Boat Question

[crappiemrs]

My husband and I are testing out a boat today - wanted the "experts" opinion before we purchase.

Hubby is 6'7" and 285 and we are having problems finding a boat he can be comfortable fishing in without breaking the bank.

A little background - when we met, he had a small jon with a 10 horse.. we went to LOZ, Wappapello, etc and we decided to upgrade. We purchased a 16 ft fiberglass fish and ski with a 85 engine. Always had problems plus it is a heavier boat. He purchased a 8 ft pond prowler for the MDC lakes, then decided to buy a 14 ft jon this winter - leaks (major) and found out their are problems with the title. SO.... today we are testing out:

16' 1989 Sea Nymph aluminum fishing boat & trailer in good shape. Has a 30hp Evinrude moter w/25hp sticker, steering console, 2 live wells, trolling motor w/foot pedal, depth finder, on-board battery charger, boat cover and lots of compartments. New tires on the trailer. $2200

Opinions? Thanks so much and sorry for the lengthy post

[olesilverside]

For Today's Economy You Have Made A Good Choice, I Have Never Been A Fan Of Aluminum Boats, But The Newer Ones Are Really Nice, Been Looking At A G3 Myself, If They Just Put A Cab On I Am Sold... The Price Seems Very Fair To Me, And With That Size Motor At Least You Can Tow It Around Easy, Two Livewells??? Hum Beer In One And Crappie In The Other, Now I See.... You Could Use That Size Boat On Any Lake I Know Of In Missouri.......

[Speck]

Do you know the model of the Sea Nympth? If so you can look up the value on NADA.com

[olesilverside]

Bet If Anything Goes Wrong You Won't Have A Problem Returning It......

[bugman]

From the sound of it that is a good buy and i'd guess it would be stable enough for you.

[crappiemrs]

Olesilverside - Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on the situation, he is a gentle giant. Unlike the leaking lemon we cannot title in MO, we are asking the owner of this boat to put it in the water for us to test!

[olesilverside]

I Will Asume Your Boat Is Rivited, That Is The Only Concern I Have With Older Aluminum Boats, The Newer Ones Are Welded Seam Or Molder One Piece And Very Nice..... Very Hard To Fix Leaky Boat, There Is A Thin Film Of Gasket Inbetween The Rivets And Once It Is Gone, Here Comes De Leaks, I Used To Have A Welding Business And They Are Hard To Repair Welding Because Where You Stop The Gasket Would Burn Out From Heat And U Would Have Leak Where You Stopped The Weld........ Just My 2 Cents.......the Best Of Luck..

[drfishjd]

Any time I have ever bought a used boat (and come to think of it, I guess i've never bought a new one) I always make the sale conditional on (1) test it on the water to see how it runs, if it will come up on plane, check the livewell pumps, check the lights, electronics, guages, tilt, etc to make sure they all work. Keep it out for at least a couple of hours so you can see how badly it leaks. (2) taking the motor by a dealership that I trust and have them check compression in the motor, look for signs of poor maintenance, and check the lower unit out to be sure the seals are good. I guarantee you that the seller will have started the motor before you get to the ramp, so smooth starting at the ramp doesn't really tell you alot. I think Speckhunter's suggestion to check out NADA blue book value is a good idea. My 1990 18' Fisher Marine with a 115 hp Yamaha blue books out at just about $3500. Now is a really good time to get a good deal on a used boat. My concerns would be - is it big enough, is it powered enough, and is it in good shape mechanically. Good luck and good fishing.

[olesilverside]

Now Is An Excellent Time To Buy, Back In 1978 When We Had The Gas Lines, I Bought A 1976 Terry Bass Boat With A 150 Merc On It For 3600..... It Cost Over 10,000 And Was Barely Used... Used It 4 Years And Sold For 4,500......only Thing I Ever Made Any Money On.......

[trackerpro_17]

Mrs, It looks to me like a good buy also... I am 6'8" and 285 (on a good day) 290 (on not so good days) and I have a tracker 17 footer with a 25 evinrude on it... I am very comfortable fishing out of it with one other person... Add a third and there is just not enough room... My boat runs great and with full gear and just me in the boat it will run about 23 mph... (plenty fast for me...) Im not the first one there but at least it is a bit safer! Good luck on the new addition to the family!