PURSUING THE WILD LIFE
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Pursuing the Wild Life

'95 Toyota 4Runner 4x4-search and acquisition 

9/15/2014

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It’s impossible for a man to be in pursuit of the wild life without the proper equipment and transportation. Last year after giving my truck to my ex (it is a long story for another time), I found myself in the unenviable position of short on cash (those darn kids needing a college education and dental work at the same time, and not having an off road vehicle.

Thanks to the generosity of my outdoors partner Douglas and his trusty and rusty 1996 Nissan Pathfinder, we didn’t miss a hunting or fishing expedition, but it’s no way to live. And so about a year ago following one of the basic tenets of men in the pursuit of wild life, I started researching and searching for an inexpensive but good quality vehicle. My first choices of a vehicle were either a mid 1990’s 4x4 Toyota Tacoma pickup or 4Runner. It turns out the 4 door pickups are very hard to find so I quickly narrowed the search to 4Runners. Good condition, low mileage, 4x4’s are also a rarity so I just took my time….about 6 months until I found the right one. I looked online in a 100 mile radius and as luck would have it, I found the right one 3 miles from home, neglected sitting in a small car lot on a side road wedged in with many other cars, bumper to bumper, junk yard style under some oak trees. The 4Runner was just right, 4x4, 3.0 V-6, SR5 trim, leather seats, cruise control, auto transmission, Timing belt and water pump replaced at 109k and tow hitch. It had 113k miles by one non-smoking owner and a car fax report verified that it had been maintained….well until it ended up sitting under the trees. After some serious negotiating and a check out by my mechanic, I paid $3k. Exterior is in great shape but the interior had a far amount of wear. Additionally, the tires were dry rotted and it was in need of a tune up and complete fluid change. More on the clean up, modifications later and the repairs saga later!

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Repair notes:
  • This was a fast and relatively average to poor, bordering on redneck quality job.
  • All materials were purchased at Lowes and Home Depot.
  • Total time spent: a few hours.
  • Total cost: approx. $50.


Picture
 A marine grade filler was applied
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Then sanding and multiple coats of cloth, resin and sanding
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Then a final light sanding and spay can / palmetto paint job

The first trip we put in near Cedar Key and worked our way up a couple creeks that would have been inaccessible in a larger boat. We found 15 or more Redfish and a couple nice trout.
Gear used:
  • ​Old 1980’s Gheenoe, classic model purchased at a garage sale for $150.
  • Trailer assembled from parts
  • Yamaha 6 hp purchased new
First Impressions:
  • ​Gheenoe’s are excellent backwater boats. Their shallow draft, excellent stability and maneuvering are boats you can take just about anywhere in relatively protected waters. And you can pull, push or paddle them if needed.
  • The Yamaha 6 hp 4 stroke is a good balance between weight, portability, economy and power. The engine is not yet fully broken in, so it hasn’t been run a full throttle but I’m guessing it will move the loaded Gheenoe between 10 and 15 mph. The 6 hp is not a speed demon but seems fast enough and in the rocky backwater creeks, speed is the last thing you need. Easy to tilt up, shallow draft, and easy pull start are more important to me. As far as fuel economy goes, I don’t know how many hours I can expect from the 3 gal. remote tank because after a two or three hours running time the gauge hadn’t budged from full.
  • The ride of the Gheenoe is great in smooth water and fair in a chop. The boat and motor are sensitive to load distribution and the loads should be adjusted to be when heading into the wind and waves to keep the boat dry. I expected and did notice some hull cavitation when in rougher water. The hull could be strengthened in some areas but I doubt I will make many hull modifications.
Picture
Paul with a couple nice trout from the first trip
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  • Blog
    • Garage sale Gheenoe
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  • Some links of interest