EXPERIENCED BASS BOAT OWNERS NEEDED

[Mark688]

I am looking at purchasing my first bass boat and i have a few questions i hope someone can answer. 
1. Do bass boats hold their value more over time? For example is a bass boat from 2000-2005 going to work better than a car from the same time? I see a lot of decent looking bass boats from that time and want to know if they are worth 6-7k+. 
2. Will a bass boat from 2000-2005 need constant repairs like a car from that time might?

3. If i bought a bass boat from 2000-2005 and put a newer motor on it would that be a good option?

4. Is the motor the most common thing that has to be repaired on a bass boat? If not please tell me what is. 
I just want to make an informed choice before I make my first big purchase figured I’d ask some experienced people that have owned boats before or have more knowledge than me. I just want a good reliable boat that wont need repairs very often. Thank you very much in advance to anyone who takes the time to answer any of my questions. Feel free to add in any other pointers or advice for me. Thank you and tight lines!

[Michigander]

Assume the hull is worth $500 and the rest of the value is trailer+motor and you won't be far off. ?

I've got a '99 Triton TR-21 and I put a decent amount of hours every spring fixing/replacing things. One way or another it ends up being about a grand a year in repairs or upgrades. If you can do the work yourself it's not a bad deal.

[Jig Man]

I can not follow your boat/car logic.  Beginning quality and routine maintenance are the factors that will reduce expenses on a used boat.  If it were used like it was stolen and not maintained it will be a pita.  My last motor was a 225 Mercury Optimax.  It was 14 years old and in great shape as was my Champion when I traded it off.

[Alex from GA]

For the same $ you can probably buy a new tin boat and have no or very little maintenance.  Boats require maintenance just like cars, the older the boat the more maintenance.

[Mark688]

28 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

I can not follow your boat/car logic.  Beginning quality and routine maintenance are the factors that will reduce expenses on a used boat.  If it were used like it was stolen and not maintained it will be a pita.  My last motor was a 225 Mercury Optimax.  It was 14 years old and in great shape as was my Champion when I traded it off.

By that i meant i wouldn’t spend 7-10k on a car that is 20 years old but people spend that much and more for a bass boat that is that old. I did not know if the value is in the motor or where thats what I am trying to figure out. 

[Deephaven]

Repair costs are just one expense, depreciation the much bigger one.  Buying a 10 year old boat means more repairs but nearly no depreciation, buying new the opposite.  Repair costs are also directly proportional to hours used while depreciation is based on time owned.  No one can make a recommendation for you without knowing a lot more about your use case.

[Way2slow]

I'm definitely probably not the right person to answer this one.  I don't think I've bought more than a couple of boats, or cars, that I've sold for less than I paid for them.  I buy them for pennies on the dollar, fix them, use them and when do sell them, most of the time I make money on them.  I just sold a 1999 20' Javelin for the same thing I paid for it in 2003 used it all those years and still gave the guy a hellava deal on it.   I bought it at auction and major parts of the motor was in the storage boxes. 

How good of a deal you get, depends on how much you know about them and how bad you want one right now.  If you feel like you've gotta have it now, you are at the sellers mercy.  However, if you see one you like, and you feel like it's a reasonable deal, buy it, or somebody else will while you are thinking about it.

If you can't do much more than take the drain plug out and hope you can remember to put it in, you are going to pay a lot more because you need to stick to the newer boats and are in pretty good condition, and pray you get one that has a good motor.   Outboard motor repair is very expensive, and routine maintenance can be if you have to pay to have it done.  If you can't afford to pay to have it done, it will cost you big time later on.  No telling how many powerheads are blown because the $50 water pumps were not maintained at reasonable intervals. 

 

Also remember, the bigger and heavier the boat, the more it cost to run it.  

Four stroke motors and DFI two strokes get better fuel mileage that the older carbureted two strokes.  The older two strokes are cheaper to maintain and easier to work on.  

[813basstard]

Wait, so you want the best quality boat you can find for the least amount of $?

 

Ive been doing to backwards I guess..

[Shimano_1]

Boats don't see near the usage that cars do so if care for they don't deteriorate nearly as quickly.  If an older boat has been cared for it can hold its value. Use common sense and a good mechanic when buying anything older. Now is a bad time to be buying since the market is crazy! 

[GaryH]

13 hours ago, Mark688 said:

I am looking at purchasing my first bass boat and i have a few questions i hope someone can answer. 
1. Do bass boats hold their value more over time? For example is a bass boat from 2000-2005 going to work better than a car from the same time? I see a lot of decent looking bass boats from that time and want to know if they are worth 6-7k+. 
2. Will a bass boat from 2000-2005 need constant repairs like a car from that time might?

3. If i bought a bass boat from 2000-2005 and put a newer motor on it would that be a good option?

4. Is the motor the most common thing that has to be repaired on a bass boat? If not please tell me what is. 
I just want to make an informed choice before I make my first big purchase figured I’d ask some experienced people that have owned boats before or have more knowledge than me. I just want a good reliable boat that wont need repairs very often. Thank you very much in advance to anyone who takes the time to answer any of my questions. Feel free to add in any other pointers or advice for me. Thank you and tight lines!

Mark, Watch the video Glenn posted on buying a new boat. It will answer a lot of your questions. Buying a used boat is like buying a used car. If you know what your looking at and can diagnose issues your ahead of the game. If not take to someone who can before buying. Also test drive is a definite. 
Good luck on your quest.

[volzfan59]

11 hours ago, Shimano_1 said:

Boats don't see near the usage that cars do so if care for they don't deteriorate nearly as quickly.  If an older boat has been cared for it can hold its value. Use common sense and a good mechanic when buying anything older. Now is a bad time to be buying since the market is crazy! 

Shimano_1 is 100% correct about the used boat market. Just this week, I put my old 12" jon boat with a trolling motor and battery, no trailer in the front yard with a for sale sign on it. Within 45 minutes it was sold, full price to the first guy that stopped. Two days later I did the same thing with my old kayak!

 

All that to say, if you find a rig that you like, take it to the lake. If it performs well and you can afford it, buy it. With an older rig, there's always going to be little things here and there that need repaired or replaced, that's just part of the game. Try to stay away from the big things that need repaired or replaced.

[Glenn]

You're going to need this video...