I'm sure you guys get this same question time and time again. I'm another new guy looking to buy his first boat. I've looked at the questions asked of others in my situation, so I'll try to answer as many as I can here. I've been looking at boats like the Bayliner 185, that's the style I'm looking for (I think!).
- Budget: Anywhere from 3k to 7k. I have $3k cash to spend, and I'll finance the rest if there's a huge difference between a $3-4k boat and a $6-7k boat. In my experience it's always cheaper and less of a headache to buy the cleanest vehicle you can initially, rather than buying cheap and dealing with repairs. I'd say $8k is my absolute max. No matter how clean the boat looks, I will definitely be paying for a professional survey. In a lot of ways I'd rather have a cheaper boat that I'm not going to cry over too much when my brother puts a fish hook through the side of the seat. On the flip side of that, I don't want to captain the turd of the lake.
- Location: I live in Portland, OR. The boat will be used on freshwater rivers and lakes.
- Purpose/Useage: Most of the time we'll be cruising around or pulling a tube, but I'd like to use it for fishing and skiing as well. I'd imagine I'd usually have 4-5 people on board, though I'd like to buy the largest boat I can afford (thinking 18'-21').
- Tow Vehicle: I have a 1996 Land Cruiser and access to an array of full size V8 vehicles, no problem there. It will be trailered.
- Features: I know I want an open bow, that's a must for me. I need a stereo, or at least provisions to install one. I'd really prefer an outboard for multiple reasons, cost of maintenance being #1, but it seems there just aren't many newer boats (late 90's+) with them. Other than those three things, I don't know what else I'd need.
- Mechanical Knowledge: My father is a mechanic and I'm pretty handy, but for the most part we'd probably be paying others to do any sort of work that needs to be done.
Thanks in advance!
- Budget: Anywhere from 3k to 7k. I have $3k cash to spend, and I'll finance the rest if there's a huge difference between a $3-4k boat and a $6-7k boat. In my experience it's always cheaper and less of a headache to buy the cleanest vehicle you can initially, rather than buying cheap and dealing with repairs. I'd say $8k is my absolute max. No matter how clean the boat looks, I will definitely be paying for a professional survey. In a lot of ways I'd rather have a cheaper boat that I'm not going to cry over too much when my brother puts a fish hook through the side of the seat. On the flip side of that, I don't want to captain the turd of the lake.
- Location: I live in Portland, OR. The boat will be used on freshwater rivers and lakes.
- Purpose/Useage: Most of the time we'll be cruising around or pulling a tube, but I'd like to use it for fishing and skiing as well. I'd imagine I'd usually have 4-5 people on board, though I'd like to buy the largest boat I can afford (thinking 18'-21').
- Tow Vehicle: I have a 1996 Land Cruiser and access to an array of full size V8 vehicles, no problem there. It will be trailered.
- Features: I know I want an open bow, that's a must for me. I need a stereo, or at least provisions to install one. I'd really prefer an outboard for multiple reasons, cost of maintenance being #1, but it seems there just aren't many newer boats (late 90's+) with them. Other than those three things, I don't know what else I'd need.
- Mechanical Knowledge: My father is a mechanic and I'm pretty handy, but for the most part we'd probably be paying others to do any sort of work that needs to be done.
Thanks in advance!
Last edited:
