I have been looking for a boat for a while now and i think i finally found one. My only problem is the guy that is selling it says that "the engine needs a new stater for the fire to the plugs". What in the heck does that mean? and am i looking at a lot of money to fix the problem? Thanks for the help.

http://www.outboardrepairs.com/stators/

Have him fix it and get it running or walk away from it.  If you can't start it and try it out there could be all kinds of problems you don't know about that could easily cost you $1000 to find out after the fact.

Are you sure he said starter and not stator.  Depending on the type motor, the stator is what generates the initial voltage that eventiualy fires the plugs.  Goes through another process or two but it's the originating source.  

He spelled it stater thats why im not sure. I found it on craigslist and am going to look at it tomorrow. He misspelled a few other words so thats why im not sure if he meant to say starter or stator  :-/. I will call him in the morning and get more details, thanks guys.

My best advise to you is not to buy it. You shouldn't have to ask questions about a boat that is good enough for you. I am only speaking from experience. I bought 2 POS boats. trust me, looking for boats is a long drawn out task if you're not going to buy a brand new one. If there is anything wrong with the boat I wouldn't even think about it, just like the "Way2slo" said. Walk away. Think about how much fun are you going to have if you are always working on the boat and not out there on the lake/river? I got lucky and bought an older model Nitro bass boat last year. I looked at it for a long time but the thing that sold me was the guy who originally bought was older and he was crippled and couldn't fish. When I first looked at the boat it had been inside a garage since 1995 and only used about 3-5 times. The carpet looked new and the upholstery was in mint condition. Its the little things that will show you how well the previous owner took care of the boat. Well good luck  on getting the boat you want.

Starters do not fire the motor. There can be many things when it comes to electrical that can cost a lot of money. Have a mechanic check it out before you by.

Could he have been talking about a stator? Different part from a stater.

I passed after he couldn't tell me the exact problem :-/. My search continues!!! 1 quick question, if i get say a 14' jon boat would a trolling motor be enough power to get me around at a considerable speed?

It all depends on you. If your a finesse fisherman then yea it should be fine. But if you like to power fish and move from place to place I would look into a small gas motor.

Just my 2cents