Hey guys/gals.

 

I am looking to buy my first boat (not counting jon boats I've owned) ASAP.

 

I'd like something in the 16' range. And Aluminum. And I'm thinking around 40HP.

 

Are there any tips you can give me as far as what to look for, and what to stay away from? Are certain motors a no no? Is Mercury the best? Should I get 4 stroke over 2 stroke? Certain boat brands that I should shy away from?

 

As far as trailer goes, are rollers or bunks better? 

 

I admit I'm quite naive to this all. 

 

Appreciate any help.

I would follow this thread. should be a lot of feed back in the near future on the type of boat you are looking for.

If you could give us more on specifics. New/used, bass, multi species, waters you want to fish, that kind of thing, it would help.

This is a tough one . I would suggest go look at anything in your price range glass or aluminium. When you say asap I would really look at them and make 100% the boat fits your needs because if you spend good money and your not fully happy it ruins the whole experience. 

 

I wish you the best of luck and my recommendations would be the  G3 eagle boats

Thanks for the replies.

 

I fish mainly bass, but also fish pike and muskie from time to time. Not sure if I want tiller or steering. Any pros/cons? Kind of want steering. But pros for tiller would be more room in the boat I suppose. And with steering, you have more issues that can go wrong/break I suppose?

 

Price range is around $7,000-$8000 (or less), so new is out of the question. Tho that 40th Anniversary gives you a lot of boat for that price. 

Catt has a 16' Alweld with 40 hp and can give you good advice.

Tom

48 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

Thanks for the replies.

 

I fish mainly bass, but also fish pike and muskie from time to time. Not sure if I want tiller or steering. Any pros/cons? Kind of want steering. But pros for tiller would be more room in the boat I suppose. And with steering, you have more issues that can go wrong/break I suppose?

 

Price range is around $7,000-$8000 (or less), so new is out of the question. Tho that 40th Anniversary gives you a lot of boat for that price. 

I have owned tiller and console steering. Console is definately more convenient in my opinion. Never had any problems with console steering failures.

I hear the heritage is officially sold out, they are done taking orders. It also wouldn't be something you would be able to get asap, because people are waiting months to get theirs. One person even mentioned his expected delivery date to be in December. That being said, you never know, you could find a used one for sale that someone decided they didn't want.

12 hours ago, kroberts9 said:

 

I wish you the best of luck and my recommendations would be the  G3 eagle boats

 

My first boat was a 2006 G3 Eagle 165 with a Yamaha 60 four-stroke. It could and did take a licking, and is still on the water, today.

 

If you plan to fish with a full load (i.e., a partner whose name has "Bob" in it and a full livewell), you'll need at least 60 horses, although I'd go with even more.

I did some research on craigslist in your state. What I found is very few mod V style aluminum bass boats for sale. There were plenty of deep V boats available.  That tells me you have mostly big water in your area. I would go down to a few dealers and just crawl around some new boats to get an idea what you want, they start looking at the used market.

I bought my first boat last April.  Had a similar price range and mostly fishing for bass on smaller lakes, rivers and reservoirs.  I knew I wanted an aluminum, so I ended up with a 2007 Tracker 175TXW with a 50hp mercury 2-stroke and I really like it.  For a first boat (including Jon), it is really more then I "need".  I found in my area, this type of boat went very quick once placed on Craigslist. 

 

I did visit a couple dealers to sit in some of the used boats I was not familiar with to get an idea of what I wanted. Also checked out a dozen or so local sellers when they posted on Craigslist before I made my decision.  I recommend you try to narrow it down to options you're looking for. Something I considered was storage length as well...not sure if that needs to be a consideration for you.

 

Good luck!

 

 

A tiller aluminum deep V would be a great all purpose boat to start with.  You'll be fine with a two stroke.  I had a 15' Sea Nymph with a 50 and later a 17' Sea Nymph, both tillers.  Loved those boats and I'm thinking of returning to that style after fishing in my buddy's 16.5 Lund tiller.

This Tracker 160 is a bit more than 8,000 but you can get it with a 40 Mercury 4 stroke. With a nice down payment over a 10 year loan you would have a very small payment and have a brand new boat.

https://www.trackerboats.com/boat/?boat=4278

Thanks guys. I'll take everything into consideration.

 

One thing I'd like, but realize I'd maybe have to pay more, is locking rod lockers.

The Tracker 170 has lockable rod storage but cost a bit more. It comes with a bigger gas tank, bigger live well, speedometer, gas gauge, bigger casting deck, outside gas fill. Oh and I just bought one myself lol. Btw you can get it with a 50.

https://www.trackerboats.com/boat/?boat=4279

22 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

I am looking to buy my first boat (not counting jon boats I've owned) ASAP.

 

I'd like something in the 16' range. And Aluminum. And I'm thinking around 40HP.

 

Are there any tips you can give me as far as what to look for, and what to stay away from? Are certain motors a no no? Is Mercury the best? Should I get 4 stroke over 2 stroke? Certain boat brands that I should shy away from?

 

As far as trailer goes, are rollers or bunks better? 

There are so many options out there... the place I'd start is to consider what water you'll be fishing the most. This will dictate the boat type and the hull type (flat bottom, mod V, deep V). Also consider your fishing style and number of passengers. This will dictate boat size and motor size. Also consider your budget.

 

Bunks or rollers are fine, either one.

 

2 stroke or 4 stroke is fine, either one. A 2 stroke will generally be quicker acceleration, better torque and noisier, will require mixing oil/gas; a 4 stroke will be quieter, cleaner, maybe more convenient and a little slower to get up to speed.

 

Riveted vs all welded: Older riveted boats might leak; all-welded might crack. Neither one is necessarily a deal breaker, just a fact of life.

 

Pleasure fishing or tournaments?

 

16' alum with 40 hp sounds like a great all-around choice. Lots of options, new and used. If you've got more specifics it might help lower down the choices.

 

 

Saw a used boat on Craigslist. Are we allowed to post CL adds here? Wanted to get your guys' take on it.

For that price you have alot of options,you have to decide what type of hull you want depending on type of water you fish and which options the boat offers that are important to you,also take someone with you that has a boat or has owned boats and definitely take it for a test run,check the hull for cracks,look at the decks for warping,check make sure all electrical is good and on all components work,look at prop and lower unit for any type of damage,look at how well the boat looks will tell you how well it was maintained,if you can take it to trusted marine shop and have them check it out throughly.Happy hunting ?

Thoughts on this boat? Good deal? How are Yamaha motors?

 

https://madison.craigslist.org/bod/d/2006-smokercraft-stinger-161/6540593351.html

 

Or this one?

 

https://madison.craigslist.org/boa/d/1997-alumacraft-magnum-165-cs/6538762568.html

1 hour ago, NorthernBasser said:

Thoughts on this boat? Good deal? How are Yamaha motors?

 

https://madison.craigslist.org/bod/d/2006-smokercraft-stinger-161/6540593351.html

 

Or this one?

 

https://madison.craigslist.org/boa/d/1997-alumacraft-magnum-165-cs/6538762568.html

Yamaha makes great motors...the Mariner on the Alumacraft is really a Mercury...also a good motor.

 

Nothing wrong with either boat as long as they are in good condition and well maintained.

 

Re Trailers: I've had both rollers and bunks.  I'll never keep a boat on another roller trailer...

I like that SmokerCraft with the Yammie.

 

Both look pretty clean.

Hey guys. I'm still shopping. What's your thoughts on this boat? It has a kicker motor. From what I gather, aren't those used for more heavy boats? Or not necessarily? I don't want anything too heavy (for tow capacity reasons). 

 

https://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/boa/d/2003-fisher-165-pro-avenger/6541893951.html

 

Or how about this? Thoughts on the flat bottoms vs V's? This seems like a good deal.

 

https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/boa/d/2013-bass-tracker/6542741032.html

18 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

Hey guys. I'm still shopping. What's your thoughts on this boat? It has a kicker motor. From what I gather, aren't those used for more heavy boats? Or not necessarily? I don't want anything too heavy (for tow capacity reasons). 

 

https://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/boa/d/2003-fisher-165-pro-avenger/6541893951.html

Kickers are for trolling. bigger 2 strokes don't like to idle around for long periods of time.

it looks to be well equipped.

seems a little high priced for a 15 year old Fisher. 

If you are serious about it, I would have a boat shop look it over. 

that boat was made by Tracker. The fisher line has been discontinued for about 9 years.

 I see quite a few older Fishers on the water, but I have also heard some of them had problems with cracked welds on the hull. 

You can find people that had hull issues with every make of boat.  Fishers were decent boats.  I agree, the price seems a bit hefty, though the kicker adds some $$$ to the bottom line.  This one would require some serious inspection to see why the price is high.  I'll take a pass on the Tracker.

Appreciate all the info guys! Like I said, I don't have much experience into what brands to avoid, what outboards are better, V vs flat bottom vs mod-V, etc.

 

How about this one? Are Crestliners good boats? What about the price point on this one?

 

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/boa/d/2007-crestliner-1600-fish-hawk/6540676303.html