Preytorien Posted June 1, 2016 Posted June 1, 2016 So this weekend, Memorial Day weekend was super weather here, and on the way to our little family picnic, my wife uttered the magic words.... "Honey after we pay off your truck we should get a bass boat so you can fish and take me and the kids out in it" My jaw nearly fell on the floor in amazement. So - aside from the things I know I need to start looking into - kind of boat, insuring it, storage, and hauling.... What other kinds of "hidden" things do I need to start thinking about? Hidden costs? Accessories and items I would need to include in the purchase? Any sort of "gotchas" I need to be wary of? I might add that due to my towing capacity I'll need an aluminum boat, and probably 17ft or less. It'll likely be a gently used boat, hopefully in very good shape, probably a 40hp or less motor. I already have about 10 PFD's laying around, including some self-inflating kind and I'm a freak for safety so I've got that covered. So what can you veteran boaters give me in terms of Things To Think About before this becomes a possibility next spring? Quote
riverbasser Posted June 1, 2016 Posted June 1, 2016 A common sayin is that boat stands for bout another thousand. Main thing I can say is do as much research as possible since you have plenty of time. Always do a compression check and inspect transom very well. All the accessories are really up to you. The main I see a bass boat need are nab lights, live well, bilge pump, trolling motor and some form of depth finder. You will decide how advanced. If at all possible test drive before buying. no one buys a car without drivin it but many ppl will buy boats without testing. Boat engines run better in a yard connected to a hose than they do in the water. Try to figure out how much weight you will have in boat and make sure what you pick can handle it. Quote
Super User slonezp Posted June 1, 2016 Super User Posted June 1, 2016 Additional upfront costs for a used boat.: A professional evaluation of the motor and depending on the age of the motor, your mechanic may be able to pull a report off the motors computer that will tell you a lot. If the boat is 4 or 5 years old, a new set of batteries will probably be needed soon. If the boat is 5-7 years old, a set of trailer tires. You've got PFD's, but you will need a fire extinguisher, first aid kit, throwable pfd, and an audible alert if the boat is not already equipped with a horn. Dock lines, and anchor or 2 with enough rope for the depths you fish (length=3x the depth) Some type of boarding ladder especially if the kids will be fishing. Small tool kit. As far as fishing gear and add on's the sky is the limit. The boat monkey will be proud 1 Quote
Super User Catt Posted June 1, 2016 Super User Posted June 1, 2016 1 hour ago, Preytorien said: "Honey after we pay off your truck we should get a bass boat so you can fish and take me and the kids out in it" You, wife, & how many kids? "Kids", plural, meaning at least 2; add in you & wife we are now at 4. A boat of under 17' with 2 or more " kids" will get crowded quickly! 2 Quote
Super User iabass8 Posted June 1, 2016 Super User Posted June 1, 2016 Go new a get a motor with a warranty if at all possible. A new tracker 175 isnt terribly expensive. Get a toolbox and have the correct sizes for everything you may need to change. extra trolling motor prop and sheer pins everything slone said is spot on. im in the ptocess of going new and coming from somebody coming from an 18ft glass ranger with 7' rod lockers...get something with 7'6 or 8' rod lockers. It will make a world of difference. Storage is somethiny to look at also. Minimal storage will eventually be a pain, especially with a family or fishing partner. Whatever you do, don't settle. Do it right the first time and get what you want. Quote
Super User Scott F Posted June 1, 2016 Super User Posted June 1, 2016 If you can't do it already, you will need to learn how to back up a trailer. If you are mechanically inclined, you can save a lot of money when doing maintenance like repacking or replacing trailer bearings, replacing water pumps on the motor, repairing trailer lights, and replacing bilge pumps. Installing depth finders, trolling motors and other accessories is also a valuable skill. There are a lot of new skills you can look forward to learning as a boat owner. Quote
Avalonjohn44 Posted June 2, 2016 Posted June 2, 2016 12 hours ago, Preytorien said: So this weekend, Memorial Day weekend was super weather here, and on the way to our little family picnic, my wife uttered the magic words.... "Honey after we pay off your truck we should get a bass boat so you can fish and take me and the kids out in it" My jaw nearly fell on the floor in amazement. Same thing happened to me, I still can't quite believe it... I've had a billion questions and everyone in this sub forum has amazing ideas/experience to draw from. Good luck! Quote
S. Sass Posted June 2, 2016 Posted June 2, 2016 10 hours ago, Catt said: You, wife, & how many kids? "Kids", plural, meaning at least 2; add in you & wife we are now at 4. A boat of under 17' with 2 or more " kids" will get crowded quickly! I just purchased a 18ft Aluminum boat about 3 weeks ago. I have had 3 grown men on it and I will say fishing 2 is really all it needs to be real comfortable fishing. I mean 3 or 4 can fish but bass fishing once you start catching them, well its just better to only have 1 other body to work with. I noticed you mentioned you would need a aluminum boat. I can say my 1/2 ton truck pulls mine like its not even there. Unless I hit a bump its easy to forget it is back there. But for me it wasn't the weight as much as I saw beautiful bass boats for sale extremely cheap on C list and on the web and all seemed to be because of transom or deck rot. I just didn't ever want to have that in the back of my mind. I'm pretty good at maintenance but with my luck my motor would be in the bottom of the lake in 3 years or less. As far as cost goes or surprises. It started with the taxes when transferring the title and I just dropped $40 on 2 Perko cams for my boat today. They are extremely proud of that little metal arm. But its like they say Bust Out Another Thousand. As others have said research and more research but keep notes and have a plan. Quote
Super User WIGuide Posted June 2, 2016 Super User Posted June 2, 2016 If you're not already mechanically inclined learn to be. You can save a boatload of money (pun intended). I've seen so many people take boats in to the mechanic for the simplest things. For instance, something electrical stops working and they won't even check the connections. There's one dealer around here that charges a minimum of 1/2 hour labor if the work on something so their 5 minutes to fix said problem will cost you over $50. That being said a big thing to research is finding a good mechanic in case something comes up that you can't fix yourself. 10 hours ago, S. Sass said: As far as cost goes or surprises. It started with the taxes when transferring the title and I just dropped $40 on 2 Perko cams for my boat today. They are extremely proud of that little metal arm. But its like they say Bust Out Another Thousand. ^ as a side note...they should be proud of the metal arms. The plastic ones don't do much, seriously one good yank and they pop open. 1 Quote
S. Sass Posted June 2, 2016 Posted June 2, 2016 Just now, WIGuide said: ^ as a side note...they should be proud of the metal arms. The plastic ones don't do much, seriously one good yank and they pop open. Yeah I suppose. I just don't see these stopping anyone that really wants in there either though. Like most all locks they are a deterrent keeping meddling kids and opportunist from a free easy grab and go. I'm sure they may prevent a jerk or two better than the ones that bust right open though. I just wanted to be able to stop and eat without wondering the whole time if my rods were leaving without me. 1 Quote
"hamma" Posted June 2, 2016 Posted June 2, 2016 I just put up 2 pics of my 2000 16.5 ft tracker deep v on the rig thread (near last post). take a look, its a tiller model so theres no console in the middle of the boat, opening up the deck. When my kids were young i took all 3 and my gf out for a day of fishing.,.. and even with no console, it was tight, would have been better with only 2 kids, but still kinda tight. the boat handled it, and we had fun but a 18 or 19 may have suited us better, the new tracker deep v's have a bit more room as they are wider by a few inches, and thats huge in comparison. the hidden costs and accessories, prior posts covered well. Make sure you look around for a while and get what you want. It will be a while before you decide to get a newer rig and during that time you will want something that fits your needs Quote
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