Jack's Boats in Perry, Florida

The 1984 50 hp Mercury on my 1984 Bass Tracker Tournament TX bought the farm lately. It hadn't run right in a number of years, but it finally got so bad that I was embarrassed to take anyone out with me.

It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted. The boat will handle up to an 80 hp outboard, but I didn't want to put a whole lot of money into a boat that old. I needed something to get me around safely and at a reasonable speed until I can afford a whole new rig.

The boat ran fine with the 50 when she was new. I could spend more money and get a 60, but I wouldn't get much more speed for quite a bit more money.

I shopped all of the boat dealers around Tallahassee and the best I could come up with was a 2 stroke Mercury for $4,895 plus about $200 installation using the old controls. I would really like to have gotten an Evinrude E-Tec, but the price was just too high.

I finally called Jack's Boats in Perry, Florida, about 50 miles to the east of Tallahassee. He offered me a 2006 50 hp Mercury 4 stroke for $4,950, installed with new Mercury controls. I went back to the dealers in Tallahassee and told them what I had been offered. They all said they couldn't match it and that Waymon at Jack's would not honor that price.

I took the boat over to Jack's and left it after telling Waymon what the other dealers had said. He insisted that he would honor the price and have the boat ready to be picked up on July 3.

He called on the morning of the third and said that he had been mistaken about having some 2006 four strokes in stock. "I know what those boys in Tallahassee told you, that I would back out on the deal, but I won't. I will get you a new 50 hp four stroke, but it will be a couple of weeks before I can get it. What I can offer you is a 50 hp 2 stroke for $3,950, installed with new Mercury controls."

I guess I could have held him to the offer on the Mercury 4 stroke, but the 2 stroke will work just fine and I can buy a new refrigerator with that $1,000 I didn't spend on the motor.

My whole point in relating this story is to let you know that, if you are looking for a good, honest boat dealer in this part of the country, you can't do better than Jack's.

I'm loving having the new motor. For the first time in my life I have power trim and tilt. I'll be glad when I get it broken in so I can run it like I want.