I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

Ok sounds like you know the area pretty good, One more question for ok, If you bought the boat you showed us earlier, Do you think you would feel safe in it??

 

[marker227]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

After reading what Lion hunter said about the wear and age on inflatables and there's "No way of telling" what kind of UV exposure they had and such... I would say no quite honestly. At least on that specific one.

What I was hoping for was to pick up something from someone that either wasn't used very much or was relatively brand new.

Also... If I could get the boat NEW and a decent motor for a total cost of 800-1200 I think I'd be happy. I don't know if that's possible though.

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

Well it sounds like you know the area and I would say go ahead and buy the boat, it's cheap enough and you like you said about the storing, It would be a good boat for you if you think thats what you want, you can always buy another later on when you feel it's time to upgeade to a bigger boat or buy a jet ski. for the price and being able to store it like you want I would say go for it!! but look for a good quality one like they adviced you to do and by all means wear a PFD too, if an inflatable boat tears a hole in it she will sick pretty quick, steal engine will pull it down like an anchor and I don't feel like hearing another story about a death on the water At least 4-5 people on the lake I boat on die every MONTH, Just wear your PFD no matter how safe you feel in an inflatable..........................................Pat
Well Bud, I need to kick rocks. When I am out in mine by myself I wear mine.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

Look right here on iboats at their inflatables. I wouldn't hesitate to buy the zodiacs or avons they carry (Avon used to make some the best whitewater rafts). I would research the construction of the tubes. I would want each side tube to have 2 chambers and the bow (Total of 5 chambers). $1200 might be a little low but I would think you could get a new boat and a decent used 5-10 hp motor for $1500.00 maybe.

 

[marker227]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

Well it sounds like you know the area and I would say go ahead and buy the boat, it's cheap enough and you like you said about the storing, It would be a good boat for you if you think thats what you want, you can always buy another later on when you feel it's time to upgeade to a bigger boat or buy a jet ski. for the price and being able to store it like you want I would say go for it!! but look for a good quality one like they adviced you to do and by all means wear a PFD too, if an inflatable boat tears a hole in it she will sick pretty quick, steal engine will pull it down like an anchor and I don't feel like hearing another story about a death on the water At least 4-5 people on the lake I boat on die every MONTH, Just wear your PFD no matter how safe you feel in an inflatable..........................................Pat
Well Bud, I need to kick rocks. When I am out in mine by myself I wear mine.

The seller wants 1k for that boat... The motor looks old, but it's just a picture... He did say he replaced the carb last year. It's also from 1995. I think for the price it's perfect. What do you guys think? I'm leaning more towards this one only because it appears to be in good shape and the price is fair.

I have no idea what HP the motor has. I want a boat that is good for cruising around the channel as well as going over moderate waves from other boats for fun. I don't want to get this thing and realize it goes 5mph just for traveling haha.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170372640050&viewitem=



I also found this near by. It's an 8hp Yamaha. He says its a Zodiac and it's in good shape.


http://newjersey.craigslist.org/boa/1325278463.html

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clut what I should get

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clut what I should get

maybe ride in a few and do alot of research before you buy. Anything designed with a transom should have a capacity plate that will tell you the max HP. Also as you read and research your going to find a few brands that float to the top in terms of quality (zodiac come to my mind, but I'm sure there are others). I would stick with a brand that has a track record of quality. They aren't like other boats that you can modiify, fix or whatever and make them better. What you buy is what you have.

You know buying off the internet is a roll of the dice, you can buy a older motor and be very happy with it, or buy a newer motor and owner didn,t take care of it all, Age really isn't an issue as far as buying used, There are 100's of guys here on Iboats who have older motors and run like a champ, If you buy off the computer without seeing it run thats a gamble your going to have to take, I would look around local if I were you, The motor size you are looking for you can probably see it in person, If they maintain it then they probably already have a 55gal drum for servicing that size motor and they can run it for you in your presence as far as HP thats up to you what size boat you get, I would look for a bigger inflatable with a at least a minimum of 10HP but thats just me. 5HP that is kind of slow I would at least want to move around a little faster than that, at least feel that i am in a boat.

 

[marker227]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

http://providence.craigslist.org/boa/1320766737.html

http://www.capeinflatableboat.com/store/saturnboat11.htm

What about this and then buying say a 10-15 HP engine somewhere else?

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

That second link that you put on, I would be a little skeptical, look at the pics again, The pic of boat that is in the water has a differant motor on it and look at the pictures dated, the yamaha is off the boat and again look at the dates on all the pics. Maybe its just me, but that would concern me?? Raises my eyebrow.
Dude stop going back and editing your stuff!! how do you want us to give you advice if you keep going back and removing the info you want us look at. I went back to look at the inflatable with the 8HP and you removed it.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

I wouldn't buy either of the ones you posted earlier. The West Marine boat looks sun faded, and I wouldn't spend that kind of money on Ebay for a sight unseen purchase, especially something your life depends on in the water. The Saturns I Haven't heard anything negative from actual owners about them, not a whole lot positive either. They are made in Korea. I've seen a few guys in the inflatable forum have them I would go over there and ask them. One guy had his set up with a motor for a trip down the Grand Canyon. That is a great test of an inflatible so he should be able to give you some good info. Beware, just like in the rafting community there are brand snobs and if it isn't one of the name brands it's junk. Alot of times this is well warranted but just be aware that again it will require the research on your part to weed out those comments and look at it impartially. I would look at the following things for comparision:

Price
Materials of construction (hypalon, pvc, coated pvc
Construction technique (welded vs glued)
Chambers
google all the reviews you can

 

[marker227]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

I have an idea... Since it's obviously a problem to buy a USED boat. Why don't I buy a new one and a used motor?

I like the 11' Saturday SD330. It looks like it ranges from 899-925. It also says it can fold up and be put in your trunk. That's a plus for me because I only a 97 Mustang. I also like it because it's rated for 15 hp.

I read a few things about them as well as personal experience from someone on another forum.

I think it's a good buy.


I'll just have to figure out which 15 hp motor I want and I'm done .

http://www.boatstogo.com/inflatable_boat_sd330.asp

http://www.capeinflatableboat.com/store/saturnboat11.htm

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

That's what I would do on an inflatable. New boat, good used motor, your probably under way for $1500 or so.

 

[marker227]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

I called the company and the gentleman said a 10 hp is plenty for getting on plane. Do you agree?

I'm a little skeptical because you said you haven't heard real positive or negative things about them...

Do you know of another boat for 925 that is good? I believe I want a 11" and one that can easily fold up for transport.

Where would you get a 10 hp motor for a decent price?

I'm just about set .

 

[marker227]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

Okay, so I just got off the phone from a guy selling the Saturn for 899. Sounded really sincere.

Everything he said was what I was looking for. A 11' boat that can fold up and be put into your trunk. (I have to fold it up because I can't get a trailer and I don't have a roof rack for my mustang ). It can handle decent chop and go over waves with speed. Stability, and he recommended that I stay with a 10 hp unless I had extra money and wanted the little extra power of a 15. He said for a budget like mine it would work perfectly.

Now I just need to find the motor .

How do you feel about Johnson motors? They seem to be at a fair price.

http://www.smalloutboards.com/j1055.htm Very old haha.

 

[marker227]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

Okay, so I've run into a bit of a problem. I can only use my car to transport a boat and I'm not 100% sure if it'll actually fit in my car.

The dimensions of the 11' folded up were 45x22x15. I have a 97 Ford Mustang... The back seats do fold forward, but I'm kind of skeptical as to whether or not the boat and motor, etc. will all fit in the car.

Getting a trailer might actually make it possible to get a longer inflatable boat... I think 12' would be enough? I know it's personal preference, but I feel like I don't know what size is needed to not feel like a "tiny boat" in a channel with 40 footers making decent wakes at slow speed...

I do like this boat...
http://www.boatstogo.com/inflatable_boat_sd365.asp

I'll do what you all suggested and go down to a marina and ask questions.. Since I don't understand comparing HP to speed and power of the boat.

Since I won't have transport issues. It still must be deflatable to stow in the garage or basement.

Is it possible to get a trailer under 1k to pull a 11' - 18' boat? If possible I'd like to be able to take apart the trailer to stow it in the garage.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

Even if you got the raft in the car, you'd have to wear your life vest and have the motor tied to the roof! LOL.

Can a reciever hitch be put on your mustang? If so they sell small trailers like this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=2575

I have seen folding trailers as well somewhere. The one above is small enough you could probablt just tilt it up on end, or on it's side.

You would probably have to strap in on folded. I wouldn't do the folded up in the car thing. You would have to carry gas in your car. With the seats down that will be some bad fumes. And it's not very safe. The tank gets warm, expands and spits fuel over the back of the car.

As far as size of raft. Whether it's 11 or 12 it's a tight fit for 3 people. 2 Would be comfortable in an 11. It's not like a boat. 2 out of the 11 feet on that raft are on the end and not usuable. Even if it says it's capacity is 3 that is tent math (ever try 4 people in a 4 man tent?)

 

[marker227]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

Yes, I can get a hitch. Looks small enough. Where does the motor and gas can go if it's folded up? Ha.

I was asking about size because I was told there would be more stability in the boat when going over wakes from bigger boats. I don't want to feel like a row boat in the middle of a busy channel :/.

I also thought that itd be nice to have the option to put a 15-30 hp on it. But something tells me I'll get enough speed at 10?

 

[oceansbreeze]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clut what I should get

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clut what I should get

Not like this idiot lets hope.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m3Po3nW1o4

OH MY GOD! What a tard! That was one lucky fellow, he would have qualified for a Darwin award if he had removed himself from the gene pool...

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

The longer the boat the better for sure. How much more from 11 to 12 I'm not sure. I'd guess not much. But if it was me I'd buy the biggest I could afford. Every boater I've ever known has 2 footitis. Always want something bigger. As for motor, if you can find it I would buy the biggest the capacity plate allows. That said, if it's a 15 those seem to be a little harder to come by used that a 10 for some reason. I see alot of 9.5,9.9, and 10's on CL for under 500.

 

[marker227]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

My rationale for getting a 12' was because it could support a 30 hp max and I could put a 25 on it.

Okay... I need to slow down and think logically.... I don't even know if I could get a 25 hp with a total budge of around $1500 or less.

I'm very confused when it comes to HP and speed... I saw on boatstogo.com that they claimed that a 15 hp can make you go 20-30 mph in their 13' boat. I don't know if that's relatively fast for a boat. When I was driving boats or in them I never knew the speed.

The other confusing part to this is the 12' boat I was looking into had a customer review saying that he put a 25 hp on it and could go around 28 mph with two people. I don't think I can even afford a 25 hp.....

 

[swick]

Re: I want a boat....But don't have any clue what I should get

Hahaha this video is priceless!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m3Po3nW1o4

Someone even commented that if the prop hit his head it would of still missed his brain by several feet!! Classic.