Craig’s List Ad – Selling Sea Dreams

Washington, DC Craig’s List > northern Virginia > for sale / wanted > boats

Craig’s List Ad: 1975 Regal – Great Buy! (Woodbridge, VA)


Date: 2010-04-02, 6:19PM EDT

For sale is a vintage 18 foot 1975 Regal “Countess 180” open-bow runabout, white with blue upholstery. Includes a 1989 Yamaha 90HP two-stroke outboard motor and a 1999 Magic-Tilt galvanized trailer.

This classic little boat goes by the big name of “Sea Dreams,” is largely restored and an excellent choice for someone just getting into boating, or for a veteran boater who wants an inexpensive boat that handles well both on the water or in tow. I’ve owned this boat since 2002 and brought it up to Northern Virginia from the Mississippi Gulf Coast where I used to live. This little boat has motored through both salt and fresh water, gone way offshore in the Mississippi Sound, cruised through the bayous of the Pascagoula River in Mississippi and now cruised the Potomac River. I’ve decided it’s time to move up to a larger boat with more creature comforts.

This boat is light and easy to tow. My first tow vehicle was a 2.6 Lt four cylinder Isuzu pickup, and could pull the boat easily at 50 MPH. I now use a 3.8 Lt six cylinder Isuzu Rodeo, and pulled the boat all the way up here from Mississippi at average speeds of 60 MPH with absolutely no problems. The light weight of this boat makes it very easy to tow and also very quick on the water.

This sweet little boat features:

– Beautiful varnished Cypress Wood Side trim panels, installed two years ago
– Hidden Storage Clips for Boat Hook and Stern Light
– Marine VHF Radio with Shakespeare 2-meter fold-down antenna
– Depth Finder
– Dual Batteries (1 battery three years old, 1 battery one year old) with strap-down battery boxes
– 18 Gallon fuel tank with integral gage (added last season)
– 0-55MPH Speedometer
– Teleflex single cable steering system (cable replaced four years ago)
– Bilge pump with automatic float switch: (added two seasons ago)
– Electric Horn
– Tinted Walk-Thru Windshield
– Lockable Glove Box
– Two “Stow-mates” Drink Holders
– Two “Stow-mates” mounted storage pouches for neatly holding emergency equipment
– Lots of dry stowage space under bow seats
– Two flush-mounted Stainless Steel Fishing Rod Holders
– Swimmers Ladder
– Rear Hooks for towing tubers or water skiers. Have pulled two teenagers in a water tube, no problems.
– Removable LED Stern Light with extending stainless steel mast; standard dual color bow light
– Twin Helm-style seats. Not original, a previous owner replaced the original bench seat with these. Creates more rear deck room when fishing.
– Walk-under Bimini Top: Navy Blue “Top Gun” fabric, added four hears ago. Includes matching storage boot.
– New Upholstery: Light blue marine-grade vinyl bow seat cushions, helm seat cushions and rear jump seat cushions (replaced two years ago)
– No Rot Anywhere: Replaced the Deck and stringers two seasons ago. Used “Seacast” Composite material for the stringers, two-part West Systems expanding buoyancy foam, and 3/8″ exterior-grade plywood for the deck. Deck has single layer of fiberglass and resin on underside, two layers on top with reinforced seams and surfaced with “Durabak” non-skid polyester surfacing. Makes for a soft non-skid surface, and the use of composite stringers and expanding foam greatly increased boat performance through a stiffer hull. I inspected the transom while replacing the deck, and determined there is no rot anywhere. I did remove the old brass tubing for the drain hole, sealed the surrounding wood with penetrating epoxy, and installed a new drain tube.
– New Electrical Wiring: Replaced all wiring after replacing the deck two years ago. Custom built an electrical panel with integrated illuminated volt-meter and battery switch.

Boat was just registered in Virginia for three years. It received it’s last Coast Guard Auxiliary safety Inspection two seasons ago, and passed with flying colors.

Trailer: 1999 custom-fitted galvanized steel Magic-Tilt trailer

Trailer was professionally renovated four years ago before leaving Mississippi. Options Include:

– Galvanized steel fenders
– Roll-around front jack (replaced four years ago)
– Wheels have galvanized steel hubs, Tires are in good condition. Since the trailer does not need electric brakes, there is no requirement for annual safety inspections.
– Safety towing chains
– Spare tire with tire carrier and tire cover
– 2″ Ball Hitch with hitch lock
– All wiring and most hardware (including leaf springs) were professionally replaced four years ago
– Uses a standard four pin flat wiring connector.
– Bunker carpeting is in good condition
– Galvanized hand winch with 25 feet of 1/4″ galvanized cable (cable replaced two seasons ago).
– Safety Chain to Hook the Boat to Trailer
– Trailer is currently in registration, and I will provide clear title

Motor: 1989 90 HP Yamaha Two Stroke Outboard, 3 cylinders.

– Hydraulic Tilt and Trim
– Electric Start, with Emergency Pull Cord Start Capability
– Includes original Yamaha Tool Kit
– Yamaha Remote Helm Control
– Yamaha Combination Tach/Trim Meter/Warning Alarms
– Engine Hourmeter
– Water Separator for Fuel System (Separator element needs to be replaced and I will include a new one with sale. It should be replaced every 50 hours of engine use.)

The engine does have a few issues:

– The previous Owner removed the oil injector system, so I mix oil directly with the fuel. A local mechanic recommended I use a 50:1 mix to minimize oil usage and extend the service life of the spark plugs. I will include a jug of TCW-3 engine oil. YahamaLube is best, but hard to find ’round these parts.
– I have the engine serviced every year at the beginning of the season to minimize chances of problems during the season. At present, the engine will not start due to a clogged carburetor, probably from dirt in the fuel after sitting all winter (common problem with older engines). Engine did start two weeks ago while I was checking it out, ran for several minutes, then lost power and quit. I decided to sell this boat As-Is instead of paying for my annual engine maintenance first. Prospective seller is welcome to bring a compression meter or mechanic friend to inspect the engine. The last professional mechanic that worked on it gave it an overall good bill of health for an engine of it’s age (Quality Marine Services of Woodbridge, receipt available for inspection).
– Lower unit has some surface damages. Could be repaired using epoxy putty (my choice) or the lower unit could just be replaced. No other issues with the lower unit. The seals were last replaced last season. The water pump was also replaced last season, but I only ran the boat three times last year so you could get another season’s use before replacing it (Yamaha recommends replacing the water pump every season).
– The prop was professionally rebuilt two seasons ago, pitched for most economical cruising, and is in excellent condition.
– Engine includes “dolphin fins” which help get the boat up on trim a lower speeds.
– Hydraulic pump was replaced five years ago, is in good condition with only light surface rust.

I will not pay for engine servicing, this sale is As-Is.

Note: This boat was originally rated for up to a 150HP outboard (I have an electronic scan of the original brochure). Even with this smaller sized engine, I’ve had this boat cruising at 45MPH!

I’m including the following accessories:

– Two galvanized steel anchors: One includes 175ft of nylon line, the other 125 feet nylon line. Anchors housed in anchor bags which makes for easier storage and anchoring operations.
– Six Coast Guard approved life jackets
– One Coast Guard approved throwable flotation device
– Two fire extinguishers with mounted holders
– Three signal flares (red and white) and flare gun
– First Aid Kit
– Three 25 foot 3/8″ mooring line
– Two 15 foot 3/8″ mooring lines
– One 75 foot 3/8″ towing line
– Garmin Aluminum Extending Boat Hook
– Porta-potty (The boat does not have an enclosed head. This is a standard camping porta-potty I stow under the passenger console. It’s very useful for emergencies even if not especially elegant.)
– Boat Cover: Tan Canvas Trailerable cover with two support poles and straps. Cover is five years old and was torn in multiple places this past winter due to heavy snow accumulation and hard freeze.
– Engine Cover: White cloth cover for engine cowling. Two years old and in great condition.
– Mixing bottle for measuring engine oil mix
– Fuel tank is 3/4 full of 89 octane mix.
– Yamaha Engine Manual

This is a great little boat for fishing or just cruising with several people! My wife and I have had a lot of fun with this boat, now it’s time to pass it along to it’s next proud owner.

Ron, ###-###-####. Asking $####. This includes everything you need to get out on the water this year! You probably are not going to find a better boat in this price range. A Great Buy!

  • Location: Woodbridge
  • it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

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