Got rid of my 14’ Jon Boat almost 2 years ago now and have been religiously watching used bass boat prices since then. Plenty of access to wading plus work and other hobbies, I’m not dying to get back into a new (to me) boat and associated cost, however if the price is right I’d absolutely jump at one.

 

Market in my area seems to have flooded with used boats at about 1/2-1/3 what people were asking just a month ago. Almost all of these boats are between 1995-2007.

 

I know the motor can be a roll of the dice pending hours, maintenance, etc. at that age, but is there any age limit on a fiberglass hull? If no signs of damage/transom rot, does that mean the hull is good to go regardless of age?

 

 

Not necessarily. Its the wood frame deep down inside all that fiberglass where it needs to be examined, not just the transom. Search where water can flow. It goes down. So that is where serious examination needs to be looked at carefully. Look for soft spots in the hull everywhere.

 

I think there is a limit on old fiberglass boats.

 

Look around today. How many 1970's hulls do you still see out there? Just about all gone now. But 50 year old aluminum hulls if taken care of can last 50 plus years or more. My old boat is now 51 years old and will outlive me.

 

I won't even consider fiberglass boats. Too heavy. Draft too deep. I really prefer all welded aluminum hulls. But to each their own.

 

I recently hauled a fiberglass boat to the landfill. It was not the fiberglass that was the problem. It was the cheap plywood frame inside all that fiberglass. Completely rotted away. Nothing left but a void inside the fiberglass. And the fiberglass was mushy and crunching in places.

 

So if you choose to buy an old fiberglass boat make sure to have it thoroughly inspected inside and out- especially way down inside from bow to stern. Take a look at the wood framing under the fiberglass. That is where water really starts to ruin things right there.

 

I think the boat I hauled to the landfill was less than 20 years old.

 

I'm not saying fiberglass can't survive as long as an aluminum boat if well cared for, but here in Florida it has not been my experience that they do. So I would be recommending an all welded aluminum hull as your safest bet in the used boat game.

The major brands of that era no longer used glass over wood transoms eliminating the dry rote issue. Fiberglass doesn’t degrade from age alone, sunlight exposure and weather extremes can create problems that show in faded color coat, weathered seats and cracks around stress points like the transom area.

It’s hard to find boats that were garaged but well worth the effort imo.

Mercury, Honda, Yamaha OB’s are a good choice avoid Evinrude as they are no longer made.

Boat length and HP are price factors plus check the trailer closely. The TM and sonar units of that era need to be replaced.

I believe Glenn has a video on buying used bass boats.

Tom

Some of the best hulls ever made came out of that era - 360 series Rangers, Champion 187, Stratos 285 and Gambler GT’s  just to name a few. 

 

Ranger did away with the wood transom in ‘88, everyone else wasn’t too far behind. 
 

Carb’d 2 strokes will last virtually forever if you take care of them (and disable the oil injection). Rough on gas compared to the 4 strokes, but simpler and more reliable at the end of the day.