Photo courtesy AYO Fishing
You’ve got to appreciate ambition.
Especially when it comes in the form of expensive YouTube hijinks that involve buying an offshore lifeboat that weighs 24,000 lbs from Facebook Marketplace.
A YouTuber known as AYO Fishing is one such ambitious man, and he documented his whimsical journey purchasing the steel tub from a kindly old chap in southern Alabama.
AYO Fishing, also known as Andrew, is by all accounts a genuinely good dude who documents his outdoor adventures including include fishing, outdoor adventures, and impulsive purchases of marine hardware with an eager audience.
For this escapade, Andrew and his crew head to southern Alabama to meet an 80-year-old man named James, who was, for reasons unknown, selling the vessel on Facebook Marketplace. James, like Andrew, is very entertaining, and the two men spend an entire day determining the seaworthiness (and the final price) of the boat.
For those unaware, enclosed lifeboats are typically used on offshore oil rigs, or in some cases large merchant vessels like container ships. They are usually secured by hanging them from hooks, which means they’re not meant to be trailered on dry land. They’re also 10′ wide, so if you do decide to travel with one, it requires a wide load permit.
The boat in the video came from an offshore oil rig and was supposedly the captain’s escape pod (which is strange, because the boat is clearly labeled to fit 64 people). James figures its 40 years old, and the ole ship actually turns over immediately once they put in a fresh battery.
Anyway, it’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect — incredibly well built, and with a surprising amount of helpful amenities like a water system, shore power hookup, and various tools and materials for surviving at sea. The helm is pretty cool too, with a surprising number of electronics (and a manual windshield wiper!).
James and Andrew eventually settle on a price, but you need to watch the video to see just how cool these offshore escape pods can be.
You can also follow Andrew and AYO Fishing on Facebook and Instagram.
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