jess Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 alright...im planning on buying a nicer boat than i have...ive got about 5000 to spend.....what boat should i be looking for...new or used ,it doesnt matter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick_Barr Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Used and try and find one that fits you. I look at used boats all the time waiting until i can afford one and try and stay away from streamline company boats, most used ones that i have seen do not have as much attributes as some boats that are not as well known. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT Bagwell Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Nick, What in the world are you talking about? Name brand boats don't have as many attributes as no-name brands? Come on now. JT Bagwell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Taylor Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Jess If I had 5,000 and was wanting to buy a used boat id look into a used aluminum boat. They are proabally a better buy then a glass boat. Glass boats in that price range have high hours on the engines and alot of them have seen alot of time ran wide open. JMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbr19792003 Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 if i had 5000 for a boat i would wait until i could get some more money because your going to want to upgrade ever year anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick_Barr Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 JT, from my experience, I look at used bass boats alot, I always look for boats $7,000 and under since i am planning on saving up money to get to that amount to buy a boat when i am 16 or 17, I have found that most name brands, Triton, Skeeter, Ranger etc. are too exspensive even ones that were made in 85', also they seem to not have as many attributes such as quality trolling motors, electronics etc., But on the other hand you can find a quality fiberglass boat that is not a name brand, such as Cajun, Cobra, Glasstream etc. for $5000 and they are usually customized with good electronics and good trolling motors and have better engines, also they are newer and most of the time they are customized with a good trailer and some other attributes. Thanks, Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wormy Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 With that kind of money you could possibly afford a nice 16' jon boat and rig it yourself. I am fortunate to have companies like War Eagle, SeaArk, Waco, Weldcraft, Xpress, etc... right here at my back door and you can probably find a builder closer to you if you look. My point is most of them will put a front casting deck on it for you at a minimal cost. Still, you could rig it yourself for a little of nothing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT Bagwell Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Nick, I would agree that maybe the boats are a little costly, but to say a top brand boats like Triton, Ranger, Skeeter, etc are not going to have a quality outboard, electronics and trolling motor is just absurd. The anglers that can afford to run these boats are clearly going to put quality components in them. I am not going to run a Triton that costs $42,000 and have a piece of junk trolling motor or clearance rack electronics. There might be some anglers that do that, but they are a limited number. JT Bagwell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick_Barr Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 JT What i was meaning to say is that most name brand boats that are $5,000 are usually equipped with either really old outboards and electronics and they dont have quality gear on them. At least all of the name brand boats that I have seen are like that if they cost $5,000. sorry about the misunderstanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick.Culver Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Nick, Look into storage space more than anything. Another thing to look at is rough water handling. One more thing. Don't to much power on the back to start. Driving at 60mph is a lot different than 40mph. Learned this first hand a couple weeks ago. Things happen in the blink of an eye. I believe I can move up in speed, but I'm not going to buy a boat that goes over 65mph yet. i just know I'm not personally ready. JT also makes a good point. Look for the starter tournamnet boat from the top of the line names. Such as Triton, Ranger, Skeeter, and Champion. The boat industry is the same as the car industry. The more money you spend. The more luxury you get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunkerGuy Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Reading this I think the real word to look at is "resale" which is why a $5,000 Skeeter is a 1982 model. Unless you are prepared to dump a lot of money into it for repairs its wise to look for a 16' or 17' aluminum with say a 50 HP motor and a 12 or 24 volt trolling motor. Livewell pumps are cheap to replace, smaller trolling motors are cheaper than 24V pigs, electronics upgrades aren't real expensive either. I personally wouldn't touch a 20 year old boat that fits into my budget. I prefer to "fish" over headaches. But back to my point, a $42,000 Triton is going to be worth $36,000 in year 2, $33,000 in year 3 and so on. Well how many long runs in 5' chops until its under $10,000? A LOT I bought a 1999 16' princecraft with a 50 HP Johnson with less than 20 hours on it in 2000 for $8,000. Its now 2005, it runs like a top and I've never had a real problem with it. Only thing I've done are some upgrades and a few props. I've done everything stupid with it from banging it on rocks to slamming it into a sandbar at full tilt and I don't have a heart attack if something goes wrong. This year I pondered spending the big bucks but realized for me I like to fish smaller lakes and rivers. I use it in my bass club and most of the bodies we fish are fine for my boat. This year I put it up to a 24 V trolling motor with an 80 pound Minn Kota Maxxum, battery chargers etc... So for less than $1,000 there isn't a whole hell of a lot more I could do if I spent $40,000 (read that the right way). Think about a 20 year old trailer too....UGHHH Unless you are a mechanic with 20 year old parts laying around to put your motor back together every month, do yourself a favor and go aluminum until you can afford a $20,000+ boat. My 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddpuppy Posted March 27, 2005 Share Posted March 27, 2005 There was a nice looking Xpress on 64 I think it was for sale, they had it parked like it was. Was supposed to meet a friend at Lake and was running late. Didn't get a close look. Sent a message about one. Maybe it worked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boo Posted March 27, 2005 Share Posted March 27, 2005 I would save my money and buy a nice used fiberglass boat. I have an aluminum boat now and Im ready to upgrade to fiberglass first chance I get. In this part of the country theres alway a breeze blowing. That makes it tough to stay on the fish with an aluminum boat. Plus they are not as smooth riding as glass boats. One thing nice about aluminum, you can take into the jungle without worrying so much about scratching the boat. ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basscat19 Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 I would like to say there are a lot of good deals for 5 grand. I bought my 84 Basscat Pantera W/ 86 Yamaha ProV200 For 5Gs. 7 years later it has been a great boat sure newer 20.000 dollar boats have more to offer like rod boxes that can handle 7.5' rods. As to a 20 year old motor I've have had no problems what so ever. I bump the key she fires up and we go. Preventive maintenance is a must you have to work at keeping a boat in good shape. My boat is proof that there are good deals out there. I should add I spent a year looking before I found this boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lateral_lines Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 Never thought I'd see the day when a fishing boat costs more than a mercedes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lateral_lines Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 5,000 bucks could possibly decrease your monthly payments on a new bass boat. If your able to spend 300 a month, buy yourself a nice new skeeter with tandem axle trailer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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