trying to buy a boat need advice

[bassman07]

Hey guys

would a  06 tracker with a 25 horsepower motor get me in the good bass spots its only like 16 or 17 feet, the dealer said he would even throw in an additional depth finder for free since I'm military. Need help fast as I am going buy today so I can fish tomorrow, tired of walking the dang bank and catching dinks,  i good fish every so often.   help :'(

[bipr8]

With a 25hp, I would be very hesitant to hit "big water".  In lakes, it wouldnt make much of a difference (however at 1 smaller lake near me on the weekends you can get some major wakes from pleasure boaters that a smaller tracker might be bobbing up and down like a cork).  There were times out at that lake where my deep V 18' was being thrown about pretty good.

[bassman07]

I am aware of that, I just don't want to get a motor too big, for my experience if you know what I mean. 25 hp ( i think) would be perfect for the lake i fish it is relatively shallow, except in some parts with little or no other boats on it. Just don't want that big motor then I go crash going to fast until I am confident in my boat driven skills. I am in a club so the big lakes I am fishing back boat on a stratos and that thing gets tossed on kentucky lake like a mardi gras bead.

thanks bud

[timmyswetarded]

haha thats a good one....

about the boat i think that 17' would be ok if its a v-hull but i would up the hp to 35 or so because once you become more confident in your driving skills you'll want more power....its really not that hard and just because you have 35 hp doesnt mean you have to use it all the time so you wont crash into anything....but on a big lake the 17 footer will be slightly rocky still

[Guest JoshKeller]

get the biggest motor you can afford in the package. you dont have to run at WOT with the bigger motor, but you cant get extra power if you need it from the 25. The bigger motor will save you on fuel running at least than wide open, and will plane out the boat MUCH faster.

[MadGator]

I have a 45hp engine on a 17' boat.  That gets me about 28mph which for me is more than enough. I can run full speed in probably 2 feet of water without problems.  The boat does get a little scary on big water, but I've never felt like I was gonna capsize or anything, although I do tend to get a little more wet than wanted.  With another person in the I don't actually loose much speed either, maybe 1 or 2 mph so thats pretty nice. Actually, the boat rides much better with two people vs. one. I agree that you should probably get the biggest engine you can afford, I'd really like to put a 75hp engine on my boat, but will probalby upgrade boats before I upgrade engines.

[ad870]

This may not be a popular response or one that you want to hear or even any of my business but it sounds like  you may be rushing into this. You are asking for advice because you don't know what you want you just know you want to buy it today so you can fish tomorrow.

Think about how you are going to feel when you buy that boat today and then go out tomorrow and don't catch a thing. And now you have a boat payment for several years.

If you are just wanting a small boat with 25hp or less then there are a lot of good used ones out there. Take some time and look around.

For the price you are going to pay for an '06 you can buy a lot bigger glass boat that is used.

By the way, I don't know what depth finder he is giving you but I can about gaurantee you that its not because your military, it's because he knows he's got a live one and he doesn't want you to walk away from the deal.

Back off give it a few weeks, don't buy quickly just because you want to fish tomorrow. An informed decision is better then an impulse decision.

[ben23]

i'm with him ^  

[RandySBreth]

I know it is sometimes easier to get financed new vs used, but ad870 is right, you can get much better deal on a used boat only a couple of years old vs. new.

I bought a 2003 17' Lowe 170 W w/ an Evinrude 90 hp for under 9k this past year because the original owner "had to have a new one". Less than 5 hours on the thing, no kidding.

If you do buy new, follow the guys good advice and get the biggest outboard on it your budget allows. Better gas mileage at cruising speed, better resale, and you can grow into the boat you have instead of buying another.

[Madhouse27]

If you really need a boat to go fishing with tommorrow then go to a marina and rent one. If you need to scratch your itch it would certainly be better to drop a couple hundred on a rental than $10,000 on  a new one. Take a step back. Really decide exactly what you want and what you can afford. With some more product knowledge and some patience you can find a deal that works on all fronts. I know you have boat fever but try to fight it so you can make a smart decision you can live with. Heck, the shopping for boats is half the fun. The northern part of the country is heading toward the end of boating season. There's going to be some awesome deals around in a month or so.

[Live.2.Fish]

    Yes there is no doubt that you can get some great deals at the end of the boating season up north.  I bought a 17ft Basstracker with a 50hp merc /trailer last year for $2,300.  Granted it an '83 but ablsolutely love that thing.  The guy I bought it from totally re-did the deck on the front and back of the boat.  New carpet, bigger front deck, etc... And I don't have to make monthly payments on it! That is the best part about it.  I bought mine on ebay.  Its a great place to look and compare.

[Madhouse27]

boat + no boat payment = good boat

[cart7t]

Look for a used boat with bigger motor for all the reasons previously stated.  A friend of mine used to have a 15 1/2 foot tracker with a 25hp motor on it.  You'll have no problems avoiding any obstacles underwater as that boat seemed to be running in slow motion all the time.