For someone who hasn't owned a boat before, and doesn't know too much about them, should I buy a brand of boat where there is a local dealer?  Or will I be ok, if there are local places that can service the engine?

If I need a local dealer, then it makes things pretty easy since there is only one bass boat dealer (that I can find) in Las Vegas.  But there are tons of ski and recreation boat dealers that are authorized to work on the different outboard brands.  (I just looked and there are authorized service centers for Mercury, Evinrude, Honda, & Yamaha).

In my case the closest Gambler dealer is 200 miles, but lickily I havent needed any work on the boat. The engine is a different story. I have had a lot of problems with my merc. I may just have gotten a bad one but my next engine will be a Yamaha. I know the rave right now is the e-techs but I dont know if I would buy one the first year out, they have a good warranty but you will most likely still be paying for that boat long after the warranty is gone and I would think they are going to be very expensive to repair.I also dont like the fact that evinrude is pushing the maintenance requirements so far back on the e-techs,with no maintenance it should be breaking about the time the warranty runs out

bought a new triton in june this year from a dealer that is ~150 miles away.  the guys in DFW were $2-3000 higher.  brought it back a couple of times for breakin check up and minor details.  still worth saving the 3 grand.  dealers in the big city charge what they want to.  you will likely save money getting outside of town.  any triton dealer will work on the boat and any merc. dealer will work on the motor but going back to the dealer that it was purchased from you tend to get priority service.

Honestly, Unless money is not an option, ask yourself these questions.

can I change the oil in my car?

Can I troubleshoot basic electrical or fuel issues?

EVer switch out a battery?

Do you mind painting/sanding/buffing?

Boats are CONSTANTLY needing attention. A simple fuse, loose wire, bad plug, can cost you hundreds or thousands if misdiagnosed . Paying a dealer to do 1/5 of the work, upkeep and repairs, that a boat routinely needs can really hurt or even empty a wallet in the long run

But then again, there is only 1 way to learn so a better question is are you willing to ask questions and learn?

One advantage to buying from a local dealer is if you need service most will take you ahead of those that didn't buy their boat there. It is the dealers way of saying Thanks.

I purchased my boat new from a dealer they have gone out of their way for me and when warranty work was needed it was done fast. I must say Tracker backs their products not like what I've heard about Smokercraft and it's problems.

Chow

The Pa Angler