Looking for first boat

[newlakeboat90]

Hello,

I am looking at buying my first boat. My girlfriend and I just purchased a house near a lake. I am looking for a boat between 18-21 feet. Preferably under $20k. What brands should I be looking at? Need advice.

thanks

 

[KD4UPL]

What are you going to use it for? Cruising, water sports, fishing, etc.?
At that price it will be a well used boat. In that case the condition of the boat, how it's been maintained, etc. will matter a lot more than the brand.
Do you have someone you know who is knowledgeable about boats that can look at them with you? There's a bit more to it than buying a used car.

 

[Scott Danforth]

first, welcome aboard, and congrats on the house purchase

ignore brands. any used boat you need to be looking at condition condition condition condition.

did I mention condition

a crappy manufactured boat in good condition is better than a premium brand in $#!T condition

look at the sticky at the top of this forum and follow the guidelines for buying a used boat.

 

[newlakeboat90]

first, welcome aboard, and congrats on the house purchase

ignore brands. any used boat you need to be looking at condition condition condition condition.

did I mention condition

a crappy manufactured boat in good condition is better than a premium brand in $#!T condition

look at the sticky at the top of this forum and follow the guidelines for buying a used boat.

Looking for a boat for pleasure. A boat big enough to hold 7-8 people.

 

[Bondo]

Looking for a boat for pleasure. A boat big enough to hold 7-8 people.

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,.......

Probably a bow rider, powered by either a late model Mercruiser, or Volvo,.....
With 8 onboard, I'd want a V8, atleast a 5.7l motor by either of the above,....

 

[tpenfield]

Welcome to iBoats . . .

What do you envision using the boat for/ Fishing? Water sports? Cruising? A mix of things?

That will indicate what type of boat you should consider. Then it is a matter of age and brand to fit into your budget.

Are you a good wrench turner? or not so much?

 

[newlakeboat90]

Welcome to iBoats . . .

What do you envision using the boat for/ Fishing? Water sports? Cruising? A mix of things?

That will indicate what type of boat you should consider. Then it is a matter of age and brand to fit into your budget.

Are you a good wrench turner? or not so much?

Water tubing would be ideal.

 

[JimS123]

21 feet and 8 people doesn't compute. 7 on my son's 25 footer felt cramped. Maybe you should be looking at a pontoon, and even then if tubing is in the plan it better have a pretty big outboard and you might exceed your budget.

 

[H20Rat]

8 people comfortably on a 21 foot anything (pontoon or boat) isn't going to happen. Nobody likes to be shoulder to shoulder for very long. My deck boat is 20', and technically seats 10, 6 is comfortable, 8 is cozy for a very short time, and no coolers.

If you want 8 comfortably, you are talking 24ft pontoon/deckboat minimum.

 

[KD4UPL]

We're a family of 5 and generally go boating with another family of 3 to 6 people. This is on a 23' bowrider. So we're generally at 4 adults and 4 to 7 kids. It's a little tight but not bad. I used to do the same thing on a 21' bowrider, that was cramped. If you're talking about 8 adults then maybe that's different from having a bunch of little kids.
OP, I think you're looking for a bowrider or deck boat, V8 minimum, 300 HP even better. Stay away from OMC and Ford engines because they have been out of the marine business for quite a while; parts and service are hard to come by. I've owned Larson and Rinker and been happy with both. They're not high end brands but not bad either. Both were one owners, kept in the dry, and well maintained by their owners. I see so many boats sitting outside uncovered. I hate to think who might buy one of those some day.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Six adults on a 21’ boat would be tolerable for a while, but if you’re thinking of spending an entire day on the boat with that many people, plus whatever gear they bring along, plus a tube, it’s going to be pretty cramped. We spend days on the river in our 19’er with 4-5 adults, a cooler, skis or a tube, and it can get to feel a little claustrophobic after a few hours.

if you would be leaving from a private dock so that you could drop off and pick up people, get out to stretch your legs, and pick up extra drinks/supplies, 21 foot would be much more tolerable. 23’ would be better.

 

[newlakeboat90]

1995 Stingray Boats 586ZP

Just in on trade! A well taken care of, 1995 Stingray 586ZP. This Stingray is powered by a Mercuirser 4.3LX I/O & comes with an Elete single axle trailer. Some of the options on this Stingray include: Marine stereo, in-floor ski locker, stern boarding ladder, stainless steel prop, & much more! Stop

www.marinecenterusa.com

Is this expensive for how old it is?

 

[JimS123]

Its a beautiful boat - looks like it was well cared for. We have owned 2 of them over the years and we loved them.

That said, they are asking double what it's worth based on market values. You will pay extra because of the exceptional condition of a used boat.

Regardless, that's a 4-person comfortable boat. To meet your persons requirement you may even exceed the weight capacity.

You need to look at 25-27 foot boats, leave a few of your friends home, or convince them to buy a boat too and meet you out on the sandbar.

 

[JASinIL2006]

that is about the size and configuration of my boat. Think about where you would put eight people plus their gear in something that size. You could probably fit two upfront, two including the driver in the middle, and probably two in the back. Add coolers, a tube, a beach bag or two, and anything else you happen to bring along, plus required things life lifejackets, a paddle, etc. It would get pretty cramped.

 

[tpenfield]

Pricey . . . but you will get that sort of thing from many boat dealers.

nadaguides.com and bucvalu.com are websites that you can use to get an idea of market value. BUC is better than NADA, but cost about $20/month to subscribe - NADA is free and worth every penny

 

[tpenfield]

Newbies often under estimate the amount of boat they will need and various logistics of boating. Safety is paramount, so it is important to learn about boats and water safety. Filling a boat up to capacity is not all that safe for a new boater.

Pontoon boats are often favored for larger number of people, as they can be considered the 'SUV' of boats, however, they are flat-water crafts and therefore limited in the places they can go . . . those being very mild wave conditions.

Also, boats are typically unreliable as compared to other types of vehicles - so be ready to fix things . . . some minor and some not so minor.

 

[newlakeboat90]

How about 6 adults. Whats boat size for that?

 

[JASinIL2006]

You are not going to be living right on the lake, correct? So when you go boating, will you and your passengers be confined to the boat for the duration? Will you beach the boat? To me, it makes a lot of difference whether you're confined to the boat for 6-8 hours or if you'll be disembarking and getting off the boat for periods of time.

 

[JimS123]

How about 6 adults. Whats boat size for that?

21' minimum doable, 25' if you want to be reasonably comfortable. A bowrider is mandatory, and if the ladies insist on bringing bags of "stuff" along with them, then you better have some good storage room.

Before you attempt to drive around with 2 people in the bow area, you better have many hours of experience piloting the boat with only 2 of you. Take a safety course even before you step foot in it the first time.

Of course, you realize that any comments on this thread are merely opinions of the poster.

 

[newlakeboat90]

21' minimum doable, 25' if you want to be reasonably comfortable. A bowrider is mandatory, and if the ladies insist on bringing bags of "stuff" along with them, then you better have some good storage room.

Before you attempt to drive around with 2 people in the bow area, you better have many hours of experience piloting the boat with only 2 of you. Take a safety course even before you step foot in it the first time.

Of course, you realize that any comments on this thread are merely opinions of the poster.

Id say it be my girlfriend and I, 75% of the time alone. We may have friends come up every once in awhile. I told i think 6 capacity is all we need max and she insists on 8. We will on lake for hours at a time.