From the names you mentioned, I assume you looking at aluminum boats...good choice in my opinion !! Aluminum boats have very little wood in there structure, mostly in the transom and newer boats have all aluminum transoms. Most have some type of acess to that transom wood, might not be easy to reach or see, but you need to know that wood is solid or you will need to replace it. If it needs replaced, not a big deal if your handy. Far easier than a glass boat !!
The decking, carpet etc are easily replaced if needed but be sure your offer reflects that extra work if not already in the asking price. Crawl around under the boat and look for damaged rivets, or cracks if a welded hull. A couple bad rivets is no big deal, nunerous cracks can spell trouble !! Stand back and look at the bottom and see if the cross ribs are standing proud of the hull, if the ribs are pronounced from the hull where it rides in the water, then the hull was abused and pounded in rough water...walk away.
Look carefully for corrosion near seams, corners especially on the inside in the dark corners. Big corrosion can be a problem, small amounts are fixable. Look for loose fittings and hardware...if those are loose then the owner did not care for the boat so what else is hiding ?? Last summer I bought a 16' Sylvan side console, looked for over three months, found one in pristine condition other than some worn and threadbare carpet. Had to drive 200 mikes ea way, had cash in hand in case it turned out as good as owner said. Two others were waiting when I got there but owner knew how far I drove and made the others go wait in their car while I looked it over.
There are nice boats out there...look at everyone you can, even bad ones, soon you will get a feel for knowing when the right one comes along. 16-18 is a popular size, lots of boats out there, lots of bad and a few good, look closely, one will come along, but don't be afraid to travel and look. Good luck and keep us posted !!
Everyone should experiment with where they place the extra weight with accessories, especially batteries !! One never knows for sure just where that optimal spot might be. On the boats that I have owned ( all V bottoms) I have had my best sucess by centering the extra weight rather than having it in the stearn, but...your boat/ hull style might be different, so try expermenting with placement....
Check to see if you have any marine salvage yards in your area, while they are few and far between, they rarely advertise so you might find one out there.
When I had my kayak I made my own out of bungee cording, worked great.. Where there were serious stress points, I used machine screws with nuts on the inside, for those with no acess to the inner walls, there are things like " well nuts" that do a great job of holding in blind holes. Mine was used in inland lakes, ponds and secluded waterways, if I were in the ocean, mabey a better unit ...
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