Used boat question...

http://palmsprings.craigslist.org/boa/1347725949.html

Does anyone have any comment on this? Have been looking for used boats possibly to buy, as I don't have a boat. The engine only has about 50 hours on , interior in fair shape, not actually sure if its even still for sale (lol), but was just curious, don't see many 70s vdrives for sale, not sure what this boats intended use was aimed for...

70's v-drives are not really comparable to to today's wakeboard boats. They were more for day cruising, and some waterskiing.
Probably won't throw the wake you would want for wakeboarding.

Witchcraft is a nice boat though, I grew up around V-drive boats like that, and have great memories of them!

(Message edited by rio_sanger on September 13, 2009)

Well actually any boat I would get would probably not throw the wake you would want, as I will probably end up with an inboard/outboard, lol... Would an old vdrive like that have the advantage over an i/o in terms of being able to maintain speed better?

Yes it would maintain speed better and probably be much faster, and more fun to drive than an I/O.

I/Os are generally faster than Vdrives.

My friend has a 99 Baja I/O that tops out at 55mph and sounds like a hot rod on the water, but it has no pulling power at all! Just depends on if you like to cruise and speed around or ski/board...

You can re-prop a boat for power or speed, and yes IOs tend to be propped more for speed. Thats a big boat and looks like it might kick a wake but only one way to know for sure. Check for wood rot, just about all the boats from that era used wood and if the transom or stringers are rotted, the boat is pretty much done.

I'm pretty sure that that Witchcraft would be plenty fast enough even when weighted down. A lot of those old V-drives do not have reverse. Really, I'm not kidding. Some don't have neutral either but I would guess a day cruiser should have a Velvet Drive. Ask.

For $3500 I would at least go look at it. That's about the going rate for a clapped out inboard with no room at all to move around in. You could probably sell that motor for quite a few dollars and then drop in a 250hp small block and still have enough power to pull wake riders around.

I can imagine worst first boats but then I like old V-drives and don't care if people consider them quirky.

My cobalt is fast and has a ton of power out of the hole.

The type of drive does not have as much effect on speed as horsepower, hull design, and prop, which can make a big difference.

I've been in some very fast V-Drives, they were the hot boat of choice in the '60s & '70s most of which had 454s 460s and 502s in them, and could blow most I/O's and jets away.

Lol John, I remember the old no neutral, no reverse, flat bottoms back in the day. You had to have damn strong arms to get up behind one. Skier says hit it, driver starts engine, and boat is going from a dead stop to 35 before you know it!

You'd be nuts to get that boat.


Try this:
http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/8/729296.html?1252896658

^you should jump on that!

+1^^^^^^^^

A lot less quirky than some oddball old V-drive

That is a steal!

That thing is not a boat, it's a blue turd with a bimini top.