billmac Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 Hi everyone, I want to buy my first bass boat and I've been looking through Craigslist. There are a lot of options. I'm not going to be a tournament fisherman, I just want a good fishing boat to take out with friends, kids and grandkids. I'll probably be on smaller waters most of the time. I really just want to spend a few thousand dollars at most. Here's my main question: I'm seeing a lot of older boats, 70s and up. They look fine to me. Is there a particular trouble spot or danger with getting an older bass boat? If the boat itself doesn't leak, I would think the only real trouble spot might be the motor. Any reason I shouldn't get a boat from the 70s, 80s, 90s, etc? Thanks, Bill 1 Quote
Dirtyeggroll Posted January 10, 2019 Posted January 10, 2019 Motor Transom Floors are the big concerns Lots of boats in that area were made of a lot of wood. If the wood gets water logged (stringers or transom) it’s integrity is compromised fast. Looking for a glass or aluminum boat or have you decided yet? Quote
Flatrock Posted January 10, 2019 Posted January 10, 2019 I JUST went thru 6 mos of searching and it just drove me nuts. To be honest I didn't want to spend any money but I did, it was one of those deals where I was able to buy a brand new boat at 2/3rd the cost... With that said, Aluminum, all welded is a good start. Needless to say, right now is the best time to buy. Don't discount the Market Place on Face Book and local sale groups. BTW Bass Tracker is selling what is called "Classic" model which is 16' with 50 hp 4 stroke Merc for $9,900 Quote
Super User TOXIC Posted January 10, 2019 Super User Posted January 10, 2019 Give a little more information on what type of boat you are looking for. Size, construction, type of motor, etc. Quote
billmac Posted January 10, 2019 Author Posted January 10, 2019 I honestly don't have a firm type in mind. Standing platform, livewell, trolling motor, depth finder, that's really the only must haves. I'm not sure I have a preference for glass or aluminum. I'm fairly handy, so I can probably handle any maintenance except the outboard. It looks like the Tracker Classic is up to 11K. Quote
billmac Posted January 10, 2019 Author Posted January 10, 2019 Any thoughts on Smoker Craft boats? I'm looking at a Magnum 142 for about $1500. Quote
Dirtyeggroll Posted January 10, 2019 Posted January 10, 2019 5 hours ago, billmac said: It looks like the Tracker Classic is up to 11K. You can get a whole lot more boat used for that price. 1 Quote
billmac Posted January 14, 2019 Author Posted January 14, 2019 So a little research has helped me narrow things down a little bit. Since I'm looking at mostly smaller waters and the fact that I don't have a pickup truck, I should probably be looking at an aluminum boat. I have a student who has been active in youth bass clubs and he said 17' or less will be considerably cheaper than 18' or greater. Quote
SWVABass Posted January 14, 2019 Posted January 14, 2019 I have a buddy with a smoker craft, not sure the model. He loves it and can fish him and his 3 boys outta it. I’d say take any boat for a test run on a lake Quote
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