Look to buy boat, is this one ok?

[spindoctor11]

Hi, my friend and I were looking into getting a used bass boat. I found this post:

http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/boa/71478861.html

I can't seem to find anything on the web about this boat. Does anyone know what model this boat could be? I called the owner and he doesn't know either. (not a very knowledgeable owner)

The passenger window has a crack and the LCD display for the fish finder is missing. Is this boat worth the money? What else should I look for in a used boat? I did read some articles about it on this website.

Thanks for the help!

[jayhc2]

I personally do not know anything about this model of boat. But if the owner doesnt even know what brand it is well that says something to me. If the engine checked out and the boat I would say offer him around $2800- 3000 for it. But I would honestly shop around before I comitted to this one the storage on it looks pretty akward(sp). Just my .02

[John Cullum]

It's a Bayliner Cobra. It's not gonna make a very good fishing boat. It's more of a fish and ski. Plus it has an older Force motor and thats a BAD thing so make sure you have a good set of oars.

See the long storage in the front? Thats were the trolling motor gets stowed when your not fishing. As far as rods and tackle is concerned it has very little useable storage for fishing gear.

I think you could get a better FISHING boat than that for the price.Just my 2 cents.

[Glenn]

I have a buddy of mine who actually has one of these.  I wouldn't call it a "fish-n-ski", but I suppose you could use it as one.  The trolling motor is very unique (motorized head - makes it store in the compartment in a certain position).  Suffice to say, he's had problems with the trolling motor and can only get parts directly from the manufacturer.  He also had to replace the onboard charger twice.  Also, I'd second that comment about Force engines - as a general rule, they just aren't that reliable compared to other engines.

That said, he's not one to maintain his equipment very well, but it seems to hold up to his abuse.  It's a very wide, stable boat, so you'd better have a place big enough to store it (i.e. it won't fit in standard garages).

[spindoctor11]

Thanks for the input. We checked it out last night and took it out on the Sacramento River today and it drove great. The motor does seem to be a bit shaky during a cold startup but runs fine after. I'm sure a decent tune up and better care in the future will suffice. The boat was very stable.

The storage and live wells are big disadvantages. Basically no tackle storage and a tiny 20 gallon aerated livewell. We looked around the area and only found much older boats for around the same price. The trolling motor is probably busted and we will get a new one.

The body was in decent shape other some some scratches, cracks, and oxidation. Nothing a little elbow grease can't fix.

We ended up paying $3700 for the boat. Did we just get screwed? After reading everyone's warning about the motor I'm kind of scared. The owner was the second owner. The boat had some BASS stickers on it so I'm guessing the original owner took decent care of it. This guy didn't take the boat out too often so I don't think it would be heavily damaged by lack of care. This is our first boat and we will probably have to do some modification to get it the way we want it.

[GobbleDog]

120 horse.... not bad for that price if it's in good condition. I think the boat looks pretty good, but I don't know anything about that specific type.

Overall, I think you got good value for your money, especially if the trailer is in good shape.

[basscat19]

I'd pass on this one. Too many odd things about this model.