Buying a boat

[CraigP83]

I may have the income sometime between now and next open water season to purchase a used boat. I am hoping to have anywhere between $9,000-$13,000 and had a few questions.

1. What can I expect in that price range (year, motor size, boat size)
2. Were is a good place to look for boats in that price range, I've been browsing bass boat central and everything decent seems to be $20,000+ which is well out of my price range.
3. What are some things I should be looking for in a used boat?

I may have more questions but these are good starter questions. It should also be noted that dependability is a concern for me. I don't want to get a boat that I have to fix more than fish out of.

Thank You,
Craig

[garland7]

I would look anywhere and everywhere! Local paper, bassboatcentral, for sale on the message boards, local shopper, boatfinder.com etc. etc. etc. Some things I would look for are the maintenance records, of course a visual of the boat/trailer condition, where has the boat been kept, what type water has been fished, how often has the motor been flushed with fresh water, etc.. Check the carpets, rod and all the compartments, below the seats, everywhere just like if you were going to buy a used car. If you find one that your interested in, call the bank and see what bluebook they put on it. Last but not least, test the boat and all its features out on the water.

[COUSIN-IT]

I found mine on Craigslist check all cities by you and as far as your willing to drive. Me and a friend drove about 520 miles to get mine and he drove about 700 to get his there are a lot of boats on there and check it every day hope this helps

[Buzbait88]

that is a good price range.  I bought my first champion for 8500$ and it was rock solid the 4 years I owned it.  I just bought a 99 ranger R83 with a 2001 175hp mercury for less than your top dollar and it had very low hours on the motor and was in immaculate shape.  here is some examples.  Just goes to show that there is great deals out there.  If you can't find any in your area, plan a road trip, but you have a long time to look and don't settle for something that you don't really like.  All of the below boats are right around 2000 year.  Just have the motor checked out and check the transom for spider cracks.

11500


10900


11000


11000

[dmayers]

Dude,
No reason in the world you cant find a dependable, nice looking boat for that price....you may have to take a "Road Trip", but hell, thats fun! A 5 - 6 yr old 18ftr with a 150 are all over the classifieds for about 12....13.... keep lookin, they are out there!! Dw

[Donald Garner]

I agree with whats been said.  There's tons of boats out there for sale.

I looked 6 months before I bought mine.  Take your time and you might have to take a road trip but thats
all in the fun of buying


Good luck with your purchase.

[J.Davis]

Look on Craigslist, forums, fishing sites, newspapers, boattrader.com, etc. 

I may be some decent help on the topic since I just went through the same thing.  The make makes as much of a difference in price as the size and engine.  Rangers, Skeeters, and Basscats have extremely high resale values. Go to a dealer, and look at some boats whether you are interested or not.  Even if they aren't what you're looking at, get in some new boats and get a feel for different sizes.  I wanted an 18 footer, but after getting in some, I went with a 20 footer.  The time frame determines the quality of a boat too.  For example, OMC, the makers of Javelin and Stratos until they went out of business made very quality boats in the 90s and early 00s.  I bought a '97 Javelin 400TE with an Evinrude Vindicator 225 for $10,500.  You can find the same boat for $8k and less, but this one was in impeccable shape with less than 100 hours on it.  I also know the complete background of the boat.  It was over 3 hours away.  I looked at a few others that didn't feel right that were several hour road trips, but I knew they weren't right so I walked away. 

The important things to look for is honest, real answers to all of your questions.  Ask quick, intense questions that put the seller on the spot that he must answer quickly.  If he hesitates, breaks eye contact, or seems like he's lying, he probably is.  Use your gut feeling, and don't be afraid to say no.  $100 in gas is a much better use of money that a $10k mistake.  I walked away from a deal or two, and couldn't be happier now.  Patience is truly a virtue.  Feel free to send me a PM.  I'd be happy to give you as much as I can come up with on my experiences over the last few months. 

I'm not sure what that Red/Black/White BassCat that BuzBait posted, but a BassCat from the early 00s time is a great deal!  Think about having multiple people in your boat.  My thought process was - I should learn out of a small boat, but truly a big boat is better because it rides much better. 

The most important things to look for are the cleanliness of the boat, hull, the carpet, seats, trailer, engine hours, and compression. 

Please ask me anything.  I'd be more than happy to help you!!

Buy a boat you could fish the rest of your life out of instead of trying to buy one for just a few years.