1974 Chesapeake

[JimDinRaleigh]

I have been looking at a 1974 Chesapeake. Several concerns:
Will the boat cruise comfortably in 2 to 3 foot seas?
It is an inboard/outboard. Will salt eat it up?
The boat is vintage GW and is immaculate. The motor is practically new. Our uses will be 100% salt and it appears that Grady made these for mostly fresh water. Although the boat is a CHESAPEAKE as the owner reminded me. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jim D in Raleigh NC

 

[DB]

Will it take 2 to 3 foot chop comfortably?.....NO
Will the salt eat up a 1974 boat?...............YES
why on earth would you want a giant headache ? :-|

 

[onoahimahi]

Wow - a 40-year-old boat that is immaculate...! Was it somebodies project boat where all the wood core parts have been replaced? Such as the transom, stringers, floor, etc? Or was it in somebodies barn for 35 years? Is it offered at a price you can't refuse? I would think the pool of potential buyers would be rather small.

I've owned two I/Os and my wife really likes them because they are quieter (than old 2-strokes), the cockpit layouts provide more seating, and you can put large traditional swim platforms on them. In salt water, they don't last as long as outboards but, based on the prices I saw at the last boat show, the replacement cost is less then half that of an outboard for equivalent horsepower. The salesmen said you should count on 10-years of use for an I/O in a saltwater environment. I had 15 years on one of mine when I sold it, however, but it needed a lot of care and feeding.

I don't know how the handling in chop of that boat would compare to other same-sized boats.

I don't think I would buy any 40-year-old boat unless it has some kind of sentimental value from my childhood. I can see myself restoring a 13-foot Boston Whaler as a retirement project, however.

Good luck,
-Scott

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Will it take 2 to 3 foot chop comfortably?.....NO
Will the salt eat up a 1974 boat?...............YES
why on earth would you want a giant headache ? :-|

I have to disagree on the "salt water will eat up a '74 boat", the I/O engine yes, but not the boat. You might need stringers and transom in the worst case scenario though but not the fiberglass portion of the boat(hull), unless she was pretty bunged up.
I know, i have one.