Planning a new boat buy

[SkaterRace]

I had to sell my boat this spring because of moving and not being able to bring it with me, I also got a new job that pays pretty good so I am thinking of getting a new (to me) boat. I have been watching boats for years and know about what I want, the part I am having a hard time with is weather I buy it come spring when I have a 5-10k downpayment on a 15-25k boat or do I wait till the fall and buy then. Pretty much I am unsure weather waiting out another summer with no boat is worth the small savings I will be getting. One thing that worries me about buying in the fall is I am not sure what the winterization costs would be for a 19' bowrider and what repairs are common after a winter sitting for these boats and weather those would even beat out waiting till the following spring then...

My history with boats has been pre 1980 boats with similar aged engines bought in not the best condition but repaired cheaply. That's not an option for me anymore sadly because I am 3 hours from the old repair guy/shop.

Bought a new tow SUV back in June planning on a boat so feels like longer I wait the more I 'wasted' on a replacement car.

If you were in my shoes would you wait it out for the summer next year and buy a boat in the fall or jump in in the spring? I'm a bit lost on this decision and have been racking my brain for a week as to what to do. I thought about figuring it out come spring but everything for me seems pretty steady for the next year job and money wise so I'm trying to plan ahead a bit and not act on an impulse in the spring and shop around then.

 

[wahlejim]

Find a happy medium. I know around me, dealerships start cutting prices after the 4th of July to clear showroom space for the new model year. There are deals to be had halfway through summer that will still get you half a season of fun.

 

[SkiGuy1980]

If you have storage ready then look around and see what's available. I've not had too much trouble over the years after coming out of winterization. I now pay to have mine winterized (400 for winterization and oil change... more than I wanted to spend, but piece of mind not worrying about the cold cracking my block because I didn't get it done right).

Decent deals can be found in the fall and it would be worth your while to see if there is something you like at a good price. I'd still want to do a lake trial before signing... and it may be a little late in the year depending on where you are. The bottom line is whether you want to wait another summer trying to catch a deal in the fall.

 

[jkust]

From a big picture, I'm going to say that we have very different financial philosophies given the little you mentioned. That said, the key to finding the boat that you want at the best possible deal is to be ready to buy it today by having done the appropriate research and recognizing when it is a good deal. I can recall with various things including boats where I was shopping in the beginning not realizing I was looking at the deal of the year only to have the next guy buy it because he knew the deal when he saw it and I was still in comparison mode. I don't know where you are in the country and so as mentioned the water test is quickly not possible if you are as far north as me. Fall boats can be a great deal compared to when the season is starting. As for winterization costs, those piddly amounts of cash shouldn't even make you think twice. I think I paid $350 for winterization for a v8 which cost more than a v6 which cost more than a 4cylinder.

 

[briangcc]

Right now some marina's are clearing their lots for the next model year so deals can be had on new. Only reason I didn't buy now instead of the Spring (when I picked up my current boat) was that I was upside down on my previous boat. IF I hadn't been upside down on my loan I would have saved $$$$ buying in the fall.

Winterization is a drop in the bucket when talking about boats. Around my area its $180-$220, shrinkwrap extra.

 

[Cortes100]

Jkust had a good comment, know what you want and be ready to buy it at anytime. Location has lots to do with it too, but if I was boat shopping, I'd always have the radar on.
My latest purchase was in the early spring, lakes still frozen over. Normally buying at the beginning of the season it's more expensive. But at the time, the local economy was in a big slump. Every boat dealer had many leftovers from the previous year. Add in factory incentives, made it very attractive for the buyer.
As for your winterizing, if you buy from a dealer, I'm pretty sure they would throw that in.

On a side note, you guys with those cheap cost winterizing make me chuckle. Yepp we get ripped off up here. I do lots of my maintenance, cause a simple oil change and winterize cost $500 up here (and that's a V6).

 

[jkust]

Jkust had a good comment, know what you want and be ready to buy it at anytime. Location has lots to do with it too, but if I was boat shopping, I'd always have the radar on.
My latest purchase was in the early spring, lakes still frozen over. Normally buying at the beginning of the season it's more expensive. But at the time, the local economy was in a big slump. Every boat dealer had many leftovers from the previous year. Add in factory incentives, made it very attractive for the buyer.
As for your winterizing, if you buy from a dealer, I'm pretty sure they would throw that in.

On a side note, you guys with those cheap cost winterizing make me chuckle. Yepp we get ripped off up here. I do lots of my maintenance, cause a simple oil change and winterize cost $500 up here (and that's a V6).

As for the water test, it can also depend on a few factors. My previous boat, I bought with 20 hours on the meter as it had only been taken out a few weekends and the guy realized he was in over his head scheduling wise. It was a new boat with only its break in hours on the engine...no test needed.
My current boat, out of circumstances out of my control, I was shopping in the spring in a state with 11,000+ lakes where boat demand is extremely high. Either I bought the boat during the viewing appointment I made or one of the next seven people in line behind me was going to buy it. I bought it without a test and glad I did. In a perfect world, I'd always want to water test but it is far from perfect.

 

[SkaterRace]

Jkust had a good comment, know what you want and be ready to buy it at anytime. Location has lots to do with it too, but if I was boat shopping, I'd always have the radar on.
My latest purchase was in the early spring, lakes still frozen over. Normally buying at the beginning of the season it's more expensive. But at the time, the local economy was in a big slump. Every boat dealer had many leftovers from the previous year. Add in factory incentives, made it very attractive for the buyer.
As for your winterizing, if you buy from a dealer, I'm pretty sure they would throw that in.

On a side note, you guys with those cheap cost winterizing make me chuckle. Yepp we get ripped off up here. I do lots of my maintenance, cause a simple oil change and winterize cost $500 up here (and that's a V6).

I am 'ready' to buy anytime pretty much it comes down to figuring out the best deal. My idea was I have money for a down payment on a boat but was thinking if I was waiting till spring to use that money on my car loan and save back up for a down payment. Guess I'll keep an eye out for boats and run the numbers a bit more.

Also I see in your signature you have pretty much the exact boat I plan on buying, any major gripes with it or anything to be scared off by?

 

[SkaterRace]

Right now some marina's are clearing their lots for the next model year so deals can be had on new. Only reason I didn't buy now instead of the Spring (when I picked up my current boat) was that I was upside down on my previous boat. IF I hadn't been upside down on my loan I would have saved $$$$ buying in the fall.

Winterization is a drop in the bucket when talking about boats. Around my area its $180-$220, shrinkwrap extra.

I'm looking mostly at used boats so new model years are not a major factor for me, I wish I made enough to where I could justify a new boat without hurting my other money goals like a cottage on a nice lake to use the boat on.

More I think about the fall/spring issue the more I wonder if renting next year and buying in the fall is a better plan.

 

[SkaterRace]

From a big picture, I'm going to say that we have very different financial philosophies given the little you mentioned. That said, the key to finding the boat that you want at the best possible deal is to be ready to buy it today by having done the appropriate research and recognizing when it is a good deal. I can recall with various things including boats where I was shopping in the beginning not realizing I was looking at the deal of the year only to have the next guy buy it because he knew the deal when he saw it and I was still in comparison mode. I don't know where you are in the country and so as mentioned the water test is quickly not possible if you are as far north as me. Fall boats can be a great deal compared to when the season is starting. As for winterization costs, those piddly amounts of cash shouldn't even make you think twice. I think I paid $350 for winterization for a v8 which cost more than a v6 which cost more than a 4cylinder.

Season here is pretty well done and gone, I don't think any place would let you take a water test here until spring so might have missed this season. Do have some good data on prices from my research though so maybe a good deal in the spring to be had early on.

Winterization normally seems expensive here, I got quoted $550 CAD for it on a 3.0L Merc and that was basic package as they had.

 

[capecodtodd]

I'm in the similar boat as you Skaterrace. I'm looking for a big upgrade now and will sell my current boat in the Spring but I'm still looking and I feel like I might have missed out.
I'm going to keep looking and have faith that the perfect boat will come along.
There are lots of 19' bowrider type boats out there in your price range and I can't imagine they will be that much more in the Spring.
Good luck in your search.

 

[Lowlysubaruguy]

You’ve got the hard part figured out, which is setting your money goals high enough to get a good boat. Make sure your financing is right or as far along as you can get it with out having the boat sale in motion. I bought a six month old boat in 97 was exactly what I wanted. Took my bank over a week to get the deal wrapped up. Wished my loan would have processed quicker. The seller was a **** head through the whole thing I left a sizable down payment but he was still hard to work with. I found the ad the morning it hit the paper he had other buyers and I get that, some probably had cash he sold it for $7000 less than he paid. Fact is I think it’s worth almost much as I paid for it right now. Best boat I have ever owned. Shop until you find what you want. Try the boat shows and be willing to travel a given distance. Search Craigslist as far away as you would travel and ebay.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I have found really good deals in the fall when people need to winterize and store. I do my own winterization as Im OCD when it comes to spinning wrenches and the details and most dealers only make money if they bang them in/out of the shop doing the bare minimum.

I found my SeaRay 6 hours away for 25% less than they were locally in the mid west. that day of driving saved me $5k

I picked up my last boat in Spring when it came out of storage, however discussed buying it with the owner about a month after he put it away the prior fall.

 

[Cortes100]

Also I see in your signature you have pretty much the exact boat I plan on buying, any major gripes with it or anything to be scared off by?

The new boat has been great. Tach was replaced cause of a minor blemish on the glass cover.. Brought it in after the summer so they could do a once over and make sure everything was working properly. Dealer free check up.
Has a nice lay out, lots of room for this size boat.. Gelcoat and upholstery all holding up well. I went with the GTS cause it had some extra features right from the factory. Also glad I went with the 4.5L, has lots of power, runs very quiet, and actually sips the fuel. The only thing that I had to do was figure out the prop. Dealer gave me what ever I wanted till I had it dialed in. Bought it last year so after 2 summers, still puts a big grin on my face.

 

[jkust]

Season here is pretty well done and gone, I don't think any place would let you take a water test here until spring so might have missed this season. Do have some good data on prices from my research though so maybe a good deal in the spring to be had early on.

Winterization normally seems expensive here, I got quoted $550 CAD for it on a 3.0L Merc and that was basic package as they had.

The problem with pricing is that it can be hyper regional and that the blue book type of pricing can be divorced from reality.
I'm in MN where there are over 11,000 lakes, and everyone has some kind of a boat it seems so demand is extremely high. What I tend to do is use the one source that everyone uses here in MN which is Craigslist to get a sense of the local pricing. You start to get the lay of the land pretty quickly. The boats on the paid sites seem to be off base price wise.
What becomes interesting is when you are hit in the face with the reality of regional pricing and that in southern states, boats are substantially less expensive for the same exact used model, which is in line to some extent with the overall cost of living as well. MN has the second highest cost of living in the country according to The Economist Magazine in 2018 if you include rental homes but exclude the cost of purchasing housing. This tends to show up in a lot of areas and is exasperated with boats due to the lake situation here. So...hard to really advise too much in different regions than my own.