, halyards, lights, etc, etc. I am quite proud of what has been done. My boys helped me off and on. The boat is in my driveway and is there to work on whenever i want/feel like it. I have to drop the keel and sand/bottom paint now, then put back on the trailer and launch. I have had the boat for a year and a half. It is alot of work but i don't mind it. I will have a custome boat set up the way i want it for a lot less than if i bought one in this kindof shape. I had to endure the work and wished i could have been sailing it instead. But it is a good solid boat and one i will give to my kids when they are ready.
Check it out real good, if it is sound(you want to get the water out of it) and if it is of a design that you will be happy with then the rest is up to you. How much work can you do yourself, how much have you got to pay someone? How much does it cost you to keep it. both my boats are free to store them. Good luck, Patrick
