In Hindsight Advice (seeking not giving)

[Jamesonm]

Hey all, as mentioned briefly on a couple threads, hoping to get into ocean fishing.

What do you wish you knew now when getting into your first boat? Anything to be keenly aware of (good and bad) to stay away from or actively target/seek out? I've been watching all of the boats posted from members - thank you. And I've messaged a couple for guidance and everyone has been super responsive and helpful - great community!

What would be a great starter boat for my wife and I to do some fishing out of the Vic area and explore some islands for overnighting once we have some experience under our belts. I've heard 16 or 17 foot hourston, double eagle and arima.

Something in the ballpark of 20k. We have a tacoma that we will be pulling it with.

I'm a bit hesitant to buy a used boat privately as I don't wanna get taken for a ride. Will going through a dealership help with that? What do you think the upcharge or mark up is with them and is it worth it for peace of mind? Or is that thinking a bit naive.

Cheers!

 

[noluck]

used boat sales will result in getting to go for a ride, either price or quality. with no recourse

 

[scott craven]

Don't buy a bowrider even though the extra seating may look attractive.

 

[Foxsea]

used boat sales will result in getting to go for a ride, either price or quality. with no recourse

There's an extremely pessimistic outlook.

Every boat will need upkeep and upgrades, even new. That's to be expected. An "experienced" boat can be great value. Most of us want a boat but few can afford the new sticker. Like buying an older car or home, one must do a thorough inspections before purchase. That minimizes disappointment in unforeseen expenses. I've been involved recently, in the purchase of two, older boats. Both have proven to be excellent value. New boats depreciate rapidly. That makes the warranties extremely expensive. No one ever wants the headache of processing a warranty claim, either.

 

[kaelc]

In Victoria you can find the odd “cream puff” well taken care of boat kept under cover and meticulously taken care of by an old guy for the past 5-20 years. They are super rare but do come up for sale. A lot of stuff on the market has been ridden hard and put away wet. Go look at boats kept on trailers at Sherwood and other used yards. Ask the sales men what to look for, a good one will show you what to look for with a transom, a great one what to look for with electrical. Good sales guys are hard to find but great when you do.

Keep saving your money, for the purchase price, taxes and repairs and wait for the right one to come up.

Who is “We” if you plan to have a family you will have an excuse for a cuddy.

I’d look for something in the 16-18 foot range with good weather protection. Canvas tops cost 5k or much more to replace if the original top is there.

Once you narrow down the list and size of boats I’d recommend posting a wanted add in the Facebook groups. Lots of guys get two footitius, pray it doesn’t afflict you.

 

[Clint r]

Skip the shiny ****. Better to have a plain (read clean) dependable boat and add options slowly than jump in and buy someone else’s problems.

 

[eroyd]

Buying a used boat, especially glass, is a pretty scary proposition. You have to act fast as the good one's go fast. There are a lot of polished (or painted) turds on the market. Get someone with experience to go with you. Ugly boats are ok as long as they are solid. I'd rather put the money into a reliable motor, or a least a good kicker to get me home.
My best memories were in a old beater, but sea worthy boat. We picked our days and in the end the boat owed us nothing. New boats are for those that have, or think they have money to burn.

 

[noluck]

There's an extremely pessimistic outlook.

Every boat will need upkeep and upgrades, even new. That's to be expected. An "experienced" boat can be great value. Most of us want a boat but few can afford the new sticker. Like buying an older car or home, one must do a thorough inspections before purchase. That minimizes disappointment in unforeseen expenses. I've been involved recently, in the purchase of two, older boats. Both have proven to be excellent value. New boats depreciate rapidly. That makes the warranties extremely expensive. No one ever wants the headache of processing a warranty claim, either.

i should have added from a dealer as the original post referred from

 

[Rain City]

Walk into a dealership and buy a brand new boat. Save yourself years of headaches. Pay now or pay later to fix it all. Keep it for 10+ years and maintain it well.

Flame away fellas.

 

[RiverBoy]

Skip the shiny ****. Better to have a plain (read clean) dependable boat and add options slowly than jump in and buy someone else’s problems.

totally agree. having said that, I would also avoid a project or a fixer-upper. I would definitely insist on getting the motor looked at, to make sure that it is decent. There is absolutely nothing that will anger your wife more than an endless money pit of a boat. I don’t think you can go wrong with the late 90s double Eagle or Malibu Tyee boat in the 17 to 18 foot range. no bow riders. just….don’t

 

[Clint r]

totally agree. having said that, I would also avoid a project or a fixer-upper. I would definitely insist on getting the motor looked at, to make sure that it is decent. There is absolutely nothing that will anger your wife more than an endless money pit of a boat. I don’t think you can go wrong with the late 90s double Eagle or Malibu Tyee boat in the 17 to 18 foot range. no bow riders. just….don’t

Someone once described a bow rider to me as a “sea-spoon”. Makes perfect sense

 

[RiverBoy]

Walk into a dealership and buy a brand new boat. Save yourself years of headaches. Pay now or pay later to fix it all. Keep it for 10+ years and maintain it well.

Flame away fellas.

with his budget he’ll be buying a 14’ Marlon with. 15 hp motor then. new boat prices are completely out of hand

 

[Rain City]

with his budget he’ll be buying a 14’ Marlon with. 15 hp motor then. new boat prices are completely out of hand

Yeah well if you can't afford what it would have been new, then you shouldn't be trying to get in cheaper by buying used. Ask me how I know

 

[Alex_c]

Walk into a dealership and buy a brand new boat. Save yourself years of headaches. Pay now or pay later to fix it all. Keep it for 10+ years and maintain it well.

Flame away fellas.

I dunno, I’m into my boat for well under $10k total ownership cost, have owned it for 8 years, and have a freezer full of fish. I have had one breakdown that required a tow, and I was back on the water in 2 weeks and a couple hundred in parts. YMMV

 

[eroyd]

I ended up buying a brand new boat a couple of years ago on a similar budget with the hope of not having any worries. Perhaps didn't get the boat I dreamed of but I am satisfied. 16' welded aluminum skiff with a 40hp. A very basic boat. Perhaps not a family cruiser but it does the job and is inexpensive to run. I use it a fair bit. Drive by a lot of six figure driveway princesses on the way to the launch. Be sure your going to use it enough to justify the expense, otherwise your better of to rent or charter a couple of times a year.

 

[Alex_c]

I ended up buying a brand new boat a couple of years ago on a similar budget with the hope of not having any worries. Perhaps didn't get the boat I dreamed of but I am satisfied. 16' welded aluminum skiff with a 40hp. A very basic boat. Perhaps not a family cruiser but it does the job and is inexpensive to run. I use it a fair bit. Drive by a lot of six figure driveway princesses on the way to the launch. Be sure your going to use it enough to justify the expense, otherwise your better of to rent or charter a couple of times a year.

Good advice. Needing to pick your days because of weather is better than picking your days because of lack of money for repairs or fuel. In my experience, once the weather gets bad, fishing in a 20’ boat is not much more fun than fishing in a 16’ boat.

 

[Foxsea]

Walk into a dealership and buy a brand new boat. Save yourself years of headaches. Pay now or pay later to fix it all. Keep it for 10+ years and maintain it well.

Flame away fellas.

Sorry that one boat left you feeling that way.
If you learn to do most work yourself, the cost of owning any boat is much less. I have never had the money to buy a new boat in my 50 years of boating but I've still had thousands of trouble-free hours on the water. Your point on maintenance is universally a good one.

 

[Alex_c]

Sorry that one boat left you feeling that way.
If you learn to do most work yourself, the cost of owning any boat is much less. I have never had the money to buy a new boat in my 50 years of boating but I've still had thousands of trouble-free hours on the water. Your point on maintenance is universally a good one.

I think this also stresses that if you can’t afford to pay someone else to work on it, buy something that is within your scope of abilities and equipment to perform general maintenance and repair. Once you get into bigger, heavier stuff, repairs get costly just by sheer scale and equipment needed to pull a motor, space to put a hull on stands, complexity of systems etc. I rented a engine hoist for $40 and watched some YouTube and read the factory service manual to piece together and hang my motor in my driveway. Zero chance I’d be doing that with a massive outboard or inboard.
Now, there are ways a guy can pull a big outboard or inboard in their driveway, but it’s not just a matter of picking up a hoist from the rental place and throwing it in the back of your wagon.
I also think just because you haven’t done it before you can’t do the work and learn either. I think any guy with some basic tools and a driveway can restore something up to 18-20 feet, overhaul the engine, or do most hull repairs that don’t require flipping it over.

 

[Jamesonm]

This is great thanks everyone - keep it comin!

 

[daddystoy]

IMHO i think anybody that owns a boat should be reasonably mechanically inclined or at least be prepared to learn.
The alternative is to have very deep pockets to be able to pay labour rates of 150 an hour and have the patience of a Saint waiting to get things fixed.
Oh... and hoping some of these clowns that work on boats actually do a good job of repairing the problem.