where's the best place to buy a used boat?

[airframer]

craigs list, boat trader, local retailer? seems like i'm missing something. sold my bay boat cause family needs more room, but can't afford brand new. i'm on the westbank of new orleans.

 

[Don S]

Re: where's the best place to buy a used boat?

Like everything else, there is no such thing as the "BEST" of anything.
Especially for buying a boat. Use ALL the resourses, including newspapers and signs in your local marine stores. You just never know where the best deal will come from.

 

[OldePharte]

Re: where's the best place to buy a used boat?

Agreed. Look in the local paper, on-line, local marinas, you'll never know. Be thorough and take your time. And always test drive it.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: where's the best place to buy a used boat?

The further North and the further inland you get ...... will possibly get you a boat that has seen little salt water if any. That makes a tremendous differance when you are removing bolts for maintenance.

Based on your area I would imaging there are alot of salvage boats available that could be re-built.... that is another suggestion but buyer beware.

 

[projecthog]

Re: where's the best place to buy a used boat?

Where you get your best deal

Ok I'll settle down now,
In my opinion there is no "best" place to look just as Don said, as the deal that you are looking for could be anywhere and under any circumstance.

Not wanting to sound like a know it all (hrmmmpfh right!), I'll explain;

What I mean is that you'll have to put in a reasonable amount of searching effort to get somewhere to start with (which is what you are doing right now,) and that in itself should get you to find out what sell rags to buy or websites to go to, or to visit a marina or boat lot you found, or what have you. (hey..even junk yards have 'em.)

I can only speak for myself about finding deals, I am constantly online and in the ads or the trader mags.
But for the most part, all of my better deals have come from seeing a boat and going for the gusto and knock on the door and simply ask, and that worked equally as well for the BIG boats I have had in the past.
I'll go for a cruise on a nice afternoon and look at boats I saw by the side of the road on earlier foraging trips (marking their location and ph.#'s down.)

It is a hobby for me to hunt up just about anything that turns my crank (Why buy new if used will do?)

Most of the time when a boat has been sitting for a while and has developed it's own flora (and sometimes fauna) under the trailer or hull, an owner can be persuaded to part with the object of his frustration, because every time he wants to make the yard look good it is in the way, or because his shy and tender little woman has put her BIG foot down.

You may not have an "open and forward" personality to go and do that in excactly the same way, but it is a system I am very familiar, comfortable and successful with.

The other way could be to search online or to buy every boat "auction" or "for sale" magazine or paper you can lay your hands on, and talk to everyone including O,bama (aye he is Irish!) about boats.

If you persist, I guarantee you will get the feel for sniffing out a boat in no time, it is an instinctive and ingrained behaviour for human beans to hunt for things!
In the meantime you can enter a subject in the search engine above each forum, hit search and learn just about all there is to know about every possible subject on boats here.

And so you will become another beloved and cherished Iboater!

Welcome

PH.

 

[projecthog]

Re: where's the best place to buy a used boat?

Duh....
You already ARE an Iboater!

Been here longer then I.:redface:

But still!

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: where's the best place to buy a used boat?

Hi Airframer - in our area, there are quite a few choices for purchasing a boat. You can try Craigslist, nola.com, louisianasportsman.com, rodnreel.com, backpage.com, and any number of boat dealers on both the westbank and eastbank.

I really don't need any more boats, but I find myself looking at the classifieds all the time. I also have a tendency to notice private sales in a variety of other places. I guess its just one of those things you do when you enjoy a hobby. That said, let me know what you are looking for and I'll keep an eye out for you.

 

[Marcq]

Re: where's the best place to buy a used boat?

IMO, ebay is the best place to buy a used boat

Marc..

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: where's the best place to buy a used boat?

i would love to have a big rig truck, buy boats in the Wisconsin area. looking at ebay the best Old School Boats are in that area. i would buy, and then, like once a month go pick them up, bring the to Florida where is could sell them for 4 times what they sell for up there.

the best place to buy one is where you find it, and how far you are willing to go, to pick it up.

i have sold boats to Canada, South America, and place in between.

 

[mthieme]

Re: where's the best place to buy a used boat?

Marinas are another resource Don touched on.
YOu will often see boats at the pier for sale as well as posted inside on a bulletin board.
Most of my boats were through word of mouth through friends...I'm always on the lookout and everyone knows it.
Last spring, I found a skiff on Craigslist. My Searay I found sitting onthe side of the road after an exhaustive 2-3 month search. Taking your time to find what's tight for you is paramount.

 

[ziggy]

Re: where's the best place to buy a used boat?

all great responses... surprised no one said iboat's for locating your new used boat... http://www.iboats.com/boats/ found the one i got under the used boats section... traveled 540 miles to rapid city, sd. to get it...

 

[kaferhaus]

Re: where's the best place to buy a used boat?

I'm a bit different. I don't buy a boat very often but I'm really picky when I do and it usually takes me some time to find one that I'll buy.

I only buy 1 or 2 owner boats. I never buy a boat more than 20yrs old and I never buy boats with bad floors or transoms. I want to spend my time fishing, not repairing or restoring boats.

Long ago I learned my lesson on "fixer-uppers"... always takes at least 3 times longer than you thought and costs 2-4 times as much to fix it... when you're done you still have an old boat with a history of problems. If you go this route you'd better make sure that you're going to keep that boat for a long time.... as you'll have to to ever get your "money's worth" out of it.

My latest boat is a 9 year old one owner boat that sat in the old mans driveway for the past 3 years, While I got it running in his driveway it was apparent that the carbs would need cleaning as fuel was flooding out of the bottom carb (3 cyl). Took it apart and cleaned it, tested it in a barrel and put it back together... took it fishing and guess what? won't make over 4400rpm... so the other two carbs will have to come off too. I knew better but tried to take a short cut and only "FIX" the one I knew was flooding.

Engine has a mid-range stumble and then slowly turns up to 4400.... should be running 5200-5800. Obviously the main jet(s) on the other two carbs have some junk in them. Ran fine in the drum but you can't really put the same "load" on it there.

Stole the boat, motor and trailer knowing that the carbs needed work but should have done it right the first time..

Found this one on craigslist, usually find them through a friend or neighbor though.