So, since DW gave me the "go-ahead" to buy a fishing boat, I have been looking around a little. I found a couple that look intriguing, and went to see them.
The most interesting thing about them was NOT the boats, but WHY the owners were selling them...........and it was their ARM adjusting, and needing to save money.
So the folks that bought homes they couldn't afford also bought boats they couldn't afford.........
Just proves LBYM is not a universal behavior........
I sold my 20' pontoon w/50 hp evinrude (bought new in 96) a couple years ago to pay for a bathroom addition I built on my house - I liked the pontoon (and still miss it sometimes) but it wouldn't fit in my garage (too tall) and I got tired of taking the cover on and off everytime I wanted to fool with it - I was also looking for a smaller boat that trailered easeir & with a troll motor I could take up into the thick stumps to fish
So I sold the pontoon for 10K, took the leftover money & found a sweet well cared for 1989 18' fish-n-ski w/90 hp evinrude - He was asking $3500, but I knew he needed the dough so I lowballed him for $3000 (his problem not mine) - he took it
It does 45 mph on calm water with two persons (seats 5), plenty fast enough as long as you are not a dead-serious tournament fisherman - cheap insurance, ok gas mileage, & paid for!. Haven't spent much on it ($150 for a tow-bar; $80 for four mounted rod-holders; $90 for new updated fish-finder, a few other misc) - good all-around for fishing, skiing, tubing, scuba, etc. - probably going to have to spend a couple hundred for new steering cables this year. (note: if you don't know about this, steering cables can be a major safety factor on an old boat, losing steering at 40 mph can be seriously dangerous)
Bear in mind gas mileage when contemplating engine size - it becomes a factor over a two or three day weekend. (note: your prop and how you drive the boat can significantly effect gas mileage regardless of engine size - with the right prop & driven modestly a 150 can get better mileage than a 90)
Some of the things you want to look for in a used bass/ski type boat is:
1. Always garaged/covered - look at the upholstery, amount of fade on the gel-coat, overall condition - if it doesn't look sharp you wont be proud of it (& likely neither was the previous owner)
2. Query the current owner to ascertain if he/she "knows" boats & how to take care of them, maintenance, etc
3. Inspect bottom thoroughly for damage (a little scuffing on the center of the keel caused by the boat having been beached in shallow water, while not desirable, is ok, and can be covered over with an after-market keel-protector) gouges & cracks in the bottom gel-coat are Not OK.
4. Check the transom for weakness and/or cracks - there should be none
5. Ideally you'll want to find a motor with low hours - moderate hours can be ok too though - check compression on all cylinders if possible - they should be within 10% of each other - (it's probably more important that the compression is relatively even - than how far below specs it is)
6. Always lake test the boat before you buy - if there are any mechanical/electrical or starting problems on the lake test you probably want to shy away - indicates to me the owner did not care enough about the boat to keep maintenance/operability up to snuff
Keep looking and have a little patience till you find one you feel good about buying - there's always great used boats coming on the market at good prices -
personally, I will never buy a "new" boat again, they depreciate too fast the first three years
and, as I always like to say:
Any boat is better than
No boat
(but that's just me)
