Brand new boater

[zues]

Our family is seriously thinking about buying a boat. We looked at a few new boats and have come to the conclusion that a used boat will be better to learn on and cheaper if we decide it's not for us. With that being said can I get your opinion on a few used boats I have found locally. It will used as a weekend family boat for my wife and I and three kids. I sure there will be lot of tubing and maybe some beginner knee boarding. Also do these prices seem fair? If not what should I offer? Sorry for so many questions.



http://norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/1748434173.html

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/boa/1761961394.html

http://roanoke.craigslist.org/boa/1764642478.html

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Brand new boater

I have not looked at the boats that you posted.

That being said,
Get a used one that is no more than 10 years old. Get it inspected by your local dealer if you are buying from a privite party, and take it our for a sea trial before you buy it Also if you get one from a dealer, try to get some kind of warranty, even if its only for a year. Engine and outdriver is a real plus.

If you dont do these steps you may end up with one that has many problems that you dont know to look for and are sure to find them the first trip out, with the family looking at you asking why did you buy this P.O.S.
The biggest mistake a new boater makes is buying someone elses headache. This is almost always a lack of first hand knowledge on the buyers part.
If you get one that "Needs a little TLC" you can plan on alot of work and maybe not even getting to the water this year.
This is what alot of people do and they end up hating it forever.

If you follow the steps i laid out in the top of this post you will find boating to very enjoyable for the whole family, if you dont, then I wish you good luck.

Here's to hoping you follow some good advise and enjoy your boating for many years to come.

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: Brand new boater

I have to partially disagree with the prior recommendation. I have seen plenty of boats that are younger than 10 years old in terrible shape with completely blown engines. Conversely I have seen 30+ year old boats in fantastic shape with great engines (such as my own).

The problem the original poster seems to have is, as a newcomer to boating, he isn't familiar with what to look for when buying a boat. A boat that "looks good" isn't necessarily. I can clean up a turd and make it shine, but it's still gonna be a turd. It's not what it looks like on the surface, it's what it looks like underneath that matters. Same goes for the engine. What you MUST do is hire a marine surveyor to review the boat for you. You're looking to spend around $6000-$7000 based on the boats you posted, so an extra $300 or so for piece of mind will go a very long way. It's really your only solution to avoid taking on a risk. After you find a boat that you love and passes all the tests of the surveyor, learn everything you can on sites like this to both maintain and repair things as you go along. You'll be happy you did. Good luck

(btw, that wellcraft is WAAAYY overpriced)

 

[TMoNeE]

Re: Brand new boater

What do you do if you cant find a marine surveyor in the area you need one?

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Brand new boater

What do you do if you cant find a marine surveyor in the area you need one?

Thats what the warranty is for. and why i said no more than 10 years old.

To Andy Delight:
you are just arguing sumantic here. The point is to not get one that needs work and will leave them stranded and to have some trade value if they decide to get a new one. I know that you should be able to understand that.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Brand new boater

Where there are boats you will locate a surveyor.
Use google.

One of those boats had a new deck installed, want to bet the stringers are junk? Rot starts below the deck, not in the deck.

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: Brand new boater

Thats what the warranty is for. and why i said no more than 10 years old.

To Andy Delight:
you are just arguing sumantic here. The point is to not get one that needs work and will leave them stranded and to have some trade value if they decide to get a new one. I know that you should be able to understand that.

Right, what does some magical 10 year mark have to do with that? I can show you 2005 engines that are about to fall apart because Daddy let's little Johnny take it out with all his buddies and wants to show off. If there's boats in his area, there's marine surveyors for hire. Their job is to make sure the original poster gets a good boat for good value, regardless of what year the boat was made. My boat is a 1976. I'd be willing to bet it's in far better shape and condition than boat better than half it's age. It's all about how well the boat was cared for, not the age.

 

[cr2k]

Re: Brand new boater

Well the stringers were replaced too.

To me $6000 is WAY too much for 18 to 20+ year old boats Regardless of condition. This is like 1/2 or more of price paid when new.

The first one didn't mention engine size. For your stated use I would go with at least a V-6.

 

[KermieB]

Re: Brand new boater

I like the '9 Sea Ray. He doesn't specify the engine, but chances are, it's a 4.3 Mercruiser. He's told you where it has been serviced so it should be easy to check out. Get his name and permission to call the Marina and check his story. The ad also says he's gonna take the best offer, so there is a chance that he'll take a little less. 215 hours is NOT a lot for an 18 year old boat, and I for one, wouldn't worry about the age if the boat has been maintained, and I think the ad leads me to believe that this boat most likely has been maintained. If you bought MY boat, I couldn't prove anything, because I do all of my own maintenance. This guy can...

Good luck...!

 

[capt sam]

Re: Brand new boater

if you can't find a surveyor, talk to any marina or marine tech and see if they'll do one for you. Both above posters are both right, older boats will have more issues and some newer boats have been beat, if you don't know find someone who does or you will more than likely regret your purchase.

 

[sea wolf]

Re: Brand new boater

All of the above posters have given u good advice. If u can't find a surveyor then take it to an independent boat shop & have them inspect it for you. And don't buy anything made by OMC or Yamaha if u go with an i/o. OMC went bankrupt & Yamaha stuck it to their customers when they decided to get out of making sterndrives & parts for them. So, parts are impossible to find. Good luck.

 

[Lrider]

Re: Brand new boater

LoL I love this post

zues has not made one comment since it was posted

I am learning a lot tho

 

[Shife]

Re: Brand new boater

If you do not know what you are doing when it comes to inspecting the entire boat and it's systems, hire a marine surveyor. If you can't afford the surveyor you can't afford the boat. Never trust ANYTHING the seller tells you when dealing with a used boat. This applies to both private sales and dealership sales. Unless you have specifically defined and signed guarantees between you and the seller, ANYTHING that goes wrong with your new purchase is your problem and your's alone.

 

[hubbard53]

Re: Brand new boater

I'm going to disagree with buying a used boat as your first boat. If you can afford it, buy new. Yes, you'll have to deal with depreciation. Yes, you'll have to deal with that gut-wrenching first ding or scrath. But what you WONT have to deal with, as a first time boater, is the crap someone else did to their boat. Or the previous owner's lack onf maintenance that will haunt you a few months in. Or an engine that wont start, a bilge pump that wont pump, or lights that wont light.

If you get the wrong first boat, it will forever sour you on boating.

 

[jmfrost]

Re: Brand new boater

Do you have a friend that has owned a boat for many years? I would suggest taking someone like that with you first before dropping $300 everytime you think you want to consider a boat. A friend will also potentially help keep you from buying a boat because you're in love with the idea of boating. The friend doesn't have to be a mechanic, but just someone that could help compare to their own boat.

Defnitely agree with previous poster on staying away from OMC engines. We got burned on that with our last/first boat. I'm also glad we bought an older boat as our first, because we completely trashed it. I learned some hard lessons on that thing and finally figured out the point where we were losing more money than payments on a nicer/newer boat. So I went as far as I could stretch the budget when I got another boat last year. I can't even begin to tell you how happy we've been with that decision.

 

[zues]

Re: Brand new boater

Update.

Spent the weekend doing more research and looking at some boats. I did take along a friend that grew up on boats(mostly sailboats) to help me out. The three I originally post are all out for different reasons. The Maxum was sold. The Wellcraft was a bit of a drive so I called first and he wasn't willing to put the boat in the water BEFORE money changed hands. The Searay was a joke. He wouldn't give me permission to talk to the marina, he thinks it needs a battery, and the steering cable is broken. Never did hear the boat run but the owner said it's the best running boat on the water so that should be worth something right?
I've found a couple of Glastrons that I am going to checkout. One is a 2004 Glastron 17 ft Ski/Fish boat with a 90 hp Yamaha outboard and the other is a 2002 Glastron 195sx with the 4.3 merc. I'll let you know what happens.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Brand new boater

One is a 2004 Glastron 17 ft Ski/Fish boat with a 90 hp Yamaha outboard and the other is a 2002 Glastron 195sx with the 4.3 merc. I'll let you know what happens.

Both of those sound real good to me.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Brand new boater

split the difference between new and realoldandcheap. Get something 5 years old--still in good shape, half the cost of new.
If you are starting boating, and want it for family, you want "reliable" above all characteristics.
Do not take the family on the maiden voyage. Ever.

try this: just a quick peak at local ads:

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/1770759745.html

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Brand new boater

Oh come on HC, at least I PRETEND there are other boats out there than 18' dual console aluminums