I love boats…..Almost as much as I love fishing.
I’ve bought and sold 5 different boats in the last 8 years and looked at another hundred that I didn’t’ t buy. In addition, I’ve fished off of dozens more.
The first rule is all boats are a compromise. No boat is perfect.
My advise to you is to fish with as many guides as you can. Preferably on the lakes or bays you intend to fish. Tell them that are thinking about buying your first boat and let them tell you about theirs. Guides generally love to talk about their boats and how they ended up with it and what they love and or dislike about it. You should get an idea after a few trips what you want.
I highly recommend buying used. Boats like most toys loose a lot of value when you drive it off the lot. Lots of people sell 1 year old boats with less than 20 hours of use for huge discounts. Guides do this too. Many buy new boats every year.
Warranty’s on boat motors are mostly transferable and extendable usually up to 6 years. I bought a boat a couple years ago that was less than a year old and was only used for one weekend. It had 6 hours on it and I paid $20k less than original owner. I took it to the local Yamaha dealer and extended the warranty to 6 years and now have no worries about motor issues.
Other than the motor, the stuff that quits working on a boat is cheap to replace. Things like bilge pumps, aerators, and lights are maybe a hundred dollars to replace.
I could go on for hours, so PM me if you want to discuss.
I’ve bought and sold 5 different boats in the last 8 years and looked at another hundred that I didn’t’ t buy. In addition, I’ve fished off of dozens more.
The first rule is all boats are a compromise. No boat is perfect.
My advise to you is to fish with as many guides as you can. Preferably on the lakes or bays you intend to fish. Tell them that are thinking about buying your first boat and let them tell you about theirs. Guides generally love to talk about their boats and how they ended up with it and what they love and or dislike about it. You should get an idea after a few trips what you want.
I highly recommend buying used. Boats like most toys loose a lot of value when you drive it off the lot. Lots of people sell 1 year old boats with less than 20 hours of use for huge discounts. Guides do this too. Many buy new boats every year.
Warranty’s on boat motors are mostly transferable and extendable usually up to 6 years. I bought a boat a couple years ago that was less than a year old and was only used for one weekend. It had 6 hours on it and I paid $20k less than original owner. I took it to the local Yamaha dealer and extended the warranty to 6 years and now have no worries about motor issues.
Other than the motor, the stuff that quits working on a boat is cheap to replace. Things like bilge pumps, aerators, and lights are maybe a hundred dollars to replace.
I could go on for hours, so PM me if you want to discuss.
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