So I'm on the hunt for a 18'-21' fiberglass bass boat newer than 2002 for 10k-15k, any suggestions on what boats, where to look, and what brands to look into to?

 

thank you~ Jacob

Google is your friend?

Most of the opinions you will get are brand biased. Tell us about where and how you fish and what is important to you in a boat. Ride quality? Storage? Motor brand? Speed? etc.

2 hours ago, slonezp said:

Most of the opinions you will get are brand biased. Tell us about where and how you fish and what is important to you in a boat. Ride quality? Storage? Motor brand? Speed? etc.

I like to fish offshore structure so I need a boat that does ok in rough water. I really don't need anything above a 150 for the lakes I fish. A double livewell is a must and a rod locker is a must.

The good news is that fall is the best time to buy a used boat.  Get a compression test and leak down test on the motor before you buy.  It is better to spend a couple hundred on tests if it means not buying a boat that will give you a lot of problems.  

 

I wouldn't look for any specific brand since you have a budget.  Just look for the best deal.  With that said, there are a lot of Tritons TR186 which you will find in that range.  You should easily be able to find a Nitro or Stratos in that range newer than 2002 too.  Good luck.  

Define rough water. Great Lakes rough? Kentucky Lake rough? On Golden Pond rough? Some boats handle rough a little better than others. Ranger will fair better than the rest in "rough" but it's all relative. Rangers are built for comfort, not speed. If it's Great Lakes rough, a bass boat is not what you are looking for.

Be patient and shop around, but be ready to jump when a deal pops up. I shopped for almost 2 years before I bought mine for about half what it was valued at, but I also drove 14 hours to get it. 

Jacob... As mentioned above, you'll get a lot based off of brand...just like chevy or ford, most people have a favorite brand.

 

Ok so here's my 2 cents. I was in the same shoes as you since the spring. I finally found something a few weeks ago.

 

In my search I looked at Nitros, Tritons, Stratos and I think one Skeeter. 

 

Nitro = Was a nice looking boat. Had a wide deck. The one I was looking at had a 90 (smaller than what I wanted). You'll also find that nitros just don't hold their value very well. Im not slamming them. Every time I go to bps I look at them. Bottom line for me, I just didn't LOVE nitros. 

 

Triton: Love everything about them.... Love the way they look, perform and storage. I will say the deck is not as wide as I would have liked and of course I do have the gas smell in my lockers. I keep those open when Im not using. Never had an issue with chime walking. 

 

Stratos and Skeeter... my personal feeling was neither brand knocked my pants. Off.... Both are very nice boats. At this point I had nothing but a triton in my mind. 

 

Majority of guys in my club have tritons so Ive been in my fair share of them. 

 

Ranger: Simple..Just out of my price range. Never looked at one. 

 

Also mentioned above was the triton tr186....Thats a great boat IMO. 

 

I ended up with a 2010 Triton TR-18 Pro....I got it for $14,800. Nada on that boat is about 20k. I got that deal b/c the guy also had a river boat and her preferred river fishing . Another thing was he has some property at a local lake and needed the cash to get some stuff done...

 

So to wrap this all up.... I would look for a triton. 

 

One thing I will mention is you're going to find that people that are selling boats that are in the year and price range you're looking for feel that their boat is gold. Some have very nice updated electronics, new carpet and seats. But at the end of the day you still have a 2005 or what ever year boat you find. 

 

Best of luck....

Mine is at the bottom of this page if you want to see it. 

 

Take your time and make the right choice for you. I suggest finding some friends that have different boats, ride and fish out of them if you can. Lots of great deals to be had. Always have the motor checked out, most will be out of warranty in that price range, so have the power head compression tested and run the outboard before buying. My dad bought a 88 Ranger 360V that is absolutely showroom, for $5500. It sat in a garage for 12 years, so it needed carb work, but we have been using it for two years now and it has been flawless, he did upgrade the electronics. The deals are out there.