Affording a Bass Boat at 22

[gim]

This topic of affording a boat seems to come up every once in a while.  The first time I saw it come up years ago, @slonezp posted "Get rid of your kids and the money flows like water."

 

This sound advice still stands to this day.

[Tennessee Boy]

31 minutes ago, gimruis said:

This topic of affording a boat seems to come up every once in a while.  The first time I saw it come up years ago, @slonezp posted "Get rid of your kids and the money flows like water."

 

This sound advice still stands to this day.

Yeah,  if you have a daughter she's probably gonna want to get married one day and will expect you to pay for it.  A wedding cost between one and two bass boats.

[@reelChris]

17 hours ago, Tanner1Wilkerson said:

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.

 

1) Find more income

2) Do more with the same income - e.g., get a room mate

3) Buy on credit

4) Shop the used market - just quick looking in the DFW area I found:

 

$14,000 for a 2002 Triton with 150hp Merc & Ultrex

$8,500 for a 2000 Xpress 17' with 90hp Honda 

$1,800 for a running 1977 Glasstron

 

[slonezp]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

This topic of affording a boat seems to come up every once in a while.  The first time I saw it come up years ago, @slonezp posted "Get rid of your kids and the money flows like water."

 

This sound advice still stands to this day.

I vaguely remember saying that 

[cyclops2]

I am amazed at how many fishing people need unlimited brand new fully optioned boats.  To catch 1 fish at a time.

 

[TnRiver46]

33 minutes ago, cyclops2 said:

I am amazed at how many fishing people need unlimited brand new fully optioned boats.  To catch 1 fish at a time.

 

It’s not to catch 1 fish at a time, it’s to keep up with (or ahead of) the Jones’s!!!

ironically I caught a couple dozen threadfin shad in one throw of a net yesterday………… from a canoe! 

[Bird]

3 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Yeah,  if you have a daughter she's probably gonna want to get married one day and will expect you to pay for it.  A wedding cost between one and two bass boats.

My youngest daughter just got married and she loves fancy name brand things, very expensive taste, the wedding ?.....it stung. 

[TnRiver46]

3 minutes ago, Bird said:

My youngest daughter just got married and she loves fancy name brand things, very expensive taste, the wedding ?.....it stung. 

Lasted all of one day too! Haha. Gotta keep those women happy 

[Junk Fisherman]

Unless someone has wealthy parents or that rich grandpa, no one at 22 should have much more than a starter boat.  While I know it can be tough, try not to compare what you have versus what some of your peers have.  They either have a good family situation or are in way too much bad debt at an early age.

 

I'd recommend three things:  1)  Join a bass club and fish as a nonboater.  You will learn a tremendous amount and will be more prepared when you do get your first bass boat.  Plus, it is a very reasonably-priced way to get on the water in some nice boats.  2)  Get a kayak or small aluminum boat.  This will get you on the water and give you the freedom to fish on your terms.  There probably are some kayak or small boat tournaments in your area.  3)  Save for that first bass boat.  You're not saving for a new Basscat but rather a 15-20 year old starter boat that you will learn in.  If you can pay cash or close to it on that first boat in a couple years it makes everything easier going forward.   Good luck.  You're getting some good advice in this thread.  

[flyfisher]

A boat to me is the ultimate disposable income purchase.  It costs money to buy, maintain and use and it will never repay you what you put in from a monetary standpoint.  Lots of options that are affordable and get you off the bank.  When I was looking for a boat I took a look at the area I lived and made the determination that a kayak would suit me best.  I have had quite a few over the years and motorized it this year.  I do want to get a boat that I can take my kids out on eventually and fishing as much as I have I know what would be best in my area and my style of fishing.  Now I just gotta get about 25K of disposable income available and it will be a reality   No rush for me though....

great advice already given on this thread so I won't rehash that stuff. 

[cyclops2]

A1986 Lowe 16' X 46" Aluminum V with Short shaft transom. 1986 Evinrude 9.9 with Electric start. And a 1999 Evinrude 30 hp 2 stroke . Only 2 parts replace on both. Still run it all summer

I do not up scale my friends every few years. The boat is a treasure of trips. The 2002 Chaparral 186 SSI & 305 Chevy V 8.  My old body was too unreliable to dock it.

Start small. Never know when you are happy. 

[king fisher]

Find yourself a girl whose father likes to bass fish, and has a nice bass boat.  Then Marry her.  Don't buy the ring, until you actually see the boat.  Pictures can be easily photo shopped.  

     

[schplurg]

I can't believe people pay so much for weddings, talk about a waste of money. Statistically a bass boat will last a lot longer than a wedding.

[TnRiver46]

11 minutes ago, schplurg said:

I can't believe people pay so much for weddings, talk about a waste of money. Statistically a bass boat will last a lot longer than a wedding.

Didn’t you say you were divorced?? Haha

 

It’s a giant waste of money no doubt, but we think like that because we are men. You don’t want to be denying your lady of her special day! I can always make more cash 

[Bird]

30 minutes ago, schplurg said:

I can't believe people pay so much for weddings, talk about a waste of money. Statistically a bass boat will last a lot longer than a wedding.

You should she the guy my daughter married......a bass boat will outlast the marriage. Lol

 

 

[throttleplate]

On 12/26/2021 at 8:41 PM, Tanner1Wilkerson said:

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.

Here in minnesota drive around a few of the 10,000 lakes minnesota has and you will see unlimited amounts of fishing boats, speed boats, pontoons laying in the weeds next to the  lake houses.

 

I come across many abandoned boats that are aluminum and still look good but the trailers are usually trash. I always think i could get one for super cheap and get it going but then i snap out of it realizing i dont want a boat.

 

 

[schplurg]

5 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Didn’t you say you were divorced?? Haha

 

It’s a giant waste of money no doubt, but we think like that because we are men. You don’t want to be denying your lady of her special day! I can always make more cash 

 

Yes but I didn't pay for the marriage, and the divorce was amicable and cost less than $1000 (and no alimony, though I bought her a MacBook some months later)!!!

 

My Old Town Kayak cost more than the divorce (not counting the computer haha) and will last much longer! That's my baby now!

 

If I ever marry again it will be to a woman who says, "Yes, I believe a large down payment on a home is a better idea than blowing it so friends can go to a wedding they really don't want to attend"

 

And if she says "bass boat" instead of "home" I will ... okay time to wake up, Mike.

[padon]

12 hours ago, Junk Fisherman said:

Unless someone has wealthy parents or that rich grandpa, no one at 22 should have much more than a starter boat.  While I know it can be tough, try not to compare what you have versus what some of your peers have.  They either have a good family situation or are in way too much bad debt at an early age.

 

I'd recommend three things:  1)  Join a bass club and fish as a nonboater.  You will learn a tremendous amount and will be more prepared when you do get your first bass boat.  Plus, it is a very reasonably-priced way to get on the water in some nice boats.  2)  Get a kayak or small aluminum boat.  This will get you on the water and give you the freedom to fish on your terms.  There probably are some kayak or small boat tournaments in your area.  3)  Save for that first bass boat.  You're not saving for a new Basscat but rather a 15-20 year old starter boat that you will learn in.  If you can pay cash or close to it on that first boat in a couple years it makes everything easier going forward.   Good luck.  You're getting some good advice in this thread.  

this!! the bass club as a nonboater is a great idea. not only do you get out on other peoples boats , you learn a ton about not only about boats but fishing in general. boats are a huge expense, and at 22 you have a golden oprottunity to set yourself up to be prosperous not in debt.once you have a solid career choice and a start in that career then you can focus on a boat. i see so many guys that buy a car they cant afford then work just to pay for the car. they cant make a career change or go to college or trade school because they have that car payment.get the income situation right first. some people like me will never be able to spend all that money on a new boat. i make over 6 figures a year and am in my fifties.If i signed a paper for a 75k boat loan i wouldnt be able to sleep at night . All that money for something that isnt a necessity. i fish from a used 17 foot tracker grizzly that i put custom aluminum decks in and modified to my liking. not a fancy boat but fits my needs perfectly. And as soon as im 65 im done with work ive hopefully saved and invested enough that im gonna enjoy my last years fishing and doing what i want.

[Dwight Hottle]

If it makes you feel any better I did not buy my first boat until I was in my late 50's. Working 6 days a week & figured I didn't really have time for boat ownership until nearing retirement. Rentals, guide boats & friend's boat allowed me to boat fish when I had the opportunity. 

[TnRiver46]

10 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

If it makes you feel any better I did not buy my first boat until I was in my late 50's. Working 6 days a week & figured I didn't really have time for boat ownership until nearing retirement. Rentals, guide boats & friend's boat allowed me to boat fish when I had the opportunity. 

^^^^^^^ OP- this should indeed make you feel better 

 

this man has caught ALL the big fish in America and Canada 

[gim]

13 hours ago, king fisher said:

Don't buy the ring, until you actually see the boat.

 

My wife (fiance) and I actually had a verbal agreement on this.  I was just getting ready to pull the trigger on a boat right before we met.  Of course the relationship developed and I had to bail on that and save up for a ring instead.  When I told her that, she felt guilty about it after I gave her the ring.  So she said that since she got a very expensive piece of jewelry, I could get a boat.  DONE DEAL.  She loves her ring and I love my boat.

[billmac]

Keep an eye on facebook marketplace and craigslist.  If you are handy, pick up an old boat and do the maintenance yourself.  You definitely can find an old bassboat for $3-5K.  Then find a couple facebook groups (if you can) dedicated to your motor.  And of course you can ask folks here too.

 

Having to do a little maintenance on boat and motor will probably serve you better in the long run than if you start with a new setup.

 

When I first pulled the cover off my '88 Mercury I6, I thought I was looking under the hood of a space shuttle.  But thanks to a persistent cold-bloodedness (and hitting a rock), I've gotten to know the motor very well.  That's not a bad thing.

[Bankc]

One thing I've learned in this life, is that money isn't fair.  I have a friend who's loaded and has never had a job in his life.  I have a friend who's a hard-working and very personable genius (like literally a genius) and can barely make ends meet.  I have a cousin who has landed himself several six figure jobs in life because he's an alcoholic who loves to get into bar fights.  He'll pick fights that don't have anything to do with him, and a few times they have accidentally been for the benefit of rich people he doesn't know, who rewarded him with a good job at their company.  

 

Ever heard of Drew Weissman or Katalin Karikó?  They saved at least a hundred million lives and the world's economy.  If anyone deserves to be rich and famous, it's these two.  Ever heard of Kendall Jenner?  She's a billionaire who's famous for posting selfies.   Money isn't fair.  Who cares?  Happiness is free.  You just have to DIY it.  

 

So, don't worry about what other people have.  Just figure out ways to enjoy your life with what you have.  

[king fisher]

15 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

t’s a giant waste of money no doubt, but we think like that because we are men. You don’t want to be denying your lady of her special day! I can always make more cash 

Are you saying.  Me coming home with a six pack yelling it is time to celebrate, I just caught my PB on the first trip out in my new bass boat.  That wouldn't be her special day?  What more could she possibly want?

[TnRiver46]

7 minutes ago, king fisher said:

Are you saying.  Me coming home with a six pack yelling it is time to celebrate, I just caught my PB on the first trip out in my new bass boat.  That wouldn't be her special day?  What more could she possibly want?

“Whats a PB? Hand me one of those beers, would ya?” -king fisher’s wife