Used boat advice for new boater

[Nandy]

Re: Used boat advice for new boater

FIRST[ for me!!!! "marine surveyer" LOL!! never heard of one. and think you will spend more dollars out of pocket to use one. MAN! Look over the boat you want to buy,if it is or is not what you want, a middle man is just that, SOMEBODY THAT GETS PAID FOR DOING NOTHING. MY .02

I have to disagree with you. If this is the first time you heard about a marine surveyor you might not be the best person to give advise about them. This is a link to a discussion about marine surveyor part in a boat acquisition and the needs for them.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=294414

If you are buying a boat under 1k you probably will not use one. You would not use one for every boat you see, just the one you are about to buy. They charge around $200 depending on the area. As you see, if you dont know anything or much about boats and you are purchasing a 4k+ boat it does pay to use one as if you buy the boat with rot and motor issues you are in deep. A good friend that knows about boat is way cheaper. However, just because a person has a boat does not mean I could check a boat right. It takes the right boater, the want that does his own repairs and if it has a few restorations under his/her belt then much better.

Colleen, keep looking, your boat is out there!!!

 

[grego]

Re: Used boat advice for new boater

Sorry to all! Been boating for 30+ years,it just seemed funny to me. I Should think,as a new boater, be carfull not to be taken on first boat. again sorry.

 

[grego]

Re: Used boat advice for new boater

most new boaters are NOT! looking at a 40 foot + boats. To hire somebody to look at several boats at different marina's and find you a 19 foot bayliner capri, is a waste of money. IF! you are looking for a 50 foot searay "then GO for it". All you will get is a boat that the owner paid "the middle man" to make it look like a good deal. Gotta get paid!!

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Used boat advice for new boater

I tow with an odyssey and basically have your boat, minus the fishing set up -- and mine is 19 feet and will hold 8 adults (see my signature below for my set up).

The key is you are looking for a boat about 2600 lbs or lighter. That basically means 18 to 19 feet in a bowrider is your upper end. Stingray's 19 foot boat is lighter than competitors 18 feet boats, so I am in a 19 ft 190lx with a 4.3 v6 engine with a boat weight of 2650.

The Odyssey tows it great. You tow with the Odyssey in D3, not regular drive. Its keeps the RPMs high in the maximum torque range. You will still get over 12 MPG towing. You will need an extra transmission cooler and power steering cooler. Just find the Honda parts online and have someone put them on for you other than the dealer. They are actually very easy to put on if you are mechanically inclined. If your Odyssey is older and has been through a set up breaks, I would be sure the parking break will hold it in neutral on a hill before I get to my first launch ramp. Front wheel slipping has only occurred with me on one very well used ramp that had some oil sheen on it. The traction control system engaged and I went right up the ramp.

Here are some specific boats I might look for, if I was you:

Stingray 190fx or 195fx. Its a fish, ski set up.

Bayliner and Tahoe have nice looking, versatile 17 & 18 foot fish and ski's. Sorry I do not know the model numbers.

If you are willing to forgoe the trolling motor and want the smallest, easiest to launch and retrieve, look at a Stingray 180. You can find them nice, used. Its a fast little 7 adult capacity boat, light, and comfortable.

There are also some nice looking 16 and 17 foot glasstrons with outboards motors that would be light and easy to tow, deal with.

I would also watch for a smaller deck boat with an outboard. Watch for something from VIP or Hurricane. A deck boat with an outboard would fish well and you would be able to get on and off the boat fairly easily too.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Used boat advice for new boater

I agree that it seems like we should be able to put a pontoon boat into the water when the ramp is 12 feet wide, but the association people say no pontoon boats - ramp is too narrow, so I'm stuck with that. I'm not too afraid of learning to tow/back up the boat/trailer, as my dad made me learn to tow his 27' travel trailer when I was younger, in case anything happened to him. I figure if I can do that, I can back up a smallish boat. I will keep looking at craigslist and will try marinas, keeping your advice in mind. I had never even heard of a marine surveyor, will definitely use one. I will post back when we find something we are considering. Thanks for all the responses!

Welcome Aboard Colleen,,,
It sounds more like a country club attitude where they are simply biased against pontoons..Maybe all them Billy Bobs on their pontoons will be tossing beer cans in the lake screamin Ya-hooooo!"

Geee, is there such a thing as boat profiling?
Good luck, do lots & LOTS of reading and the one thing I haven't seen mentioned is if you see 3 letters O.M.C on any motor/outdrive...Do not even think of buying it...Move along Ma'am!

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Used boat advice for new boater

The steepness of the boat ramp is not necessarily a bad thing. In my mind , it makes launching and retrieval easier. I have the same setup/situation you are looking for except my boat Is a 21ft. bowrider(fun boat setup and something you should consider) and a bay. Our ramp isn't step enough, forcing us to have to get almost all of the trailer in the water to get the boat to float off. I will let thost in the know comment on the vehicle s capacity.

Your situation is were I was last year, and you have come to the right place for advise!!!! Ike

 

[kg5388]

Re: Used boat advice for new boater

We have one steep ramp here that will not allow pontoons to launch and retrieve as where the angle where the ramp meets the lake bottom makes it ok to launch but a real pain to get a pontoon back on the trailer.

You almost have to line up and tie off the front with the rest floating above the trailer and hope that when you pull up the ramp the pontoon will stay lined up and wind up in place on the trailer.

Then you have the guys that try to avoid the float and pull so they don't put the trailer as deep as needed in the water and attempt to power on and prop wash digs big holes at the ramp that trailers love to drop off into.