Affording a Bass Boat at 22

[Way2slow]

I was 17 and a senior in high school when I bought my first new boat, a 14' Glass Master runabout with a 65hp Mercury.  Boat, motor and trailer cost me $1,427 (that was in 1966).  I was as as much into water skiing as I was fishing then and with that boat, I could do both.  I was 14 or15 when I bought my first car, that I only paid $10 for.  From the time I was 13, I had a full time job, working after school and weekends at a service station.  Plus I had a sideline of repairing lawn mowers, fixing them up and selling them.  After I bought my car, when the station closed, three nights a week I made a moonshine run, hauling whisky.  We didn't live in the city, and I was driving when I was 13, just not allowed to go into town.

I feel it's all about where you put your priorities and how much you are willing to work for what you want.  I see a lot of people spend more than enough on beer and cigarettes each month, which I've never had a use for either, to afford a whole lot of things they say they can't afford and would like to have.

[Big Rick]

If you REALLY want a boat, find a second job. While $2,800 a month is nothing to sneeze at, I don't imagine it's a 60 hour a week job. Jobs are a dime a dozen right now. Way more jobs than people willing to work them. When McDonald's is offering sign on bonuses you know the market is prime. 

 

Don't settle for mediocre income!  The money is out there if you're willing to do what's necessary to make it. If you want a boat bad enough, put other elective things like eating out on the back burner, focus on working like a mad man, save your money until you can buy what you want, then go buy it!  At 22 you have the world at your fingertips. And a motivated young person can accomplish great things.  I know, as I've got 5 boys and 3 girls. The oldest is 26 and makes $200,000 per year with no formal education. He actually sells portable buildings in a county of 10,000 people. If you want it bad enough you can make it happen. My grandpa had a saying he lived by. He often told us, "These things don't just happen, you gotta make them happen."

 

Instead of focusing on what you don't have focus on what it takes to get what you want and go for it. It's all a mentality. I refuse to be a victim of my circumstances in a country that affords me the opportunity to change those circumstances. 

 

Best of luck to you. 

[sdowiat]

With both Now and the Future ( which comes faster than you would ever think ) in mind, find your money / time / finances balance and try to keep it in mind.

 

I made a lot of money mistakes in my early years.  At 23 years old ( 33 years ago ) I bought a bass boat that was on display in the center of a mall.  I sure paid for that!   Luckily it was only a 15.5 ft one that cost about half what a nice 19 footer would have cost, and I was young with a decent job and could work a LOT.  

 

I was able to survive that mistake and overall do well... but a lifetime of those type mistakes would really take a toll and I'm glad to say that I gradually smartened up.  Now I struggle with being to far in the OTHER direction and preparing for the future at the expense of today, but still I recognize that it's important to find the right balance in life.

 

 

[throttleplate]

I met a woman back in 1986 and we dated for a few months then moved in together.

I wanted to get a boat to fish and ski with.

We went and looked at many boats and settled on a new Sea Ray 18 foot fiberglass inboard outboard.

I asked her to pay half and she agreed. We paid $5,000 each, i paid cash while she got a loan.

15 months later we broke up. Both names on the title i towed the boat to a dealer and had them sell it.

We each got $2,800 back.

[Way2slow]

I don't think many people are going to be buying much of a boat with a $2,800 per month income, unless they are still free loading off their parents for food and shelter.  I was making twice that 40 years ago, and with a wife and two kids, I would have had a hard time justifying forking out the money for a new bass boat of any size.  In 1990, I looked at a new 18' Champion and couldn't justify it to myself.  Figured I was better off sticking with buying other peoples junk for pennies on the dollar, fix it up and use it.

The way things are now, I hate to even go to town with my wife.  From the time I leave the house, until I get back home, I always have at least $100 less than I left with and feel fortunate if that's all it cost me.  $15 - $20 just to go through a fast  food drive through, $40+ to have a meal that's edible, and we always have to stop by a grocery store for something.  I tell her, I'm glad we are not still dating, I would only be able to afford one date a month.

[MN Fisher]

9 minutes ago, Way2slow said:

I don't think many people are going to be buying much of a boat with a $2,800 per month income, unless they are still free loading off their parents for food and shelter.  I was making twice that 40 years ago, and with a wife and two kids, I would have had a hard time justifying forking out the money for a new bass boat of any size. 

30 years ago between the wife and I, we were making almost 4 times that.

 

Now-days with inflation, 2800 a month is equal to 1/2 what it was back then...so converting - we were pulling in almost 8 times (in value) what the OC is now...and I bought used.

[whitwolf]

I fished out of old aluminum  boats for a very long time. The first one had only a trolling motor. I caught plenty of fish and a few decent one's too boot. No, I couldn't  run all over the lake, no I couldn't afford a depthfinder nor high end equipment.  

 

One thing I could do was fish. I might have admired new boats and nice equipment but never really cared as long as I was able to fish.

 

There has been some very sound  advice from folks on this thread. Read it and re-read it. 

 

My wife and I looked at buying our retirement  boat and then covid hit. We ended up with a 17 ft. aluminum boat with a 50 horse motor and 45 lb thrust trolling motor. It has serviceable electronics and has been a great little boat. We are putting away a ton of money and will buy new right before I retire. So at 64 I will have a new boat. 

 

I know this post is a bit disjointed but the entire point is never make a financial choice based solely on want. That usually ends up costing you. And; never, ever become so financially strapped that you can't  enjoy life.

[EWREX]

i just turned 33 years old, and owning a bass boat is a personal life goal of mine. whether i achieve that goal at 34 or at 64.. it doesn’t matter. i’ve learned more about bass fishing the last 5 years from the back of the boat being a co-angler than i could ever imagine, and i do not feel like i’ve missed out on anything. i finally qualified for the CT BASS Nation state team this year as a co-angler, and achieving that feels like winning the friggin superbowl to me. the fact that i’m going to represent my state at the regionals against all of the other northeastern states is an incredible feeling. there’s so much you can accomplish and look forward to without being unnecessarily in debt to “keep up” with everyone else. set goals, be smart, and enjoy the journey. it will feel much better when it happens. 

[newbiedmv]

Around here you can get a used 14' Jon boat with a used motor and trailer for 500. They are beat up but they work.

200 into the set up and your good to go. A smaller one that's fiberglass (10') or so goes for 200 new

Canoes everywhere for free. 

Craig's list and other type of web sites. 

[JoeDeal55]

I just got my first watercraft in 2021 at 31 years old. A $400 dollar kayak from walmart. I doubt I will ever be able to afford a boat. Maybe when my children grow up but even then I doubt it. But I am more than happy to just be a kayak/bank angler for the rest of my life.

[22RangerZ520R]

I started off at the age of 16 with a Ford Festiva pulling a two man plastic boat, now at 40 I have a 2022 platinum F250 that pulls a 2022 Ranger Z520R.  Getting to where you want to be won't happen overnight.  Stay focused and invest as much money as possible while you're young, compounding interest is amazing and it has allowed me to be in the financial position I am today.

 

Lots of good advice posted already...  Good luck to you and remember the bass don't care what kind of boat you're in!

[Bird]

1 hour ago, 22RangerZ520R said:

I started off at the age of 16 with a Ford Festiva pulling a two man plastic boat, now at 40 I have a 2022 platinum F250 that pulls a 2022 Ranger Z520R.  Getting to where you want to be won't happen overnight.  Stay focused and invest as much money as possible while you're young, compounding interest is amazing and it has allowed me to be in the financial position I am today.

 

Lots of good advice posted already...  Good luck to you and remember the bass don't care what kind of boat you're in!

Sounds like a really nice setup you got there.

Yes, sound advice for any young person, invest and don't look back. 

 

I've never touched a 6 figure income yet comfortably retired in my 50's on investments alone. 

It's about the best advice you could offer a young person. 

 

If a large purchase prevents one from setting a little coin aside for the future, it may not be wise. Imo

 

 

 

[gim]

36 minutes ago, Bird said:

If a large purchase prevents one from setting a little coin aside for the future, it may not be wise. Imo

Totally. Always more important to save for a rainy day.

[Tennessee Boy]

Interest is the key.  Saving and getting paid interest will make you rich.  Borrowing and paying interest will make you poor.  It really is that simple.

[newbiedmv]

I just saw 20 freshwater fishing

Used boats for under $1500 just a hours drive

I saw new Colman for around $300.00. My brother had that and it was a tough little boat. Used one for 250. These fit on the bed or cargo carrier.

They are everywhere. 

One things for sure, you'll learn your balance 

?

[Darth-Baiter]

Being able to buy a boat and affording a boat are two vastly different things. 
 

there are things that need to be lined up before you can honestly afford something.  The rest of stuff paid in full, 8 months of spending saved up in case something happens… etc. 

 

stringing along a bunch of monthly payments for stuff isn’t affording things. 

[BassNJake]

On 1/2/2022 at 12:26 AM, EWREX said:

i just turned 33 years old, and owning a bass boat is a personal life goal of mine. whether i achieve that goal at 34 or at 64.. it doesn’t matter. i’ve learned more about bass fishing the last 5 years from the back of the boat being a co-angler than i could ever imagine, and i do not feel like i’ve missed out on anything. i finally qualified for the CT BASS Nation state team this year as a co-angler, and achieving that feels like winning the friggin superbowl to me. the fact that i’m going to represent my state at the regionals against all of the other northeastern states is an incredible feeling. there’s so much you can accomplish and look forward to without being unnecessarily in debt to “keep up” with everyone else. set goals, be smart, and enjoy the journey. it will feel much better when it happens. 

Congrats!!

[Junk Fisherman]

On 1/1/2022 at 11:26 PM, EWREX said:

i just turned 33 years old, and owning a bass boat is a personal life goal of mine. whether i achieve that goal at 34 or at 64.. it doesn’t matter. i’ve learned more about bass fishing the last 5 years from the back of the boat being a co-angler than i could ever imagine, and i do not feel like i’ve missed out on anything. i finally qualified for the CT BASS Nation state team this year as a co-angler, and achieving that feels like winning the friggin superbowl to me. the fact that i’m going to represent my state at the regionals against all of the other northeastern states is an incredible feeling. there’s so much you can accomplish and look forward to without being unnecessarily in debt to “keep up” with everyone else. set goals, be smart, and enjoy the journey. it will feel much better when it happens. 

 

Congrats!  I completely agree about learning from the back of the boat.  When I did it, it wasn't just about learning what to do but also what not to do.  But after I had a small, non-tournament boat for a couple years it really became tough for me to fish as a coangler with some people when I felt like I had better spots and would make better decisions if I were running the boat.  But for people who can't afford a bassboat yet, fishing as a coangler is a great option.    

[BlakeMolone]

Shoot I’m 28 and fish out of a float tube and beat the bank a lot too. I’m still learning and loving fishing, I just try not to compare myself to others and move along at my own pace. It’s all about learning and enjoying for me.

[Way2slow]

As mentioned, buying and affording are two totally different animals.  After selling my bass boat, I joined the pontoon crowd.  I just returned from a trip to a lake 120 miIes away I made to do a couple of days of striper fishing.  The boat was not setup for that.  After spending a week and  $200 doing the stuff I felt was needed to the boat, $120 worth of gas for the boat and truck (2500HD 6.0 only gets 8mpg towing the thing), $60 for a site to set a tent up on, and another $100 for the food and all the other junk I felt I needed I had a great trip.  After spending almost $400, I just wished I hadn't forgot to take any of my rods and reels so I could have fished some.  The trolling motor I put on needed some work, so I was able to fix that, and the wife liked me getting home a day sooner.

[FishinBuck07]

6 hours ago, BlakeMolone said:

Shoot I’m 28 and fish out of a float tube and beat the bank a lot too. I’m still learning and loving fishing, I just try not to compare myself to others and move along at my own pace. It’s all about learning and enjoying for me.

Nothing wrong with that at all!  I use a float tube in a bunch of strip pit lakes and absolutely love it.  Not getting anywhere fast in it but makes you fish a spot more thoroughly.  

[PressuredFishing]

Roughly your age, this was a good start for me...

[Mbirdsley]

On 12/26/2021 at 9:53 PM, MN Fisher said:

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.

This is how I started at age 31 and caught a lot of fish out of my 14 ft tin boat. Family and student loans make it hard to justify a sparkly bass boat at the moment but, I’m working on it .

 

Bonus is that you can get into places on lakes and rivers that the bigger boats can’t get into.  I’d try to get 12-15 hp motor though. I did do some mild customizing the road runner. i picked up a 2nd hand 40hp stern mount minnkota trolling motor for 50 bucks, mounted verticals rod holders along the bench seats, and added a garmin striker 4. First and last pictures 

 

middle pictures is the boat I traded my tin can to my grandpa for.  It was a  bow riding ski boat. I turned into a bass boat.  Took the seats out up front and added a deck and trolling motor.  Last winter I tore the old carpet and old floor out and installed a new floor with tough coat. Cool thing is most of the older aluminum boats that size usually only have 40-60hp motors.  When I fire that 2 stroke tower of power 90 hp up people turn their heads. That’s after the cloud disappears Haha. just kidding the 2 stroke fig is not that bad  
 

also it’s easier to learn how to maintain a smaller boat.  Especially the simple pm stuff. You either have to re-pack or replace bearings every year, trailer lights always need maintaince, learn how to drain lower end oil every year,  learn how to fire it up on muffs either for the season or to summarize it after the winter.  If you had a dealer or mechanic do those simple things you would get hit with $500 bill or more per season. 
 

nothing wrong with taking a loan out for a boat just make sure it’s not going to put you in a bind financially.  Right now I’m enjoying the benefits of no boat loan. 

 

 

[the reel ess]

I imagine their parents bought those boats or they're hand-me-downs from dad or relatives-the old family discount. When I was 22 I could barely make a car payment to get to and from my low paying job. LOL. I often had to make some decisions between spending or eating. Bologna and hot dogs became delicacies.

 

There are lots of older boats out there pretty cheap. Throw the modern electronics on them as you save up and fish. I actually sold a 17' 1986 Procraft F&S for $1000 a while back and was glad to be rid of it. I only gave $3K for it about 10 years before. The guy fixed a head gasket himself cheap and has a running bass boat with graph and trolling motor, 135 HP Merc. 

 

If you just want to get out there and fish, find an older jon boat and get busy rigging it for bass. Try putting $20-30 per paycheck into a fund. It will grow pretty quickly. After you're used to not having that money in the checking account you'll adjust. I don't even try to afford a boat anymore. I only kayak fish or I go with my buddy. Bota ownership is not all rainbows and unicorns.

[volzfan59]

On 1/3/2022 at 10:18 PM, newbiedmv said:

I just saw 20 freshwater fishing

Used boats for under $1500 just a hours drive

I saw new Colman for around $300.00. My brother had that and it was a tough little boat. Used one for 250. These fit on the bed or cargo carrier.

They are everywhere. 

One things for sure, you'll learn your balance 

?

If your talking about the Coleman Crawdad series, they sure are tough as nails! My first boat was a Coleman Crawdad with a 9.9 Johnson and a 30 lb thrust Minn Kota. Great little rig and I caught a ton of  fish in it!  I wish that I still had it.