Vinny Chase Posted March 3, 2010 Posted March 3, 2010 http://kansascity.craigslist.org/boa/1624239981.html I may be getting this boat if it passes inspection. I was just wondering if any of you could give me more info about this boat and it it is a good deal at $1800. I live in MN so that is a long drive i want to make sure its worth it. Thanks, VC Quote
jenga Posted March 3, 2010 Posted March 3, 2010 I would never buy a 15 bass boat. My first boat was a Ranger 17.9 with a 100 hp and I bought it for 1800. I now have a Skeeter and love the boat but it is 20ft. It looks good but it didn't say the year. If you are really interested in it make sure you get a compression test done and take it for a ride. 15 ft boat will be fine for most lakes but it will be tight with more than two people. Quote
Vinny Chase Posted March 3, 2010 Author Posted March 3, 2010 I would never buy a 15 bass boat. My first boat was a Ranger 17.9 with a 100 hp and I bought it for 1800. I now have a Skeeter and love the boat but it is 20ft. It looks good but it didn't say the year. If you are really interested in it make sure you get a compression test done and take it for a ride. 15 ft boat will be fine for most lakes but it will be tight with more than two people. It is an '85. I really dont fish with more than 2 people anyway... Quote
Super User Grey Wolf Posted March 3, 2010 Super User Posted March 3, 2010 I noticed the guy was selling it because it was too small. That says volumes. Quote
Vinny Chase Posted March 3, 2010 Author Posted March 3, 2010 I noticed the guy was selling it because it was too small. That says volumes. Yea he just said it was too small, because he needs a minimum of a 16 ft to do tournaments. I mean ive never even owned a boat i dont know if this is super small or what. The most that will be on the boat at one time is two Quote
Super User Grey Wolf Posted March 3, 2010 Super User Posted March 3, 2010 It sounds to me that you have your mind made up.GO ahead and buy it and learn from it. Quote
Vinny Chase Posted March 3, 2010 Author Posted March 3, 2010 It sounds to me that you have your mind made up.GO ahead and buy it and learn from it. O no i dont have my mind made up at all. It just seems like i would need a bigger boat if i would have more than two people on board. Honestly i just want your opinions to help me decide if this is a good first time boat for me. Quote
BassThumb Posted March 3, 2010 Posted March 3, 2010 A little boat is better than no boat at all, but I personally would pass on this one and save up a little more. The price is a bit steep, even if everything checks out. But keep in mind, you're not going to have very much space to store anything. Forget about storing rods in there. Quote
Super User Grey Wolf Posted March 3, 2010 Super User Posted March 3, 2010 It sounds to me that you have your mind made up.GO ahead and buy it and learn from it. O no i dont have my mind made up at all. It just seems like i would need a bigger boat if i would have more than two people on board. Honestly i just want your opinions to help me decide if this is a good first time boat for me. Well my opinion is to get a larger boat , that thing is too small. Quote
Brush Hog20 Posted March 3, 2010 Posted March 3, 2010 Hey Vinny, I would definately go through the effort of getting that boat checked thoroughly just because of the age of it. As far as others concern to size. Take it with a grain of salt. There are more guys out there with 20 foot 250 HP boats that don't need it than you can shake a stick at and they all want to spend your money to upgrade you... ;D I asked similar questions as you did and they all wanted to push me into a 20 footer even if it was 30 years old. I ended up with a 2009 17.5 foot Triton that was used once and brought back to the dealer becuz it wouldn't fit in the guys 3rd bay in his garage so he traded for a smaller tin boat and I got a new boat at a used price. The boat itself perfect for how and where i fish and I absolutely love fishing in it. Given its your first boat and nowhere near your last and its only 1800 bucks; if everything checks out how can you go wrong?? Quote
zerofivenismo Posted March 3, 2010 Posted March 3, 2010 Not sure which part of KC seller lives in, but ask to see if he can take you out on LaCygne. It's a powerplant lake about 1hr south of KC on the KS side. That way you'll have an idea how the rig runs and how it handles two anglers. On the other hand, my opinion says wait for a boat to go on sale closer to you. Remember the seller will be in the driver's seat with negotiations with you traveling such a far ways. On that same note, you may have the impulse to buy it regardless, when weighing in how far you've traveled (7hrs drive is a long trip back to MN empty handed). Plus, the deal wouldn't be so good if you considered your gas, food, lodging, etc. Anyways, good luck to you however you choose. Trust me, I know from experience...I traveled from KC to STL to buy a boat a couple weeks ago . Do as I preach, not as I do. Quote
simplejoe Posted March 3, 2010 Posted March 3, 2010 If you never had your own boat, I would suggest getting a smaller boat and engine. like the one your looking at. When you grow out of it, get a bigger one. When I first started, I'd go out in the middle of the week to teach myself how to load and unload the boat and got the feel for it when running it at WOT. After I got comfortable with it, then I could go on the weekend and not worry about people waiting for me loading and unloading. Quote
Vinny Chase Posted March 3, 2010 Author Posted March 3, 2010 Wow i continued to search and found this listing http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/boa/1607882426.html It is right by my house and i got it down to $1000 What do you guys think? Im going out there Saturday and hes gunna start her up for me and show me the boat. Is this a good deal? Thanks, VC Quote
Brian B Posted March 3, 2010 Posted March 3, 2010 Get what you can afford and get what fits you best. I agree with simplejoe, if you've never had a boat before, start of smaller. I had a 14' jon with a 25hp tiller steer for three years. During that time I saved up and bought a 20' G3. It really is imperitive to get something that suits you and you are comfortable with. Quote
simplejoe Posted March 3, 2010 Posted March 3, 2010 I don't know about the second one, rotted parts of the floor can spell disaster for you, especially not having any experience working on them. If the floor is soft, most likely the transom is too, and that's alot of money to fix. Quote
Super User Catt Posted March 3, 2010 Super User Posted March 3, 2010 Vinny I fish Toledo Bend out of a 15 1/2' Startos with a 70hp, there's plenty of room for 2 people. I use my rod box for storage since I rarely carry more than 5 rods and my partner carries 5 rods. A small boat will teach you to stay organized, keep an eye on weather, & to trailer to all available launch sites instead of running. Quote
simplejoe Posted March 3, 2010 Posted March 3, 2010 how about this one. http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/boa/1626271211.html This looks exactly like my first boat but mine was smurf blue and white ;D It was a great boat and lasted me for years, I sold it to a friend and he's still using it. Quote
Vinny Chase Posted March 3, 2010 Author Posted March 3, 2010 I don't know about the second one, rotted parts of the floor can spell disaster for you, especially not having any experience working on them. If the floor is soft, most likely the transom is too, and that's alot of money to fix. he said it was just a small spot in the back. Im going to check it out on Sunday, but only a $1000 for everything i need and more would be a sweet deal. Quote
Vinny Chase Posted March 3, 2010 Author Posted March 3, 2010 how about this one. http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/boa/1626271211.htmlThis looks exactly like my first boat but mine was smurf blue and white ;D It was a great boat and lasted me for years, I sold it to a friend and he's still using it. Honestly that looks too bulky :-/ BTW thanks for looking! I like the second one i had because it has EVERYTHING. Like you said the only setup would be rotted spots so when i go and check it out i will take that into account. Quote
MSPbass Posted March 3, 2010 Posted March 3, 2010 I wouldn't hand over any cash until you can actually stand on that boat for yourself. Make sure it's solid and then look at storage. While it might not seem important now, you'll need space for essentials like fire extinguisher, anchor, rope, navigation lights, spare oar and PDFs. Add to that your tackle, a few 7' rods & two people and that boat will be full. Not un-useable, not un-fishable, just full. Your rods will be in the way sometimes. The advantages are that it's light so easy to tow and store. And, most importantly, it will get you out on the water and at a reasonable price to boot. But try to be realistic do you really want to be looking for another new boat in a couple of years? Or have to sell a 15 footer then? Does it come with a spare tire for the trip back? It doesn't look like it has a trolling motor either. Batteries? That's pretty important. There are a lot of metro lakes that are trolling motor only. There's another $3-400 right there. Quote
Vinny Chase Posted March 3, 2010 Author Posted March 3, 2010 I wouldn't hand over any cash until you can actually stand on that boat for yourself. Make sure it's solid and then look at storage. While it might not seem important now, you'll need space for essentials like fire extinguisher, anchor, rope, navigation lights, spare oar and PDFs. Add to that your tackle, a few 7' rods & two people and that boat will be full. Not un-useable, not un-fishable, just full. Your rods will be in the way sometimes.The advantages are that it's light so easy to tow and store. And, most importantly, it will get you out on the water and at a reasonable price to boot. But try to be realistic do you really want to be looking for another new boat in a couple of years? Or have to sell a 15 footer then? Does it come with a spare tire for the trip back? It doesn't look like it has a trolling motor either. Batteries? That's pretty important. There are a lot of metro lakes that are trolling motor only. There's another $3-400 right there. Thanks for the response. I actually found another boat and posted it on the first page. Let me know what you think of that one Thanks, VC Quote
Super User J Francho Posted March 3, 2010 Super User Posted March 3, 2010 I'd be leery of a fibreglass boat...you can find real decent tin cans in that price range. Quote
MSPbass Posted March 3, 2010 Posted March 3, 2010 I looked at that other boat. Pretty neat looking, I think. However, like SimpleJoe said, a rotten floor should make you worried about a rotten transom. I also thought it was an aluminum boat at first, but after looking at the bottom, it must be fiberglass. Could be heavy. Go check it out though. Walk all over it. Any soft spots, or bends the floor, will be rot. P.S. I agree - I'd be leery of a fibreglass boat...you can find real decent tin cans in that price range. Quote
Vinny Chase Posted March 3, 2010 Author Posted March 3, 2010 Wow i thought i would get a better response! I didnt even think about it being fiberglass...Is that really a big deal when on the lake? Quote
Super User J Francho Posted March 3, 2010 Super User Posted March 3, 2010 A couple of WAYYYY better boats in your area.... http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/boa/1626934500.html http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/boa/1626297411.html http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/boa/1626038640.html http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/boa/1625823667.html http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/boa/1625741604.html You get the idea.... I realize these may be out of your price range, but you'll get a lot more out of one of these than some rotted out POS. Quote
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