11 replies to this topic

[pntballty]

Hey guys, im wanting to purchase my first bass boat and ive found a few local ones im interested in. I would like you guys to give me your opinions/what to look for. This will be my first bass boat so i dont need anything crazy, just something decent and reliable. Thanks in advance...

#1

1989 15' Bass Boat
Nice Skeet Fiberglas Bass Boat
85 H.P. Mercury Motor
Trolling Motor
Fish Finder
In Good Condition.
No Scammers Or Low Ballers
Asking $2850 CASH OBO



#2

Skeeter bass boat, 14 ft fiberglass, 40 hp Yamaha motor, power tilt & trim, trolling motor, 4 captain chairs, deep wells, dual tanks, carpeted. Extra clean , very good condition, runs great, includes nice trailer ,have titles. $3000

#3

86' starfire 17 ft 150 johnson boat. Boat has a live well, trolling motor, depth finder, lots of storage
$3500


I know they dont give very many details on fish finders, tm, etc... i will get more info after i speak with the owners, just hoping you guys might know what motors to stay away from etc...Thanks for the help. Tyler

Semper Fi!!

[Lund Explorer]

Welcome to BR Tyler.

A few questions come to mind regarding your post that would help in giving you any sound advice.  To begin with, what is your budget?  You'll want to make sure that you have enough to most likely upgrade the electronics on any of these 20+ year old boats.  Then it would be nice to know what kind of water are you looking to fish?  All the choices you've got are rather small in size which could be a problem if you plan to fish a larger bodies of water.

After that, the same basic principles apply.  Boat, Motor, and Trailer.  Each need to be checked out for potential problems.

Boats MUST HAVE a solid transom, and floors shouldn't have any soft spots.  What shape are the seats in, and do all the storage lids fit correctly.  Your choices are all glass, so are there any flaws in the hull or the top cap?  A hole through the gelcoat could lead to problems with the underlying integrity of the hull.

Motors need to be checked out for a number of things.  A good mechanic should give it a complete check.  Compression check?  Does the impeller pump sufficient water into the engine (you can't check this with muffs)?  Most likely a two stroke, so how does the oil mix with the gas, and does it work?  Steering cables?  Lower unit?  Will the cost of this new boat mean the cost of a complete tune up too?

The trailer needs to have wheels, bearings, bunks, and lights all checked out.  Many trailers get beat up from road debris, so is there an issue with rust?

Thinking about electronics, you may need to replace batteries, bilge or livewell pumps, running lights.  Check out all of your gauges too.

These are all of the things I would be concerned about.  I'm sure others will think of things I've missed.  Good Luck!

[Hooligan]

Those prices all seem relatively high for almost anywhere in the US, in terms of resale for those model years.  Right now, for the most part, it could be said that a 1989 19 to 19-6 glass boat with at least a 150 of relative year is going for the $2800-$3000 mark.  Based on that benchmark, which seems reasonably accurate, you should be able to get a lot more boat than you're finding for the money.
In a general sense, as well, those two Skeeters will be a wood transom, which is something that you'll need to have checked out in depth.  Wood transoms with some age on them, like the two boats listed, are notoriously problematic if the boat has not been well cared for.  They can rot and cause all sorts of issues.
All the other things that LE listed are very pertinent, as well.  There are some other things that you don't always think about like the carpet and upholstery that need to be paid attention to, too.  The steering cables on the boat, if it doesn't have hydraulic.  If it does have hydraulic steering the rams and seals need to be checked to make sure they're not leaking.  The trim motor needs to be checked to verify the same.  Check the motor toter, too, see that it's been used and the boat hasn't been trailered without it.  Those are just the start, really.  There's a lot more that can be looked over to make sure that your purchase is a viable one.  Find a reputable mechanic in your area and talk with them about just what you should be aware of, too, for your area.

[pntballty]

Thanks for the replies guys, definatly what I was looking for.

My budget is only about 3,000 for the boat. I will have to sneak in upgrades after the initial purchase lol

The waters I will mainly be fishing is grand lake a few times a year and lake of the ozarks a few times a year. Other than that it will be smaller lakes and the strip pits in Kansas. I am by no means a tourney fisher either. I'm pretty much looking for an upgrade from a 89 tracker I've been borrowing.

I'm an ase certified auto technician, but im definatly taking whatever boat I'm interested in to a local marine shop. I'm not nearly familiar with boats.

Thanks again for the replies and I hope I've answered why questions I can right now.

[Nitrofreak]

Lund Explorer, on February 13 2012 - 03:27 AM, said:

Welcome to BR Tyler.

A few questions come to mind regarding your post that would help in giving you any sound advice.  To begin with, what is your budget?  You'll want to make sure that you have enough to most likely upgrade the electronics on any of these 20+ year old boats.  Then it would be nice to know what kind of water are you looking to fish?  All the choices you've got are rather small in size which could be a problem if you plan to fish a larger bodies of water.

After that, the same basic principles apply.  Boat, Motor, and Trailer.  Each need to be checked out for potential problems.

Boats MUST HAVE a solid transom, and floors shouldn't have any soft spots.  What shape are the seats in, and do all the storage lids fit correctly.  Your choices are all glass, so are there any flaws in the hull or the top cap?  A hole through the gelcoat could lead to problems with the underlying integrity of the hull.

Motors need to be checked out for a number of things.  A good mechanic should give it a complete check.  Compression check?  Does the impeller pump sufficient water into the engine (you can't check this with muffs)?  Most likely a two stroke, so how does the oil mix with the gas, and does it work?  Steering cables?  Lower unit?  Will the cost of this new boat mean the cost of a complete tune up too?

The trailer needs to have wheels, bearings, bunks, and lights all checked out.  Many trailers get beat up from road debris, so is there an issue with rust?

Thinking about electronics, you may need to replace batteries, bilge or livewell pumps, running lights.  Check out all of your gauges too.

These are all of the things I would be concerned about.  I'm sure others will think of things I've missed.  Good Luck!

Very nice post!!!

A couple of other things to think about, your first boat should not be one that has you constantly dumping money into, look at how they stowed it away for winter or long periods of time, the trans if it was not stored properly could have froze with water still in the prop area etc...
look closely at the shift cables and under the console at the condition of the wireing especially where they connect to the guages for any green looking color, some is normal, a lot is called neglect, this usually leads to a nightmare for wireing repairs.

There is nothing wrong with owning a 20+ year old boat if you are willing to accept the fact that they need work, or at least most do anyway.

Since this is your first boat think about the money you are willing to drop on one then look at the over all condition of the boat, if it was left outside to rot away then walk away, if it has been stored in a building then there is a good chance someone has taken decent care of it.

I don't care if you are paying a dollar or a couple of thousand dollars, do not buy it unless they are willing to take you out and fish with it...yes fish with it.

Make sure you are spending the money on something that is above all else safe!!!!

Good luck and let us know how you did and don't forget to send us some pics!!!!

[pntballty]

Well I have been looking around trying to find some boats with a little better pricing but I can't ind anything near me. I'm gonna try and look at one of the boats tomorrow, is there anything I should look for on the transom besides the wood rotting? Any other tale tale signs? I will try to take some pics also. Hopefully I can talk the price down pretty good. Thanks for the help guys, Tyler

[pntballty]

Well I think I've decided on a boat, looked at boat #2 and it is SUPER clean the guy wasn't lying...not a scratch or anything on it anywhere, paint isn't faded at all always been covered/stored inside.

It's an 84 with a 40hp Yamaha (automatic mixer, would I want to manually mix?) steering and throttle linkage is all smooth and seems fine. I looked at the transom to see if it was wood and I cant tell? If it was, it is covered with fiberglass. Anyways the parts of the transom I checked seemed solid. Looks like orginall troller motor, not sure on lbs of thrust.

Tomorrow It is going to a local marine center to get checked over, compression check, lower unit etc... If all comes back well I think I will buy it. The man said he would take 2600 wich for a 300+ mile radius the price seems about right, I couldn't find anything for near what you guys said they should be. I guess alot of it is location. But I sold my four wheeler for the same amount to tonight so Im happy with it (that's where my boat budget came from)

Sorry about the rambling and run on sentences lol. Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks, Tyler

[pntballty]

Forgot to mention its a skeeter strada f-80 I that tells you guys anything.

[Flukeman]

I think you may find the boat under powered with that motor. A friend of mine had the same boat with a 70 and thought it was good but wished he had more power.

[GrundleLove]

I just paid 3 grand for a 89 17 ft Tracker. But the prices up where I am are WAY different from the rest of the US (Mass.)


I also just got a massive raise at work so looks like i will probably upgrade to a better boat after this season...seem to be on a boat a year track right now..lol

[Tpayneful]

In 1994 I looked forever and couldn't find an aluminum boat under $4000.  So I purchased a 1980 Skeeter for $2,500.  Over the course of the 13 years I owned it I replaced almost everything on the boat.  Four things were costly and only three could actually be repaired.  

1 Trolling Motor
2 Tilt and Trim
3 Outboard

4 The boat had open cell flotation foam in the bottom of it and the fiberglass was laid over wood.

The open cell foam acted like a huge sponge and soaked up water.  So the boat had many extra pounds of water weight all of the time which made it hard to get on plane and slow on plane.  It came with at 115 which was over powered.  When the motor cracked a ring, I replaced it with a 70 which could barely get it on plane.  The other side effect was that all of the wood in the boat was rotten.  I found this when I ripped out the entire decking of the boat.  I spent a ton of time and money repairing and upgrading my boat.  When I sold my boat and trailer, they both were a million times better than when I bought it but I would not recommend this path.

My guess is that both of those Skeeters have open cell foam, it is water logged and the wood in the bottom is rotten.

Wait, be patient and buy an aluminum boat.  One thing that you have to understand is that the bottom end aluminum boats sell for $3000 to $4000 because they are worth it.

[pntballty]

Well I hope thats not that case with mine, I ended up getting the skeeter. This thing is SUPER clean not faded, no scratches. Had the local marine center check it out before I bought it and they said everything was solid. I will try to get some pics up tomorrow. Thanks for the help guys