I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need your

notoriouskeef · Oct 31, 2005

Hello, My wife and I have decided to buy a boat and sell my motorcycles. boating is something we would both love and enjoy, more so than riding. Anyway, we want a boat that can fish off of comfortablly and also ski/tube. I saw a boat for sale in the local area. Here are the specs. 1992 maxum, 19ft, v6, 180hp, canvas cover, bemene top, life jackets, rope, and tube. Asking 6k. Now after knowing nothing about boats i've been doing research the last couple days and I don't know the hours on the boat. I did go look at it though and everything seems in MINT condition. Would this be a suitable boat for my needs? I plan on mostly fishing but if I ski, I wanna know I can and not limp allong. How fast in MPH would this boat average w/out skier or tube? One last thing, am i able to add a trolling motor to this boat w/out much trouble? Thanks for all your help, Matt

xxxxxx · Oct 31, 2005

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

I did the same post buying my first boat for advice . I first found the brand wanted to buy and next the years wanted to buy.I went on the net looking for what ever could find on brand and years was looking at.Now you know what to ask when you look at a boat.I got my on EBay 40hp 1965 starcraft motor 1966 evenrude. This is all I need and will work well for me in the midwest ( I fish don't ski)Ask you self where can I put that 180hp boat in the area I live. Information is the key in making the right choice. and this is just one boat. Michael

Silvertip · Nov 1, 2005

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

The way to find out how a boat performs is to have the owner take you out for a test run. If he refuses or is very reluctant, be very cautious as he is likely hiding something. Never buy a boat without an on water test. The boat should have plenty of power for skiing and tubing. Fishing from a sport boat will depend on your fishing requirements. A bow mount trolling motor can be added as can a seat pedestal if one is not already installed. I don't know if the boat has a live well but if you fish a great deal, you'll want one. Lastly, what type of tow vehicle do you have. No sense buying a big boat if you have to buy a new vehicle to tow it (unless you planned to do so anyway of course).

jtexas · Nov 1, 2005

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

"I plan on mostly fishing but if I ski...." Look for a boat set up for fishing - you can ski & tube from a fishing boat, but fishing from a ski boat can be awkward. and welcome to iboats!

KM2 · Nov 1, 2005

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

I don't think that boat fits your needs that well. A fish-n-ski boat may be ok, but as a owner of a 18' glass fish-n-ski it's a compromise. You can fish, ski and cruise but it's not as nice to fish out of as a lund/crestliner type boat. And it doesn't ski as well as an inboard. If your going to fish most of the time look into a aluminum boat/outboard motor. Make sure the outboard is at the 'Max' rating for the boat and your will be able to ski and tube.

TilliamWe · Nov 1, 2005

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

If you want to fish, you need to look at dedicated fishing boats. Are you sure your wife wants to fish? Most women I know like to sit on the boat & chat with friends, swim, and eat, not fish. Please, please, make EXACTLY sure what your wife expects out of "boating". If she doesn't know, find friends with boats, (preferrably multiple friends, with different types of boats) and go out with them. Also, you do realize that you will most likely lose EVERY dollar that you pay for the boat, right? This hobby costs money, lots of it. And the best way, in my opinion, is to consider the purchase price of the boat as "lost money". Yeah, yeah, others will argue "resale value" this & that, but seriously, all boats depreciate a lot!!!!!! Just plan on never recouping your money. So enjoy the heck out of the boat. And to do that, the MRS has to enjoy it!

stevens · Nov 1, 2005

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

My most realistic advise would be; get a boat, almost any boat. It won't be the right one in any case, but your next

boat will be better for you. That will continue to be the case....

Silvertip · Nov 1, 2005

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

There a couple of old sayings about boats -- here are just two: 1) A boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money. 2) There are two great days in a boat owners life. The day the boat was purchased and the day it was sold. (Please note that these hold true only if you neglect and/or abuse the purchase or made an unwise purchase in the first place).

notoriouskeef · Nov 1, 2005

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Thankyou for the advice. i forgot to mention that the boat does come with a trailor. Yes my wife loves to fish, she loves to tan, and i'm sure she'll love to ski. i've been boating many many times on all types but never owned one. The worst was trying to fish off a pontoon getting blown all over the lake. My price range is under 7k. I will continue looking around. I'm not in any hurry to pick anything up. Thanks, matt

notoriouskeef · Nov 1, 2005

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

forgot to mention that I do own a 2000 v8 F150 so towing won't be a problem. Matt

AguaSki · Nov 1, 2005

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

I recommend hiring a professional marine surveyor to check out any boat you are seriously considering. I did this when I purchased my first boat and have never regretted the extra expense. A good surveyor can identify problems you did not even know were possible. The surveyors fee is not cheap so be sure you are serious about a boat before paying the fee. Keep reading this forum. You will learn about the kind of issues a surveyor can help you identify. Also consider storage. I personally would love a boat larger than my 18 footer, but my storage ability prevents me from considering anything larger. Good luck.

koolerb · Nov 1, 2005

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Originally posted by Stevens: My most realistic advise would be; get a boat, almost any boat. It won't be the right one in any case, but your next boat will be better for you. That will continue to be the case....

Good advice. You probably won't hit the perfect boat for you and your family on the first try. Think about your needs and get as close as you can. Buy somthing that's already at the bottom of it's depreciation curve. That way if you decide to sell and get into somthing else you can do it without losing money. Odds are a 10 year old outboard will be less of a money pit than a 10 year old I/O, jusy have it checked out. We just did all this ouselves last year. We're having fun with our boat, but after owning for a year, we know exactly what we want in our next boat.

lugster84 · Nov 8, 2005

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Sounds like a good deal. That will be a heavy boat and require 22 to 24' of storage indoors (unless the trailer tongue swings 90 degrees). Figure out the fishing/skiing. I bought my first boat this year to mainly ski and hang out on though I love to fish. I bought a 19' Regal 175 I/O and fished out of it once, not to fish out of it any more (it also helps that my Brother in law keeps a 15' bass boat at my place, but I probably wouldn't fish out of the Regal anyway). Also, do you plan on having many friends spend time on the boat? The maxum will probably be a heavy deep boat that can accomodate 5 - 6 people and still ski with no problem. You may want an OB fish/ski, try and Find a deep V if you can. That Boat should run 45 mph Wide open Where you could get that kind of performance from about a 120 hp OB.

imported_bjs · Nov 8, 2005

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

Re: I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need

i wish i would have know about this fourm before i bought my boat.i would have not bought a boat with a force motor cause of resale that kills it.buy a boat with a mercury or yamaha.but thats just a suggestion.theres nothing wrong with a force motor but you cant tell the people that your trying to sale the boat to.water test or move on to the next boat.i hope this helps.

I'm looking into buying a boat, but thing is, i've never owned one. I need your

Recruit

Petty Officer 3rd Class

Supreme Mariner

Fleet Admiral

Chief Petty Officer

Banned

Senior Chief Petty Officer

Supreme Mariner

Recruit

Recruit

Chief Petty Officer

Petty Officer 1st Class

Seaman Apprentice

Petty Officer 1st Class