How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

[rlb2252]

How did you come to own the boat you currently have? Or more specifically, where and how did you find it?

Was it listed on Craigslist? Ebay? Some other internet based ad publication? A for sale sign you drove by? Word of mouth? A bank repo. Some kind of auction? A gift? An inheritence?

Was it even for sale when you found it? Was it just sitting neglected in someone's barn or back yard?

This could be useful info for someone like me, a newbie looking for that first boat.

 

[pmat1]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

we live in a gated community with a lake and we paid dues to use the lake for 8 years without a boat so we went to craigslist to find the cheapest boat that floats and runs and we got a 1986 thundercraft regency with a 1985 evinrude 70hp for $900, runs great!

 

[samagy16]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

Ebay.

Almost like hitting the lotto. When I started my boat search I was looking for a specific brand. Looked at new and used. The model that I really wanted was really hard to find used and too expensive to buy new so I decided to downgrade and buy a smaller size of the same boat. I had gotten financing for the smaller size (new) and was just making up my mind for some minute details when out of curiosity I decided to look at Ebay one last time in those days and voila, what do I see? The exact boat that I originally wanted but deemed to expensive to buy new and to rare to find used at that point right on Ebay. The luck did not end there, location of the Ebay auction was 20 mins from my house and the color of the boat to match my truck. Withing a week I was the new owner of the boat and saved almost 30k (half of the original price) on a 3 year old boat with only 60 hrs. How is that for luck?

 

[5150abf]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

We had just bought my wife a newer car and I had a CBR600 that was WAY to fast so I sold both older cars and the bike and got the money to buy a boat and a truck, I think I had $5800 total.

At the time we had 3 smaller children and my wife didn't work so I was glad to have that much.

Ended up getting a Mazda pick up off the back lot of a car dealer and then started looking for a boat and looking and looking.

Wanted a 16' jon but they are none existent around here, about 2 months into my search I saw a really vauge add in a free "for sale" mag called the peoples peddle, a low tech Craigs list and called the guy.

Turns out he had gone to look at a boat that day and if he bought it he would sell me his, interior was kinda crappy but the hull and motor were perfect but working at a boat company that didn't worry me too much, not too hard to come inot things for cheap/free.

Took another 2 weeks but he got his boat and I got mine and started rebuilding it.

I have had that for 8 years now and the only original parts left are the engine and hull every thing else has been replaced, twice.

I paid $1750 for a 16' Sea-Nymph with an '81 Evinrude 50 and trailer, trolling motor, 2 livewells casting decks, I really think that would be a deal even today, I only wish I had saved a peice of the BROWN astro turf that was on it originally.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

i watch craiglist, and ebay religiously. my last new boat was 1969.

 

[KurtG]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

craigslist.

After I sold the last one (on ebay), I checked craigslist and ebay non-stop from about February through September. I was looking for a very defined boat. 15-17' with an outboard, no carpet and capacity/seating for 5. Preferred a foam filled boat (whaler, mckee, etc) cheap.

There was only one at that time I wanted but it was on ebay a couple hours away and I didn't want to do an ebay boat without inspection.

Finally, saw my boat on craigslsit and called within minutes of seeing the add and made an appointment to go see it right away. Price was fantastic, but no title for trailer. Went to see the boat even though the kids were napping as it turned out this one was 10 minutes away. PO and I took a long trial run down the river on the boat and when we returned, I jumped in the car and ran to the nearest bank for cash. Called my wife on the way and said I was getting this boat (sight unseen for them). She agreed knowing how much I had searched. Got to the bank with minutes to spare and the PO agreed to tow the boat/traler back to my place as I was still in my commuter car.

We've enjoyed the boat so much this summer!

 

[sickwilly]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

A craigslist add pointed me to a local ebay auction. I went to see the boat and gear, ran the boat, and tried to buy it from him right there. He would not accept my best offer, thinking he would do better on ebay. I then bought it for my same offer off ebay.

At the time I bought mine, the local paper and craigslist produced the most viable boats. The listings in the paper here, though, keep getting smaller, whereas the craigslist listings seem to be growing.

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

Craigslist for me....I was looking for my specific boat so I scoured CL/Ebay and every other publication for 3-4 months....finally found one in my price range in good condition on C/L. Was actually a really crappy C/L ad....he was a really old guy that must have had one of his kids post it....read something like, "Good boat, strong motor, clean", and one little crappy pic from far away....took the ride anyway (80 miles) and turned out to be a gem.

 

[OnTheWaterNow]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

I bought it with money

 

[LIQUID PROZAC]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

craigslist--it ended up being only 15 miles from the house

 

[BWR1953]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

Bought my big boat on craigslist.

Got my little boat from a pawn shop.

 

[Thad]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

I bought it with money

HA, HA, HA Me too.

My wife and I had a 1987 18' Rinker. Small, rough, but ours. We started saving for a new boat and seven years later we had the cash to buy a brand new boat. We thought we knew exactly what we wanted, but after going to look and then saying, well, let's look at this one, then that one, it took us almost another year to actually decide on a boat and buy it. We finally had it down to two boats. Went to look at them one more time and the dealer #1 (insert something here) off my wife and well, I'm sure the other dealer was happy about that. Went there and wrote a check, came back three days later and pulled her right out of the show room doors.

 

[mike64]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

Craigslist here too.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

I guess I'm unusual. I found my boat on boattrader dot com, after an exahaustive, nearly year-long search. I wanted a cream puff example of an unpopular model (Regal 2550 LSC) with three non-negotiable options: big block engine, trailer, and full camper canvas. Those three requirements made the boat very tough to find as they sold most with 5.0 engines, no trailer, and slope-back camper canvas (if any).

I bought my boat 1000 miles from my home after flying out and spending a weekend checking it out. It not only had my three requirements, it had every single option available and looked brand new even though it was 4 years old. The dealership stored it indoors for me and I drove out and picked it up to trailer home a few months later. That was 5 years ago and I still LOVE the boat and use it all the time. It was meticulously maintained by the previous owner, and I continue to treat it the same way. People are generally shocked when I tell them it's 9 years old. I plan to keep it for a long time.

I paid a premium price for the boat, though it was below NADA, and have no regrets.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

The son of a co-worker had bought my boat on eBay as a project for $500 but never got around to starting working on it. He was going through a divorce and needed it gone. My co-worker took me over to see it on our lunch break one day. When I saw it was aluminum and had an 85HP Johson hanging off it I knew I had to buy it. Got it for $200.

 

[tomdinwv]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

Friend of ours did not winterize his boat about 5 years ago and the engine froze and busted. Boat sat for 4 years with the engine removed. We had an old Sylvan pontoon that we did not like. Called him up on a whim and offered to trade him even. He jumped at the deal. Two days later I went and traded him boats. I found a block and heads cheap and rebuilt everything from the ground up. Boat runs great and we love it.

 

[ziggy]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

i inherited my dad's boat. a nice tri hull that had much neglect. i also had a '02 waverunner at the time. i was kinda board with jetskiin and the tri hull convinced me i was ready for something different. sold the ski and was gonna rehab dads boat only to find it was nothing more than a hull, it needs everything.
so i started looking at ads. mostly locally. looked at lots of junk. i'd also become a iboats member after i got the tri hull. so in my searching i was looking at iboats ads for boats. found it through iboats classifieds. it was a consignment sale in rapid city, sd. found out all i could via telephone from the dealer and the po. exhausted all my info short of seeing it so i drove up to have a look. a days inspection, sea trial, payed up and drove it home. iboats came through again...

 

[briguy2817]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

I got mine from e-Bay as I was brousing through the listings. My wife and I had been talking about getting another boat for three years or so but never got around to it. One day I found a 87 Bayliner listed and liked the look of the boat in the pictures. The auction was ending in 1 hour so I bid $2,000.

It ended up being the best two grand I ever spent. The boat was imaculate and only needed tires for the trailer. The worst part of the whole deal is I had to drive 6 hours to pick it up.

Not sure if I would buy another boat unseen though. I sure did get lucky on this one.

Brian

 

[204 Escape]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

My boyz like to fish. So, I decided, that we needed a F/S boat. I found one on line (boat trader), and went to look at it. Bought it. Had it for a year, and decided to buy the F/S deck boat that we have now.

P.S. The big reason that we went to the deck boat, was the F/S that we had set too low for my wifes comfort. (She donwim too well). So, I bought GOOD vests, and she now enjoys the time on the water.

{NOW, if I can just go back to work !!!!!!! }

 

[jkust]

Re: How Did You Come to Own Your Boat?

Craigs List in MN bought it from the president of one of the biggest banks in the U.S. His foray into boating wasn't to be and didn't clock many hours so he sold it. Just under 20k for an almost new Chaparral was a deal last season. This season's economy not so much.