Getting on the lake for as cheap as possible

LBarr2002

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#1
Towards the end of last summer I started a thread, but it must have been lost in the great database disaster.

I want to get the kids out on the lake the cheapest way possible. Last year I pulled my dad's 1983 Eldocraft:

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Out of here:
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Where it had been for 10+ years. I put a water pump in it, then realized the steering was frozen up and gave up for the year.

Yesterday I pulled the old steering cable and this morning I'm going to try to find a replacement. Hopefully in the next few weeks this thing will be ready to go.
 

LBarr2002

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#3
Registration up to date and steering cable waiting on me to pick up from Captains Choice. Plan for the weekend... fresh gas and make it run.
 

LBarr2002

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#5
I've been sick since Tuesday. Finally felt well enough to do something today, and the steering cable doesn't fit the helm... so continue to try to find something that fits the 1982 helm, modify the $200 part, or buy a new helm also... I friggin hate boats.
 

LBarr2002

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#7
There it is. Been waiting on it... lol

I want a Pontoon or another Jet Boat bad, but I remind myself how many times I swam the last Jet Boat in....
And it has a tire that won't hold air...

I may have posted this in the original thread that got deleted, don't remember. The last boat I owned was a 1994 sunbird runabout with a 302 inboard. It was given to me, free, sometimes free is not cheap enough.

I had to put a set of tires on the trailer to bring it home from the beach. It was Sunday, camping world was the only place open, so it got an almost $400 pair of Goodyears because I had no other choice...

I rewired the trailer, had the steering cable replaced, replaced the starter, water pump, every freaking time we took that boat out something broke. Constantly fought water in the fuel tank and couldn't figure out why. I thought I finally had it good to go, went to start it on the trailer before heading to the ramp and it sheared several teeth off the flywheel. I threw in the towel, put it on Craigslist, and sold it for $2k, and lost money. On a free boat...

And I don't even own this one!
 
#8
There is a place in Augusta or Aiken that makes those cables. Trent has had them make throttle cables, etc. before.

Just buy something new with warranty...

And your every time comment about the Sunbird...Thats how i feel about the TJ...Everytime i put the key in i know there is like a 70% chance something else is gonna **** up...
 

LBarr2002

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#9
Returned the $211 cable and ordered a full helm replacement kit from Amazon for $159... How do brick and mortar shops stay in business?
 
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