EarlyTimes Posted January 13, 2021 Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 1998 Pathfinder 17T 2001 Yamaha 50 two-stroke w/ 188 hours 2001 Shoreland’r galvanized trailer with folding tongue I was told by the previous owner that the hull was rebuilt at the factory in 2001. I have no documentation of that, but you can see that the stringers are clean and solid without the ugly globs of putty on top that led to failures. I have never had any structural issues, and you’re welcome to run the boat in chop before buying. Motor had 8 hours on it when I bought the boat and looked like it had just come out of the crate. I was told that the boat had been run hard for a few years by the original owner, then rebuilt and repowered by the factory in 2001, then sold to an older couple who stuck it in a warehouse where it sat for 15 years or so. The guy I bought it from had bought the boat at auction after the older couple passed away. Hard to know how true all of that is, but that’s the story. ACCESSORIES AND ADD-ONS Minn Kota 12V tiller trolling motor with quick-release bracket and custom Starboard support leg. New troller battery summer 2020. RTIC 45 set up as removable casting platform with rod rack, SeaDek, and Kennedy low-profile tiedowns with turnbuckles -- rock solid! Dri-dek lining in forward and aft compartments. Custom, super-badass Hells Bay-style wood stick fuel management system. SeaDek under gunwales. Seastar no-feedback cable steering with tilt helm -- raises wheel, making boat quite a bit more comfortable to drive. Gemlux stainless wheel with knob. Cheap-o Lowrance GPS/fishfinder with shoot-through transducer. But hey, where this boat will take you, electronic charts aren’t worth a *** anyway, and the fishfinder actually reads bottom pretty well even running in chop. 12V outlet at console for phone, etc. Bluepoints Fabrication console support leg. These side consoles vibrate and bounce quite a bit without support. Beer holders. Mesh storage compartments in aft hatch for keys, wallet, sunscreen, beer opener, etc. Custom Bluepoints poling platform. V-Marine push pole caddy. Wetsounds Stealth 6 Ultra self-contained Bluetooth soundbar under platform. Power-Pole Micro with 6’ and 8’ spikes. Permatrim plate. Powertech SCB 4-blade prop. New guide-ons and new LED lights on trailer. Floppy, heavy 21’ fiberglass push pole. Not great but plenty functional. I’d kind of like to keep it, but willing to discuss if you want it. FIXES, WORK, ETC Hull-to-deck joint completely redone with all new 316 stainless fasteners, epoxy repairs, and 5200 seal. Bilge stays dry, and joint is rock-solid. Plastic keel guard removed, fully resealed with 4200, and reinstalled with all new 316 stainless fasteners. Hull professionally painted with Quantum99 paint from Engineered Marine Coatings. Deck and cockpit professionally painted and nonskid sprayed with Awlgrip products. OEM Pathfinder fuel tank added. Boat came with portable tank. I bought a used 17T tank, cleaned and painted it, glassed mounting supports into front compartment, and added vent and fill. Notoriously leaky cockpit scuppers removed and glassed over (prior to my ownership) and replaced with a cockpit drain to the bilge. Rod tube flanges replaced and rod tubes glued in place with 4200 so they don’t rattle in chop. Starboard support strips installed around forward hatch to prevent flex. SouthCo draw latches added to forward hatch to prevent (well, minimize) rattling in chop. Hatch support springs added to forward and aft hatches. Rewired with new fuse panel, new switch panel, and new main switch. It doesn’t look like a Tetris game, but it’s functional, makes sense, and all materials are quality, marine-grade Blue Seas, Ancor, etc. 8” pie plates installed in aft corners for improved access. Motor raised two holes for best combination of shallow running draft and control/handling. Annual/100-hour service done August 2020. PERFORMANCE AND PLUSES WOT around 32 mph at 5300 rpm with one person, light load. Cruise low to mid 20s at 4000 to 4400 rpm. Gets out of the hole amazingly flat. Lightweight 2-stroke (190 lbs.) combined with Permatrim plate and 4-blade prop let you pop up with virtually zero bow-rise. Runs pucker-shallow on plane. Tabs halfway down, engine trim up, plenty of throttle and you can run in an honest 6” over hard sand. Turns like crap — stern slides and bow hooks up so it’s kind of like drifting a car, but you get used to it. For me, it was a reasonable tradeoff for minimal running draft. A jackplate would make it so you could lower the motor some for better handling in deeper water and raise it higher to run even shallower. I just never needed to run any shallower than it already does. Awlgrip deck and cockpit are awesome — great looking and so much easier to keep clean than gelcoat nonskid. Fits easily in virtually any garage with fold-away tongue and lower-profile platform. KNOCKS A few dings and scratches in the paint on the hull. Seat cushion isn’t great — foam gets wet if you leave it out in the rain. Old galvanized trailer with beat-up plastic fenders isn’t sexy in the least. It’s probably about due for new springs and brackets, too. But it always gets me where I’m going. Towed it 16 hours round trip to the lower keys at Thanksgiving. It's a really nice 17T, but it's still a 17T. I like to think of it kind of like an old CJ-5. It's rattly, unrefined, not especially well built, and has its share of quirks and bad manners, but it's still cool as hell and does the specific job it was designed for very well. Boat is located in Edgewater, FL (just south of New Smyrna Beach). I live about an hour away. I can show it next week (1/18 - 1/22). Clear title in hand. DM here or email me at overslotweb@gmail.com. $14,500. Please no offers without seeing the boat first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lap it Up Posted January 13, 2021 Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 Pretty little tunnel. GLWS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post whichwaysup Posted January 13, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 Nomination for best boat ad ever written. Can I get a second? 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wthree3 Posted January 13, 2021 Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 Definitely a well written ad. GLWS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyTimes Posted January 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 37 minutes ago, whichwaysup said: Nomination for best boat ad ever written. Can I get a second? Ha, thanks! I love this little boat and wanted to do her justice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted January 13, 2021 Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 20 minutes ago, EarlyTimes said: Ha, thanks! I love this little boat and wanted to do her justice. I loved mine.....yours is super clean.....I was thinking about a complete refurb as you did...but, found my mistress the Holy Ghost on this forum and off I went into the Cult of the MA17. T-'s are so much fun and easy to take care of and fish Wont' last long at that price. d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyTimes Posted January 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 I came thiiiis close to pulling the trigger on a MA18 but ended up with an Andros 18 instead. Just needed a little more in the way of versatility and creature comforts with two growing kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanjj Posted January 13, 2021 Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 Fine looking 17T for sure.....great add also. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyTimes Posted January 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2021 I'll be out in NSB/Edgewater this coming Friday through Sunday (Jan 22-24) and available to show the boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyTimes Posted February 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2021 Boat is sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt.KonradB Posted April 14, 2021 Report Share Posted April 14, 2021 I know this has been awhile since you did this but do you feel like removing the factory foam from the back quarter compromised the rigidity or otherwise the integrity of the hull at all in that area? I did the same thing for the same reason, from both areas, the port side had already been dug out but some hack had sprayed the canned foam back it, but being the worrier that I am, I thought I'd ask you what you thought. You did a nice job on this rig, you've given me a lot of good ideas for mine. I totally gutted a 98' 5 months ago and it's finally starting to look like a boat again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canepatch Posted April 17, 2021 Report Share Posted April 17, 2021 I have a solid Pathfinder 1998 17T I have gotten to old to use and maintain. Stringers are good, trailer has newer hubs and tires. 1996 Yamaha 40 two stroke Has fuel problems from not using it and maybe ethanol gas. Great white 12 V trolling motor works but isn’t much to look at. I took the polling platform off but still have it since I am not stable on my feet anymore. Comes with a moonlighter push pole. One good battery. I Have Garmin Bluewater chart recorder with all the chips. $6000 cash firm email Canepatch@msn.com For a picture as this site is asking for pictures from url Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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