First boat buyer questions

[mavric91]

Some questions from a beginner. My intended use is in southwest VA, mostly lakes and slower, deeper sections of rivers. Want it to do some fishing, cruising, and just spend a day hanging out.

I have been looking at a 1989 Hydrasport DV-180-SX with an evinrude 150 on it. But I can find almost no info about this boat online. It looks to be in good shape but again, i just know nothing about this boat. The owner lists it as a DX-180-SX, but the boat clearly says DV on the side. Does anyone know anything about this boat?

I am also considering a 14 ft polar kraft with a 20hp outboard. This boat is appealing due to its simplicity and metal hull. But, I want to go fast and I really like the steering wheel control of the other. I am not sure what would be best for my use case and budget (~5k).

 

[TyeeMan]

Sounds like your at opposite ends of the spectrum on your boat choices. Trust me, you won't want to spend a whole day on a 14 foot boat.
1989 is getting a bit old for a glass boat. You'll want to be on the lookout for rotten transom, stringers, floor, etc. unless the boat was verifiably kept in a garage or shed when not in use.

 

[mavric91]

Sounds like your at opposite ends of the spectrum on your boat choices. Trust me, you won't want to spend a whole day on a 14 foot boat.
1989 is getting a bit old for a glass boat. You'll want to be on the lookout for rotten transom, stringers, floor, etc. unless the boat was verifiably kept in a garage or shed when not in use.

The boat claims to be garaged kept. I havent seen it in person yet, but the pictures show the gel coat doesnt appear to be faded, seats look to be in good shape, and owner claims it runs well with stator, rectifier, and batteries all replaced in the last couple of years. I wont have a garage to keep it in myself, just a cover for it. Will this be a problem?

And yes i realize they are two very different boats. I think I like the bigger hydra-sport better. But the simplicity of the metal polar kraft, and the ability to explore more on the rivers/not as high damage risk in shallow water has a lot of appeal for me.

 

[Stargazer1967]

Both boats ,as said above, have very different water handling, fuel cost, not just on water, but also pulling smaller vs bigger boat with tow vehicle. I have a 14ft john and a 21ft chaparral. The chappy great with people, stable when waves or sudden storm crops up not much of issue, have speed to get back but I rarely use top speed. Slow cruise or regular cruise is normal. Smaller boat as said much simpler to keep run maintain. Much less fuel burn, easier to get into those fishing holes, cant take as many friends, and lake kicking up can cause some pucker problems. I would suggest finding a similar boat of similar size and rent for a day and compare handling and other factors.then make a decision

 

[Scott Danforth]

first boat should always be aluminum.

old fiberglass boats may have structural issues.

 

[TyeeMan]

Not sure what brands of aluminum boats you have in that neck of the woods but maybe look for a 18 foot aluminum boat like a Lund Tyee, or Crestliner, or Alumacraft fish and ski type of boat.

 

[briangcc]

I'd look at either Starcraft or Sylvan in the 18' range with 75Hp (or more). Will move. Will do skinny(ish) water. You bump something you'll dent it, not fracture glass.

Gives you a stable fishing platform and can tube/ski from it if that's your thing.

Having been on a 14' tinny, you're only going out in almost perfect conditions. Any kind of chop your front passenger, and more than likely you, ARE getting wet. A few minutes of that is enough for some to swear off boating.....me, I bought a new Bayliner but that's another story for another time

 

[aspeck]

Check out this thread:

For New Members Needing help buying a boat. A Buyer's Checklist.

All of the Iboaters know that we frequently have new members checking in and asking about wether or not to purchase this that or the other boat. After speaking to a Mod (Thanks BobVT) I have decided to use a previous post to create a check list of things to check when purchasing a new boat...

forums.iboats.com

 

[Buster53]

Good luck in your search.
Quick question…have you taken the required boater safety class?

 

[chris.olson]

Some questions from a beginner. My intended use is in southwest VA, mostly lakes and slower, deeper sections of rivers. Want it to do some fishing, cruising, and just spend a day hanging out.

The 14ft Polar Kraft is a practical fishing boat. The Hydrasport 180 is a bass racer. Unless you're into bass racing (tournament bass fishing) and getting an education on how much boats really cost to own and operate, the 14ft Polar Kraft will make a better choice for a first time boater. The main thing is to have fun and enjoy your time on the water and not blow your budget on repairs. There is no such thing as a 33 year old glass boat with a XP150 on it that doesn't need repairs - these are the kind of boats you can dump cubic money into after buying it.

If you are bound and determined to buy the 180 just to go fast better take somebody along that knows about boats to find out how many soft spots it has in the hull, deck and transom, how bad the wiring has been rat-nested and find out if that old V-6 Evvie actually has compression on all six before you buy it. You can drop a couple grand just on fixing the outboard on that boat if it has a problem.