Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

[BugsBunnyBoater]

I really wonder what would be best these days for somebody new to boating. A new or used boat? After reading some post from users that are having problems with their new used boats and thinking about what I have expereinced and seen, I think I might say buy new and spend more time boating not building.
With ebay and craigslist there are so many used boats out there and they all seem to just need a good cleaning and some tlc to be good as new.

So what do you think.

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

Some of us like getting our finger nails dirty and working on boats, It preoccupies the mind "Sometimes more than we would like"!! But its what we enjoy, learning every thing we can about our boats, It's a hobby for alot of us here, Some people who can afford it bring their boats in every time there is a small problem and still don't know anything about their boat then when they first bought it, Some enjoy it for a hobby and like knowing how things work and what they are there for, or what it is, Every one has differant preferences of what it is they enjoy, Speaking for my self as soon as I bought my boat I wanted to know everything I could about my engine and everything else "even if sometimes it is the hard way"

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

The beauty in a beat up old boat is that if you smoke the dock or hit something with the outdrive/motor it's no big deal, as you haven't invested much. This gives you time to learn the ropes of boating. The problem with that beat up old boat is that if you are not mechanically inclined it WILL cost you a fortune in repairs. After you're done learning on that boat though, you can sell it for close to what you paid for it (if you haven't smashed the heck out of it) and get something new to enjoy.

Ian

 

[BugsBunnyBoater]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

That is a good reason to buy used if you restore you will know how to fix it.

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

After reading some post from users that are having problems with their new used boats and thinking about what I have expereinced and seen, I think I might say buy new and spend more time boating not building.
So what do you think.

Funny you should say that, Because I have been reading were people who have bought "NEW" boats are dealing with the same issues as we do with our Used boats Just a thought, Hope your friend finds one that he is looking for and if he does have problems with it, Well you also know were to send him, Right here on Iboats!!

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

item #2 is flawed -- why does buying new mean you spend more time on the water?

 

[LIQUID PROZAC]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

buy used that way when you scrrrrratch it you won't have the screaming mimi's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! why learn how to drive with a corvette when you can use a chevette

 

[jonesg]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

I really wonder what would be best these days for somebody new to boating. A new or used boat? After reading some post from users that are having problems with their new used boats and thinking about what I have expereinced and seen, I think I might say buy new and spend more time boating not building.
With ebay and craigslist there are so many used boats out there and they all seem to just need a good cleaning and some tlc to be good as new.

So what do you think.

How experienced are you?
Can you inspect a boat and find the rotten stringers and transom ?
If yes, then he'd be safe having you guide him through a used boat purchase, otherwise don't advise, you don't know enough to keep him out of trouble.
Do yourself a favor, hire someone to inspect it if you don't have experience dealing with bad substructures.

To me, TLC in a craigslist ad, translates to stringers and transom rotted, and the engine is screwed too. People get sick with greed and fear trying to pawn their junk off on suckers, craigs is full of it.

Heres one today, this guy is plain nuts, these boats sell for $300 all day long. This guy is constantly getting flagged by experienced boaters for his junk piles.
http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/boa/1326181995.html


Turnkey is something I might look at if the decision is between new and used.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

I think that most of the people having problems with a used boats bought them with no sea trial or survey. It has been said on here countless times that if you don't know what your getting into spend the money for a survey. That said it's like buying a new car some can afford it and want one, more power to them. Some can afford it and still buy used, that works to. One thing to consider is wheter you would pay cash and how much you would use it. I've got no beef with financing, but sometimes it seems silly to do on something that gets used a few months a year. I'll bet most don't get 30 days a year on their boats. There are some great deals on great used boats out there. Also I would not volunteer to inspect a boat for a freind. Bad things happen if you over look something.

 

[Varago]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

Some will tell you now is a good time to buy a used boat, hmm seems like now is also the BEST time in 30 years to buy a new boat, there are some AWESOME deals out there now go find one, have seen 50k+ boats go for less then 30k.

One other thing that might happen with the boat market like it is now, the new boat you get now for a steal will be in high demand used in 5 years there wont be that many.

Dave

 

[BugsBunnyBoater]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

The big thing for the new boat buyer is they dont know what they Dont know.
I really like the idea of the sea trial or survey. How many people know enough to get a survey.
I wish more people knew that if you spend 200 to 400 on a survey. You can save 3 to 4 times that amount on stuff you would never know to look for.

 

[cribber]

Re: Buying new or used what would you recommend to a friend

Re: Buying new or used what would you recommend to a friend

Buying a boat for me was like buying anything else... what can you afford to get ya on the water. My towing limit is 3500# without buying a new vehicle and was my initial determining factor. 2nd was how much did I want to spend on a boat, new or used. 3rd is where do you plan to boat... river, lakes, fresh/salt open water??? Go to your local ramps and see what's being launched on any given weekend.

 

[jmarty10]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

If your not mechanical, I would buy a starter boat, find a good mechanic, use it for a couple of years and if you still like boating and can afford go new

 

[jkust]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

My recommendation to a friend...buy a slightly used boat a few years old from the original owner a couple notches further up the brand chain than you would have otherwise bought new for a whole lot less money and no sales tax then have the seller throw in all their gear. Look like you spent a lot more than you did, your boat is nearly new and nobody knows any differently.

 

[BugsBunnyBoater]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

I think the best situation would be to find somebody that moving up to a bigger boat and selling the boat they cared for. Or an older person getting rid of a boat they no longer need.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

I think the best situation would be to find somebody that moving up to a bigger boat and selling the boat they cared for. Or an older person getting rid of a boat they no longer need.

How does someone who knows nothing about boats differentiate between a con artist selling a rotten transom and a great boat sold by that caring owner. Some of the best cons are pulled by nice chatty little old guys.

The downside of buying new isn't the price, its the interest paid on the financing. You pay for it almost twice over, you coulda bought 2.!

If I had to finance something, I cannot afford to buy it.
A boat isn't appreciating like a hard asset, its a financial liability.

Find an expert, either a pro or fellow boater who really knows how to sniff em out and find the rot.

 

[grahamh]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

If I had the money to spend, I'd probably go for a slightly used boat, maybe several years old. That way you get all the niceties of a modern boat, but don't take the depreciation hit as soon as you tow it off the lot.

Just my 2 cents...All I could afford was a '71, so I'm not practicing what I preach.

 

[rp23g7]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

If you buy used have it checked out first. Our first boat, blew up the sterndrive first time we took it out. Neither one of us had owned a boat before. I think the original owners knew it needed work, and was selling it for that reason.

Spent $2500 on a OMC upper and $500 on the Forward/Reverse. It was good for 4 yrs after that though. Until the transom dry rot caught up to it.

We bought a 2003 Starcraft C-Star from a marine mechanic next and she purrs like a kitten.

Just be sure to have it checked out if you buy used.

 

[werthert]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

Depends on the boat... is it a 44' yacht, express cruiser, john boat, fish & ski, jet boat... in that regard it depends.
IMO it also depends on what you can afford. For example I was patient and got a 30' cruiser for $16K that would have cost me $90K new. Sure, it's older... but I can get a decent 1977 corvette stingray for $16K. Whereas a new corvette is upwards of $40K. Same with boats but IMO boats depreciate faster and worse than anything I've ever bought before.
For a boat over say, $20K new I'd choose USED. If you are patient you can get what you want, in the condition you want, at a price you want. Patience is the key!
Also, I would *NEVER* buy a boat without first giving it to a marine mechanic for inspection. This is a MINIMUM. Depending, you can also get full blown marine surveys, hull inspection and tests, etc. If it's inspected, what's wrong is noted and fixed, so there is no issue with problems on the water. Plus you can use these findings to negotiate the price even lower.

Sure new is better... if you can play that way, go for it.

 

[109jb]

Re: Buying new or used what would you reccomend to a friend

I say used, but with caveats. If your friend doesn't know what he is looking at then he better have someone who does. There is a lot of junk out there. Case in point is my Sea Ray. The wife and I looked a 2 Sea Rays, both same year and same model. The one we bought looked like a wreck and needed new deck, but was really cheap. The other looked great, but had the telltale signs of deck/transom rot. Things like a 12"x 12" plywood piece under the helm seat base (was carpeted to match), Soft spots elsewhere in the floor, a mangled SS prop on the shelf in the garage that the guy was proud to supply becuse "it could be rebuilt for a spare". Like I said the boat "looked" great, but I talked the wife out of paying for that one because it needed almost as much work as the one we got and was 3 times the price. That was my choice and I knew what I was getting into. I wouldn't have recommended either to a newbie to boating unless they were mechanically inclined and liked projects. Having said that, there isn't any reason that a person who knows what they are looking at can't find a good used boat that will provide many years of trouble free service for a lot less cash than a new boat. I personally prefer outboards and since you didn't mention what type of boat I will talk about those. My first boat that I could say was mine and not Dad's was a 1972 Starcraft Supersport I bought for $1000. I used that boat for about 9 years finally selling it for $1200 a couple months ago and it never gave me any trouble. As a matter of fact I never had to do anything to the engine other than normal maintenance items (Spark plugs, impeller, lower unit oil, etc.). This is more than my brother can say for his boat which he bought brand new (2002 Crestliner). Nothing major, but new doesn't always mean trouble free.