Looking to buy first boat

[foxhuntr]

Hello all.
I am looking to buy my first boat for my wife and i.....looking for about a 24'-27' cuddy cruiser...we are planning on spending wekends on it so we need the bunk and head w/hot water shower....will be putting the boat in around Sandusky Oh.... our budget is around $10-$12k with trailer....the trailer must have surge breaks on each axle since we are from Pa....we've been looking at the Bayliners and Sea Ray's...we wanna get one in the next month or so so we can get it cleaned up and get to know the layout of the boat before the boating season gets here....anybody have any suggestions on what to look for for in buying a used boat ??

 

[hog88]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

That's a pretty good sized boat for a first, but hey the bigger the better. The power plant is the most expensive part of your boat, pay the money to have it checked by a mechanic, do a sea trial with the current owner and your mechanic.

 

[PrinceValium]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

Welcome to the forum!

Although I have limited experience with used boats some of the things I would be looking for was hull integrity, mold, overall look of the boat, How the motor sounds, test drive, Do all the gauges work, how long the boat had not been used, etc. I am sure there will be quite a few more experienced answers here shortly.

Good luck with your search.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

Hey foxhuntr - Welcome aboard!

Out of curiosity, is this your first boat or do you have some experience on them? A 27 is quite a bit of boat, and Erie is quite a bit of water, y'know?

The reality is on used boats, condition is key. While I wouldn't lean toward a Bayliner initially over a Sea Ray, a well cared for used Bay will be a better boat than a neglected Sea Ray that was rode hard and put up wet. Are you looking at any specific boats yet?

 

[JoLin]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

Hi and welcome.

Yes, 27' is a lot of boat, and if you intend to trailer it, you need to be very, very aware of total weight, your tow vehicle's capacity, and the limitations on the boat's beam before you need special towing permits (usually 8' 6" but varies by state).

I'm also concerned that you're trying to make a deal on a decent boat within a month. IMO, you're almost bound to blow it unless you're extremely lucky. You don't have a big budget for a boat that size. I would strongly recommend that you set aside money to pay for a professional survey and mechanical inspection pre-purchase.

Happy hunting!

 

[shrew]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

24 - 27 is actually a large range in sizes and $10K -$12K is on the low end of the price scale for even the low end of o fthe size range. You will more easily find a 24 ft. boat closer to this price range than a 27 ft boat. The larger and less expensive you go, the older the model will go as well. These are OFTEN accompanied with higher repair bills. While not a rule, I have foudn that often a 12K boat becomes a 24K boat very quickly whether you want it to or not.

 

[daveywonder]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

You go dude. First rig a sleeper will be rewarding if drunk or sleeping. You won't be able to go where smaller boats go to catch the panfish, but heck, with the $ you got to spend for a used rig that size be sure you insure your first boat because you WILL screw up somewhere down the road or on the water. Good boating...Daveywonder:

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

Hello all.
I am looking to buy my first boat for my wife and i.....looking for about a 24'-27' cuddy cruiser...we are planning on spending wekends on it so we need the bunk and head w/hot water shower....will be putting the boat in around Sandusky Oh.... our budget is around $10-$12k with trailer....the trailer must have surge breaks on each axle since we are from Pa....we've been looking at the Bayliners and Sea Ray's...we wanna get one in the next month or so so we can get it cleaned up and get to know the layout of the boat before the boating season gets here....anybody have any suggestions on what to look for for in buying a used boat ??

As some of the other comments have pointed out, the desired boat size and available budget do not match up too well.

Go to boats.com and boattraderonline.com and search for boats in your area that meet the size and price range that you are looking for. Chances are that you will be looking at older boats (20 years old) and or lower-end boats. But start searching and see what is out there.

Since boat "brand bashing" is frowned upon on this site, most of us will refrain from negative comments about a particular brand. Given that you will be looking at aged boats, condition is going to be more of a factor than brand.

 

[foxhuntr]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

sorry i havent been able to get on here for awhile....thanks for all the input....i do have a little experience with boats but not a whole lot...but i do have alot of experience at towing and regulations on beam length......i am a truck driver and live in Pa and our law is anything over 8'6" beam you need a permit....we have found alot of boats in our price range but most of them are Bayliners ranging from 24' to 26' in the years of 1990 to 1996....from the pics some of them look really nice shape but we havent gone out and seen them in person yet...thinking about going out this Thursday to lurk around a few of them...

 

[southkogs]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

My concerns for someone starting out in a big boat isn't so much towing it, as much as launching, controlling close quartered and recovering the boat. I've always suggested people start out with boats around 20' (and kinda' think outboards are a little easier to learn on). A 24' wouldn't be too far off that, but still a little tricky to launch and retrieve.

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

Tow years ago I sold a 1989 Arriva(made by US marine) for $4,000 with a loadrite tandum wheel trailer.The boat was a 21ft Bowrider. with an 230hp mercruiser I/0. I paid $9,000 for it in 1996.It had two seats in the front,split windshield ,two captain chairs and a wide bench across the back. and it would fly. This was my first good boat i ever had and I keep it in very good shape. Today we have a 24ft slower Pontoon boat with a 90 hp merc out board.Just to give you an example.

 

[foxhuntr]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

ok.....we are now thinking about downsizing alittle....since this is our first boat..even tho i do have alittle bit of experience on boats that were friends.....but never owned one myself other than a small fishing boat with an outboard....thinking of staying on our shorter end of maybe a 23' or 24'....dont really wanna go much shorter cause we wanna be able to spend the night on it in a nice bay or some where....we found a nice Bayliner
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1994-Bayliner-2355-Ciera-Sunbridge-101049031
what does everyone think about this one ....is it a good buy?
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1992-Four-Winns-235-Vista-99436478

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

You don't want an OMC so forget the Four Winns.

 

[MarkSee]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

By just looking at the pictures the Bayliner appears to pass the "looks clean and may have been taken care of" test. The ad does say it has been used very little in the last 10 years so as some experts here can tell you, lack of use can be detrimental to an engine/drive. Ask the owner if you can bring along a mechanic, or find a local shop in that area, that will do a pre-purchase mechanical survey; this of course is at your expense. Then depending on the results of that survey, make an offer. I hull survey is also recommended even for boats of that size. If the owner is not open to the mechanical survey or a sea-trail before handing over the cash, well that might tell you something. I did all the above before buying my 270 Sundancer and glad I did as the mechanic found a bad exhaust value (he did a leak down test) that cause 1 cylinder to have half the compression; you would not have none this by simply operating the boat even at high rpm as it ran great. We asked the current owner for a $1,500 allowance to do a valve job on both heads which he agreed to deduct from the price. So though I spent a few hundred bucks for the pre-purchase inspections, it gave me piece of mind and paid for itself.
Check out on this site of FriscoJarretts or on you tube for his adventures into his buying a boat that was clean, ran great but he soon found out, there was all kinds of rot and what he went through.
Mark

 

[foxhuntr]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

thanks for the info ...i have heard about staying away from the OMC engines before....what is the reason for this ??? Mark See ....$1500 for a pre-purchase inspection ??? is that what i cost you to have a machanic check out the boat ??? i also ran across this one ...it sounds really to good to be true.....
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1993-Celebrity-230-Cuddy-Cabin-97952490/?zmc=stf

 

[drrpm]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

It sounds like the $1,500 was for a valve job. Cabins on a small boat are usually hot, cramped and end up being used more for storage than anything else. Spend some time in one before you make your final decision.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

thanks for the info ...i have heard about staying away from the OMC engines before....what is the reason for this ???

OMC has been out of business since '98ish and parts and service are drying up. You could do worse than an OMC Cobra with GM-based engines but I'd still want a pretty big discount for it.

 

[foxhuntr]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

so then i really cant go wrong with a good running mercruizer ? any of those better than others ? how about outdrives ? what are some good outdrives

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

GM based Mercruisers are all well supported with parts and service. That much I know. I can't really speak to the differences between Alphas, Bravos, etc etc. but perhaps someone else can.

 

[foxhuntr]

Re: Looking to buy first boat

how about the Volvo 5.8 in this four winns
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1996-Four-Winns-245x-Sundowner-203661/?zmc=stf&