Boats.

So the Wellcraft Coastal 25 footer turned out to be a POS. The boat itself was in decent shape - or so it seemed, but the engines were both shot. One was stuck in the up position because the power trim pump died. From all evidence, the boat had been kept in the water for some time. It had a fresh coat of bottom paint. The corrosion on the outboards was pretty extensive. Who knows that kind of mess the wiring was in. The guy will never sell it for the price he is asking - except to an idiot.

So I need to keep looking. This weekend my dad and myself are going to look at this beast.

This is a 22'7'' Trophy with a single 225 HP outboard. It has a fully enclosed helm, which is cool. It also has a hard top which is cool. In foul weather the helm area will stay pretty dry. There is also a small cabin that will sleep 2 - or so the seller claims. It is a "walk around" design meaning that you can "walk around" the cabin to get to the bow. The boat has an 8.5 foot beam and is only 22 feet long. So this means that the cabin can not be any wider than 8.5 feet, and no more than 10 feet in length. And since the cabin is in the bow, it comes to a point. So the average width of the thing is probably around 5 - 6 feet. Pretty small. But for a weekend cruise, it is enough.

And I could also enclose the entire boat in canvas, stretched from the hard top to the gunnels and stern of the boat. This would turn the entire space into a sleeping area. Add some cots and there you go. I could even set my little Honda generator on the bow safely, as it will be in open air even if I enclose the whole boat. Of course I would put in a few CO detectors if I did this. But here is the cool part - and this is critical - the little generator will run a small marine AC. And with such a small cabin, I would not need a very large AC.

The engine is newer than the boat, and still has a year and a half in the warranty. This may be a winner here. Maybe. It all depends on what I see when I look at it, and if the guy will play with the asking price a little.

New Iguana Music thanks to a suggestion from Senor Caiman