if you had the option

[Dhanshew]

im just seeing what others would do given the situation.

the

you have a decent 1992 18ft bass boat with a 150 merc on the back completely paid off. runs ok. you could put nice new electronics on this boat and fish it till it dies.

or

you can buy a used z520c or similar bass boat and have another payment what would you do.

i know everyone is different just seeing what others would do. biggest events fished at this time is bfl for my area

 

 

[BassnChris]

I did this very thing last year.

there are days I wish I had not done this - mostly days I have to make the payment or deal with something financial.

other days I'm so glad I did - mostly the days I don't have to make the payments or deal with something financial.....and I'm fishing!

 

[Bruce424]

I think as long as it floats, runs and still safe I'd keep it.

[Buckeye Ron]

As long as it's doing the job and getting you back to the dock safely,who cares if it's not the latest greatest? I'm long past having to have bigger and better even though I can afford it. Guess I like to simplify where I can.

[HoosierHawgs]

I don't own a boat, is take this with a grain of salt, but I find if something works, and I'm comfortable with it and its still in decent shape, stick with it. I prefer to stay on the trailing edge of things because it is cheaper and at some point the law of diminishing returns starts to kick in. I'd stuck with that old girl, take good care of her and keep her in the best shape you can. I don't know what your estimated retail value is, but with a boat that old I can't imagine it would be worthwhile to sell that to fund a down payment on a loan for a depreciating investment. Just ride that old girl until she dies, and then find a nice lightly used boat that is loaded up for a price you can afford when she does finally give up. Just my 2 cents. Once again, not a boat owner, so I'm probably a little misguided.

[Dave Jakes]

Keep the old boat and fish it as long as you can.

In the meantime, calculate what your loan payment would be for your ideal boat, pay that much each month into a savings account (or roth IRA).  If your current boat lasts another 8 years, you now have the money CASH to buy your new boat.  If you miss a "payment", no harm no foul.  If your current boat only last another 2 years, at least you have a solid down payment saved up.

I fish from a kayak, don't think I'll ever be able to get a nice bass boat in my career field without a solid savings plan.  However, I've been doing this with my car since I was 18.  My car has long been paid off and I have $20k + in the bank for when it finally dies on me.

 

[bigbassin']

I think Dave Jakes hit the nail on the head.

[A-Jay]

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

I would not go from one used ride to another used ride.

If I'm going to be making payments on one - it will be new.

A-Jay

 

[chefdadfishingGa]

In my opinion i would say keep the boat you have upgrade the electonics maybe wrap it and call it a day its paid for

[Bankbeater]

I would probably keep the boat you own now until it is no longer usable.

[Bluebasser86]

For me it would depend on how "ok", your current ride works. If you mean it takes a minute to get it started on cold days but it's good otherwise, I'm running it until I can't anymore. If you mean sometimes it runs, sometimes it doesn't, I'm going a different direction. 

[Ohio Archer]

Upgrade the electronics.  Doing that right now.  Got everything at a discount but still spent more than I expected.  New toys are neat but waiting for the thaw is not...

[S Hovanec]

I look at upgrade boats all the time.  Then I remember how nice it is to have a boat that's paid off and the newboatitis subsides.  It may not be fast, but it floats and does the job and all I have to pay for is insurance and gas!

[Dhanshew]

1992 sprint tourney pro 286 150 merc is my rig atm. idles rough cant figure out that issue tho done everything i know to do. but everything else is in awesome shape for its age. it does what it needs to for my lakes but i dont know how it will do on some larger lakes like kentucky lake that id like to fish. that is the only reason i was looking at a newer rig. i am different that most when it comes to purchases. I have yet to buy anything new and dont plan to start with a boat lol. why pay 70g for a new rig  if you can buy used with extremely low hours for half the cost..

[BrownBear]

Like everyone else said, keep the old one til it dies!

[WIGuide]

Are you outgrowing your current boat? Does it handle the water you fish regularly? Does the layout work for you? Can you afford a newer boat?

If you're current ride works just fine for now, and the newer boat isn't a steal of a buy, try finding out what the payment would be. Then start putting that amount away on a monthly basis until you have the money to upgrade. 

[JGBassinAL]

On January 13, 2016 at 8:59 PM, A-Jay said:

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

I would not go from one used ride to another used ride.

If I'm going to be making payments on one - it will be new.

A-Jay

 

Interested in why you feel this way. Buy new you lose money if you end up having to sell. Buy one that's one or two years old loaded the way you like it at a good deal you come out even or ahead. My first boat I came out ahead and the boat I have now I have had for 7 months and I could sell it today for more than I paid for it. If I would have bought this boat new and sold it for the price I bought it for when it was only a year old I would have lost at least $10K.

[A-Jay]

4 minutes ago, JGBassinAL said:

Interested in why you feel this way. Buy new you lose money if you end up having to sell. Buy one that's one or two years old loaded the way you like it at a good deal you come out even or ahead. My first boat I came out ahead and the boat I have now I have had for 7 months and I could sell it today for more than I paid for it. If I would have bought this boat new and sold it for the price I bought it for when it was only a year old I would have lost at least $10K.

OK well, for me, the new boat purchase is not about losing money or making money, breaking even or coming out ahead, it's about having a new boat, motor & trailer.   I rather enjoy and definitely prefer having a clean slate to build a history with.  There's never any doubt about who, what, where, why, when or how.    It's all on Me.   Whatever that piece of mind is worth, I'm good with that.  

A-Jay

[JGBassinAL]

7 hours ago, A-Jay said:

OK well, for me, the new boat purchase is not about losing money or making money, breaking even or coming out ahead, it's about having a new boat, motor & trailer.   I rather enjoy and definitely prefer having a clean slate to build a history with.  There's never any doubt about who, what, where, why, when or how.    It's all on Me.   Whatever that piece of mind is worth, I'm good with that.  

A-Jay

I gotcha, I was just curious. 

[thomas15]

On ‎1‎/‎13‎/‎2016 at 8:10 AM, Dhanshew said:

1992 sprint tourney pro 286 150 merc is my rig atm. idles rough cant figure out that issue tho done everything i know to do. but everything else is in awesome shape for its age. it does what it needs to for my lakes but i dont know how it will do on some larger lakes like kentucky lake that id like to fish. that is the only reason i was looking at a newer rig. i am different that most when it comes to purchases. I have yet to buy anything new and dont plan to start with a boat lol. why pay 70g for a new rig  if you can buy used with extremely low hours for half the cost..

A 2 cycle motor is never going to idle as smooth as a 4 stroke. Having said that, if your motor has a rough idle and you have checked everything ie: compression, air leaks in the fuel system, carbs, fuel pump, ignition, timing, so forth and it's still not right then take it to a mechanic and have him figure it out. A $500.00 repair bill is much cheaper than a $45,000.00 new boat purchase.

If you borrowed $10,000.00 to buy a boat it would cost about $220.00/month every month for 4 years to pay the boat off. You might find yourself either too poor to put gas in it or feel that you must go fishing 5 days per week to justify the cost. Plus there are the usual repair and maintance costs of owning a boat.

While I, and I guess all of us, admire nice, new, fully equipped boats, I don't personally want to put any kind of real pressure on myself because for me fishing is a hobby and I want to enjoy it without thinking about making a monthly payment. I acknowledge that what might be good for me may not be good for you. But I've fished in tournaments with my boat that has no debt and had a great time. This in-spite of the fact that most of the boats were bigger, faster and newer than mine. 

Right now I'm having a big debate with myself over electronics. I have  on the bow a 7" down scan sonar and an old 5" monochrome at the console. I also have new in a box a 4" down scan with nav software that I've had for a year and a half and never installed. I wish that that was a bigger screen but that is what I have. Do I sell the 4" and buy a 7" or just use the 4"? But this is a several hundred dollar debate not a several thousand dollar debate. Still I think in the end I'm going to mount the 4" because it will, in the end, work and it's paid for. So that's my opinion.

 

 

[S Hovanec]

On 1/13/2016 at 9:59 PM, A-Jay said:

 

I would not go from one used ride to another used ride.

If I'm going to be making payments on one - it will be new.

A-Jay

 

 

18 hours ago, JGBassinAL said:

Interested in why you feel this way. Buy new you lose money if you end

I'm with A-Jay on this one.  I bought new because I wanted the piece if mind knowing the motor was properly broke-in. I was able to rig everything exactly how I wanted.  I didn't have to settle for something that was less than ideal.

Plus, the boat/motor combo I wanted didn't exist in the used boat market.

[Further North]

Here's how I'd look at it:  If I liked my existing boat and motor, and it worked well for the kind of fishing I do...enough storage, handles the kinds of water I fish...all that "stuff"...I'd keep it forever.  If I had motor issues I'd put a new motor on it before I'd get rid of it...and I'd hand new electronics on it every so often.

If I was "getting by" just because the boat was paid for - if it ticked me off while I was fishing, which means it's cutting into my enjoyment...I'd swap it up to another rig that was closer to what I wanted.

I won't buy new...can't stand the depreciation...but I understand the folks who like to do that.

[Crappiebasser]

I would not take on debt for anything that is not an absolute necessity. Fish the old boat and save your money. 

[RHuff]

Don't go into debt if you don't really need to. I've been wanting a bass boat (I fish from an 8ft Bass Raider) for several years, but don't have the financial means to do so.  Be thankful you have one and its paid for. 

[Puggz]

On 2016-01-13 at 8:50 PM, Dave Jakes said:

On 2016-01-13 at 9:59 PM, A-Jay said:

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

I would not go from one used ride to another used ride.

If I'm going to be making payments on one - it will be new.

A-Jay

 

 

I agree with you to a point.  There are always 1 year old boats to be had which are very close to used but still have great warranty.

My advise is to go to your Ranger dealer and ask about Pro Staff boats.  A good percentage of these aren't beat to heck like most people thing.  Some never even see tournaments.  There's even a way to get one with you as the 1st registered owner so you get full warranty. 

PM me if you need more info as I have a buddy that's a Pro Staffer for the walleye boats and I may be able to offer some guidance.