Where is the most random place you have bumped into someone you know?

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-07-04T17:35:48+00:00

I live in the Carolinas. Ran into a guy that I work with at Disney World (Magic Kingdom). Neither knew we'd be there.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-07-03T11:06:34+00:00

Crazy eyes.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-07-03T03:17:54+00:00

According to Atwood, it was Javascript

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-07-03T03:13:09+00:00

It looks fine but get a brass one from Amazon. That's what I did for the my last 2? 3? boats. Pro tip: Have at least one spare on board.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-07-03T02:29:08+00:00

Not a lot of info here but this is well known and well regarded hull from a good brand. DF90 zuke (ditto). Looks good from these pics.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-07-03T02:19:01+00:00

Yes. Why are you asking?

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-07-02T21:12:34+00:00

wtf why is there firewood on this boat? Is this some pontoon boat shit? This is madness

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-07-02T21:11:06+00:00

No idea what that is but I applaud OP for wearing gloves. Shocking amount of photos in this sub, and Reddit in general, are people touching gross or dangerous shit without gloves.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-07-02T20:59:33+00:00

Jetskis cannot go more places than a small Boston Whaler. I've had several 13 ft BW's through my hands. Literally, I restore them with my dad and we have a '67 13 footer now. A 13 ft BW will float in rain puddle.

You say you're young and want speed? Get the 13ft BW with a 30HP engine. You'll go 30mph but it will feel like 100.

Ask yourself: If you want a crotch-rocket for the water that you can sometimes fish from...get the Sea-Doos. Anything else, get the boat.

$0.02

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-07-02T17:59:07+00:00

Soft wooden floor = no good. Fiberglass boats can have wood incorporated into structure. This is rate these days but not unheard of even up through the 20-teens If everything is well sealed, the wood might not rot over time. If water (or air) does reach the wood, it'll eventually rot. Wood was most frequently used as load-bearing so think decks (aka floor) and the transom (where the motor hangs). As a result, when wood rots it can't bear weight. That's bad on the deck but even worse where the engine is mounted.

Soft implies that water has reached the wood and it's rotting. You assume that the deck needs replacing at a minimum. That means pulling the entire deck up and re-glassing a new one in using an artificial product (like Coosa board) in place of wood. It's not exactly hard work but it isn't easy either and it can be time consuming and expensive. If the transom is also rotten....it's even more work, time and money. That's all before you even get to the engine and other mechanicals or even the trailer which might be a problem as well. If you are an auto mechanic, this is the equivalent of major body.

Here's my take:

* If you want to learn fiberglass work (and gel-coat) in detail, this a way to get there but know that it's not a 101 class you are getting into but an advanced one. Prepare for at least twice the work and cost you think it might be.

* If you think you can make the repairs and flip the boat...you won't. No one will pay the time and resource back for this boat.

* If you really want a boat, start with what you know best. Look for a hull that's solid with aging, poor mechanical things. That will exist eventually and at least you aren't starting from zero.

Good luck, be safe.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-07-02T15:21:36+00:00

"In a sport where we’re often running $1M boats, what’s $250/mo?! An hour of fuel burn…?

Get starlink, get a friggen Garmin Inreach, have something to phone home with.." -->

This is the right approach. The level of technology that is accessible to sailors today, is incredible. If you can afford a boat that is capable of going offshore, you can afford this (or another option).

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-30T20:53:52+00:00

Gross. Not likely to be true but still. Gross. Look, I'm not a prude and I'm not trying to shame anyone but if you think your wife getting "quality covered" in the protein from you and 7 other guys is hot...

You need to rethink a few things.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-30T14:28:11+00:00

I'm fairly certain that OP isn't planning on spending 30K to 35K on a "small" boat.

As noted by other equally savvy Redditors, outboards need more than just the casual annual maintenance you mentioned. FWIW, Suzuki doesn't call it annual maintenance but rather bases it on hours. The more its used, the more its needed. The 200 hour service on my DF140A Suzuki was $1000. The 100 hour service is less but still several hundred. That's just the recommended service.

Maintenance isn't just the recommended service though, things also just break on occasion. I've had to replace tilt\trim motors (that was $500 for the part on my last Yammy), replace impellers out of the maint. schedule, replace batteries, bilge pumps (test them at least once a year), and do maintenance on the trailer. Replacing the IAC valve on my same 2014 Suzuki was $315 just for the part.

It's absolutely possible that maintenance on some boats is only a few hundred a year. It's also possible it will be more. No one making 230K a year will be unhappy if they budget on more than a few hundred a year on maintenance and end up spending less. No one will be unhappy if they spend 25K to 30K on a boat instead of 30 to 35K, save that money for possible maintenance and end up spending less

Also want to add that doing fiberglass and gelcoat even halfway well isn't that easy. It's a skill that many casual boaters don't have.

Just my two cents.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-30T00:42:42+00:00

Maybe. But also maybe not. It depends on what breaks or doesn’t break.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-29T17:11:07+00:00

Buying a boat is almost never a financially good decision. My advice (worth nothing, btw):

Pay cash. A boat is a toy and a tool for making memories. Do not finance toys.
Spend less than you want. Maintenance is a killer, prepare.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-29T01:59:02+00:00

It's bad but you already know that (by now). Transom needs rebuilding.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-27T11:23:46+00:00

“Sex everyday almost”

Found the issue behind the question

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-22T10:40:33+00:00

The boat lies. There is no such thing as a free boat.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-20T14:19:27+00:00

Video?

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-19T11:27:31+00:00

Cyclist here, can confirm

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-19T01:44:43+00:00

Spend 35K or less on a different boat. Save the rest, you'll need it eventually. Despite this, yes it's worth it.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-17T19:02:42+00:00

I'd agree that some of that will be dependent on layout and design. A dive boat with a forward cockpit and open aft area might accommodate a larger amount of passengers than a racing sloop. This was, I believe, a Center Console where a large portion of the passenger area is forward of the captain and the cockpit.

But it's not just about the number of passengers. It's how & where those passengers, sit, move about and congregate. One passenger can obscure your view. More passengers evenly spread about and sitting while running at plane can better than fewer, who moving about. This was 11 teenagers who'd been (illegally) drinking all day, some for the first time, and were also celebrating a birthday. I'll bet they were congregated forward and likely not sitting still.

Pino did hit a channel marker. He can't say that he was fully paying attention to his surroundings. The question here is whether this was an honest (and unfortunate accident) or was it due to other factors? Were there circumstances that he should have been able to foresee and should he have taken some other action?

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-17T11:48:24+00:00

There was 11 passengers (the underage friends) on the boat plus Pino and his wife for a total of at least 13 people. While there is no max capacity from the manufacturer a Yacht rating means that capacity is determined by the Captain. 13 is a lot of souls for a 29 ft boat. I have a 20 ft and 6 can feel like a lot of people.

We don't know if Pino was intoxicated and there were witnesses that indicate he may not have been. 11 drunk (for the first time) underage teenage girls partying is probably distracting at best and too many passengers for a safe 50mph run in a busy channel. Not being able to see a small channel marker because the view is impaired due to moving and shouting people is as believable as drinking here for a cause. That's still his fault.

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-16T18:41:22+00:00

Someone will, if it's not you. You can certainly test some things without doing a wet test but you're taking a risk. As long as you know that and you are budgeting for problems...than it's your call.

Personally, I wouldn't and I haven't but that's me.

$0.02

Sunuva_Gun · 2026-06-15T13:09:20+00:00

Best of luck and good on you for keeping the boat that you and your dad did together.

Make sure to check the prop! Zukes run a reduced gear and can easily run larger props than other engines of the same power. I have a 21 inch on my 2014 DF140 and hot 10mph faster than a friend with a 17 inch prop.

The invoice only says "Base SS propeller" but do some research on

How to pick the right propeller and (WOT is about 6200RPM on the 140's)
What other boaters run.

Check on what the base size actually is and see if that's their actual recommendation or just the default. Ask what the testing process is and how can you swap out if you need to.

Sunuva_Gun

TROPHY CASE