Help me make the right choice

thegoodlife

Cadet
Joined
Apr 4, 2012
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20
Yep its another buying a first boat question.

First let me say the site is great and I have done a ton of searching around on here and there is a ton of great information. I haven't quite found all the answers I am looking for so here I am.

I have family with smaller bow riders and this is the extend of my boating experience. I am looking to get into something around 23' and a bow rider as it will mainly be used for cruising, the occasional tubing or other water sport, and we have no children or any need for a cuddy. It will be used here outside of Boston, and the large lakes in NH. No fishing is in my plans but I bet a clean live well makes for one hell of an onboard cooler! My friend with a decent amount of boating has been stearing me towards Sea Ray's. This brings me to my first question and its a little different then I usually see it asked. What boats are good used boats. Obviously depends first on the condition, but all things equal what brands stand out better than others in this catagory. I have read a lot of poeple say that its the boat you like, but I would think like cars there are better ones. I would rather have a 15 year old honda then a 15 year old KIA.

I am at a price point of around 10K. I have been told this should get me a real nice boat, but looking around and reading horror stories about boats being rotted from the inside out I have backed off a bit and thought some more. Am I a lot better off saving another 5K and getting a boat in the upper teens? I understand newer is almost always better.

Are there specific things I should stay away from or go towards? I would like a boat with EFI and the snap in style carpet floors. I don't really want to be rebuiling carbs.. been there done that. I feel like the boats without the wall to wall carpet have a better chance of not being rotted on the insides.

As far as getting the boat looked at. If its local I don't see that being much of a problem, but if I am driving 5 hours to NY then how have people arranged that? Do you just search boat mechanics in the area and have them meet you? How can you be sure they know what they are talking about? I know a few auto mechanics that don't always know whats going on to put it nicely..

I know these questions get old for the guys that have been doing this for a long time, but I am trying to get educated before I just go out and buy the first shinny boat with a big motor.


Some more quick info: I have a powerstroke so towing isn't an issue. I live south of Boston. I plan on trailering the boat and have room in the yard for it. I am mechanically inclined (and I don't mean I just know how to do an oil change... I can do spark plugs too :) ).



Long winded post but I am sure there is tons I forgot! Thanks!
 

Home Cookin'

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May 26, 2009
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9,715
Re: Help me make the right choice

I think $10,000 for a 23' boat in New England, bow rider, is likely to be a lot of problems, but Idon't know the market that well. Hae a good reserve.Seems kinda big for 2 people, no cabin
 

happyhitter

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Joined
Mar 17, 2012
Messages
13
Re: Help me make the right choice

I think $10,000 for a 23' boat in New England, bow rider, is likely to be a lot of problems, but Idon't know the market that well. Hae a good reserve.Seems kinda big for 2 people, no cabin

Sorry to inform you, but i hope my advise helps. When it comes to plastic boats, "beauty is only skin deep". My 24 1/2 1988 Four Winds has alot of creature comforts in and out, but boy did it have soaked flotation boxes, rotted eng. mount stands and a rotted transom. Also in the process of converting from OMC to Mercruiser cuz OMC (in my opinion) is something to stay away from. I have a LOT of work to do and doing it all myself. Iboats has been so helpfull and I have gained a great deal of encouragment to "go for it". BTW, the wifey likes it alot too. This is my first boat since being a teenager and owning an outboard. My dad had a 31ft old Owens and I had a lot of good memories as a small kid.I love boating and plan on getting it straight and SAFE. So.... please go with your best instinct and knowledge. And Four Winds is a well built boat.Unfortunately for me, I bought someone elses neglect and this type of person shouldn't be a boater. But i would stay clear of older B. Liners. Good Luck
 

Sixmark

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 11, 2010
Messages
890
Re: Help me make the right choice

Several boats have issues with soft floors......including 4 Winns, you can take any boat and neglect it and it will have problems. What it all comes down to is proper inspection, you as a buyer requiring an on the water test, and researching every model boat you intend on buying for common problems. There is no "magic boat" brand out there. If you buy a project boat with "a few flaws" then you better be prepared to spend some time off the water doing repair work. If you are buying a boat advertised as "like new" and it check rides nice, and the inspection checks out as advertised then you will be better off.
 

tpenfield

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Jul 18, 2011
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17,618
Re: Help me make the right choice

About 7 years ago, I did what you are now considering . . . Take a look at my web site that documents my experience.

http://home.comcast.net/~tpenfield/Web_Page/My_Power_Boat/My_PowerBoat_Page.html

I work in Boston, but do my boating on Cape Cod.

I owned a sailboat prior to buying a powerboat, and had been on the water most of my life. So, I was not a rookie, but there was a lot that I did not know about power boats.

I tried to find something in the $10K area, but was basically looking at fair-to-average boats. I had some level of brand knowledge and needed a boat that would handle rough water, as my area gets choppy in the afternoons. I did not see anything that really stood out at $10K, so I upped it to $20K. Ended up buying a 13 year old Formula, which is regarded as one of the better boats on the water.

Sea Ray is a decent choice, it is kind of the Chevrolet of boats. If you PM me I will give you my brand list of likes/dislikes.

Anyway, you can certainly find something for $10K, but you might like what you can find for $15 - $20K better. Boat asking prices tend to be fairly high, so keep that in mind. When I search for boat, I look about 25% higher than my budget.

I locked in on a brand and model and then looked at all the available boats of that breed. Most people are not brand specific and look based on size, type and price range.

Structural issues will be prevalent in the boats that you are going to be looking at. No brands are immune to this disease.

Every engine runs fine in the driveway. So, go for a sea trail and have a survey. It is typical for boats in the $10K and up price ranges.
 

F14CRAZY

Ensign
Joined
Aug 12, 2008
Messages
945
Re: Help me make the right choice

I would suggest a '70s Chris Craft 23' Lancer, avoiding wooden stringers, but I'm pretty certain those were all cuddies. A little smaller and they're closed-bow.

Or have a surveyor inspect any boat you're seriously considering to check for rot
 

southkogs

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Jul 7, 2010
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Re: Help me make the right choice

Heya' goodlife & welcome aboard:

Just a thought, especially because there are just two of you and you plan on staying on the lakes. Drop down a couple of feet in size - an 18' - 20' might be a little easier getting used to docking, loading and unloading and for $10k you can find quite a bit of boat in that category. Someone else was looking a couple of months ago in the Boston area, and if I recall correctly expanding the search out a 100 miles or so helped find a little better "bang for the buck."

Honestly, there are a lot of well built brands out there - and in a general day-to-day use sense there aren't too many "don't ever buy this under any circumstances" brands. Additionally, you will NEVER encounter two boats that are equal in every way except manufacturer. There will ALWAYS be a difference ... even buying new.

Have you considered just going to some of the local dealers and looking at different rigs to see what you find comfortable and practical? That might help you narrow down the "what am I lookin' for" question.
 

thegoodlife

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Joined
Apr 4, 2012
Messages
20
Re: Help me make the right choice

Great information so far!

I guess I need to clear a few things up. Primary use of the boat would be in the ocean and not restricted to the bay, but I didn't want something that I couldn't pull up to a sandbar out on the NH lakes either. When I said there are only two of us I meant no children. We have friends family and so on that we plan on taking out and entertaining is the main focus. I am not dead set on 23 feet I have actually been doing my searches from 20 -25 feet and I have looked all over the northeast. I had plans of hitting the local shop last weekend but that fell through. I will make a point to head over soon. I am willing to spend more to get the right boat as well. The 10k just seemed like a good starting point.

I have seen a few rays, glastrons, ect in the 21 foot or bigger range,1998's-99 for around 12k most without trailers. So I hope I am in the right area.
 

Home Cookin'

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May 26, 2009
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9,715
Re: Help me make the right choice

Once you say "ocean" (and I know what you mean) I say "not a bow rider." However, when you get to that size (23') you're a little safer, due to height, than the small ones we call "scoops" and "submarines." I can tell you don't plan to go out in bad weather, but sometimes you have to come home in it.

Just something to think about. You can get along better with a smaller boat, a seaworthy hull design, and more open seating than a larger bowrider. Looki at Sea Hunt Ultra to get an idea of what I mean about the hull design. The dual consoles are functional equivalents of bow riders and many center consoles are as, or more, comfortable w/ built-in seating as a bowrider.
 

thegoodlife

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Joined
Apr 4, 2012
Messages
20
Re: Help me make the right choice

Thanks for the input home cookin. Did some more looking around and went by the broker today. No luck, they didn't have a whole lot of boats for what I was looking for. Saw some similar boats the the ultra's. The quick feedback was "it looks too much like a fishing boat" So I might not have much pull in that dept. I hope as we are starting to come into the season more boats will come up for sale. I am sure so will the prices!
 

tpenfield

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thegoodlife

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Joined
Apr 4, 2012
Messages
20
Re: Help me make the right choice

Guess that formula was a nice boat, because the link was down the next day!

I have been doing quite a bit of looking, and more research. The price range on some of these boats is crazy, have found some to be 10k others to be 25k.. all in the general north east/mid atlantic and all about the same level of quality boat. I have my feelers out on several boats at the point.

I have been on several boats and the head was always off limits. Do people actually use the head? I always thought it was just better to chum overboard :)
 
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