getting a new boat! maybe....

[nhcris]

Hi everyone! So I'm getting real tired of all the electrical ghosts and other issues with my 20 year old four winns, and the wife gave me the ok to buy a new boat. I decided I wanted to stay with an 18 foot bowrider because of the ease of trailering and cost. I looked at all the new boat stuff here on iboats and decided I kind of liked the Starcraft limited 185 io sport, so I called the dealer and found out it really is the wrong time of year to start looking at boats! They didn't have any in stock and were taking orders for next years boats. The dealer offered to call around to see if he could locate one in the region with a 4.3 volvo that I requested, he followed through a few hours later and called me back with what he found. He said he located that model with a 4.3 merc, but it is a 2013 model that was used for a photo shoot, he said it had bottom paint on it because it was used in a lake with a mussel problem, he told me that since it had been used he could get it to me for "thousands" less than msrp.
Do any of you know how bad these boats get beat for photo shoots or how many hours get put on them? It doesn't seem to me they should be in the water long enough to need bottom paint..do you guys think I should bite or walk away and keep looking? Think I should ask the dealer to do a full service on the engine and outdrive? Thanks in advance for all your opinions!

 

[oldjeep]

Re: getting a new boat! maybe....

Well it depends. I was involved in a Glastron photo shoot for their catalog a few years ago. Basically they picked random people/families out of the crowd at the Turtle races in Nisswa - never asked if you could drive a boat

So we went out to the lake they were shooting on (Gull lake chain) and were handed the keys to a brand new next year model deck boat. The photoshoot was mostly full speed runs (45-50mph) 6 feet off the side of the camera boat.

The only issue that I would have is finding out if the motor was broken in before the shoot - running brand new engines flat out is not really good for them. That being said, I doubt that most boat owners break in the motors properly anyways.

The picture - lady in the back was a random person they picked to go along with me/wife and kids

 

[jkust]

Re: getting a new boat! maybe....

Well if I were you I'd email Randy Vance at Boating Magazine. He'd can give you a heads up on the way boats are treated while getting tested and shot. I'm of the opinion that you'd get 'thousands' off MSRP on a showroom new boat regardless. Could be two thousands but it could be ten thousand.


http://www.linkedin.com/pub/randy-vance/13/850/a7a


Randy Vance is a lifelong boater with an extended background in recreational boating and recreational marine communications. For over ten years, he was the editor in chief of Boating Life magazine and also assumed the helm of Boating magazine. Randy’s passion for boating journalism and communicating the fun and adventure of have been his career objective.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: getting a new boat! maybe....

I think you would be served just as well to go find a 2008/2009 model that has had a larger portion of the depreciation knocked off of it. Chances are, you'll find many of them with less than 75hrs on the boat, and in great condition. Would save you tons of cash over a new boat, photoshoot model or not.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: getting a new boat! maybe....

I think you would be served just as well to go find a 2008/2009 model that has had a larger portion of the depreciation knocked off of it. Chances are, you'll find many of them with less than 75hrs on the boat, and in great condition. Would save you tons of cash over a new boat, photoshoot model or not.

As well as no warranty and at least one knucklehead previous owner

 

[tpenfield]

Re: getting a new boat! maybe....

Hi everyone! So I'm getting real tired of all the electrical ghosts and other issues with my 20 year old four winns, and the wife gave me the ok to buy a new boat. . . . They didn't have any in stock and were taking orders for next years boats. The dealer offered to call around to see if he could locate one . . . but it is a 2013 model that was used for a photo shoot, he said it had bottom paint on it because it was used in a lake with a mussel problem, he told me that since it had been used he could get it to me for "thousands" less than msrp.

Do any of you know how bad these boats get beat for photo shoots or how many hours get put on them?

It doesn't seem to me they should be in the water long enough to need bottom paint..do you guys think I should bite or walk away and keep looking?

Think I should ask the dealer to do a full service on the engine and outdrive?

Thanks in advance for all your opinions!

Well, you know how tough those 'swim suit models' can be on boats during a photo shoot

Does it have to be new-new or can it be a few years old new?

Does it have to be a starcarft or will other boats meet the mark?

Are you aware that it is a buyer's market in the Fall and a seller's (dealer's) market in the Spring/early Summer ?

Can you wait until Fall?

I think you may have narrowed your choices too much at the wrong time of year.

 

[skagit17]

Re: getting a new boat! maybe....

I think you would be served just as well to go find a 2008/2009 model that has had a larger portion of the depreciation knocked off of it. Chances are, you'll find many of them with less than 75hrs on the boat, and in great condition. Would save you tons of cash over a new boat, photoshoot model or not.

I agree! Maybe hire a surveyor to look it over with you if you aren't comfortable with checking it out yourself. I always bring a cynical friend to keep me grounded and not get all excited (which we all do!) about the boat and miss imperfections or problems. As shown in the Starcraft thread, even new boats have some issues until the sea trials are over.

The photoshoot boat might have a ding but I doubt it is too beat up...and it probably has lots of options! I mean, they were using that boat in promotional literature, so it must look good!

 

[nhcris]

Re: getting a new boat! maybe....

Thank you guys so much! You talked me off of my new boat high The dealer just called me back, his great deal wasn't great at all!! The boat was actually a 195 io sport (which I was fine with), the website shows the 2012 195 with the 3.0 at $20k, he was gonna sell me this 2013 with a graphics package and the 4.3 for $28k!! Get bent....