New guy buying a boat needs input

Hey everyone,
New to the forum and boat owning. I've been doing some researching and trying to find a decent boat of craigslist. I found this forum and realized you guys really know what you're talking about and could use the input. Obviously, this is my first boat and I can't decide which type of boat I want.....I'm an avid fisherman and need a boat primarily for that, but would still like the ability to take friends/family out for some tubing. I will need something small enough to pull with my V6 explorer and be able to load the boat on the trailer by myself. Seeing how its my first boat I don't want to break the bank until I'm convinced I will use it enough and can properly take care of it. With that being said here's a couple options:

'84 starcraft with a 75hp merc. Seats 6 or 7. Will this boat sufficiently pull young adults to at least make the ride enjoyable and maybe be able to have enough juice to get them to fall off? I've read how pitch on the prop can help this, how do you optimize pitch angle? Is it possible to fabricate something to mount a trolling motor to the front? What about using a piece of plywood to make a casting deck in the open bow?

or

'86 Glasstron 17' ski/bass boat with a 125hp merc which has a 'bad starter.' Both boats are about the same price but the glasstron is by far set up better with electronics and a decent trolling motor. Wont be as comfortable for riders but should go much faster. How difficult is it to change a starter? I've talked with the guy a few times and he sounds sincere, has a better boat and if he holds the wiring the engine will fire up and stay going until he lets go of the wiring. Assuming its the starter, how much should it cost to fix? what if its not?

Any other recommendations on boats, motors or set ups which I should be considering would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

Re: New guy buying a boat needs input

Welcome aboard. If you edit your location into your profile some of the local guys can point you in the right direction and help you better with your choice. Good luck with the search.

Re: New guy buying a boat needs input

As far as I'm aware the pitch of the prop can be loosely put into terms of the number of inches a boat propels you forward. Someone can correct me if i m wrong, but a 19 pitch will propel you 19 inches per revolution whereas a 17 will propel you 17 inches but with obviously more pulling power. I assume there is probably a point where this no longer applies though.

Re: New guy buying a boat needs input

Welcome to the forums. As far as what other people said, you really need to tell us where you are from. Prices can vary a bit from location to location. Also the type of "fishing" boat can vary based off your location. From a single console fishing boat to a bass boat.
In most cases a fishing boat will be lighter than an equivalent ski-boat. I have a 3.5L V6 in my MDX and I can tow up to 4500, my Boat + trailer is most likely about 3500 and I have a 19ft Cuddy w/ a 4.3L.

TBH if you here asking how hard it is to replace this or that, then I would avoid that boat. When it comes to some boats, there is always a wolf and a sheep. As you don't have the needed information, chances are you will be the sheep and end up with something much worst than you initially thought. Though there are some sellers who are frustrated and got a bad quote or don't know what to do. Then they sell it to a wolf who buys it for cheap and cheaply fixes it. As a first boat I would get something that is water ready.

Another detail you are missing is, how many people do you want to bring out on the boat? If you are serious about pulling people on a tube and want to do a lot of that, then maybe a fishing boat isn't the best thing for you. Also remember you can fish from any boat.

In all honestly, we need more info from you, before we can really make recommendations on individual boats.

Just because a boat say seats 6-7 doesn't mean you can legally or comfortably fit that many. The boat normally has a weight limit as well. My boat can fit legally have up to 8 people, and/or 1100lbs. Which is like 4 modern Americans . I think the weight limit only applies to Somalians.

Regards,

Hostage

Re: New guy buying a boat needs input

Updated. Madison, WI. 26years old. scientist, so stuck inside and like to get outside as much as possible.

The number of people isn't all that important. As long as I can get 4 to 5 people would be enough. But it would also be nice to have it be a challenge for the people that are trying to hang on to the tube, stay on. I remember being a kid and loving to try and hang on and think it would be boring now days not having the thrill of knowing I could get tossed. (And speed makes everything more fun).

Thanks again,
Brian

Re: New guy buying a boat needs input

What budget are you looking at? Tow vehicle? Can you hold a wrench competently?

Re: New guy buying a boat needs input

Well here is my $.02. A glass boat is heavier so needs a bigger engine to make it go faster, also you will use more fuel to tow the boat. On the other hand, glass boats tend to ride better on the water. I prefer outboard motors to inboards. I would spend the $150 bucks or so and take it to a boat repair shop before buying just to a little piece of mind you are not getting a POS that will cost a fortune to repair. I have had both glass and aluminum, inboard and outboard. My boat is aluminum with outboards now and I love it. Oh yea wind will push around an aluminum faster than glass. Sounds to me like you need more of a runabout boat. I am a die hard fisherman, so that is what I have. If you want to do a little of everything, then look at a runabout (fish & ski) models. Oh yea, if the guy says it is just a starter, get a mechanic to verify. Could be something totally different and cost a lot more. More than likely if it was just a starter he would have fixed it. If it is just a starter, look at DB stater and electrical http://www.dbelectrical.com/. I have bought from them before and had no problems. good luck to ya.

Re: New guy buying a boat needs input

I'd be looking for an aluminum hull with an outboard. Lund, Starcraft, Sea Nymph, Sylvan, Smokercraft, Crestliner, etc are all good aluminum boats.

Re: New guy buying a boat needs input

Hi and welcome to iboats.

There will be thousands of boats for sale in the coming months, in the area around Madison, Milwaukee, and Fond du lac.

Take your time.

DO NOT buy a boat that "just needs" ANYTHING.
You are not in the position to take a sellers word for it.
If it were just that easy, the seller would have fixed it buy now, and that would make his sale that much easier.

There will be plenty of water ready boats to choose from.

$2500-$5000 should get you something that will work.

Condition is much more important than age. That being mechanical condition, and structural condition.

A water test drive, or sea trial, is very important. Make any purchase contingent on a sea trial with the seller.
If the boat checks out as the seller described, you buy.

90 hp or larger.

mid 1980's or newer.

aluminum would be my preference, but not would consider fiberglass if the stringers and transom are good.



http://madison.craigslist.org/boa/2871841171.html

http://madison.craigslist.org/boa/2886089009.html

Re: New guy buying a boat needs input

Outboard, no question.

look for about 17' on a single axle trailer, for you towing and solo launching concerns.

Center console with bow seating (which is also a fishing platform) is the most versatile.

No carpet, no fancy padded seats.

Hold back $800-$1200 for initial repairs, equipment and start up costs; price out your insurance and storage costs now.

The lighter the boat, the lower the HP will run it, thus the cheaper the boat to buy and run. Also, a flat bottom can run a smaller engine.

"'84 starcraft with a 75hp merc. Seats 6 or 7." If it's that big, it sounds underpowered, but the starcraft guys can advise you better.

Sounds to me you'd do better with a boat that holds 4 comfortably and 6 good friends on occasion, to keep you in your range. A lot of people look for boats to hold crowds a lot bigger than they end up hauling around every trip. The novelty wears off. Growing up we had the 16' starcraft bowrider with a 55 and could fit 6 teenagers but did better with 4. Good versatile, cheap, easy to manage boat for fishing and recreation.

Re: New guy buying a boat needs input

ezmobee said:

I'd be looking for an aluminum hull with an outboard. Lund, Starcraft, Sea Nymph, Sylvan, Smokercraft, Crestliner, etc are all good aluminum boats.

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I agree because you totally avoid the issue of having to spend hours and lots of money JUST to be sure its safe enough to float for one thing and tinnys are best when only one person is loading it etc because of the light weight. As far as ever buying any engine YOU CAN NOT HEAR RUN AND TEST. NEVER ASSUME IT IS ANYTHING BUT JUNK AND ONLY PAY FOR IT AS IF IT WERE JUNK NO MATTER WHAT THE SELLER SAYS. Any person trying to sell a boat that can not be tested should know he best have a give away price on it period. If you do get a glasser more than a couple of years old I hope you have read about what it may take to replace stringers, remove and grind fiberglass and apply the toxic materials to glue it back together.etc etc etc Not for someone who has never done it unless he is just wanting to work on something for a couple of years BEFORE he starts to use it. And I almost forgot if you want to refurbish an older glasser you will need a garage and the many tools required and a nice air compressor. You will also need to learn how to spray paint in a safe way and have ALL of the spray guns etc too. Now at least we know you have been told....

Re: New guy buying a boat needs input

This is great information guys! Thanks for all the input. Keep it coming!

I am only looking to spend 2-5k to make sure i get sufficient use out of it and know how to properly take care of it. I'm a decent 'home mechanic' and shouldnt have trouble winterizing but replacing and troubleshooting outboards may be outside my scope of possibilities. I have a ford explorer thats rated to 4500 lbs. So that should be plenty big enough for anything that I plan to buy.

Thanks again for all the help!

Re: New guy buying a boat needs input

ba1335 said:

I'm a decent 'home mechanic' and shouldnt have trouble winterizing but replacing and troubleshooting outboards may be outside my scope of possibilities

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I don't wrench for s$%t and I've owned a '73 and an '81 outboard. Probably dumped $4-500 into each one around the time I got them to have them tuned and gone over by a mechanic but that's it. Had 5 trouble-free seasons with the '73 before I sold the boat in excellent running condition and I'm about to start my third season with the '81. There's a lot of parts between the crank and the prop in an I/O that an outboard just simply doesn't have. I'm not necessarily advocating in favor of one or the other but I really don't think you should rule outboards out.