Looking into my first boat.

I have been looking for a decent fishing boat for the past few months. Being new to both the forums and owning a boat, i do have boating experience.
Wanted to ask opinions, along with how to find the value on a 1983 14' McKee Craft Bass Boat, 70 hp Johnson Seahorse, with 2 live wells, built in cooler, depth and fish finder. All my research has McKee as a quality boat, but my lack experiences in owning a boat in what to look for, any help would be greatly appreciated!

Re: Looking into my first boat.

Condition, Condition, Condition. A five year, top of the line boat, can be valued less, then a mid tear boat, thats in great conditon, and 15 years old.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

www.nada.com has resale price guides for used boats.

I see that they go back as far as 1978 for the McKee Crafts. At that age, their guide comes up with pocket change, so actual condition of the boat and comparison pricing are going to be your better guide on fair market value.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

The only place you are going to get accurate values of particular boats, is the local market.

Prices vary greatly from area to area, season to season, and boat to boat.

NADA and other "bluebook" values are usually way way off for boats, and they are even further from reality as the boat gets older.

These values are based on trade-in values assigned by the dealers.
How many 1983 14' McKee Craft Bass Boat with a 70 hp Johnson Seahorse do you think were traded in to dealers in your location, in the last month?, year?, 2 years? Probably none. And it is in the dealers best interest to record an inflated trade-in value.

So. look for similar boats, and engines, in comparable condition. Compare asking prices and most importantly selling prices.


The boat in question would go for anywhere from $400-$2500 here in WI. In decent shape, probably around $1800.

But the seller often thinks its worth double that.


In the last 3-4 years, used boat prices have plummeted.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

Thanks all for the replies, the NADA link was a great help. I will be meeting with the gentleman tomorrow to look over the boat. The condition of he boat in Picture seems to be in great shape, but also aware how pictures can be misleading. My biggest concern is what to look and look out for, being fairly inexperienced in boats. Correct with the current economy values have dropped significantly and will indeed play a role. Price i got off NADA seem to be fairly accurate for what he is asking with out seeing the boat first hand. Again i appreciate the help and look forward to being a member of he forums.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

When you go look, start with surface indicators: Is the boat clean or is the "funk" just ground into the poor thing? Does the seller seem to know how well it's been maintained, and does the boat look like it was maintained that way? Any major defects in the hull - gouges, bumps, holes that aren't supposed to be, etc.? Is the floor soft? Does the transom flex at all? (both would indicate rotting(ed) wood)

Move on to power:
Does the engine start up easily? Does it go into forward and reverse properly? Does it run well at wide open throttle? Does it idle properly? You need a motor to run well flat out (giving you speed and power), but you also have to have the low end idle and being able to shift in and out of gears for maneuvering to dock, trailer, etc.

Others can chime in, but those are some starters.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

Thanks for the pointers southkogs. The Guy says he has all the maintenance records up to last winterizing, Also has the original manuals for the boat. One Issue i will have to take a gamble on is not being able to run the boat on water till weather breaks. Ok Newbie question, how does one go about checking he transom? simply pulling and pushing on it? That will be a key factor being i was looking into installing a 9.9 kicker for the smaller lakes.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

You need to be able to run the engine at least (IMHO). Better if you have it on muffs so you can rev it a little. But, realize that a motor running on muffs in the driveway is not quite like running one on the water. If you can't run it on the water, and can't run it on muffs, if you can - drag it over to a reputable marine mechanic and pay him a fee to look it over (in fact, if there's any way to do that it's probably worth it). Otherwise, you're assuming some substantial risk.

Checking the transom is something I've done a couple of ways: pushing and pulling (and I mean really honkin' on it), and tapping it to make sure there's at least some wood in there somewhere (though that's not really all that conclusive about strength). I've heard some people suggest standing/bouncing on the OB to see if the transom flexes, but I've never done that personally. I have pushed and pulled on the OB to see if the transom flexes. Again, a fee to a local marine guy might be well worth it for you.

When you're buying used, you kinda' plan for a certain level of "I've gotta' fix this's" on the boat. The lower amount of money you spend going in, the more likely the number of "I've gotta' fix this's" there will be (I'm kind of a bottom feeder opting to take more "I've gotta' fix this's"). Depending on what kind of budget you're working with here: start looking at equipment (nav lights, bilge pump, etc.) to make certain it's functioning, or you're convinced you can fix it.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

Umm, can't believe no one else has said it. Post the link to the sale so we can see the boat pics so we can give you proper opinions on its condition and price and things you might not see. Good luck.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd=ViewItem&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649&item=300655855416&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT#ht_500wt_926

Re: Looking into my first boat.

Looked at the boat today.. Was in fair shape everything seemed solid, transom, floors, rails, not sure of the name but where the wench is attached to pull onto trailer was also solid. Was some wear on the bottom of the Tri hauls. May be able to see some in the link i posted. He had the muffs and started it up and ran really nice. The oil/grease in lower end was fairly clean, as he did tell me it was changed at the end of least season. There was a little Problem with the lights, they did turn on but once you let go of the switch they went off. To me that's minor being i do not do a lot of night fishing and see as an easy fix .power trim operated smooth, Live wells and Bilge seem operational. Other minor problem was the lazy man anchor would not retrieve fully and was slipping when doing so. The trolling motor was in need of a few fixes as well, something i would have changed being 28lb thrust and older model. only disappointment was the head of the trailer hitch was bent as if it was once jacked knifed. I appreciate all the help everyone has to offered and please feel free to toss your opinions my way. He claimed to have another person coming to look at the boat that messaged him from E-Bay as well but i know that ploy all to well. Made an offer of 1800 and expecting a call from him tomorrow evening.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

well it's not really a bass boat. McKee is a whaler clone (bought the molds) and is probably closer to 13'. I think a 70 is way too much engine, but the old 70's are great engines, and the old McKee's are right good boats.

Nada on an old boat is as accurate as the gas guage--it ain't.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

Don't know much about the McKee's but I agree about that 70 being a good motor. I also agree - that thing oughtta' be a screamer with that much motor.

In the photos it looked pretty well cared for.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

All the research i have done people seem to rave about the McKee Crafts and there durability along with ease of repairs. Agreed not a bass boat, my goal was to add a 9.9 kicker for the smaller lakes and Bass fishing. Would make for a great river and all around fishing boat. Especially with the 70 getting me around the 3 rivers fairly quickly being i enjoy all types of game fishing. My biggest concern was with the trailer hitch being bent. Not sure how big of an issue it would be with towing, repairing or just replacing. The center of the boat had a gutter/canal for drainage, the cover over it that ran down the boat seen better days and was in need of either replacing or reinforcing. Any suggestions as far as repairing the the edges of the tri haul before it compromised the boat, as it was wore fairly thin?

Re: Looking into my first boat.

tpenfield said:

www.nada.com has resale price guides for used boats.

I see that they go back as far as 1978 for the McKee Crafts. At that age, their guide comes up with pocket change, so actual condition of the boat and comparison pricing are going to be your better guide on fair market value.

Click to expand...

I looked at your boat web site. Thats cool!!

Re: Looking into my first boat.

Burgh_fisher said:

Any suggestions as far as repairing the the edges of the tri haul before it compromised the boat, as it was wore fairly thin?

Click to expand...

Do you mean the hull sponson fiberglass is worn thin? Usually that's a sign of damage of some sort. Repairs will involve fiberglass work ... cue: Oops. Where is he?

Re: Looking into my first boat.




Not Sure of the name of the area but i highlighted the area of concern if i up loaded pic properly.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

Yeah, I call 'em sponsons - think that's the right term. Middle one is your main (keel runs down the center just like a V boat) and the outboards are supports.

If you're showing damage there, we probably need to see it in order to guess at what it's all about. If the boat was beached a lot, then you might have some rubbed areas that aren't really a big deal (I've got one spot like that on my boat - glass is fine, just been rubbed ugly). However, if she hit something (or somethings) and there's real damage there - you could have structural issues that do need glass work.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

Heard back from seller today boat was sold. ~SIGH~
So the search continues! All the info everyone has provided is greatly appreciated and been very helpful. Looking forward to the search, if everyone's willing to look forward to all the questions.

Re: Looking into my first boat.

too late now, but that "damage" is typical and nothing to worry about.

You don't put a OB kicker on a boat that small. Indeed, many people run that boat with just a 9.9.

Next boat, be sure it's rated for the motor. No need to go into it now, but that 70 is just wrong.