Vermonster
Well-known member
Late last summer after trolling Craigslist for months, I purchased my first tin. I used to hijack my dad's whenever I wanted but since he was 1100 miles away now - that's not going to work. After extensive searching and research, I've figured out that it is likely a '68 or '69 (edit: it's a 1972) RichLine Sportsman. I had no idea what it was to begin with. There was a badge on the transom with a serial number, but searching for it brought up nothing. There also wasn't a manufacturer name on the badge or anywhere on the boat. After finding the RichLine Yahoo group and going through all of their old brochures I found it.
I paid $800 for the following:
14 ' V hull Boat
Trailer - needed new wiring, lights and tires ($120 to fix up)
1979 15 HP Evinrude (runs great - only added new gas line and priming bulb $20 fix)
6 Gallon OMC Gas Tank
2 Mushroom Anchors (1 with 100' of new rope)
Paddle
Anchormate winch for front anchor
25# thrust transom mount Shakespeare Trolling Motor (old but works great 5 speeds reverse and forward)
1 Drift Sock
1 life jacket
2 bait casting rod/reels (I prefer spinning rod/reel).
1 Spongebob rod/reel
I was happy with the price... boat/motor/trailer/trollingmotor... $800
The rails had 2 layers of flaky paint on it that I sanded off. I like the bare aluminum
I pulled the transom out. It had some dry rot and was swollen. It was fairly flexible with the motor on, so I decided to replace it.
Transom Replacement:
2 sheets 3/4 inch plywood glued together (I used old transom as template).
4 coats spar urethane (I also add another coat each time I spar a deck or seat).
All hardware is stainless steel with 3M 5200 (nylock nuts).
Replaced corner brackets with aluminum angle riveted to side (rivets coated in 5200).
Transom is SOLID - no flex with motor on. I also got over my fear of putting holes in the boat!
During the same time I added a carpeted floor and bench with seat.
Floor: 1/2 inch plywood. 3 coats spar urethane.
Bench: 3/4 inch plywood (left over from transom). 3 coats spar urethane.
Seat: 1 1/2 inch riser with Swivel-ease mount bolted through entire bench.
Next up - front seat and floor...
I paid $800 for the following:
14 ' V hull Boat
Trailer - needed new wiring, lights and tires ($120 to fix up)
1979 15 HP Evinrude (runs great - only added new gas line and priming bulb $20 fix)
6 Gallon OMC Gas Tank
2 Mushroom Anchors (1 with 100' of new rope)
Paddle
Anchormate winch for front anchor
25# thrust transom mount Shakespeare Trolling Motor (old but works great 5 speeds reverse and forward)
1 Drift Sock
1 life jacket
2 bait casting rod/reels (I prefer spinning rod/reel).
1 Spongebob rod/reel
I was happy with the price... boat/motor/trailer/trollingmotor... $800
The rails had 2 layers of flaky paint on it that I sanded off. I like the bare aluminum
I pulled the transom out. It had some dry rot and was swollen. It was fairly flexible with the motor on, so I decided to replace it.
Transom Replacement:
2 sheets 3/4 inch plywood glued together (I used old transom as template).
4 coats spar urethane (I also add another coat each time I spar a deck or seat).
All hardware is stainless steel with 3M 5200 (nylock nuts).
Replaced corner brackets with aluminum angle riveted to side (rivets coated in 5200).
Transom is SOLID - no flex with motor on. I also got over my fear of putting holes in the boat!
During the same time I added a carpeted floor and bench with seat.
Floor: 1/2 inch plywood. 3 coats spar urethane.
Bench: 3/4 inch plywood (left over from transom). 3 coats spar urethane.
Seat: 1 1/2 inch riser with Swivel-ease mount bolted through entire bench.
Next up - front seat and floor...