Advice For First Time Bass Boat Buyer?

[JPascavage52]

Hey guys, I'm in the third year of my first job out of college, and have saved up a decent amount of money, and I'm beginning to plan my first few "big asset purchases"  I'm planning to trade in my sedan for a small pickup/ SUV probably in the next month or so. And, this has gotten me into thinking about purchasing my first entry level, probably used "bachelor" bass boat. I currently do my own bass fishing out of a small fishing kayak, and fish several local club tournaments each year as a rider, but I would like to be able to have the freedom to fish more tournaments in other areas, without having to wait for someone to invite me. 

 

I fish a wide variety of bodies of water, mostly medium sized lakes (Raystown at about 8,000 acres being the largest), as well as a few rivers. I'm not much of a "run and gun" fisherman, I like to heavily scrutinize an area, and make repeated casts to structure, before moving. I've never been one to use electronics much, my father raised me against them, but I would like to utilize them primarily to find fish in summer on deepwater humps/ offshore structure. I'm looking at aluminum, because I've heard it's more durable and cheaper. Also, many of the tournaments I've seen require you to have a 25 HP MINIMUM motor to compete, and from what I hear, even this will leave you seriously underpowered. 

 

I wanted to get some opinions and experiences from anyone out there who was in a similar situation to me, or what you went through when you bought your first bass boat, such as

 

- Did you buy used? What were your costs for the boat, and any maintenance/ upgrades over the next few years? What were some red flags during the buying process? 

 

- How did you store the boat when not in use? Did anyone rent extra space, or some kind of storage unit for it?  

 

Thank you very much for the help. 

[slonezp]

If you give us a budget it would be more helpful in making suggestions for new vs used. Maintenance costs will vary depending on 4 stroke or 2 stroke, and tin vs 'glass. Can you perform basic maintenance yourself or does it all need to be done by a mechanic (roughly $100 per hour)? Purchasing costs include registration, plates, and taxes, My boat is stored in a secure storage yard with 24 hour access. Aside from storage, other costs include fuel for the boat and using more fuel for the tow vehicle, launch fees and user fees, trailer maintenance, installing a receiver hitch. Another tournament requirement is a working livewell. Equipment upgrades are nice. Graphs, trolling motors, shallow water anchors etc. These can get pricey, but if you have basic mechanical skills, you can install them yourself. As far as motor size, I fish against guys with motors ranging from 40hp-300hp. Nobody catches fish going 80mph. 

[jhoffman]

I fish tournaments out of my 17' tracker with a 25hp on Raystown. With me in it, its MUCH slower than everyone else in my club. I can hit 25 on a good day.

 

After what I experienced in NY over the weekend my next boat will definitely be glass. Might keep mine if I have the space but I doubt it. When it gets rough on some lakes, it gets ROUGH.

 

As far as costs, maintence, look through the topics in this section, weve discussed it a lot.

[JPascavage52]

Thanks for the replies everyone, very helpful so far.

 

If you give us a budget it would be more helpful in making suggestions for new vs used. Maintenance costs will vary depending on 4 stroke or 2 stroke, and tin vs 'glass. Can you perform basic maintenance yourself or does it all need to be done by a mechanic (roughly $100 per hour)? Purchasing costs include registration, plates, and taxes, My boat is stored in a secure storage yard with 24 hour access. Aside from storage, other costs include fuel for the boat and using more fuel for the tow vehicle, launch fees and user fees, trailer maintenance, installing a receiver hitch. Another tournament requirement is a working livewell. Equipment upgrades are nice. Graphs, trolling motors, shallow water anchors etc. These can get pricey, but if you have basic mechanical skills, you can install them yourself. As far as motor size, I fish against guys with motors ranging from 40hp-300hp. Nobody catches fish going 80mph. 

 

I will probably perform most maintenance myself, I'm pretty savvy performing repairs on my own car, and I'm more than willing to spend a few hours of aggravation to save a few hundred on labor. My budget will probably be in about the $5,000 range, although I'd be willing to fluctuate that, hence why I'm assuming it will be used. Not going to buy the next boat I see or anything, but I want to be prepared when I see that good deal for sale. Not looking for anything too fancy or showy, just something reasonably comfortable that will hold up well for a few years, and will get me from point A to point B at a reasonable speed to get on some fish. I guess my next question would be, what would be the year of the oldest boat you would consider purchasing? I know a guy who purchased a 1988 Lund for about $2,000, and he has had no problems with it whatsoever. 

[jhoffman]

year means nothing, its the maintance and storage that counts

[james 14]

year means nothing, its the maintance and storage that counts

 

X2 and the simpler the boat the more this rings true. There's more that can go wrong on something like a Tracker or even a bass boat compared to a regular jon boat with no wiring, pumps, etc. Apart from that the age of the motor is the most important thing but even that is completely dependant upon who owned it. I've owned two motors in my life that were over 30 years old and they both ran near perfectly when I parted with them.

 

You need to spend about 3-4 months looking at used boats. Craigslist will show you more boats than most other places and this will give you an idea of what's out there and what price you can expect to pay. You'll run across some boats that'll make you want to buy it right away but resist the urge and keep looking unless it's someone you know. After that amount of time you'll be fairly well educated as to what's a good deal and what's not. Then when you make a purchase you'll have confidence you made the right one. I was on CL for over a year looking at boats before I was even ready to buy. When I finally had the $$$ and my wife's blessing I knew exactly what I wanted, what I could get and what it was going to cost. As a result I knew what to look for and now I have a boat I'm very happy with and no second guesses.

[martintheduck]

As someone going through EXACTLY what you're going through....

 

 

I've been looking on craigslist for the past 3 months, strictly to give me an idea of what's available in my area and the prices. I've decided on Aluminum b/c it'll be my first boat and glass seems too much of a risk for "exploring". I've gone between financing new and used, and have decided on used. It makes sense to pay, say $7,000 for a used boat, fish it for 3-4 years, then sell it for $4,000 minimum. It doesn't make sense to pay $20,000 for a new boat, fish it for 3-4 years, and sell it for $12,000 (my numbers might be skewed, but you get the point). 

 

SO - I've decided on used aluminum. Now, we started getting into what kind of motor I'm looking for. I've decided I'm okay with a 50 topping me out at 30mph, but I'm also okay with a 90 pushing me to 40+. Motor size isn't a big concern for me, just so long as the sucker has been well maintained. 

 

 

NEXT - Big red flag - I do not trust buying "used" things because it might be someone else's problem! So what to do? Well, I've gotten serious about buying, so I've begun asking fishing buddies if they know anyone looking to sell. Guess what?!?!? I've come across TWO boats that fit what I am looking for! They have both been maintained incredibly well. Also, both of the sellers have the mind frame of "I'm not really TRYING to sell my boat, but if someone want's to buy it, I'd sell." This leads me to feel comfortable with their upkeep, performance, and condition overall. One is a 2002 Express 17-footer w/ a 90hp, and the other is a 2007 Tracker 175 txw w/ a 50.... $7k and $6,500 respectively. 

 

 

 

Moral of the story - I've given it some time, really contemplated what I need -vs- what I just "want, and narrowed down my choices to a few different types of boat. I took the advice of people on here, and began asking my local fisherman (in person) if they know anything up for sale, and have been pleasantly surprised. 

 

 

As for fishing tournaments - only advantage to having more HP is getting to spots quicker. I had the mind set of "I want to fly across the water," but have abandoned that in favor of, "let me buy a used lower HP boat, gauge how serious I'm going to get with it, learn a bit about boat ownership, and if need be, in 4 years I can sell the boat and buy something that better fits my needs."

[200racing]

i would say go aluminum with a jap powerplant.

 

you really buy the outboard and getting a hull with it. it doesnt matter how fast or how pretty if you dont trust it to get out of trolling motor range of the landing.

 

second thing to look at id bottom width not beam. the wider the better as thats where your stability is found.

[JPascavage52]

Agree with Martintheduck and jhoffman. I've been heavily scrutinizing Craigslist ads for the past week or so, and the earliest I plan to make a purchase is this fall, wouldn't mind getting the boat a few times in the late season, and gaining experience in the offseason with storage, maybe some work, and decide if I want to make any changes. I guess my next thing would be, when you went to meet the seller in person, and see the boat, what all did you look at, and what tests did you do before buying? Appreciate the help! 

[Bladesmith,]

After taking all the advise above, there is one absolute requirement of any boat I may consider buying; PUT IT IN THE WATER! So many people selling will tell you they do not have time (or some other excuse) to take you and boat to the lake for a ride BIG WARNING that something is probably wrong. There are so many things that you will only be able to determine with boat actually in the water (ie. water pump, motor running properly, leaks, do bilge and live well pumps work, electronics, and etc.). This will also get the boat off the trailer so you can inspect bunks. 

I understand the seller not wanting to take people for joy rides (I've sold a few boats myself over the years) so be sure to let the owner know you are serious about it and offer to provide the expense and do not expect him to spend more than a few minutes on the water (just long enough to check everything out). This is the only way you will know about existing problems before you hand over your money.