We stay in Parker AZ for the entire summer (every weekend and long weekends) with our trailer and the wife wants a boat. We have been looking at Glastron ds215, Chaparral sunesta 232, and Ebbtide Mystique deck boats. She is into looks and I am more worried about making sure it runs every summer.
I will have it serviced every year from the local repair shop up there that my friend turned me on to so that will not be an issue.
The big head scratcher for me is buying newer (more cash) or older (less expensive). We have looked at 1999 to 2005 boats ranging from $15k to $30k. Yes I guess I could do the more expensive one IF I had to, but I also know it is not cheap to own a boat and want to make sure we can afford to have fun with it. We do want a deck boat that sits maybe up to 12 for sure and would like it to be 21'-24'. We like all 3 boats I mentioned.
What should I look for? I know we want at least 270hp since we will pull tubes and have a lot of people in the boat.
The engines we see in the boats we look at are I/O Mercruiser or Volvo. I was told the Mercury is a little cheaper to fix and service, but they are both good motors.
Not all boats have hour meters so I want to make sure I am not getting something that has been driven like crazy especially if I by an older boat. One example is an 1999 Ebbtide Mystique with a 5.7L merc V8. The boat looks awesome, but I don't want problems with the engine.
We started telling ourselves we should maybe get at least a 2004 model year to make sure we are getting something that will have less problems, but some of these older boats look great and are $10-$15k less.
Any advice would be great. She is ready to pull the trigger on the first Chaparral that is yellow and still smells new for $30k and I am trying to save a bit to buy a cold drink at the end of the day and put gas in the boat every weekend.
thanks for your time
I will have it serviced every year from the local repair shop up there that my friend turned me on to so that will not be an issue.
The big head scratcher for me is buying newer (more cash) or older (less expensive). We have looked at 1999 to 2005 boats ranging from $15k to $30k. Yes I guess I could do the more expensive one IF I had to, but I also know it is not cheap to own a boat and want to make sure we can afford to have fun with it. We do want a deck boat that sits maybe up to 12 for sure and would like it to be 21'-24'. We like all 3 boats I mentioned.
What should I look for? I know we want at least 270hp since we will pull tubes and have a lot of people in the boat.
The engines we see in the boats we look at are I/O Mercruiser or Volvo. I was told the Mercury is a little cheaper to fix and service, but they are both good motors.
Not all boats have hour meters so I want to make sure I am not getting something that has been driven like crazy especially if I by an older boat. One example is an 1999 Ebbtide Mystique with a 5.7L merc V8. The boat looks awesome, but I don't want problems with the engine.
We started telling ourselves we should maybe get at least a 2004 model year to make sure we are getting something that will have less problems, but some of these older boats look great and are $10-$15k less.
Any advice would be great. She is ready to pull the trigger on the first Chaparral that is yellow and still smells new for $30k and I am trying to save a bit to buy a cold drink at the end of the day and put gas in the boat every weekend.
thanks for your time