Looking for advice on this boat

[Pemnuts]

This is a 1990 16 footer by Ercoa that didn't see the end of the assembly line. It needs a complete interior. The layout was going to end up with dual live wells, 2 bucket seats and a console.
It's advertised as a prototype of sorts, and is being sold for $800, no trailer or motor.
I'm thinking it's a good buy at this price for the hull. Understanding it would need flotation and floors added along with other things.. this would be my first boat purchase.
Anyone familiar with this brand of boat?
Would you trust the hull integrity as far as rivets go?
Would you invest the time in finishing it - from it's As-Is state?
Any and all advice would be appreciated.

 

[rscottp]

Looks like a pretty nice hull. Never heard of the brand but I think its a pretty good deal. My 2 cents.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Does it come with a title?

 

[Pemnuts]

Yes, it comes with registration and current license stickers with the hull.

 

[Pemnuts]

I wished more boat owners / DIY fabricators would have chimed in on this with their opinions..
As it is, I am having it delivered to a place i can receive it tonight, 800 for hull, 150 for delivery from 150 miles away. I hope this works out, really do.. the guy said he had trailers to put it on, but during the last phone call just minutes ago, he said he and two other guys stuffed it in the back of a pickup truck =(
His Craigslist advertisement said "Brand New Never Used" and
"All the aluminum work was completed"
I can only hope it arrives in that condition.

In the next 3 hours, what should i look for as far as 'missing' aluminum?
I had asked him about the transom, he says it's fully covered in aluminum.. should i replace the wood inside? I'm not sure how long it sat indoors or outdoors.
Again, any advice appreciated in advance
Pem

 

[Kismet]

Having rehabbed two older boats, I'm jealous of all the stuff you DON'T have to do!.

Man...I'd wait and look, and sit and look, and imagine and look, and sketch and troll through all the designs of boats on the waters you are going to fish...and look.

You have a blank canvas.

Best wishes. =D> =D> =D>

 

[huntinfool]

If it looks new, and you think you can do something with it, and your happy with the price, then I'd say buy it. You can add or subtract anything you want. If the transom has wood in it, use a pick in the motor holes and see how firm it is. Also pull a small piece out and see if it is wet. Ask the guy if it was stored outside. Ask him about the rest of the floor pieces and hatches and decks, seats etc. Heck he may have some he might throw in. But once the boat is delivered it may be too late.

One pic the blue looks new and dark, the other it looks light faded and dirty. Possibly two different boats?

 

[Pemnuts]

It's time to go meet the guy..
Thanks for the thoughts and tip.
I'll post some pics tomorrow that show more clearly what i'm getting tonight. I'll check the transom out as best i can, hopefully it's solid after 25 years of sitting??

 

[muddywaders]

Is this hull designed for 2 or 3 bench seats?It appears to have a center bulkhead/partition that is lower than the front and rear seat-is this a third seat or support for decking?Does foam need to be installed to be Coast Guard approved?Would be nice have storage and or a built-in fuel tank in the seat cavities.I suggest building a hidden compartment for beer and valuables.

 

[Pemnuts]

This was the CL ad:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990 Ercoa 16' aluminum V-hull fishing boat. Was purchased off the line, incomplete, after the Braham-based pontoon manufacturer went out of business. Brand new! Never seen water! Clear and proper (not homebuilt, salvage, or any other BS) Minnesota registration in hand.

This boat is a prototype of sorts, one of a very small test run. There are five of these 16-footers known to exist. Three were completed, used for promotions, advertising photos, etc. and then sold years later; one was mostly completed and left to lay in the factory, and one - this one - was next (and last) in line behind it. All the aluminum work was completed, but no floor or interior were ever installed.

As configured, this boat is set up for two bucket seats and a console in the middle (dropped) part of the floor, and a pedestal seat in front and back on the raised portions of the floor. It also has dual livewells and lots of under-floor storage space. (You can make it whatever you want it to be, but that's the layout it was being prepared for.)

This boat will float as-is, but you'll need to add your own interior, motor, and trailer.

If you want to get some ideas - or try and duplicate the factory style - I have many detailed photographs of the finished boats, which should provide all the details necessary to build a complete interior.

SALE INCLUDES HULL, REGISTRATION, AND CURRENT LICENSE STICKERS - NOTHING ELSE. You'll need to provide your own trailer, motor, and the materials and skills required to complete the interior. But if you can do that, you'll own a brand-spankin'-new boat, customized to your liking, for pennies on the dollar!

Call it a piece of local history, call it a steal of a deal - whatever you call it, just don't wait to call me about it. It's priced to MOVE
Price is $800 CASH
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was concerned about it being stuffed in the back of a truck, but it came like this..

And here's a couple pics of a finished boat, not the one i bought - which still needs an interior. This boat has the first coat of paint on it, nothing more.
I totally failed to get some pics of it right side up.. but i will soon =]
Here's one of the pics i managed to get of the bottom side, in all the excitement i simply forgot to take more, this thing is 16 feet long and 77 and a half inches wide omg. the entire hull seemed extremely solid just as advertised. The transom is solid too, like a rock. One happy camper here !~
Pem

 

[user 13737]

That's a great looking boat, and a perfect clean slate to work with!

 

[thill]

I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

 

[mattfishinmanvan]

I have been searching Craigslist for boats every single day for the past 6 months and if that came up in my area I would have bought it in a heartbeat. Great deal.

 

[Pemnuts]

Craigslist had a trailer for me yahoo.. I hope it works, it previously held a 16' 1989 bayliner..
it's all galvanized and has a lifetime license and title and all the lights work too. paid $350.
If the boat fits, i'm going to be real happy with everything soon.
Pem

 

[rscottp]

You just keep finding good deals! What are you gonna do next get a motor for a buck?

 

[Pemnuts]

It's kinda funny that you suggest i might find a cheap motor for it - my son has a older 18xd mercury we're gonna push it with, so it's actually cheaper than a dollar.
I finally got the hull on the trailer, and this is what it looks like earlier today.
It looks like we will need to do some bunk modifications to get the boat sitting right, but it looks like a good fit to start with?
I am not sure how to address this issue, but i am looking forward to any help from the members here.

 

[rscottp]

Looks good! Throw up a post in the trailer section someone there will point you in the right direction.

 

[thill]

Those particular Caulkins trailers don't give you many options with changing the bunk width, since they don't have the standard cross-members.

What are you looking to do to make it fit?

If you only need it to go back so it's not sitting so far forward, then you can take off the roller stop, bolt or weld on an extension, and then mount the roller stop onto the extension.

If the bunk width hits the boat funny, that a little tougher, but if the current bunks are solid, you can attach another pair of bunks on top of them, offset a little, to bring the contact point in or out a few inches.

Looking something like this:


Obviously, there are other solutions, but hopefully, this is helpful.

-TH

 

[rscottp]

Your hull looks really similar to my Lund. Take plenty of pictures!

 

[Pemnuts]

The existing aluminum and old foam was removed and we cleaned up the interior of the hull.
The layout was designed for a console and two live wells originally. We're keeping the forward live well and going with a open floor plan to keep it simple. It's actually hard to remember to take pictures, but i did get a couple - I got a good deal on some aluminum that we'll be using: 25 feet of 1-1/4 x 1-1/4 x 1/8 thick angle and 20 feet of aluminum channel 1-1/2 wide with 1 inch legs, so they fit together nicely like this for 41 dollars; the majority of it will be used in the deck framework.