29 Aquasport Express?

[CATmech945]

I've been on the hunt for the past year for a good boat to start chartering. I was initially looking for something outboard powered 26-30ft so I could trailer it but anything in my price range has older two stroke engines which, as we all know, guzzle gas. So, I started looking for inboard power since the fuel burn is usually less, but then they seem to be too big to trailer. Not to mention, running gear, big boat and boat ramps can only spell disaster. Anywho, I've found a late 80's 29 Aqua Express with twin 350 chevys in it. Does anyone know about these boats.......fuel consumption, ride, wet or dry, etc? I hear very little about these boats but they seem to be pretty good size and have a nice layout for fishing. It would be nice to have a boat that I could go to the islands with and stay aboard, possibly even charter over to the bahamas. I know diesels would be more efficient, but when they break!!.......holy crap, hang onto your wallets! Any information you guys have about these boats would be greatly appreciated. The guy is asking 6500 for the boat and from what he says, it has all the fixin's. I'll let you all know more when I go look at it. I was just doing a little research before I go. Thanks!!

Aaron

[Capt. Bob]

PM this member. I'm sure he can address many of your concerns. Search is your friend and he has a rebuild thread going on this craft.
viewtopic.php?p=73436#p73436

[GoneFission]

Check out the Classified area for that 290 in Michigan - sweet deal there...

[bluemoon536]

I bought a 29 Tournament for $1.00 in boston and since October have been gutting it to install everything new.  The boat is in very good condition but the engines are junk, the fuel tanks are ok, the other tanks junk and it needed a new support for the starboard fuel tank.  My question is how do you make the tenticles from the tower neater or replace them with something better?

[attachment=0:3qjk6sew]0928111442.jpg[/attachment:3qjk6sew]

[Unclebob]

$1.00?

That aint too bad a deal right there.

[Capt Matt]

Use flex hose like they use to rig outboards
Capt matt

[wingtime]

$1.00?

That aint too bad a deal right there.

thats the question I want to know about too!

[seabob4]

Any way you can mod the tower piping to bring the rigging downstairs through the frame?  If it's not a fold-down, that's the way to do it...

[bluemoon536]

Thanks I think the flex hose will work but I gotta tell you some one must have been dippin in the paint thinner too much cause the set up for the hoses are back wards and the hoses are way too long making it impossible to walk on the starboard side of the boat.  I think that putting on a tower was an after thought just doesn't make any sense.  I think it will all work out in the end even with the total investment of money around $15k and a lot of time invested.  Learned a lot, some things I didn't want to know.  First thing is don't buy a boat from a lazy person cause it does translate to how they took care of the boat or not. For example I asked about the head and did it work.  He said ya but the fuse for the macerator kept blowing but it would work.  Well it turns out that there was a system that kills the bacteria before it goes to the aluminum tank.  I went to move that system to find the wires were rotten so it never worked in recent time and second there were three large holes in the bottom of the holding tank which let the crap to flow into the bilge, sweet!  I was going to name it the crapper.  

I did buy it for a dollar the guy who owned it was moving to FLA and was going to give it to one of my friends but he didn't want it and asked if I did, I said HELL YA I DID and the rest is history and there is a lot of it.

One dollar, imagine what I could have bought for two dollars!!

[slvrlng]

Thanks I think the flex hose will work but I gotta tell you some one must have been dippin in the paint thinner too much cause the set up for the hoses are back wards and the hoses are way too long making it impossible to walk on the starboard side of the boat.  I think that putting on a tower was an after thought just doesn't make any sense.  I think it will all work out in the end even with the total investment of money around $15k and a lot of time invested.  Learned a lot, some things I didn't want to know.  First thing is don't buy a boat from a lazy person cause it does translate to how they took care of the boat or not. For example I asked about the head and did it work.  He said ya but the fuse for the macerator kept blowing but it would work.  Well it turns out that there was a system that kills the bacteria before it goes to the aluminum tank.  I went to move that system to find the wires were rotten so it never worked in recent time and second there were three large holes in the bottom of the holding tank which let the crap to flow into the bilge, sweet!  I was going to name it the crapper.  

I did buy it for a dollar the guy who owned it was moving to FLA and was going to give it to one of my friends but he didn't want it and asked if I did, I said HELL YA I DID and the rest is history and there is a lot of it.

One dollar, imagine what I could have bought for two dollars!!

That is a hell of a story right there!

One dollar, imagine what I could have bought for two dollars!!

Twice as much chit as you got for one!                  

Sorry thats the first thing that came to mind!

[bluemoon536]

YA but I really don't think that is possible as anything that was attached to the boat (except for the tower) was put in the dumpster.  I got another one for you.  My buddy who is all green power asked me AFTER i bought my new engines if I wanted his power train (two five year old 350's w/trans and a generator) for NADA!!  Two of the five years on the engines were on dry dock as he was in Iraq.  God bless him as he is going to replace everything with green power.  

Gotta love it !!

[wingtime]

Nice!  I figured it was some sort of a deal like that.  Have to sell it for a $1 for the title transfer I guess.

[takeoff29]

I have a 1982 29' aquasport in very good condition , solid and a heavy boat . They built them heavy in 1982 & 83 .Its a big 29' boat  and nice riding but in a head sea you must slow down as it will pound some.Drifts nice and sits nice on anchor , its a comfortable boat , have done many overnighters up here in the northeast canyons for tuna. Mine has a custom pipe welders tower on it with the wires hidden going up the tower legs. I repowered it in 2001 with mpi 320hp crusaders and new hurth down angle transmissions ,new shafts ,props,custom engine mounts ,bottom barrier coated ,new rudder ports in 2011 and much more .I have it for sale on    (yatchworld ) as i got a new boat .good luck with your new boat they are nice

[CATmech945]

Thanks for all the replies. I've been out of town for work awhile and I haven't been able to log on. I did go and look at that one for 6500 and it was ROUGH!! The upper helm connections being outside the tower must have been something Aquasport did back in the day because they're all like that from what I've seen. The boat I looked at had sank at the dock all the way up to the capt. chair during one of the hurricanes 5 or 6 years ago. I wish he would've posted that on craigslist. There was enough growth on the bottom that I could've made a years salary harvesting what was there. I looked at the wiring and it was shot. Also, the engines were not 350 chevy's, they were 460 fords. I don't even think you can buy parts for those anymore. One engine was still in it and the other had been taken out and was all machined, but it hadn't been put back together. What a mess!! I think the one purchased for $1.00 was in twice as good of shape. Maybe I should show him that post and offer him 50 cents.