Why is boat buying so hard?

[edwardh1]

looking for 17 - 18 ft --- Probably considered too small by you guys- I have just myself and my wife , and a car/ small suv - not a truck, so pulling more than 2500 pounds up a slick boat ramp may be too much. we are in salt water but do not go offshore.
We also use a boat in the spring and fall and want the wind protection of a bowrider. 4 or 5 times a year my son and wife and 2 kids come here to coastal south carolina so I need a boat with 6 people capacity, and would like to buy a 17 ft like the sea hunt escape, naturally not made any more- , but seems some makers left the 17 ft size during the go go years ending in 2006 and only build bigger stuff..
A mechanic at a sea hunt dealership said the factory found they could make the 17 ft boats just a bit bigger, increase the motor size from 90/115 to 130/150 , bigger trailer and really raise the price. But maybe its just part of the american bigger is better thing cars, guns, houses etc.

Do Any forums specialize in "small 17/18 ft bowriders. we looked at key west but their windshield top is about at my nose level (who designed that!!!) and pedestal seats rock back and forth (so do sea hunt pedestals). A dealer said the short key west windshields were a "design thing" so it would look good.
any ideas? Advice? they dont seem to make what i want, seems what coastal sc has in an OUTBOARD is
used sea ray,
used sea fox,
used 17 sea hunt, new 18 sea hunt ($25000)
scout (new 18 ft is $33000!!), almost a 19ft in size
Bayliner (stuck with a merc- prefer Yamaha, has carpet too (undesirable)
Pioneer- any others??
Trophy?

kinda interested in late 90 and up due to less wood, and more compatibility with ethanol in the tanks

 

[Purecarnagge]

Re: Why is boat buying so hard?

Its always hard to find the perfect boat, I'm in iowa, so not many lakes here. I decided that I was looking for a 19-21ft boat because the 17 -18's were just a little too cramped for me with wanting to take 6 people out regularly.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Why is boat buying so hard?

look for a 17' whaler or 17' carolina skiff. You want something roomy and not all crowded with upholstered seating. One reason they are hard to find, is that people hang on to them if they are a good open design.
Of course, the old I/O bowriders in that size are a dime a dozen, but you probably wouldn't want that. I was walking around a used boat/junk yard Satruday and the lot was full of them, and they looked like they had all been there a while.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Why is boat buying so hard?

Boat buying is so hard due to the fact that there are so many boats and manufacturers on the market. As compared to a car there are many different types of boats with many different subsets and catagories.

If you want a mid-sized sedan, you can widdle the potential list down to a dozen pretty easily. From there you can look at cost and get it down to 5-6 pretty easily. Then you get to best bang for the buck or brand loyalty to make the final decision.

If you want a boat in the 17-18 foot range you need to define a lot more than just that:

Use? - fishing, cruising, tubing, skiing, crabbing, etc.
Water? - Lakes, rivers, ocean, bay, intercoastal, Great Lakes
Power? - inboard, inboard/outdrive, outboard
Layout? - Center console, open bow, dual console, deck boat

You have actually narrowed it down pretty well. Now the real work of finding the right boat begins. You seem to be looking at the right types of boats. I think you are correct that a 17'-18' boat will suit your needs. I also think an outboard of modest size will suit your needs best.

I think it is important to define a few things.

Bowrider: To most people a bowrider is a typical family runabout that is designed to be run mostly on lakes/rivers and is typically not designed to take the abuse of fishing in salt water. A lot of them have carpet glued right to a plywood floor and are very seldom self draining. As manufacturers and typical buyers have matured, there are now many boats that have full fiberglass cockpits with no carpet or carpet that just snaps in. Many of these are still not self draining and many are still not all that suitable for salt water use.

There aren't many manufacturers of bowriders powered with outboards currently. There used to be a lot more. On the used market you will see Sea Rays, Four Winns and several others. I really like my Four Winns, however, I don't know how well it would hold up in salt water.

Dual Console: These are boats made for use on salt water. They are usually built by companies that have been building center console boats and have the knowledge of what makes for a good salt water fishing boat. These are a bit more family friendly and offer the full windshield and bow seating that you are looking for. On your list you have primarily what would be considered dual console boats. If I were you, I would stick with finding a nice dual console boat that fits your needs. As you have noted they aren't cheap. They are more a speciality boat than a bowrider and typically they are built to a higher standard than mass produced bowriders.

Don't be afraid of used boats. There are plenty of them out there that have had meticulous maintenance and are ready for a new owner. If you are in doubt you can hire a marine surveyor to go over the boat before purchase.

 

[mbgaski]

Re: Why is boat buying so hard?

Being from the same area, I'll say that there is some stigma around here against bowriders. Maybe it's just the number of them that are out there and older, but they're perceived to be lower class boats (I was out with a guy a few weeks back who saw one on the water and commented that they "must have got that boat out the hot tub time machine"). It's illogical - I certainly don't have a problem with them - but it's the way it is.

As such, there just seems to be fewer people around with them. You're going to have to be a little more generous with your requirements.

Seems like you want:

17-18'
Bowrider with a high windshield
Yamaha Outboard engine (outboard won't be hard - I/O's are a rare breed around here - Mercury is very, very common, but I see a lot of Yamahas too)
No carpet
Non-rocking seat swivels
6 person capacity
1990 or newer

IMHO, try to satisfy about 60% of the requirements and call it a day. If you're waiting for that perfect boat to come along and you don't want to specially order it and travel to get it, then you could be waiting for a very long time.

 

[sasto]

Re: Why is boat buying so hard?

[ we looked at key west but their windshield top is about at my nose level (who designed that!!!) and pedestal seats rock back and forth (so do sea hunt pedestals). A dealer said the short key west windshields were a "design thing".[/QUOTE]

I like a short windshield on a smaller boat. I can crouch under it or look over it depending on weather conditions.

 

[edwardh1]

Re: Why is boat buying so hard?

Being from the same area, I'll say that there is some stigma around here against bowriders. Maybe it's just the number of them that are out there and older, but they're perceived to be lower class boats (I was out with a guy a few weeks back who saw one on the water and commented that they "must have got that boat out the hot tub time machine"). It's illogical - I certainly don't have a problem with them - but it's the way it is.

As such, there just seems to be fewer people around with them. You're going to have to be a little more generous with your requirements.

Seems like you want:

17-18'
Bowrider with a high windshield
Yamaha Outboard engine (outboard won't be hard - I/O's are a rare breed around here - Mercury is very, very common, but I see a lot of Yamahas too)
No carpet
Non-rocking seat swivels
6 person capacity
1990 or newer

IMHO, try to satisfy about 60% of the requirements and call it a day. If you're waiting for that perfect boat to come along and you don't want to specially order it and travel to get it, then you could be waiting for a very long time.

Thanks- what gave Yamaha a foothold in Charleston? A mechanic told me it was corrosion problems on Johnson / evinrudes in the 80s and 90s with mercury's problems being bad electrics. If you go to Morris Island its almost all Yamahas, newer Yamahas- the mercs you see that are above 90 hp seem to be all old engines- that is few, new, bigger Mercs.
Have the mercs had issues? Thats all I can get on an 18 Bayliner (I do not go offshore). I had a 99 Bayliner 18 1/2 ft boat and really liked it- no probs at all but it comes only with a merc- and if I go to the boat landing there are not many Bayliners either.

 

[Beefer]

Re: Why is boat buying so hard?

looking for 17 - 18 ft --- Probably considered too small by you guys-

I think once you've been here for a while, that most of us here have <25', and probably over half are <20', so I think you came to the right place.

I have just myself and my wife , and a car/ small suv - not a truck, so pulling more than 2500 pounds up a slick boat ramp may be too much. we are in salt water but do not go offshore.

You don't go offshore.... yet

We also use a boat in the spring and fall and want the wind protection of a bowrider.

I'm missing something here. I have a 16' Bowrider, and a 23' Walkaround, and there is zero, ziltch, nada wind protection on the bowrider. Did you maybe mean a cuddy?

4 or 5 times a year my son and wife and 2 kids come here to coastal south carolina so I need a boat with 6 people capacity, and would like to buy a 17 ft like the sea hunt escape, naturally not made any more- , but seems some makers left the 17 ft size during the go go years ending in 2006 and only build bigger stuff..
A mechanic at a sea hunt dealership said the factory found they could make the 17 ft boats just a bit bigger, increase the motor size from 90/115 to 130/150 , bigger trailer and really raise the price. But maybe its just part of the american bigger is better thing cars, guns, houses etc.

Do Any forums specialize in "small 17/18 ft bowriders.

iBoats is about the best forum out there for that size range boat, and the best all-around boating forums around. Look no further!

we looked at key west but their windshield top is about at my nose level (who designed that!!!) and pedestal seats rock back and forth (so do sea hunt pedestals). A dealer said the short key west windshields were a "design thing" so it would look good.
any ideas? Advice? they dont seem to make what i want, seems what coastal sc has in an OUTBOARD is
used sea ray,
used sea fox,
used 17 sea hunt, new 18 sea hunt ($25000)
scout (new 18 ft is $33000!!), almost a 19ft in size
Bayliner (stuck with a merc- prefer Yamaha, has carpet too (undesirable)
Pioneer- any others??
Trophy?

kinda interested in late 90 and up due to less wood, and more compatibility with ethanol in the tanks

I wouldn't buy a new boat unless I was Bill Gates. Well, maybe Paul Allen. Look in the 2-4 yr old range. The depreciation on new boats makes the depreciation on a new car look like a good investment. Might also consider a leftover '08/'09. You may also want to expand your search area. There are boat dealers out there starving, and they are dealing. Just gotta find 'em.

With whatever you get, good luck and enjoy it as much as you can. Be safe, and stop in here regularly!

 

[hostage]

Re: Why is boat buying so hard?

It is easy to buy a boat, drive by one on the road and purchase it. Then you get the hard part of owning it. IMHO the more work you put into looking at buying boats the easier owning it will be and less "surprises".

I got a 2000 Maxum 19ft Cuddy w/ a 4.3L 190HP motor for $7,500. Was in good shape, snap in carpet, head, mooring cover, new stereo, came with camper enclosure which was barely used.

The camper enclosure provides excellent protection from the environment. It came in 4 parts: 1 Cover that connects from windshield to halfway over boat, 2 snap in windows, and rear part that snaps on boat and zips up to front part.

-Hostage

 

[edwardh1]

Re: Why is boat buying so hard?

"I'm missing something here. I have a 16' Bowrider, and a 23' Walkaround, and there is zero, ziltch, nada wind protection on the bowrider. Did you maybe mean a cuddy?"

what I mean is a boat with a windshield that will shelter 2 or more people from wind, cold wind, and light rain.
Most CC boats are not like that, so i guess its a dual console I need.

and Maybe I need to wait till football season starts.

 

[mbgaski]

Re: Why is boat buying so hard?

Thanks- what gave Yamaha a foothold in Charleston? A mechanic told me it was corrosion problems on Johnson / evinrudes in the 80s and 90s with mercury's problems being bad electrics. If you go to Morris Island its almost all Yamahas, newer Yamahas- the mercs you see that are above 90 hp seem to be all old engines- that is few, new, bigger Mercs.
Have the mercs had issues? Thats all I can get on an 18 Bayliner (I do not go offshore). I had a 99 Bayliner 18 1/2 ft boat and really liked it- no probs at all but it comes only with a merc- and if I go to the boat landing there are not many Bayliners either.

Not sure why the Yamahas are popular. Johnson has always had a somewhat shady rep around here. Honda seems to be well regarded by most, but I rarely see one. I think their (slightly) higher price tag might be responsible for that. One of my neighbors though, who is a former outboard mechanic, has said that Hondas to have some corrosion issues in salt. He's the only person I've ever heard a negative word about them from though.

Mercury though tends to have a pretty good rep. Granted, I spend way more time on fresh water (typically Lake Moultrie and the Cooper River) than in salt, but I see more Mercs in the water than Yamahas. Most people seem to regard them well. My boat is only a month old so I don't have enough time on it to really comment on it's engine, but my father is also running a Mercury on his boat. It's 12 years old and still runs great - never been to a service center yet. On the flip side, my brother's boat sports a Johnson that I think has a demon inside it. That motor is broken more often than it's running. He's had it about 6-7 years now and it's been the the shop about 5 times.

IMHO, if my boat hadn't already came from the manufacturer with a Mercury control box mounted, I PROBABLY would have given Yamaha serious consideration, but I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to go with a Mercury (or a Honda) if that's what's available. I do know a guy that's got a small boat with a little Nissan motor on it too (I think Nissan makes them up to 90hp - his is only a 25hp though), and he's had nothing but good things to say about it. YMMV

 

[Solittle]

Re: Why is boat buying so hard?

Keep in mind the capacity of your towing vehicle. You are not going to safely pull a large boat. I would think that 17' would be the max.

 

[KermieB]

Re: Why is boat buying so hard?

I got an idea... you can buy half of my '90 Sea Ray Bowrider. Great engine, new upholstery, freshly painted.... You can use it after September 2nd when Gamecock Football starts, because that's when the boat gets parked for the year....

I'll come pick it up in May.

 

[Purecarnagge]

Re: Why is boat buying so hard?

I got an idea... you can buy half of my '90 Sea Ray Bowrider. Great engine, new upholstery, freshly painted.... You can use it after September 2nd when Gamecock Football starts, because that's when the boat gets parked for the year....

I'll come pick it up in May.

I wouldn't loan a boat out with that depressing football season your going to have under Spurrier again!