Help me buy a boat

[grando]

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Take the box. It could be anything.

It could even be a boat!

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nice

[jzpiano]

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Thanks for the advice, and yes, I am definitely planning to take a boat safety course. I know some of the rules but not all, and need to learn how to actually drive one too. I have been in a couple of nice boats but the only ones I have actually steered have been basically the most basic boat you can get with a 10hp motor on the back.

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lol, good! I'm sick of driving around a lake with a bunch of idiots that don't know how to drive a boat /end rant

[HitHard69]

I've been around boats my whole life... here's my advice

Get a compression check done on the engine. The boat can sound great on the driveway but act completely different in the water. If you are buying from a marine shop they should have it but if you are buying from an individual, get it done.

If you buy from a dealer, try to get a guarantee, even if its for a couple of months. If you buy from a private party, make sure you take it for a long test drive, and put it through its paces. Run the engine hard, and make sure its runs ok. Boat leaks are another problem. Some leaks are easy to fix, but some are a real pain. Before you put the boat in the water make sure the insides are dry. Then, watch for any water getting in the bottom.

Get a feel for the floor. Is it soft? Maybe the floor is rotting? You can check the floor of a fiberglass boat by tapping a golf ball on it. If it sounds like it is bouncing off of concrete and hard sounding that is good - if it is hollow sounding you might have some rotten wood issues.

you are better off with a boat whose motor has been run a considerable amount of time in it's maximum RPM range. Especially if broken in correctly per manufacturers instructions, and then run hard to better seat the rings. That conditions an outboard to run at the high RPM's many people generally run at. Especially bass boats. Bass fishermen don't troll for hours on end like Walleye and Pike fishermen do. They tend to be full on or full off.

Today's electronic fuel injection motors have computer memories that store critical information about how an outboard has been broken in and run. That information can be downloaded and printed out. If you don't see recorded RPM's in the Max Wide Open Throttle (WOT) range, then either the motor is not propped correctly causing it to lug, or it hasn't been run very hard which resultsw in poorly seated rings and loss of compression.

How a boat is cared for is a sign of the boats condition. Little things like if it's been kept covered or not. Dry rot on the seats. Especially look in the bilge area for thick, crusty grime from standing water in it. Stick your face in the compartments to smell for mildew. Make sure every electrical item works, especially bilge pump and navigation lights.

Of course the motor is very important as well. Also, make sure you ask when the last time the water pump impellar was replaced and if they have proof of that service. Impellars should be replaced every two to three years whether they need it or not. Make sure the motor fires up and a strong stream of water is coming out of the pee hole.

Boat engines are made to run "hard". They are made to run at the max rpm's, usually around 5200 rpm. If you take a boat for a test ride and they owner does not want you to run the engine hard, STAY AWAY FROM THAT BOAT. There must be a problem and he does not want you to find it. My boat is 10 years old. I run a Merc XR6 150hp. Most of the time, 3200 rpm is a good speed to run, but if I wanted max rpm does not bother me. And if I was selling it, max rpm would be ok to show the new buyer. So, be aware of anybody telling you, don't do this, or don't do that, or don't run it hard. Must be a problem somewhere he does not want you to find.

I know you said you have no truck, but don't forget to look at the trailer carefully. Does the electric work properly? What kind of shape are the tires in? Be sure the side walls are not dry rotting. Is a spare tire included? When was the last time the wheel bearings were maintained? Check out the winch and wheel dolly.

Remember... A boat is a big hole in the water that you throw money into

[Slappz]

Buy a sailboat, you'll spend slightly less on gas.

[Cainy Ball]

Boats do not depreciate nowhere near as fast as cars. For a new boat you can stretch your loan payment out over 12 years, it may be even more than that but I know 12 for sure. Not that I'm recommending doing that but it shows that they actually hold their value quite well, some brands better than others. Just do some research and you'll be able to know yourself which brands are worth the money and which aren't.

In your case definitely go used. You can get an excellent boat in the $10,000 to $15,000 range.

For smaller inland lakes an open bow is the way to go. It's only when you get on bigger, rougher waters, ie; Lake Superior or Michigan that you would want a closed bow because of the waves breaking over the bow and the spray.

19ft. and 190hp and is perfect for your use. You could probably go as big as 21ft. and 225hp if you wanted to.

I'm pretty sure if you have a loan for you're boat you'll have to have insurance but don't worry it's dirt cheap compared to a car. For the boat you're talking about I would guess it would be anywhere from $200 to $400 a year.

[BigSoonerFan]

I heard Donnie Baker has a boat for sale.

[jbrent33]

You really need to decide how you want to use the boat.

I you you are going be using it for cruising/skiing with a little bit of fishing go with a I/O bowrider such as the Sea Ray. Which, as an earlier poster noted, are great boats (in my experience) but not really geared toward fishing.

If you are going to be doing more fishing I would go with a fish and ski. I used to have a 19'Javelin with a 175hp Evinrude that was great. It looked something like this:


I could cruise with 6 people (the two bow seats were not that comfortable) I could easily salom behind it and I am a big guy. It had all the features of a true bass boat, with front and rear casting decks, rod lockers, live well, and a foot controlled trolling motor.

Again this is just from personal experience, but an outboard is easier to maintain and generally costs less to repair when something goes wrong.

Most of all, get something and get out on the water!

[scoresman]

You would be better off taking the $15k you want to spend on a boat and throwing it in the lake. Owning a boat is expensive. Especially a used boat. Most times you are buying someone else's P.O.S.

This is coming from someone who has been around boats my whole life. And I do currently own a boat. Do you want to buy it?

[nyc999]

This website will probably answer several of your questions.

[Skoob]

Sea-Ray's are quality, so are Four Winns. The one thing I know about Sea-Ray construction is that the hull fiberglass is in sheets and molded (as opposed to a cheaper hull where the fiberglass is blown into a mold).

My family had a 17' Sea-Ray with an I/O when I was growing up. We have a lake house (live in MN) and when I was a teen I beat the [censored] out of that boat. It's still alive and kicking - 20 years later. On its third owner now I believe. I don't think you can go wrong with Sea-Ray.

Your biggest decision is probably going to be on the motor. Many open bow runabouts have I/O engines. They look nicer and allow a sun-bed type deal accross the stern.

The big downsides to the I/O engines are that they are inefficient engines and are slow out of the hole. If you plan to do lots of water skiing, I/O's are the worst. They also suck gas. I would burn through an entire tank (20 gallons) in an afternoon. Fueling them is tougher because they have tanks like a car - built in tanks.

The outboards are quieter, faster, and more fuel efficient, especially the new 4-stroke outboards. People prefer I/O motors for the looks mostly. And if you're fishing, you'll prefer the outboard.

We fished often from our Sea-Ray and it was fine. The only thing you're really lacking for fishing is any sort of live-well. I like to recline when I fish. You can't really lay back in a fishing boat.

Now that I'm older, we got a pontoon boat. I wasn't sure that I would like it, but now that I have one, I love it. We don't ski or tube anymore. We like to slow cruise. They're also great to fish from. Pontoons are also less expensive because the hull isn't much more than a slab of plywood on a couple aluminum tubes.

Good luck with the boat shopping. If you go with an external service or whatever for winter storage, find out if winterizing the engine is included. Having to change the oil, transom fluid, etc. yourself each year is kind of a pain.

Edit: When you're haggling with the dealer, sometimes the trailer isn't included in the cost. Those can be sold separately. Same goes for the cover. You can also haggle over extras. If they won't come down enough in price for the boat, ask them to throw in some life preservers, rope, whatever. I've gotten pairs of skis, rope, frisbees, extra cup holders, etc. in the past.