How expensive is it to own a bass boat?(maintenance related)

[soflabasser]

BOAT = Bring Out Another Thousand

[gim]

4 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

If I had to put a dollar figure on yearly maintenance for a used boat $500 would not be unreasonable especially if you live in a northern climate where winterization to protect from freezing is necessary

This is a pretty good estimate based on my experience too after October winterization, indoor winter storage, and insurance on an 18 foot aluminum bass boat with a 75 hp 4-stroke motor.

[Junk Fisherman]

I get my bearings done but I do the motor maintenance myself.  I would estimate it as $300-$400 per year.  

[slonezp]

2 stroke Optimax spark plugs, I believe, are made of gold for what they cost. 

Boat is serviced once a year and winterization minus the 100 hours spark plug replacement is about $250. It's all the other stuff that adds up. 4 batteries replaced every 5 years is $700 +/-. Trailer tires replaced every 5-7 years figure $100-$135 per tire. Trailer brakes and bearing maintenance every few years cost a few bucks. Bearing buddies can only be removed and reinstalled a couple times before they spin off and end up on the side of the road.

 

Insurance, ramp fees, registration fees, wear and tear on the truck, storage, etc. all add up.

 

Boats take a lot of time and money. If you don't have both, and when I say money, it's a relative term, don't get a boat.

[gim]

“Get rid of your kids and the money flows like water.”
 

- Slonezp

[mrpao]

Its depends on where you live.

In the South, we don't have to winterize.

We use our boats year round.

[slonezp]

2 hours ago, gimruis said:

“Get rid of your kids and the money flows like water.”
 

- Slonezp

I vaguely remember saying that LOL

[throttleplate]

this was my boat, no its not a bass boat, its a 1979 Glasstron Carlson 21 ft with a 460 cubic inch engine with a bekley jet drive.

 

This boat was fast, loud and a chick magnet. I boated on the lakes of minnesota, moved to Las Vegas and ran lake Mead and the Grand Canyon and moved to San Francisco and ran on the delta.

 

This boat which i enjoyed so many great times with broke me. I finally sold it when i lived in san fran, i just couldnt afford the storage fees to keep it at the delta, the fuel prices in calif in the year 2001 were like $3.50 a gallon and that big engine only got 2 mpg takin it easy.

 

The cost and time of the repairs were draining me also. I did all my repairs myself, including rebuilding the jet drive replacing impellars, wear rings, the main shaft which is $400.00 stainlees steel part.

Then the broken windshield, seats broke, steering cable, bilge pumps, batteries, new covers every year because the sun destroyed them.....and then the trailer tires, rollers, insurance, registration.

 

I would like to buy a fishing boat but i know if i get a old aluminum boat or something fancy i am goin to be sticking money into it for repairs and for sure upgrades.

 

There are also lakes here that i bank fish and wade that dont even have public ramps so i woudnt even be able to fish them from a boat and if i could get a boat on them i would probably end up where i bank fish from anyway.

 

So the boat is out for me unless i won the lottery and could spend money and not worry. But then if i did win the lottery i would move to Florida and get a big 30 plus footer and go ocean fishing.

 

 

[Glenn]

 

[David 7]

The idea of owning a boat is pretty intimidating for someone like me, I’ve never even driven one, I wouldn’t know where to start. 

[TnRiver46]

Just now, David 7 said:

The idea of owning a boat is pretty intimidating for someone like me, I’ve never even driven one, I wouldn’t know where to start. 

Start by riding with somebody else and letting them show you how to drive it haha. 

[David 7]

24 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Start by riding with somebody else and letting them show you how to drive it haha. 

Good idea! I do have a buddy who’s stepdad has a boat and we go on that every now and then, I’ll ask him. I really enjoy kayak fishing and right now at age 40, it works great. 20 years from now I might need a boat though. 

[Skunkmaster-k]

I started with an old crappy boat that I had to work on a lot , and I am glad about that. If I had made the mistakes in a new boat that I did in my dinosaur turd it would have been expensive! Also taking a quick boater safety course pays off big time. 

[WRB]

Covid apparently increased the prices of both used and new boats about 10%.

Cost to operate your auto increased nearly 20% with gasoline  and oil prices increase constantly.

Not a good time to be in the market for boats.

My suggestion is look at 15’ runabout aluminum boat with 20 hp OB and add a trolling motor, swivel seats as inexpensive sonar unit. I had a boat like this for decades plus my tournament rigged glass bass boats. You give up comfort, speed and storage space but catch fish anywhere with very low costs.

If you buy a used glass bass boat try to find one that is original owner, garaged and very clean with low engine hours under 100 if possible used on fresh water. Plan on new trailer tires, 3 new batteries and a few hundred to service the OB initially.

Good luck!

Tom

[Krux5506]

Depends greatly on how much you use the boat per season. I might be around $300 annually, on average for typical service.  I'm not using the trailer much at all - I tow the boat to my family's cottage and back and the boat stays down there from about April til early November. I hardly even use the boat during the dog days of summer the past few years. 

 

Part of me is amazed when I see people say that you should change certain things like plugs or a water impeller annually. But again, I really think if you're putting heavy hours on your boat every year, that would be more necessary. 

[newbiedmv]

My personal biggest cost hasn't been money but time and a very steep learning curve on EVERYTHING.

Finding how to deal with all the nuances from launching, loading, backing the trailer up, learning the outboard, trolling motor, how it handles, speeds that are best, how to approach waves and wakes, docks and not get the crap beat out of you or hit another boat. Learning what NO BRAKES REALLY MEANS, What to stow, where to stow it.

Simple stuff, but on the water complicated as you can't get off.My first lesson was learning how to consistently  start the outboard without flooding (2 stoke 50 hp). After 2 years I have 90% fixed or figured out.

I had a small row boat before, this bass crappie is a entirely new monster.

[gunsinger]

My boat is just a bit over a year old so maintenance hasn't been a significant cost.  I have had issues with corrosion in my TM plug.  I've already replaced the receptacle and now having to replace the plug itself.  Adding a circuit breaker near the battery.  Other than that, maintenance has been more about cleaning as I rarely get to run the big motor (electric only lake).

[newbiedmv]

Want to learn Murphy's Law???

Buy a boat.

It's garrented to go wrong, that's life live with it.

Most of the problems will be self induced. It does take some learning and learning and more. I still learn things to do and not to do when I'm out.

Ex: starting outboard

Trolling motor shaking apart ( sold it)

Truck to long to tow the shorter trailer

To heavy to slide of bunk boards, fixed now to slick to stay on.

Drained gas tank(bad advice from dealer)

Larger turn radius

1000 lbs heavier,  you'll notice with your boat hook docking. 

Can't keep rear of boat on trailer in current.

Etc.

All these are dealt with now but most of them were my inexperience. 

[TnRiver46]

The answer to the question : it depends

[newbiedmv]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

The answer to the question : it depends

Yes, yes it does. Maintenance on my rowboat about 100.00 a year for wheel bearings. Had a electric transom motor and a 7.5 hp air cooled game fisher towed with a shortbed truck.

Still have the boat in a garage.

Now a 17' crestliner bass/crappie mostly flat bottom, 50 hp. This year Maintenance/add ons 500.00 (includes used TM, guide rails, misc). Used to be towed with a long F150(i couldn't even see the boat or trailer in any mirror) now a shorter tundra which tows like a dream.

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, newbiedmv said:

Yes, yes it does. Maintenance on my rowboat about 100.00 a year for wheel bearings. Had a electric transom motor and a 7.5 hp air cooled game fisher towed with a shortbed truck.

Still have the boat in a garage.

Now a 17' crestliner bass/crappie mostly flat bottom, 50 hp. This year Maintenance/add ons 500.00 (includes used TM, guide rails, misc). Used to be towed with a long F150(i couldn't even see the boat or trailer in any mirror) now a shorter tundra which tows like a dream.

And when you crash or stuff breaks it costs way more!!!!!

[newbiedmv]

Yep I know, but man does it tow nice... and it backs the trailer in like my short bed did. Rides better than any car I've owned. No to mention I can take the boat out at anytime. 4 minutes I'm hooked up and gone by myself with a blown out back and leg. Worth it ?

Just have to cross my fingers ? ??

[newbiedmv]

On 8/4/2021 at 5:28 PM, gunsinger said:

My boat is just a bit over a year old so maintenance hasn't been a significant cost.  I have had issues with corrosion in my TM plug.  I've already replaced the receptacle and now having to replace the plug itself.  Adding a circuit breaker near the battery.  Other than that, maintenance has been more about cleaning as I rarely get to run the big motor (electric only lake).

There is a jelly you can get for terminals. My friend owns a tractor/trailer business and he gave me these assorted crimp on connectors with a clear jelly inside. Once on they and the wires don't corrode at all ever

 I did a farm trailer 20 yrs ago with them. it stays outside. All lights still work. Have no clue as to what it's called and I "should" know. Retired EE.

 

[MN Fisher]

33 minutes ago, newbiedmv said:

There is a jelly you can get for terminals. My friend owns a tractor/trailer business and he gave me these assorted crimp on connectors with a clear jelly inside. Once on they and the wires don't corrode at all ever

 I did a farm trailer 20 yrs ago with them. it stays outside. All lights still work. Have no clue as to what it's called and I "should" know. Retired EE.

 

Dielectric Grease.

[gunsinger]

12 hours ago, newbiedmv said:

There is a jelly you can get for terminals. My friend owns a tractor/trailer business and he gave me these assorted crimp on connectors with a clear jelly inside. Once on they and the wires don't corrode at all ever

 I did a farm trailer 20 yrs ago with them. it stays outside. All lights still work. Have no clue as to what it's called and I "should" know. Retired EE.

 

Perhaps its similar to what AutoZone sells you when you buy a new battery to prevent corrosion on the terminals?  I may pick some of that up.  Thanks.