I think I might be a dumbass!!!
 

You may know that your a dumbass when you go against the advice of your buddy and the members here who replied on your thread about baby blisters on the hull of your potential boat purchase, but moved forward anyway.

My boat passed every aspect of the powertrain/vessel surveys and the seatrial except for the little blisters in the gelcoat.
The supercharged engines aced the motor tests and drove her to 73gps on the seatrial.
Here's the link again to my thread in the beginning
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/b...know-boat.html

Trust me on this people, for being a newbie I think I did almost as well as a seasoned veteran on the negotiations.
Here's the lowdown on my purchase;
2008 McClain aluminum 18000 lb triple axle trialer with electric over hydraulic disc brakes on 2 axles 5k, 1996 Baja 38 special 24k, 2000 mile delivery from NH to TX 4k, and 1700 in service fees for the powertrain engine tests, survey, and seatrial.
34700 total on a 40k cash budget leaves a bit to spare for the fiberglass work which I'll probably sand down myself to save on labor costs and then have a pro spray the new gelcoat.

Although I posted that I wasn't emotionally attached to the boat I actually think I was fooling myself. I believe what carried me over to the dark side was the history of the boat being the flagship unit of the Mfg's fleet and her being the official 1996 poker run boat of that year for Baja, the powertrain, and the long term ownership of the seller.
I always wanted a semi fast boat that can weekend comfortably. I feel pretty good that it can handle these chores. Low 70's in a big heavy boat like this can't be to terribly bad.

I'd really like y'alls insight, both good and bad.
I'm a big boy and can take my medicine like a man if you think it was a big mistake, I've made more than my fair share of them in my lifetime, LOL!!!
As always, you guys and girls have been the biggest assistance to me in this matter while searching for answers . Y'all have no idea how deeply grateful I am for providing me quality insight on my many questions since I found this forum.

See ya,
Kelly

At the end of the day ALL THAT MATTERS IS YOU'RE HAPPY!

Congrats on the purchase and good luck with the little projects to bring her back up to perfect.

:drink:

+1:coolcowboy::drink: ENJOY IT!

Don't second guess your decision - you'll never enjoy the boat. Just get the blisters fixed in time for memorial day weekend!!!

Hey Husky, Sounds like a pretty good deal and if you are Happy that is pretty much all that counts that is as long as Momma is happy I mean..........................COngrats on the new Toy :party-smiley-020:

You got it, enjoy it, don't look back now.
Good luck to ya and a big congrats.

Enjoy the damn thing .... have fun, be safe and congrats.

Screw that! Enjoy it the way it is. You have all next winter to fix blisters (which is what it may take). Good luck and have fun with it. It's a cool boat, enjoy it. :drink:

If blisters is all then Rock that Bi@tch and enjoy!
I could write a book!!

If the blisters are small and you don't leave the boat in the water they should evaporate and disappear. There is really nothing to worry about unless they are very large. If they are big you should pop them and let the water drain out and get the pressure out. Then fill the holes with 3m vinylester to keep the water out. Then next winter grind them out thoroughly at the beginning of winter and let it sit open all winter. Fill and finish in the spring and no more problem. If you plan to leave it in the water it needs to be barrier coated.

Nice job on the purchase. The .38 special is one of my favorite boats. I personally think that you stole it at 24k. especally with engine package. Thier is a 96 just like yours here in florida, Marine Max has it listed at 35k I thought that was a good price. It has 454's. I hope it brings you and yours pure boating enjoyment ......

I have the pier 33 video of that sucka getting some big air.

Congrats on your new boat, like others have mentioned, get the blisters looked at for severity, and take the required action, BUT most of all enjoy your new boat.
Dean

Dont second guess your buy or you wont be happy. I am just getting over the marriage of my fountain. Bought the boat of my dreams and had to spend 5k fixing the cabin due to rot. Ive moved on and am happy. For the price you got for the boat and delivery I think you got a good deal, even if you spend 5-10k fixing it you are probably still in good shape

You are not a dumb azz for the boat you purchased, you are a dumb azz for even buying one in the first place! :D

Don't ever look back it always hurts to much.

Run it like you stole it for the season, worry about the blisters in the off season. Congrats. :)

LMAO!!!

I was very bummed that the seller didn't disclose the blistering during our initial negotiations but it helped me consumate a better deal when it was brought up during the survey. After going out for quotes I found out that this is not a cheap repair because of the man hours involved prepping the hull for gelcoat.
I was able to renegotiate the original deal and get the boat which would have come in a couple of bones over my budget to come in way less. I figure I'll deal with them in the off season when my workload slows down. I'm sure it'll make a funny video when I tape a few of my hands laying under the boat with DA sanders cursing me.

I took a look at internet boat sites last night and saw many boats still listed that I'd seen back when school started. Judging by the lowest listings I still came in less but with much better power, all I'll need now is an investment of sweat equity.
I'm sure this is going to be a big fun boat.

See ya,
Kelly

Can you post the video here or a link to it?

Thanks,
Kelly

Nice job on the buy. I had a 1994 38 for a short while with the same four bolster set up. I loved the cabin and cockpit. Look forward to seeing it on Lake Conroe!

Ha! We've all felt that way at some point! :D

Get out there and enjoy it!

Huskyrider,
Don't do the blissters this year. Enjoy the boat as it is. You'll find little things, and start a list of bigger things you want done then prioritize. Make sure all services are done and that it's turn key reliable. And you must have above stock motors to get to 73 GPS in that boat (500's or 525sc's maybe?) so for sure keep your extra change in case of a problem with engine or drive. Just don't hole shot anybody.

Have a great summer in it. And you'll need extras cash for fuel anyway. That's a great weekending boat.

When does the boat get to you? We need some more Pix!

I disagree with not doing the blisters this year. If they are below the water line water can get in and saturate the core (which may already be happening).

The motors are stock from Baja but they weren't the stock 525SC's as mfg'd by Mercury Racing.
Baja built this boat in late 95 to be the official Baja factory poker run boat from 1996 where they campained it on the great lakes, LOTO, Havasa, etc. for that year. They upgraded the stock 525SC's with supercharger chillers and a different pulley to generate more power. My surveyor said that the powerplants rocked and that they felt as strong as many 650 to 750hp motored boats he'd surveye'd and the leakdown and compression test reults were excellent. It was at his suggestion that I renegotiate to the value of the powertrains only and take the hull as the bonus, and if the seller didn't accept the offer to request the deposit back and look elsewhere because he valued the boat way way below the ACV because it has hundreds of blister under the hull from water contact. This boat spent Memorial day to Labor day on the water at his dock since 99 when he moved it there to his new summer home. 3 months times 12 years on the dock equals 3 full years of water contact in it's lifetime.
Try this link and take a look at the unit
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/b...know-boat.html

The first thing I'm going to do is a visual to determine how many have burst and do a quicky sand and fiberglass resin with a small bondo spreader. I'm going to keep her on a trailer and deal with the big work of sanding the whole underside in the winter when work slows down. I'm trying to decide what color gel coat would look good beneath it to change the look of the boat.

See ya,
Kelly

I did the same thing my friend... too quick to pull the trigger. Just remember what you said in your first post, you think your a dumbass for going against your friends advice and that of members on here... Let me give you one, Dont do it again! Listen to what these fellas have to say, they know! Enjoy the boat, get her fixed, and never second guess your decision...

I pulled the trigger too quick on my boat because the price was a once in a lifetime offer. I refinished the lower hull myself, did some fiberglass work, have restored the interior and other things, and I couldn't be happier, I have never regretted the purchase only that I wish I would of gone bigger. But there is always room to move up!

Enjoy your new toy, take care of her, and she will take care of you!