Come To Face The Reality

[RHuff]

That buying a Tracker or other means of an aluminum bass boat just isn't in the cards for a few years due to a low budget. So, I'm ready to concentrate on plan B. Been browsing a few Jon boats online and it appears it is possible to put together a nice little Jon Boat package with motor and trailer for around $2,000. This could buy time until I am able to put back the money on a nicer bass boat down the road. What is the life expectancy for a riveted jon boat? Was looking at a couple of models from tracker. Would fish two people. I don't want to finance anything I want to own it from day 1. Also, you can't buy anything new for this cheap. 

 

I see the Tracker Topper 1542W is listed at $1,249 with shipping to my local dealer. Harbor Freight sales little boat trailers for $400. I already have a 2 year old minn kota 55lb thrust trolling motor and battery. You could even add a small 3 or 4 HP tiller motor for under $1,000. Thoughts? I would want to install a casting deck in the front and possibly move my trolling motor to the bow from the transom. Most of the waters I fish are under a couple of hundred acres. I mainly want something big enough to be able to stand up in from time to time to stretch my legs. My dad and I currently fish out of an 8 ft pelican bass raider and while it is a great little boat it is just hard to fish out of for longer than 3 or 4 hours without returning to the dock for a break. Could this be a viable plan B option for someone like me on a tight budget? 

[Scott F]

Why are you stuck on buying new? A friend of mine just bought a really nice 14 foot boat with 25hp motor that is maybe 10 or 12 years old, looks and operates just like new, and was only $2,500. A new Lund with similar features would have cost $10,000.

[Cmiller]

I have a tracker 1542, its certainly not even close to the build quality of a lund, but it does get me out on the water. I bought the boat new, and bought a 2003 mercury 25hp and a 2003 trailer. I have about 3k in it not counting the other things I have added (trolling motor, graph, bilge pump and lights). I don't expect the hull to last for more than 5 years, it has some leaky rivets after one season already. For 1200 dollars its hard to complain though. 

[lo n slo]

Why are you stuck on buying new? A friend of mine just bought a really nice 14 foot boat with 25hp motor that is maybe 10 or 12 years old, looks and operates just like new, and was only $2,500. A new Lund with similar features would have cost $10,000.

I agree. Three years ago I sold my 91 Sea Nymph 16' Bass boat w/Johnson 25 hp and trailer for less than 2K. I bought it used and kept it til I retired....got 20 good years outta her. Deals are out there, you just need to shop around.

[Fishing Rhino]

You may be able to tighten up those leaking rivets.  Get a helper, and have them hold the head of a five pound sledge against the head, while you hammer on the other side.  Don't go crazy beating on them.  Just tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, like you are driving a finish nail.  Find a loose rivet and start there. 

 

Put some water in the hull and circle all the leaking damp rivets with a sharpie, or put a piece of masking tape next to it.  Drain the water, and hammer the rivets tight.  Then add water again and check the rivets you tightened.

[RHuff]

I'm not stuck on buying new. If the right deal came along i'd be open to listen. Just didn't think I could find anything decent in that price range.

[Bluebasser86]

You could buy a really nice, new kayak for that much and still have plenty left over to deck it out. No need for a trailer either since you can load it in the back of a truck or on top of a car. You can save money on batteries, trolling motors, and battery chargers also. Obviously, if you're wanting something you and your dad can still use it's no good, but if you just want something for you, I'd suggest considering it. 

[BKeith]

If you are serious, the next two or three months are the best time there is to buy used boats. With Christmas and tax time just around the corner, people are looking at those useless money pits sitting out there in the yard and thinking there's some quick cash.

Just be careful of Craig's list. There are some great deal to be had there, but that is the number one scam site for getting ripped off it you aren't careful. Also, when you go to look at one, take at least one other person and be cautious. Here recently we had a guy robbed and killed going to look at a car he was looking at on Craig's list. It was just a way for them to get a victim with a bunch of cash to come to them. Hate to say it, but it's an evil world we live in now, so keep your guard up, try to stay away from out of the way places when looking. However, there are some great deals to be had if you take your time and shop around.

[RHuff]

I'm gonna try to stick to dealers if possible.... Or buy second hand from someone I know. Not gonna use craigslist or ebay if I can help it. 

[(='_'=)]

I'm not stuck on buying new. If the right deal came along i'd be open to listen. Just didn't think I could find anything decent in that price range.

 

sorry, i posted in the wrong post

[BKeith]

Your best deals are going to be from individuals, they usually don't know just how much they can sell the boat for and they don't have the overhead a dealer has. About 10 years ago, I remember a 17' bass boat I bought with a recently rebuilt 235 Johnson for $500 because the guy needed some cash pretty quick. I didn't like the boat and sold it for $700 a few months later just to get it out of my yard, and the guy that bought it is still running the heck out of it and luvs it. I've got a friend with a early to mid 90's, 17' Tracker with a good 40 Johnson. Boat itself needs a lot of work because it's basically taken apart when a guy was going to redo the seats and carpet for him, but got killed in an accident. The guy that owns the boat has heart problems and majory surgery not long after that so the boat has sat for several years. I can get that one for $2,000 if he still hasn't sold it. A steal to a person that can do the carpet and seats. There are great deals to be had, you just have to look for them and be patient.

That said though, inventory tax time just around the corner and dealers are not selling many boats this time of the year, depending on what kind of negotiator you are, sometimes they will cut you a pretty good deal, just not very often.

[Scott F]

When you buy a used boat from a dealer, the dealer will have to stand behind the purchase. They probably checked it over for problems a private owner might not tell you about. I'd be willing to pay a few dollars more for the boat if the dealer gave me some kind of warranty. 

[HoosierHawgs]

When you buy a used boat from a dealer, the dealer will have to stand behind the purchase. They probably checked it over for problems a private owner might not tell you about. I'd be willing to pay a few dollars more for the boat if the dealer gave me some kind of warranty. 

I don't know if it works this way with boats, but usually, when my father has bought cars from private owners, he pays $50 to have the car get a diagnostic by the Toyota dealership which gives the car a rundown to make sure there is nothing we couldn't see on our owns. Pretty low cost and definitely worth it to save you from a complete money pit.

[BKeith]

The dealer having checked it out and telling you what's wrong and standing behind it.  That depends on the dealer.  Remember, we are talking used, not new and that's no different than buying a used car off a car lot.   You are not going to see many used car dealers do much "standing behind the deal" on a used car.  Yes, there are those that are straight forward and up front about their boats,  I even know one that within the first 30 days, you don't like the boat, he will let you trade it for any boat on the lot of equal or greater value, but he smiles all the way to the bank when he sells one. 

[Scott F]

I mentioned the boat my friend bought for $2500. The dealer checked the engine compression, replaced the water pump, replaced a broken battery box, replaced the fuel hose, and fixed the bilge pump before they put it out for sale. This is all stuff that my friend would have had to do himself if he bought it from a private seller. Maybe not all dealers do stuff like that, mine does.

[WIGuide]

Some dealers check them over better than others. Either way they are used boats and they can have a problem but the dealer won't usually do much after a few days on a used one. If you're looking for the best deal, you won't find it at a dealer. My dad flips boats as a hobby. He buys boats in good shape that people are looking to get rid of, and then sells them for a profit. Even for what he sells them for is still a few thousand under what you can buy a comparable used boat at a dealership for. 

[fishnkamp]

RHuff my name is Bob.  I have a friend ED selling a nice grumman 14 foot V bottom boat with trolling motors, multiple batteries,new depth finders, he added all new floors, and new wiring. Ed has gone thru the trailer also.  Go to Baybass.com (another friend's website) look under forums, then under Boats and Motors open the following topic "

 

• Newbie
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• Posts: 13
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14" Grumman reservoir rig and more for BayBass Outdoors Registered Members

 

I just realized after i posted this you can just click on the topic, when I copied it it copied as a hyper link so it should work for you.

Take a look at his pictures as well.  This is the kind of deal you should be looking for. A small outboard could also be added if you wish.  He is asking $1800 I believe. Give him a call and see what you could work out.  I know this boat well, he has been fishing several MD and PA lakes with it for a few years now.  He is selling it because he is building a larger electric reservoir rig and he just purchased an old Ranger 3 series for fishing the tidal rivers around here. If you fish our drinking reservoirs you must agree not to use that boat anywhere other than our 3 reservoirs, they are worried about transferring unwanted weeds and zebra muscles.  If you become serious about it I know he would work something out to meet you out west somewhere.

[thomas15]

I purchased my used boat from a dealer. I paid a fair price for it, not too much, not too little.

 

Almost as soon as I got it, I started having problems with the outboard and had it back to the dealer  5 times from August to late October. When I put it away for the winter (last year), I made sure to dealer knew I still had issues and that I would be bringing it back in the spring. I also visited the dealer a few times over the winter just to remind them that I still have problems. I spent a lot of time researching my motor and trying to understand what was causing the problem.

 

When ice out occurred, I put the boat in the water the first possible day. The main issue I was having was still present. So, I went back over my notes and did several things to the motor that were possible causes of the problem. In the end I fixed the problem myself and had a summer (2015) of basically issue free boating. I did at mid season replace the a few items on the motor and tightened the fuel lines. 

 

So I glad I got this from a dealer but in the end I actually fixed the motor myself. The people at the dealer are ok with me asking questions and I do ask a lot of them.