New or Used?

[bassin_man]

When you went to buy your full sized bass boat did you buy new or used and why?  

[Jig Man]

I have only bought one used boat and had to rebuild the engine in a couple of months.  I hope to never buy a used one again.

If you buy a new one, you know how the engine was broken in and how it has been treated.

If you want the best buy on a new boat, look at new noncurrent units.  They come with all the warranty of the current models but without the big price tag.

[skunked_again]

both bass boats ive bought have been used. the first boat had just had  the motor rebuilt while the second had a warranty on the motor. im currently selling the 884 savage and going back down to the 1800 tournament boat. its 8 years older but its sill in great shape and im only losing 11 mph in speed.

if you do buy a used boat take a friend who knows a few things or spend $65 to have a pro check it out. then take it to the lake and run it to death.

as to why i didnt buy a new boat they cost a lot more than used and i got the 884 nitro for $8400 which to is a sweet price. the 1800 tournament i paid $4000 for which may have been too much but at the time the boat was oh so clean.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I've never purchased new.  Wouldn't be very "Low Budget" of me,lol.  I did buy my 225 offshore new, cost more than the boat.

I also replaced the power plant in the jet boat with a new motor but I upgraded to a bigger one and drove the original till the skirts melted off the pistons,lol.

[Catt]

Being a former auto mechanic I have a stigma about buying used, something keeps saying you're buying someone else problems.

[jdw174]

If you're buying used, I'd look for something with warranty left on the engine.  

[cart7t]

In all the boats I've owned, 2 were new, the rest used.

Of the 2 new ones, both had problems that needed correcting.  One had an intermittant problem with the motor that took almost 1/4 of a year to finally diagnose.  In each situation the repairs were covered but the sad fact was the fishing trips I took the boat on were basically ruined because of the malfunctions.

The used boats, especially the current one, have had problems but nothing as severe as a rebuild.  Mostly minor stuff.

New boats are just like cars.  They depreciate FAST!   This is a great time right now to find a good condition boat that's only a couple years old with the warranty on the motor for 20-30% off the cost of new.  Lots of people are in over their heads with the sub prime home loan deals and need to get rid of the boat payment.

Look around.

[The Next KVD]

My boats all have been used.  I've never had any problems buying used, you just need to look around and know what to look for in problems.  The only thing that you really have to do is upgrade the items or get the equipment you want to customize it for how you want it to be.

[bassin_man]

Ya personally I really think new is the way to go or a couple years old.  Unfortunately because of lower finances available than I previously thought it looks like its going to a used older (around year 2000) boat in the $15k area.

[surfer]

Used for me.  If I get a bad one I might change my tune in the future.

I am good at kicking the tires and reading betwwen the lines of what sales men say.  I also ask lots of questions.  So far I have one used boat with a 25y old motor that has run great for 13 months.

[tntitans21399]

I can only afford used, but if we all had the money we would all buy new.  You also have to think about it as in cars also.  As soon as you drive it off the lot it is considered used and loses a certain percent of it's cost.

[hootersdoug]

Not much experience, only have bought 1 used boat, but if you do the correct homework, you will come out saving a lot of $$.  

I bought my 1995 ZX150/Merc XRI 150  5 years ago.  The only problem I have had was I had some work done on the trailering hook, which the seller pointed out to me when I bought it ($500).  Other than that, I haven't had anything else go wrong.  I did have the seller take it to a marine mechanic and have the compression checked, told him that I would split the cost if I didn't buy the boat (he towed it to the marina).  

I got the boat for $10K, new, the same boat would have been way over $20K (?).  I went fishing in a tourney with a local pro and asked him about buying something that he knew about.  It is amazing how the guys who fish the local tourneys know who takes care of their equipment and who does not.  The reason I got a good deal on the boat is that the seller was upgrading to a 21 footer and needed the cash for the downpayment.  When I took my boat to my marine mechanic to have it winterized after fishing @ 30 days the first season I owned it, he said that it was the cleanest '95 he had ever seen.  Offered me $12K for it!!!!

If you do the tire kicking as mentioned previously, you can get a lot more boat for a whole lot less $$$$$