1971 Hewes Tarpon (refurbished/restored 1996) Flats boat in Sanford, FL

SELLER DESCRIPTION

1971 Hewes Tarpon (refurbished/restored 1996), I bought this boat in 2007 from Mosquito Lagoon fishing guide Jay Marshall. He had restored and refurbished the boat in 1996, and used it for his fishing guide business. The boat is fiberglass, but more solid than modern fiberglass boats (they built 'em a bit beefier in 1971). The hull is in great shape. Jay restored the original gold metal-flake paint rather than repaint it, so it has an eye-catching "retro" look. The hull is a "deep V" type, so it rides well even in a chop, staying stable and dry.The boat is very spacious for it size, in part because the steering console is tucked into the starboard aft corner of the cockpit rather than being center-mounted. This leaves the cockpit clear and open, giving plenty of room to move around and/or store additional gear. There are 3 storage hatches (1 forward, 2 aft), a separate anchor locker at the bow, and 2 in-hull coolers with drains. I'll use one cooler to keep the fish on ice and the other to keep drinks, food, etc. separate so the girlfriend won't complain ;-). There are also 2 livewells aft, and both are equipped with aeration and also a separate water pump so you can change out the water in the wells with fresh water sucked in from an intake at the bottom of the transom. There are rod tubes under each gunwale, with space for up to 5 rods.As you can see in the pictures, a poling platform is mounted on the stern for poling & sight-fishing, and the pole is held in a flip-down rack on the starboard side when not in use. Jay poled the boat exclusively when he used it for fishing. I have added a Minn Kota Riptide 55 trolling motor on the bow which I use sometimes when I don't feel like poling. The mount is a special one that takes up minimal deck space and does not cover the anchor locker. I added a second battery in the forward storage locker to power the troller, which plugs into an outlet run into the wall of the anchor locker.The trailer is a 2005 premium Rolls Axle aluminum model with a spare tire mounted forward. The outboard is a 2005 Evinrude E-Tec 90 with power tilt & trim and 125 hours on it. While the E-Tecs are 2-stroke motors, theyre quiet, fuel efficient, and have less exhaust than a comparable 4-stroke. They're well-known for reliability and low maintenance. Read up on them on the web, and check out this PDF for performance specs: :// /NR/rdonlyres/4CDCE3B7-764F-4AC0-BF6B-7357ADF65338/0/ The motor has an extended warranty / marine service agreement that lasts until 3/25/2012. I also have a spare prop for it.The boat comes with safety gear, life jackets, bait bucket, cast net, and a few other extras. I'll also throw in a floodlight system I rigged up to allow me to back the trailer in the dark at unlighted ramps like Biolab Rd and Beacon 42. $9500, 4077395579

Accomodations:
Steering console is tucked into the starboard aft corner, leaving the cockpit open and clear.

Deck and Hull Equipment:
Two live wells aft with both aeration and water pumps. Two in-hull coolers with drains.

Additional Equipment:
Minn Kota Riptide 55 12 V saltwater trolling motor (bow mounted).