Help Newbie needs to buy a boat!

[TomC]

Starting to do some initial research on getting a little fishing boat and have decided that I am probably going to go with a smaller aluminum boat. The max I want to spend is $15000......well maybe a little more if need be but I am looking for some advice on who makes the best "tin" boat. I was pretty interested in the xpress boats until I started reading about all the weld cracks which has made me a little paranoid. My dad was a big Alumacraft fan but havent had a chance to go look at them yet and I also here Lowe makes a good boat and then there always the tracker ProTeam 175. Too many option for a first time boat buyer and I sure wish I had a little more experience so hopefully some of ya'll can steer me in the right direction. I am probably looking for someting in the 16-17' long. I got to find something that will fit in my garage. I really liked the little xpress h50 cause it would be around $11800 out the door including tax tag and title and I could blow another $1000 or so upgrade the electronics to a top notch fishfinder and still be have money left over for a bunch of kistler rods.

Speed aint my biggest concern and I think a 50-60hp will more than suffice. I really do appreciate the help!

Tom

[TAE73]

Tom, Take a look at lowe boats also. I chose a lowe over the express, one thing was 2 livewells one in front and one in back. G3 is another good brand of boats, several people have then on here. All boats have there advantages and disadvantages. I use to own a lowe 180 w/ a 115 evinrude, 4 years ago new it was 15,500. I also did have a split hull, but let me say this. When this happened it was 3' waves and I was probably going faster than I should have. Also Lowe was very good about fixing the crack, no cost to me other than no boat for 3 weeks. Dont let the cracks scare you away, I own a fiberglass now. I think they give a better ride but cost alot more money, and need alot of care to keep them looking new. And they too can have problems. Good luck in your finds and welcome aboard!

Also they dont all crack open, it just depends on the situation at hand so dont let that scare you away from them.

[Ranger375]

I of course have a Ranger fiberglass boat. What I did when i was looking for my 'first boat' I looked at used rigs. Mostly because there are so many different options with the different manufacturers. I made a list of what was important to me. From their I looked at price range until I found what I could afford and was failey close to all that I wanted. I went with a used boat first because like you I ws a first-timer and I wanted to get something that I wouldn't be overly concerned if I scratched it a little.

The first rig was '78 Charger bass boat with 85 hp Johnson. I'd still have that boat if it had not developed stress crack (2004) in the hull. Not bad to have made it 26 years and no major overhauls. When I retired this past year wife bought me newer boat with my money for retirement present.

Just my two cents. There are good and bad points about very boat and you'll find that you want to make changes as you go along.

Check out the post "lund boats" 1/23/05 and "trolling out the back of the boat" 1/23/05

Check out 'PanMan' boat at
http://members.cox.net/keith.w.davis

He built his own boat from Jon boat hull.

[paddlebug235]

Starting to do some initial research on getting a little fishing boat and have decided that I am probably going to go with a smaller aluminum boat. The max I want to spend is $15000......well maybe a little more if need be but I am looking for some advice on who makes the best "tin" boat. I was pretty interested in the xpress boats until I started reading about all the weld cracks which has made me a little paranoid. My dad was a big Alumacraft fan but havent had a chance to go look at them yet and I also here Lowe makes a good boat and then there always the tracker ProTeam 175. Too many option for a first time boat buyer and I sure wish I had a little more experience so hopefully some of ya'll can steer me in the right direction. I am probably looking for someting in the 16-17' long. I got to find something that will fit in my garage. I really liked the little xpress h50 cause it would be around $11800 out the door including tax tag and title and I could blow another $1000 or so upgrade the electronics to a top notch fishfinder and still be have money left over for a bunch of kistler rods.

Speed aint my biggest concern and I think a 50-60hp will more than suffice. I really do appreciate the help!

Tom

This is just my humble opinion so take it for what it is going to cost you. We were not in a hurry when we started looking. When I say we my wife fishes with me so we both had input. we started looking at BP at trackers. After talking to someTracker owners and their leak problems on reletivly new boats we scratched that one. The Fishers looked god but I really liked the Lowes and would have one now but someone bought it before we got back to the dealer. Ended up with a like new used lund Rebel Special for half the cost and that's even having paid way above book value for it.

We love it and are sure glad its paid for and we would have one more year on the new boat. I know we just lucked out and stumbled across a guy who had to give up fishing and his baby. I guess my point is, if you take your time you might just luck into the deal you can only dream of.

I know there will be a lot of people who will have different opinions but we fish Kansas and the wind and rollers don't bother our 16 foot Lund at all.

[fisherman4life]

tom, first of all i want to say good luck on finding you a boat. the first boat i owned, i looked everywhere. i ended up getting a boat that met my needs at the time, but later found out i needed to upgrade. when buying a boat dont just look at price and speed and be satisfied. thats what i did and i was unsatisfied about three months later. i could have spent a little more money and been happier much longer. things that are more important to me now are length. i would get no less than an 18 foot boat. i have owned a 16, 18, and now have a 20 foot boat, and i must say the longer the boat the better the ride (in my opinion), also with the longer boats you have more rod locker storage, more legroom, and a more stable ride. back to your question as to lead you in the right direction, i have a fiberglass, but my friend has a 17 foot triton that we use to duckhunt. no, it is not as long as i like, but this boat has been through absolute h*ll and still looks, and performs like new. the hull on this boat is unbelievaboy strong. when you duck hunt you go to places in a boat that most people will consider you crazy for even attempting. this boat has gotten us to these places with no problem, but more importantly got us out without water leaks. lol. oh yeah we catch fish out of it too. good luck.

[Moose1am]

Two things I would want to know. Ask any dealer that you intend to buy a boat from what the Total TURN KEY cost is going to be. I mean have them include all those hidden costs like Dealer Prep and Destination costs.


Second thing is to look at the trailer tongue if you are going to be putting the boat and trailer inside a garage. Some of the new boat trailers have special tongues that can collape or be bent up or something and that give you more clearance to shut the garage door. LOL

I had an aluminum boat for 25 years not and have had one major welded seam crack and I almost lost my boat. This happened to me back in about 1984 and the boat was new in 1978. Since that time I have had no other major welded seams crack. I had a few rivet heads pop off but I had those holes welded shut.

Get the best boat you can afford and fit in your garage. You won't regret that.

I would look hard at the 4 stroke engines for this reason. Gasoline is up to 1.90 a gallon here and oil is selling for $50/barrel and it's not said to be comign down anytime soon. Nature can't make oil in the ground as fast as the world is using it up so the price are not going to be coming down. Plus with the four strokes you can troll all day long with the engine at idle. The four stokes get much better gas mileage and that is going to be more and more important as time goes on.

Good luck and take your time and don't get in a hurry. Research everything. If you can get them to give you a test ride then by all means go for a ride in the boat before you put down the cash.
Ask around about the dealerships reputation. Some boat dealers may be better than others. If you keep a boat very long your bound to need some work done on it and having a good reliable marine mechanic is a good thing to have.

Starting to do some initial research on getting a little fishing boat and have decided that I am probably going to go with a smaller aluminum boat. The max I want to spend is $15000......well maybe a little more if need be but I am looking for some advice on who makes the best "tin" boat. I was pretty interested in the xpress boats until I started reading about all the weld cracks which has made me a little paranoid. My dad was a big Alumacraft fan but havent had a chance to go look at them yet and I also here Lowe makes a good boat and then there always the tracker ProTeam 175. Too many option for a first time boat buyer and I sure wish I had a little more experience so hopefully some of ya'll can steer me in the right direction. I am probably looking for someting in the 16-17' long. I got to find something that will fit in my garage. I really liked the little xpress h50 cause it would be around $11800 out the door including tax tag and title and I could blow another $1000 or so upgrade the electronics to a top notch fishfinder and still be have money left over for a bunch of kistler rods.

Speed aint my biggest concern and I think a 50-60hp will more than suffice. I really do appreciate the help!

Tom

[TomC]

I really appreciate all the good advice. I'm in no hurry and will do a bunch of research but would like to be fishing by mid-late march. Since it has to be in my garage (neighborhood covenants) and I'm t0 cheap to pay for offsite storage the callapsable tongue is good idea. Both of our vehicles will be parked outside so I will be able to angle the boat which may allow me to possibly go a little larger on size. I really want to go look at the Alumacrafts in the next week or two. I understand you pay a premium for them but like I say my dad has had a couple over the last 35 years and I don't think he has ever had a problem.

One other question......it looks most of the smaller aluminums come with 12V trolling motors. I'm assuming its definatly worth the upgrade to 24V and are there any other really worthwhile upgrades to do at the dealer I buy from either with regard to the boat or trailer. Thanks again!

Tom

[duane]

Starting to do some initial research on getting a little fishing boat and have decided that I am probably going to go with a smaller aluminum boat. The max I want to spend is $15000......well maybe a little more if need be but I am looking for some advice on who makes the best "tin" boat. I was pretty interested in the xpress boats until I started reading about all the weld cracks which has made me a little paranoid. My dad was a big Alumacraft fan but havent had a chance to go look at them yet and I also here Lowe makes a good boat and then there always the tracker ProTeam 175. Too many option for a first time boat buyer and I sure wish I had a little more experience so hopefully some of ya'll can steer me in the right direction. I am probably looking for someting in the 16-17' long. I got to find something that will fit in my garage. I really liked the little xpress h50 cause it would be around $11800 out the door including tax tag and title and I could blow another $1000 or so upgrade the electronics to a top notch fishfinder and still be have money left over for a bunch of kistler rods.

Speed aint my biggest concern and I think a 50-60hp will more than suffice. I really do appreciate the help!

Tom

Well I like the G3 brand of boats, yes I have one. G3 is owned by Yamama Motors so the only motor you can get is Yamama.
Are you wanting to go NEW or used?
One of the reg. on here has 2 boats for sale. He is a part time fishing guide and seems to be a great person, his name is Darryl Morris and his web site is http://www.familyfishingtrips.com/

[bentpole]

Just my 2 cents worth,regradless of the brand you buy. watch out for the package deal's.All the dealers sell them.and the motors most of the time will be under powered for the boat,I know you stated that you wasn't concerned about speed,But an under powered motor will work it's self to death.
Look at the yellow tag inside of the boat & see what the max- rating's is for that boat.
Years ago when they 1st started putting the tags in the boat's,My brother was a rep- for a major boat builder.the tags was not the law in them day's. The manufactor of the boat knew which motor preformed best on that boat & that is the way it got started.
So I'd get the motor that was rated for the boat.In the long run I think you will be happier.>>>>>Bentpole

[Darryl Morris]

Morning TomC -- I currently have both my boat up for sale only because I need to upgrade to a different style boat (center console) that is better to guide from. Both are in good condition and mechanically reliable and deserve a good home. If you're interested call me and we can work out a deal - (870)897-1172. This is the link to the crappie.com post that will show you the boats.

http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/showthread.php?t=3830