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Started By
Message
Tips for first-time boat buyer
Posted on 6/5/23 at 2:08 pm
Posted on 6/5/23 at 2:08 pm
Looking into getting a used boat. Would use it for freshwater fishing and recreatiion. Any tips on what to avoid or look for in the process? my budget is about 5000
11
Posted on 6/5/23 at 2:13 pm to hassan whiteside
Just my opinion, but I don't think you will get much with that budget. Maybe a 14x36 aluminum boat with a 15hp motor. is that more or less what you are looking for?
Posted on 6/5/23 at 2:13 pm to hassan whiteside
Is this going to be a pretty small boat? Flat with a tiller? With that budget I would try to go the simplest and newest you can. Don't get someone else's pile of crap. Probably won't be many options.
Posted on 6/5/23 at 2:33 pm to hassan whiteside
quote:
Looking into getting a used boat. Would use it for freshwater fishing and recreatiion. Any tips on what to avoid or look for in the process? my budget is about 5000
any decent condition flatboat with trailer and a good running engine thats doesnt have issues, is gonna run around $15k
a 50hp engine alone costs $9k today by the time you add a prop and controls LINK /
anything you get for $5k the trailer will have broken welds and rust with bad springs and maybe needs a new axle, the motor, if it runs, wont run for long and will need major repairs, the boat may be ok, but if the motor is ok then the boat will have leaks and cracks that show up after you buy it.
im not trying to be an arse here, but you dont have any sort of realistic budget. anything you buy for $5k will need to spend $10k and a lot of time to start fixing everything that is wrong with it, instead of just going fishing
This post was edited on 6/5/23 at 3:15 pm
Posted on 6/5/23 at 2:39 pm to hassan whiteside
$5K tiller jon boats that still run are hard to come by. Theyre not impossible to find but they are rare....
Posted on 6/5/23 at 3:52 pm to hassan whiteside
Save more, baw!
Posted on 6/5/23 at 3:57 pm to hassan whiteside
Found a 17 ft bay with a 70 hp 2 stroke motor for 7k.
Facebook Link
Another one with 2 stroke power and no paper work. So you will have to jump through hoops to get it titled. But it’s in you budget.
More Facebook
Another one in your budget.
FB
Here’s an older bass boat.
Louisiana Sportsman
Gonna be hard to find something for your budget but keep your eyes on the ads and you may find something that will get you on the water as long as you have reasonable expectations on what you can find at that price point.
ETA: Eh, there are boats in your budget as I have found in just a few minutes of searching. They won’t be sexy and you may have to do a little work but they will get you out there, maybe.
Facebook Link
Another one with 2 stroke power and no paper work. So you will have to jump through hoops to get it titled. But it’s in you budget.
More Facebook
Another one in your budget.
FB
Here’s an older bass boat.
Louisiana Sportsman
Gonna be hard to find something for your budget but keep your eyes on the ads and you may find something that will get you on the water as long as you have reasonable expectations on what you can find at that price point.
ETA: Eh, there are boats in your budget as I have found in just a few minutes of searching. They won’t be sexy and you may have to do a little work but they will get you out there, maybe.
This post was edited on 6/5/23 at 4:13 pm
Posted on 6/5/23 at 5:12 pm to Mister Bigfish
after 10 years old, mfgs stop making spare parts
Posted on 6/5/23 at 6:51 pm to hassan whiteside
quote:
freshwater fishing and recreatiion
You can definitely find a used flat bottom boat with this budget, albeit with trolling motor and good outboard ready to go setup for fishing may take time.
I’m no mechanic, but was always told to have the compression checked on the engine.
You could find the used boat and trailer pretty easy, possibly cheap, maybe consider that and find a motor separately.
Posted on 6/5/23 at 9:26 pm to hassan whiteside
As homey the clown said, have you considered just going to academy getting a 12' flat bottom boat and throwing a 15 hp on there?
I'm just saying, I saved up my entire life for my boat and while I love it, I could just as easily have done what I'm saying up there. Plus, I have to worry about damaging my boat, a cheap aluminum you don't have that worry.
Just my two cents, but on such a low budget I would go real small. Get something for you and your kid or buddy and that's all you need.
I'm just saying, I saved up my entire life for my boat and while I love it, I could just as easily have done what I'm saying up there. Plus, I have to worry about damaging my boat, a cheap aluminum you don't have that worry.
Just my two cents, but on such a low budget I would go real small. Get something for you and your kid or buddy and that's all you need.
Posted on 6/5/23 at 9:27 pm to bobdylan
I’d generally disagree with a number of comments above. You won’t get a huge boat and you’ll have to hunt on marketplace pretty much daily, but you can find a good lil boat for 5k. It won’t be perfect, it won’t be fast, but they are out there to be had.
Posted on 6/5/23 at 9:39 pm to LA_KY
Buddy of mine just bought an 18' whaler with a good 115 on it for $3800. Boat and trailer need a little work but nothing major. $5k is a workable budget with some patience and willingness to put some work in.
Posted on 6/5/23 at 9:51 pm to hassan whiteside
The top criteria on my list is the "pi$$ability factor". Stand up inside the boat and see how easy or difficult it is to pee out of it. Then remind yourself that you'll be doing this on the water and not on a stable trailer. Expensive or cheap, the few boats I've owned had to have a favorable "pi$$ability factor".
Posted on 6/5/23 at 10:09 pm to BFIV
quote:
The top criteria on my list is the "pi$$ability factor". Stand up inside the boat and see how easy or difficult it is to pee out of it.
Piss in bilge and let it run out on plane.
Posted on 6/5/23 at 10:10 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
quote:
Buddy of mine just bought an 18' whaler with a good 115 on it for $3800.
I don't believe you.
Posted on 6/5/23 at 10:13 pm to hassan whiteside
Usually good deals come in one of two ways: 1. You know the person and they have a great boat that they’re willing to give you or sell to you for cheap. 2. You have a lot of experience with boats and can quickly inspect every inch of the boat and make a decision that day.
Good deals move fast, especially on FB marketplace.
Simple tiller handle flat boats have less to inspect, less to break, and less to maintain.
If you have no experience and nobody to look at the boat with you, your best bet is to go as simple as possible. Aluminum, welded, no wood, no carpet, no fiberglass, minimal electronics if any. If there’s a subfloor, try to inspect the foam for water logged foam.
If on a trailer, inspect for corrosion where the boat makes contact with the trailer bunks. Look for cracks in every weld/corner. Make sure the trailer is galvanized.
On the outboard, look for corrosion, take off the cowling and look for signs of work on the engine. Loose wiring, stripped off bolts, corrosion around the engine block, dry rotted hoses.
Insist on running the engine. If you can put it in the water, even better. Sometimes an engine may run fine on earmuffs and not push the boat under load.
Good deals move fast, especially on FB marketplace.
Simple tiller handle flat boats have less to inspect, less to break, and less to maintain.
If you have no experience and nobody to look at the boat with you, your best bet is to go as simple as possible. Aluminum, welded, no wood, no carpet, no fiberglass, minimal electronics if any. If there’s a subfloor, try to inspect the foam for water logged foam.
If on a trailer, inspect for corrosion where the boat makes contact with the trailer bunks. Look for cracks in every weld/corner. Make sure the trailer is galvanized.
On the outboard, look for corrosion, take off the cowling and look for signs of work on the engine. Loose wiring, stripped off bolts, corrosion around the engine block, dry rotted hoses.
Insist on running the engine. If you can put it in the water, even better. Sometimes an engine may run fine on earmuffs and not push the boat under load.
Posted on 6/6/23 at 1:16 am to hassan whiteside
Posted on 6/6/23 at 1:39 am to Craw Dawg
Ignore everyone on here, I am about to buy a nice 17 foot bay boat with a Yamaha 70 and 3 year old awesome 1500 dollar minn kota gps motor, all aluminum trailer etc all in great condition for that. It’s from a buddy but deals pop up all the time. He bought a bigger 5 year old 20 foot boat from an old women with a 150’ Yamaha that was used 3 times for a great deal. It still has the little rubber finger things on the tires. Meanwhile I sold my 23 nautica star boat which I had 59 in for 20 last year and it was one of nicest 23s on the water m. I had almost 20k in electronics alone put on in 2021. So he got a really good deal too.
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