Hello, I'm a new member who has been fishing for two years and am quite addicted to it.  I'm 20, soon to be 21.  I fish with a club where I live and really enjoy it, I've got a friend who lives on a lake and has a Triton and I fish with him when I can, but it can be a little difficult, because he lives almost an hour away.  So I've been thinking about getting my own boat.  I've read a lot about first time boat buying, but I would like some of the more experienced people to help me with my problem.  I have read many people say that when you're ready to buy your first bass boat they should get a used boat, and I was wondering if it was strictly because of price or were there other things as well.  One other question, where do you guys store your boat?  I don't have any room in my garage for a boat, so I was thinking of one of those self-store places, good idea; bad idea?  Any help or advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.  

Thanks

James

It depends on what your after. Are you looking at one particular boby of water? Will you fish saltwater as well? Your target has a lot to do with what you need...I went simple with http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1140501855

I would be fishing freshwater only, but i will be taking it to Lake St. Clair once in a while.  Im thinking fiberglass.

James, I'll start with my usual response to any question regarding a major purchase. The first thing you need to do is determine the price range in which you are shopping. Until that decision is made you really can't start comparing different styles, brands, sizes and construction materials. Obviously you may need to tweak your price target as you move along in the learning process but it is always a good idea to have a starting point and try to stay as true to it as possible. Ok enough of that. You meantioned storage. I too have a storage situation and it definately ended up influencing my final decision. Because my ride was going to have to end up covered and tarped in the back yard I ended going with a Skeeter aluminum. It was well under my original budget. I reached a point where I just didn't think I could stomach having a big money fiberglass pro style bass boat spending its life outside. The price and the aluminum construction makes keeping it out there a little easier to deal with. I decided to wait on the big plunge until the storage situation was taken care of. Just like with vehicles a new boat loses a certain percentage of its value the moment you take it off the dealer's lot..some boats more than others. I've always like to let the original owner of something take that hit. If you decide to get something really sweet and utilize a storage facility here are just a couple of things to check into. Make sure you can access your storage unit 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Go and look at it, measure the dimensions and check to be sure it's big enough. Also pay attention to the parking lot situation to make sure you have room to manuever your boat in and out of the unit. Buy a good pair of bolt cutters. I had a storage unit and was a day late on my outrageous monthly rent and they put a lock on it to keep me out. Went out Easter morning to get a spare table for company and saw what they had done. I'd been a good costomer for years and there was no need of this drastic treatment. I put what was left of their lock in the office mailbox with a little note.

Budget, around 15k with about 5k down.  I know that the self-store just down the road from me has 24 hour access, the use swipe cards.  The only issue would be trying to get one of the front spots that i can get the boat in and out of.  The option of storing the boat outside is completely out of the question, backyard is a hill, and the neigborhood assosiation doesnt allow it.

James

Unless the self storage unit has special units for boats, I've never seen one of those deep enough to get a boat on a trailer in.  Even if you get a 17' hull, it's going to take over a 20' when you take into account the motor on the back and the tongue on the trailer.

If someone has never owned a boat and know very little about them and the motors, I have reservations about recommending buying a used boat.  Too many people will sell you a pile of junk and for some reason, the unknowing buyer's ego won't let him pay the couple of hundred bucks to have it checked out by a professional, plus finding a professional that has the time to check on out the day you bring it in.  Most are backed up a couple of weeks and the seller usually won't wait that long.   There are some boats and a lot of name brand motors that you just don't want to get involved with.  For instance, the 2003 and newer Evinrudes are very good motors but the late 90's and early 2000's for the most part are very expensive junk but they will sell them like they are the best thing made.  

At the same time not having experience with them and going in debt for a new boat, to find out it's not really the boat you were wanting can be a very expensive, hard lesson to learn.  Once you buy it, unless you pay a huge amount down, it's going to be several years of payments before you get it paid down enough to get rid of it without paying a lot of money to the finance company yourself just to sell it.  If you buy a smaller boat because it's cheaper and later decide it's too small, your stuck but not as bad as buying a 20' $30,000 and finding out it's too expensive to operate and those big payments start getting old real fast.

Remember the golden rule "The bigger the boat, the bigger the hole it makes in the water to throw money in".

Welcome to the forum, James.....everything you've been told so far makes a lot of sense, but it's not quite the buzzkill it sounds like...you mentioned you were a member of a bass club......I'll bet if you're willing to listen, and ask an older experienced boater for help, you can find someone who will check out a used boat or two for you......first, you need to solve the storage problem....Madhouse is right...those storage places can cost as much as the boat loan....how did you arrive at $15,000 total? Do you know the bank will finance 10K for you? Does the note leave you enough for the little extras like eating, clothes, and a date every once in awhile? If all those answers are yes, start by checking prices in your area for what you want to buy.....once you know the going prices, you'll be able to spot a great deal, a square deal, and a rip-off...be patient.....I got a good deal on my used boat by waiting until the right deal came along.....in the meanwhile, I got around in a 12 ft V hull with a 9.9 HP....the bass fought just as hard......good luck.