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I just wanted to ask for your help. I have always fished out of a small 12' aluminum boat. Recently, I sold it and am now looking to upgrade to a bigger ski/fishing boat.
I would like to spend between $3500-$5,000 dollars.
I have been told by several people that I can't get anything good for this price. However, some have said I can get a good boat if I look hard.
After doing some research here is what I have come up with. Please give me you opinion if I am right or wrong. Thanks
1- Stick with an outboard.
2- Use an electric motor for trolling
3- Look for a boat that is late 80's or newer
4- Do not buy a Bayliner
5- Find an outboard 80-120 horse
I am looking to buy the boat mainly for trolling and occasionally water skiing. The most I will have in the boat will be 3-6 people (3 of them being small kids.
I appreciate your help.
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[font "Arial Black"][red][size 3] I'm not sure who you have been talking to, but I know for a fact that you can find a very nice boat motor and trailer for the amount of money that you are looking to spend.[/size][/red][/font]
[font "Arial Black"][#ff0000][size 3] Shop around a bit, there are a lot of good boats out there for some very reasonable prices. I have a 16 ft. tri-hull with an Evinrude 85 hp outboard and trailer, and I got it for less than $1000.00. This just my humble opinion.[/size][/#ff0000][/font]
[font "Arial Black"][#ff0000][size 3][/size][/#ff0000][/font]
[font "Arial Black"][#ff0000][size 3]AFDan52[/size][/#ff0000][/font]
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You should be able to find a boat, as described for under $5,000 -- but plan on paying close to $5,000 for it if you are going to stick with a late 80's or newer. You may have to purchase one that isn't quite as new as you have hoped to stay. In my opinion, condition of boat is more important than its age. Some boats are used alot and others are used very little.
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I appreciate the post! I just found a 16' ski/fish boat for $2300. I am going to go and look at it on Monday. Thanks again
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Kent,
Thanks, I am thinking the same. However, I would like a newer motor if possible. I would probably pay less money for an older boat and then possible upgrade the motor if needed.
I am just looking for reliability, and a boat that will be safe on small and big lakes.
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"Reliability" and "boat" do not belong in the same sentence[  ]! A couple years ago I got great pleasure in towing in a "brand new" boat with my 1978 boat with my 1987 outboard. After asking him how much his new boat cost him, I couldn't wait for him to ask me how much I had paid for mine -- answer $2,500. His comment -- "You got a great deal". Unfortunately, I have also been on the other end of that stick.
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What you have been told only holds true if you are a die-hard wake boarder. There are plenty of excellent boats for under $5k. The Reinell posted here looks like a great boat for $5k. If that is a bit out of your limit, you should easily find something for around $2k. Not as fancy or as big, but good boats.
A few years ago I purchased a 1973 Trihull with a 135hp outboard for $2k. It worked perfectly for several years without any added expenses. Last year the power tilt finally gave out, but it was also set up to tilt manually, so that was fine.
However, last fall we decided to upgrade. As mentioned earlier, condition is far more important than age. I found a 1979 Fiberform that was an original owner from a guy that used to work for fiberform. He had all the bells and whistles put on that were available back then, including remote troll, 9.9hp troller, etc. He only used it for fishing, so the main motor had a whopping 249 original hours on it. It was also stored indoors it's entire life under a custom cover, so the interior was like brand new. The seat material is still as soft as new, too. The boat is beautiful and only cost me $4300.
There are definately some benefits to outboards, and this is my first I/O. The one benefit to I/O is the quiet and power. This one has the 305 V8.
With your boat choice, consider where you are going to use it. If you are on water that can regularly get rough, I would avoid the tri-hulls. That's what my last boat was. They are amazingly stable in relatively calm water, but they are terrible in rough water as they climb and dive with the waves. It can be a bit scary if you are diving into big waves, and you really have to take the waves at the right angles. My new boat is a deep V that cuts right through those big waves.
Now one question. The person posting the boat before mentioned they can mount downriggers where the back seats go. Can you possibly send photos of how you have that set up? That is one thing this new boat is missing and I just started really liking the downriggers on the old boat. This new boat is in just too nice of shape to start drilling the body for downrigger mounts. Also, it has a full storm cover and windows (similar to a Jeep soft top) that the downrigger mounts would get in the way of.
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Thanks again, the boat I was just looking at was an 86, 16' bayliner. Not sure if it is a tri-hull.
Please keep the info coming. It really helps me out.
By the way, I want to use this boat mainly for fishing. I will use
it on small lakes. However, its main use will be on Bear Lake.
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Bayliners are fine boats for the $. I myself have a 96 19' Bayliner that is worth everybit of the 6K I paid for it 4 years ago.
You can find plenty of decent boats for your budget. Keep looking, don't rush into it. Wait for the "Right "one.
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If you are mainly going to Bear Lake I would definitely go with a deep V. The Bayliners seem to be decent inexpensive boats. However, when I looked at a couple before getting my current boat, there is one thing I really didn't like. This was the window setup. It will keep some of the wind and weather off you, but it makes it very difficult to fish out the sides because the windows go pretty far back on the sides.
When looking at a boat, climb into it. Think about your fishing preferences and walk around the boat as if you were fishing from it. See how accessible the things you really need are. I prefer to have a boat with a fair length of accessible area on the sides. Without that you will only ever be able to troll 2 poles straight off the back and you will be landing your fish near your motor, which can be a real pain.
If you are looking, and you are in the South SL Valley area, I noticed a decent sized fiberform just off the road at 12300 south and about a mile west of I15.
Here are a couple I have seen recently that might fit your needs:
This may be the one you are looking at:
[url "http://sell.ksl.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.pl?db=recvehicles&website=&language=&session_key=&search_and_display_db_button=on&results_format=long&db_id=73881&query=retrieval"]http://sell.ksl.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.pl?db=recvehicles&website=&language=&session_key=&search_and_display_db_button=on&results_format=long&db_id=73881&query=retrieval[/url]
[url "http://sell.ksl.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.pl?db=recvehicles&website=&language=&session_key=&search_and_display_db_button=on&results_format=long&db_id=72882&query=retrieval"]http://sell.ksl.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.pl?db=recvehicles&website=&language=&session_key=&search_and_display_db_button=on&results_format=long&db_id=72882&query=retrieval[/url]
[url "http://saltlakecity.craigslist.org/boa/137916127.html"]http://saltlakecity.craigslist.org/boa/137916127.html[/url]
Most of the boats in your price range, if decent boats, will start selling fast now that it is warming up. If you have the cash, and find a boat that you feel will really fit your needs and is a good value, I would jump on it. They won't last.
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Thanks, I have looked at them all. I am interested in the top one. I am going to go look at it on Monday.
If you get a chance, look at the boats from that "Craig List" Site. I was looking at some boats that were in the LA/Santa Monica area.
There were some boats that looked like a really good deal. Let me know what you think. You will have to do a search $2500-$6000 on this site. Thank again for your help.
Here is the link: [url "http://losangeles.craigslist.org/boa/"]http://losangeles.craigslist.org/boa/[/url]
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There are some decent boats there, but not at enough of a steal to cover getting the boat out here. If you watch enough you will find a boat in just as good of condition for nearly the same price here. The other concern would be have any of those boats seen salt water? That can really be hard on many parts of the boat. Also, those probably have a LOT more hours on them as water is more easily accessible and their boating season is nearly year-round.
Just a couple of thoughts. You might try the Denver Craigslist site. They are a bit closer.
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Here is a nice looking little boat that would probably do the job well:
[url "http://sell.ksl.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.pl?db=recvehicles&website=&language=&session_key=&search_and_display_db_button=on&results_format=long&db_id=74133&query=retrieval"]http://sell.ksl.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.pl?db=recvehicles&website=&language=&session_key=&search_and_display_db_button=on&results_format=long&db_id=74133&query=retrieval[/url]
Unfortunately it doesn't have a trolling motor mount, which was a must for me. You can put a trolling plate on, but you burn up a lot of gas that way and it is hard on your engine to run like that for as long as I like to troll.
This one also looks decent:
[url "http://sell.ksl.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.pl?db=recvehicles&website=&language=&session_key=&search_and_display_db_button=on&results_format=long&db_id=74161&query=retrieval"]http://sell.ksl.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.pl?db=recvehicles&website=&language=&session_key=&search_and_display_db_button=on&results_format=long&db_id=74161&query=retrieval[/url]
I like the space both of those have for fishing over the side of the boat. I would suggest looking for something at least 17' or bigger. You will notice the difference. The 16' boats are really only good for 4 people.
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Those are some great points. I have decided that I will avoid getting a tri-hull boat. After reading some other posts and doing some research, its sounds as if they don't do well in choppy water.
I think I will head to Salt Lake to look at a few boats. I am sure that I won't jump into anything today however, it will be nice to compare the different sizes of boats.
I think going to a dealer will give me a good idea of the different size ranges. Thanks again for your help.
Jason
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[size 1]"Now one question. The person posting the boat before mentioned they can mount downriggers where the back seats go. Can you possibly send photos of how you have that set up? That is one thing this new boat is missing and I just started really liking the downriggers on the old boat. This new boat is in just too nice of shape to start drilling the body for downrigger mounts. Also, it has a full storm cover and windows (similar to a Jeep soft top) that the downrigger mounts would get in the way of. "[/size]
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[size 1]Brian,[/size]
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[size 1]You can take a 2x8 - 8' or so depending on your beam, and cover it with carpet. Lay this athwart ships gun'le to gun'le - as far aft as you can without interfering with anything (in my case just forward of the aft seat back). Mark where you want the downrigger mounts. Probably just inboard of the gun'le or over the gun'le with good paddding. Install the mounts to the covered board and cover anything sticking out that might scratch or tear anything on the boat. Remove the seat bottoms on each side of the engine cover or whatever is needed to run a strap straight down to the deck on your boat. Install an eye-bolt to the deck directly below the padded board using a good sized backing plate. Use straps hooked to the eye-bolt to pull the board down tight to the top of the gun'les. Slide your downriggers on the mounts and you are ready to fish.[/size]
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[size 1]You can stow the downrigger board wherever you have room on the boat or leave it home if you are not fishing.[/size]
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[size 1]Hope this makes sense.[/size]
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[size 1]Don[/size]
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Just a few comments... get as big of a boat as you can afford. 16 feet can feel really small when you are trying to fish 4 people or even worse when the waves start rolling. I have a 19 foot open bow fish/ski boat and can comfortably ski with 6 to 8 people if half are kids and can fish 4 grown men easily. Also have the motor checked out by a mechanic if you can. Take it for a spin for sure before sealing the deal.
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Excellent! I have been trying to think of a way to do that since we got the boat. I had pretty much put together the idea of a frame type setup that would stand on the floor, but I like the eyebolt idea better, if I can just figure out how to put the eye bolt in the floor. That is much more compact and can easily be taken down. If you get the time and have your boat uncovered, can you send me photos of how you have the eye bolt set up or mounted?
Thanks for the help!!!
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Excellent point. You really need to set your priorities before looking at boats. If it were my, my priorities would be in this order for all boats within my price range:
1 - Mechanical / structural condition. You might find one that they say needs a "little" mechanical work, that ends up costing you $2k by the time you are done.
2 - Meets the needs for your use - This would include things like trolling motor mount, ease of fishing out the sides, tri-hull vs. deep-V, storage, seat configuration, open bow / closed bow / cuddy, etc.
3 - Size - Ok, this could go under #2, but I wanted to point this out. You might find a 16' boat that looks really good design-wise, and a 19' boat that may look a little outdated, but is just as good in every other way. If mechanical holds out, you will probably keep the 19' boat much longer. You will find the 16' boat is just too small if you plan on more than 2-3 people.
4 - Cosmetics - We are all a little vain. My last boat was a bright yellow thing and I was fine with that, but this newer one looks much better. This would also include things like seat & carpet condition, etc. By the way, replacing seating, if done yourself, will still cost you a few hundred. I did it on my last boat and found the cheapest seats available.
Ok, enough of my rambling. Happy boat hunting.
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I won't uncover my boat for a couple of weeks. It's tarped and covered with snow. I was able to get to the underside of the deck from the engine compartment. Drill your hole, spin two nuts (so you can tighten them against each other for a lock) on your eye bolt, follow that with a washer then plate or washer around three inches in diameter or so, insert the eye bolt into the drilled hole - on the bolt extending through the underside of the deck put your backing plate, depending on the room you have use the biggest backing plate you feel comfortable with as this will be holding all the stress from pulling the downrigger board snug, follow this with a washer and two nuts, the second a self locking nut.
Caviat .... this proposed installation procedure is only for suggestions and not to be taken as anything else! [  ]
Don
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You would want to use two eye bolts. One on Port side and one on Starboard.
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