Affording a Bass Boat at 22

[Tanner1Wilkerson]

I’m 22 and have lots of friends/mutuals fishing the collegiate level and I just don’t understand how they have their own boats. I live alone and make around 2,800 a month and am nowhere near being able to comfortably afford a reliable nice boat like I see people in. And my passion and love for the sport is just flying past me as I write this.

[MN Fisher]

Start low - 14' open boat with a 10hp will get you out there.

 

While I'm not in the market - locally I could get a 14' Lund fishing boat for $600, and a guy in my neighborhood rebuilds and sells old motors...he's Johnson/Evinrude certified...a 10hp around $500

 

So save up for a bit and start small.

 

What I'm doing to my recently purchased, used 14' Alumacraft is the type of thing you see done at Tiny Boat Nation.

[Bluebasser86]

I bought a used Ranger for 5k when I was 16. Next was a used Cajun for 2k at 17 that I traded for a brand new Lowe Roughneck for 12k at 17. It wasn't an ideal bass boat for big lakes or tournaments, but I caught thousands of fish out of that boat, more than a lot of bass boats did I promise that. 

[jbsoonerfan]

When I was 22 I had a plastic 8' pond hopper that I would take to the lake. Stay close to shore and watch the wind was my mentality. LOL

[WRB]

Not everyone is on the same budget some have wealthy parents, some parents have boats the son or daughter is using and most are in a limited budget.

It may seem Life is passing you bye but you have most of your adult life in front of you. Your options are a good used boat within your budget or join a local bass club as a back seater. Kayaks are very popular with bass derbies dedicated to kayak anglers.

Tom

[Hammer 4]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

Not everyone is on the same budget some have wealthy parents, some parents have boats the son or daughter is using and most are in a limited budget.

It may seem Life is passing you bye but you have most of your adult life in front of you. Your options are a good used boat within your budget or join a local bass club as a back seater. Kayaks are very popular with bass derbies dedicated to kayak anglers.

Tom

^^^ Great advice. Check the local Cl, ect for boats. Someone may have one that you could barter for, you never know until you check.

[Jig Man]

I used to be in the business.  If you get a look at the financial status of a many of those guys you will find that they owe a lot of money.  The typical guy with whom I dealt was only interested in how big the payment was going to be, not the amount of the loan, the length of the loan or the interest rate.  A lot of them even wanted to finance the sales tax because they didn’t have the funds to cover it.  They started out “upside down” from day one and stayed that way.  

[GaryH]

We’ll Tanner, your growing up in the time of instant gratification. You’ve been giving advice from some great people on here that know and realize that most things in life don’t come as easy as it looks. At 22 your adult life is just beginning. Don’t worry about what others have but concentrate on what your goals or wants and needs are and strive/work towards them. Keep your head up and your eye on the ball. ???

[Dirtyeggroll]

In my opinion, the most component of “affording” a boat at 22 is paying cash.

 

At $2,800 per month, depending on what region you live in, I don’t imagine you have a ton left over every month if you are saving aggressively (as I also highly recommend at age 22).

 

Determine your price range and set a savings goal for a boat.

 

Mid-90’s Ranger boats can be had at <$8,000. (I only use Ranger as an example because I was looking for a boat in that price range a few years ago and it seemed that the Ranger R-series boats were commonly found in that price range and had good reviews, some of the best).

 

Only after you meet your savings goal start actually looking for a boat.

 

Alternatively, save yourself a lot of expense for storage and boat maintenance and get a nice pedal drive kayak such as an Old Town Sportsman. Much less expensive to store and maintain. Once again though, set a savings goal and buy with cash.

 

At 22 please don’t go into debt for a bass boat. 

[Captain Phil]

Save your  money, start off small and pay cash.  The fun of every purchase you make in your life will come in the hunt.  When I was young, I was hungry for "stuff".  I wanted fancy cars, boats, houses and anything I thought would make me happy.   Six months after I bought those things, I wanted something else.  A small Jon boat will get you on the water.  Better yet, be-friend one of your boat owner buddies and fish out of his boat.  The best boat is an "OPB" (other peoples boat).   Seriously, you have your whole life ahead of you.  There will be time to realize every dream you have and more. 

[Tennessee Boy]

Something you learn as you get older.  The people that live big in their 20s struggle under the debt they’ve accumulate as they get older.  The guy that is driving the old clunker at age 30 even though he makes good money is they guy who will be retired and driving the Mercedes at 55.

[TnRiver46]

I’d say you’re doing just fine if you’re making $2800/month at 22!!! 
 

I’ll never be able to afford a bass boat, oh well don’t need one 

[Way north bass guy]

57 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’d say you’re doing just fine if you’re making $2800/month at 22!!! 
 

I’ll never be able to afford a bass boat, oh well don’t need one 

But didn’t you just get the big moderator job on here? Should be rolling in dough with that kind of a promotion ?. I see a Basscat Jaguar with a 400hp in the near future!

[gim]

I wouldn't have been able to buy a boat at 22.  I didn't have a proper towing vehicle, a place to store it, or the means to do maintenance on it.  Luckily I grew up in a family that always had a fishing boat so I could use it when I was able to most of the time.  I always knew that when I got older and could afford it, I would buy my own bass boat.  That didn't happen until I was 33 years old.

 

As @WRB indicated, a kayak is probably a decent option until you have the means to own your own bass boat.  If I didn't have one, I'd for sure have a kayak.  They are extremely popular and there are advantages to having one over a boat too.

[slonezp]

3 hours ago, Jig Man said:

I used to be in the business.  If you get a look at the financial status of a many of those guys you will find that they owe a lot of money.  The typical guy with whom I dealt was only interested in how big the payment was going to be, not the amount of the loan, the length of the loan or the interest rate.  A lot of them even wanted to finance the sales tax because they didn’t have the funds to cover it.  They started out “upside down” from day one and stayed that way.  

A friend of my sons is in his early 30s with $150,000 tied up in a bass boat and tow vehicle. He and his wife and kid live in his parents basement. Priorities.....

[Jig Man]

Grasshopper, be patient and save your money.

 

When everything closed down due to Covid fishing wasn’t prohibited.  Soon there weren’t even kayaks to be had.  I’m guessing that your area is similar.  I’m also guessing that many of them will “see the error of their ways” and flood the market with used boats and campers in a year or two.

[J Francho]

At around that age, I had a very used Jeep and a 17' aluminum walleye boat with a 50 hp tiller that I split the cost on with my uncle who is just a few years older than I. That boat was really reasonably priced and served us well for over a decade.

[MN Fisher]

Just now, J Francho said:

At around that age, I had a very used Jeep and a 17' aluminum walleye boat with a 50 hp tiller that I split the cost on with my uncle who is just a few years older than I. That boat was really reasonably priced and served us well for over a decade.

At that age, I was halfway through my Air Force time. Had a 10 year old Pontiac Ventura and no boat. Did all my fishing from the shore.

[Bird]

At 22 I had a John boat with trolling motor and fished out of that boat for many years.

After that, all my bass boats were used, of course they were significantly cheaper in the 80's.

 

No way would I advise a young man who loves to fish to go out and buy a brand new fiberglass bass boat, not in this current market. 

 

Go out and get yourself a Pelican bass raider 10e, 55lb trolling motor and at least a group 27 deep cycle battery, much easier to fish from than a kayak. 

 

OR, be very patient and search the used market for a gem.

My fishing partner for over 40 years found this 1995 Cheetah in mint condition for 3k.

Good luck ?

 

[Craig P]

At 22, I had a set of waders.  I wanted a Porsche at 22, that never happened so I continued to use my waders and enjoyed life.

[Skunkmaster-k]

A new boat doesn’t make you a good fisherman. 

[Logan S]

Talking specifically about the guys in their teens/early-20's with high class rigs...There's not some secret out there you don't know about - Those boats are either fully/majority supported by parents or other benefactors OR they are financed OR both of those things.  It's not bad or wrong, its just the way of the world.

  

Personally, I had a 17' Tracker when I was 16.  I fished out of that until I was 21 when I bought a used 20' Stratos.  The Stratos served me well for many years until I recently upgraded to my Skeeter.  I'm 36 now, on my 3rd 'real' bass boat.   

 

I financed that Stratos when I was 21.  I was fresh out of college with a decent job but not a huge savings account so financing was the right play for me.  I had been fishing out of that Tracker since I was 16 so I was ready for an upgrade to a full size rig and there was no way I could do that without financing.  The trade in from my Tracker plus a little extra gave me a modest loan at a longer term that I doubled up payments on, so I had the option to fall back to the minimum payment if any financial trouble hit.  That's how I did it and it worked for me without issue.  

 

Some people run into issues financing boats, but in fairness the majority of those people start out with issues right out of the gate.  Financing a boat is only a bad idea if you make it one.  If you are smart and responsible, it's no issue at all.  

 

13 hours ago, Tanner1Wilkerson said:

And my passion and love for the sport is just flying past me as I write this.

It's only going to fly past you if you let it.  Even without a boat there are great alternatives as co-angler in a local club, local BFL (or similar) trail, etc...Jon boats and kayaks are also good gap-fillers until you land your own bassboat. 

 

Also don't get too caught up in 'good = new & expensive'.  The boat is a tool to take you to the fish and you can be just as successful in a budget rig as a $100k rig.  Also don't think you NEED the latest electronics and accessories, which can really inflate prices.  You need to learn the basics anyway so it best to start out with the basics, which comes with the added bonus of being more affordable.  

[Krux5506]

Only you can set your own budget, not any of us. I've also wondered about younger dudes affording crazy bass boats but hey, good for them. 

 

Work and save money. There's not much more to it, unless you're independently wealthy or have parents who like funding you in your adulthood. 

 

In my case I saved a ton of money by not going to college. Worked through high school (and always enjoyed doing that) and just went straight to full time as soon as I graduated and moved outta my parents house the same month. My story is boring though - lots of hours at jobs people don't really wanna work and saving money which people these days also are awful at for a variety of reasons. I didn't buy my boat til I was 25 but I bought my first house at 23. I think a lot of younger people really need to figure out if college is for them long before they just jump into it and assume its the right choice.

[Happybeerbuzz]

42 minutes ago, Krux5506 said:

Only you can set your own budget, not any of us. I've also wondered about younger dudes affording crazy bass boats but hey, good for them. 

 

 

This is it in a nutshell.  In addition to your personal finances, you have to write your own priorities and be responsible about it.  At 22 there are a lot of immediate questions about opportunities and commitments that need to be answered in the next few years, some of them potentially life long.  That is all on you.  

[Darth-Baiter]

On paper I STILL can’t afford a bass boat. Just buying a boat is the beginning.  The other stuff is pretty staggering to me. I don’t know how some people “of my vintage” do it. My friends has a 10- year loan and that’s never a good idea.   Only bright side he fishes often. But d**n. I bet he paid 20% interest. 
 

if I could write my 22 year old self a note it would say, “ kid. Pay yourself first! And ask Diana out now!”

 

keep this in mind.  Rich people buy investments.  Poor people buy annuities.  Things you make payments on. Pay yourself first.  Not the boat-bank.