Looking at buying a boat, is this going to be a problem?

[pauldconyers]

I am looking at a cheap boat option for my family. Primarily for me and my 2 sons under 8. I am looking at one locally and came across one that might fit the bill. It appears he/someone rebuilt the back and middle section with some sort of wood. Asking him about it he said it is a "composite board." My first concern was not so much the look of it but would it be slippery when wet because I did not want one of my sons to be standing back there casting and slip and falling in. The other question I had is would this hold up over time or is there a high risk it could warp? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[redmexican5081]

Looks like trex decking boards.  They aren't slippery anymore than a standard decking board. If they are fastened to something sturdy, they won't warp

[Way north bass guy]

I’ll bet they’re heavy as all heck though. That’s gotta really hurt any sort of hole shot for that boat, especially all at the back like that. 

[pauldconyers]

24 minutes ago, Way north bass guy said:

I’ll bet they’re heavy as all heck though. That’s gotta really hurt any sort of hole shot for that boat, especially all at the back like that. 

Please explain.

[Way north bass guy]

From my experience in construction, composite deck boards are usually much heavier than wood of the same dimensions. Depending on the thickness of the boards he used ( hard to tell in the pic), it could be substantially heavier than the original decking. With all that extra weight on the boat, it could be more sluggish getting up on plane etc. 

[Hammer 4]

1 hour ago, pauldconyers said:

Please explain.

Trek, or composite material is Much heavier than say redwood, pine, or the like type wood. However the trek type boards will last much longer and are not susceptible to water rot, termites, ect. I built thousands of square foot decks in my day as a contractor, and sometimes we had to stock trek decking a good distance on big homes, I can say without a doubt, it is Much heavier..lol 

[pauldconyers]

13 minutes ago, Way north bass guy said:

From my experience in construction, composite deck boards are usually much heavier than wood of the same dimensions. Depending on the thickness of the boards he used ( hard to tell in the pic), it could be substantially heavier than the original decking. With all that extra weight on the boat, it could be more sluggish getting up on plane etc. 

Forgive my ignorance but what do you mean "getting up on plane?" I own a pontoon and this is my first experience into small bass boats.

[MN Fisher]

34 minutes ago, pauldconyers said:

Forgive my ignorance but what do you mean "getting up on plane?" I own a pontoon and this is my first experience into small bass boats.

On a single-hull boat, when you first start moving the bow will rise. Settling back to an even keel, where the deck is parallel to the water, is 'getting on plane'.

[pauldconyers]

16 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

On a single-hull boat, when you first start moving the bow will rise. Settling back to an even keel, where the deck is parallel to the water, is 'getting on plane'.

I figured it was something like that. Been trying to read all I can about what I should and shouldn't get and what I should take into account. For this particular boat it comes with a 40 HP motor on it. Would a faster motor (vs a slower one) help with this possible issue?

[slonezp]

That look is a new one on me.

[MN Fisher]

18 minutes ago, pauldconyers said:

For this particular boat it comes with a 40 HP motor on it. Would a faster motor (vs a slower one) help with this possible issue?

It might - but better make sure the hull is rated for a more powerful motor. There should be a plate that states maximum HP as well as maximum capacity.

 

My old runabout that I sold years ago was only rated to 50HP - and I had a 40 on it.

[Big Rick]

Any chance you can take it for a test run?  

 

As for the faster motor.....you're talking a lot more money. And that will negate the "cheap boat option" you stated in your first post. 

 

Another thought to consider is this type of plank isn't known for tensile strength. Not only is it heavy, it also flexes very easily and could possible allow your boat to flex and bend under tighter turning radius situations under moderate throttle. The only advantage to this material is it usually last many years. But, it is not designed for structural rigidity. 

[Alex from GA]

You could always paint it with Tuff Coat or carpet the whole deck.  Planing is when the boat goes from running in the water to running on top of the water.  In that type of boat it's from about 10 mph to 16 mph.

[Way2slow]

Honest opinion, you could not give it to me.

That stuff looks like it would be very slick and from having laid it on floors, I know it's very heavy.  Remember, you use boats on water and that water gets on the floor a lot of times, Nothing like stepping on a slick deck and go sliding.

Totally ruins the value of the boat.  It all needs to come out and proper deck and floor installed. 

Most likely the reason that was used, the original floor and probably the deck were rotted out and that was use to cover and hide that.  Which means the stringers were probably rotted and maybe the transom.  All that needs to be checked because if so, the boat is total JUNK.

Take if for a test drive with two people and the live well full.  It will probably feel more like a barge than a boat, total lead sled.

 

Boats are hard to dispose of, most landfills won't take them, so even if he paid you a couple hundred dollars to haul it off, you would be coming out on the short end of the stick.   I cut them up and small pieces with a chainsaw and throw the pieces in the counties trash dumpster.  Rough job but that's the only way I've found to dispose of junk like that.

 

Wow, I just did a search on Craigslist, and you really don't have much to choose from a lot of way over priced, or way under powered and over priced.  This was the only boat I saw that even looked like a candidate and it's a pointed bow, which I don't care for.  I would bet if you showed up with money in hand, this one could be bought for $3,000 and maybe a couple hundred less, depending on your negotiating skills.  https://kansascity.craigslist.org/boa/d/kansas-city-1990-bass-tracker-16ft-40hp/6914729703.html

[bagofdonuts]

I'd remove it and put hydroturf down. It's the stuff they put on jet skis, and is very popular among the tin boat crowd, especially duck hunters. Way better option than carpet or whatever that stuff is.

[JLBBass]

I'd pass on it........

[Mikeltee]

Don't make assumptions. Take it for a test ride. You have youngens in there so speed is not a primary concern but getting on plane is. Composite can always be replaced quite easily with teak  It looks like a good starter boat. Enough to get your feet wet in the game and most likely come to the conclusion that we all do... A boat is a hole in the water that you throw money into. Stick with your pontoon bud. Put a trolling motor on it. After 12 years of owning a power boat with multiple times in the shop each season, the best move I made was to switch to a pontoon. If you got money to burn... fire it up but get a warrant as you will need it. If you have places to fish the pontoon cant get into drag along a yak.

[tracker01]

Save your money.

[Rip_lipz]

My buddy has a 85 tracker with a 50hp, I think about 17ft long. He has been fishing with his two sons in it for 15ish years. They go to Lake Champlain and the boat cruises with rods tackle cooler and 3 people. As for the wood in the back, pull it out, replace it with carpet and half inch marine plywood.

[TheRodFather]

It's in better shape than the one I bought and restored.  If the transom is wet it's a hard no.  Unless you want a big project.

 

If your not handy and looking for something "as is", you should have him take you out at least, but probably still a soft no.

 

It's a shame, it looks like he did a fairly nice job on the work, screw holes are straight, nice cuts and spacing etc.   I wonder why he didn't just do it in wood and carpet.