First Boat Purchase Advice

[cons_dad]

I am in the market for a boat. This will be the first boat I have personally purchased. I?m hoping to find a decent ski/fish package. I have boys who love to fish and can?t go fast enough tubing. I have found a lot of great advice reading posts around here. My question, are there any red flags or absolute things to look for (or avoid) in a used boat? I?ve had many people not having muffs, so they can?t start the engine, but also not wanting to allow me to take the boat for a spin. This I have taken as a red flag. Correct me if I am mistaken. Also please let me know if there are certain things to be cautious of or easily hid from a novice. I can guarantee you I will appreciate the advice.

 

[Lyle29464]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

you really need to take a person with you on a test ride that knows boats. If that is not an option. take the boat to a dealer to have it checked out. Maybe even a good mobile mechanic. I dont think you can do this alone.

 

[mr 88]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

As far as the muffs go if you are buying a boat you may want to invest the 5.00 they cost for your own use at some time. As far as the sea trial goes it sounds like you are maybe 40-50 years old and there is no reason for somone trying to sell a boat not to take you for a ride.You are not a young kid kicking tires. If you like the boat then offer him 75-100 for the ride with the understanding that if you buy it that it comes off the price that you agree on AFTER the sea trial.Things that you should check are posted all over here, from transom and soft floors to purely neglected units.Pull up to the house and crap is all over the place and there is a ton of junk in the boat you may want to run from it.Next house it is sitting in a well maintained garage with everything in order and tarp on it with no ripped up seats and the guy looks like he cared for it, may be the real thing.There are always variables but sometimes there are tell tale signs one way or another before you even see the boat.
With what you are describing that you are looking for I would be looking in the 19-21' range as you will have couple kids , there friends and the" first mate" in tow.Coolers/tubes/fishing gear along with all saftey gear etc. Anything smaller and you will be looking for a bigger boat before the summer is half over with.

 

[swartzjay]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

If i were you i would go out and get a compression tester, its about 40 bucks. Its basically a meter that you plug in the cylinders and turn over,not start, the engine. do your homework and look up online the specs for that particular motor. This tool will be one of your best friends when searching for a new boat (engine wise). For the hull make sure the hull has no punctures. you can even go as far as checking serial numbers to the title like i did. These inexpensive tools and procedures will save you a lot of hassle and avoid getting ripped off.

 

[jmarty10]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

If you like the boat tell the seller you are serious but the deal is contingent upon a professinal marine survey. Just becasue the boat fires up and runs on muffs doesnt mean the floors or transom are not rotted. If they turn their nose up about the survey walk, especially if youve come to terms on price. If the private sellers in your area are looking for the quick sell, go to the marinas or dealers in your area and look there.

 

[mommicked]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

Similar excuses for anything w a motor are RED FLAGS,even push lawnmowers

 

[444]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

If you're spending any amount of money on the boat, do the following:

Compression test - all cylinders should ideally be within 10% of each other and be well over 100psi, I like to see 120 or more.

Run the engine on the muffs - spend 5 bucks and buy yourself a set, you'll need them later on down the road anyway. At least running on the muffs you can find out how easy the motor starts cold and warm restarts. Be aware, this tells you nothing about how the engine performs under load in the water. It can run fine on muffs but bog and die on the water, have a spun prop hub, etc.

After working out a price, tell the seller you must do a water test first. Offer to cover the price of fuel or whatever and they can drive the boat. You want someone else to drive so you can shove your head into the bilge to check for leaks while on plane and off plane. No other way to check for leaks than when the boat's in the water.

Of course there's the usual stuff to check for like engine leaks, should start up nicely, especially for an owner who knows how that engine likes to be started. Check for any soft spots in the floors, cracks in the fiberglass, hackey looking wiring, inoperative gauges(a dead tach can indicate engine electrical issues like a shot rectifier or stator, been there, done that one). Look for dings/dents on the prop fins, if the prop's hit something hard it can spin the hub causing your engine to freewheel instead of thrusting the boat forward.

Look for a bass boat, they have a lot of deck room for you and your boys and usually have a good sized outboard so you will have no problem towing. If you can swing the cash, a used aluminum hull'd bass boat can be a very nice ride.

 

[Joshua Nichols]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

Man.. I wouldn't buy a boat that I didn't get to see run or take it on a test run..
If I was trying to sell my boat.. If taking you to the lake would make the deal.. We would go for a ride.. All that other crap is just shady..

Take someone with ya you knows about boats.. Stomp on every inch of the floor.. Been stored outside under a tree with no cover? Big NO NO.. Rot is just too much work
Dang thing better start.. Every boat owner has muffs bro(shady). Use your head.. Look around.. If ya see something weird.. Ask what it is(didn't know that was the drain for the cooler).. If you have a large amount in your budget.. Get a survey done.. That way ya don't get burned..
All my boat purchases have been low budget and had to use my wits.. I have came out every time..

Good luck

BTW check the trailer out too.. If ya can't get it to the water.. How ya going to go boating?

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

Every boat I have sold, I took the buyer for a test drive. That said, I've never bought a boat where the PO was willing to do the same. I think you can learn alot by asking lots of questions, and being smart about looking at it. The difficult part is when you let emotion take over and overlook things. Give it a thorough inspection including compression and running it on muffs, then make the call. If you can't even run it on muffs, then I'd run. The season is early, there will be lots of deals out there. Good luck with it.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

Feel free to post up any boat you're considering here. We'll be happy to let you know what we think. You're biggest concerns are obsolete powerplants and rotted wood (decks, stringers, transoms).

 

[Texas Parrothead]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

You are 100% right on viewing a seller refusing a water trial as a red flag!

I can't say enough about the value in getting a marine survey of the boat. They will check condition of most everything and be able to tell you what issues you are looking at with the boat in question.

Of course if someone refuses you to have the boat inspected....another big red flag.

Good luck and welcome to the forums. This is the right place to get great answers!!!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

If you were in a part of the country similar to mine, I could pinpoint the boat, but there are things different about Michigan boating--primarily the maintenance issues pertaining to freezing and a short use season. Others can tell you those red flags.

Also we don't know if you are looking at a Great Lake (which is like our offshore and Bay use) or small lakes/rivers--a bass boat would be out of the question for the former, good for fishing but not family use for the latter. I'd avoid a boat that is a specialty boat (such as a bass boat or sofa boat) because it limits what you can do. For your next boat, when you find you want to do more of this and never do that, you can specialize.

Start by taking the wife around looking at boat designs--even look at new ones; go to the marinas and ramps, and picture your family in one, and you operating it. Look at the new boat's web sites and catalogues.
Start small--16-19', so it's cheaper, easier to maintain, dock and especially trailer, and store. Don't buy it so large that you can haul around your freeloading friends and relations; buy the first one for you.
Since it's a starter, don't buy new. Get an outboard. Since you are new to boating, don't get a project or beat-up boat or one that will need repair; be prepared to pay for reliability. All boats break down but if yours does it "early and often" you will lose the most important thing: family support.
Be sure you and your wife understand that there will be costs as soon as you buy it--save 20% of the budget for this. A boat is no more like a car than a horse is like a motorcycle. research your cost to title, tax, insure and store--and don't forget the trailer's costs.

Go for low maintenance--something you can just hose off and put away (during the season) without extensive cleaning and covering. This means no carpet. ever. Avoid fancy interiors and lots of padding. Your non-boating family will not tolerate spending a lot of time cleaning, polishing, waxing, covering, uncovering, and life without juice, worms, red wine and cheeto's. The point of the first family boat is fun and ease of use. A Jimmy, not a Corvette. If you want a boat you have to get all anal about, wait until the children have left you.

Like buying your first house, if you go into it educated, you will do OK. You are definitely on the right track by asking here.

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

Welcome to the forums!

Since you went to the trouble of stating that this is the first boat that you have purchased, I will assume that you are a somewhat experienced boater. In that case, I'll hold off on my usual rant about getting a less-expensive boat that you can damage as you learn the art of boat ownership, use, and management. So on to your question:

All of the advice above is great. Let your senses be your guide. If the boat and motor do not look well kept on the outside, then they probably weren't on the inside. However, it's important to remember that a clean boat/motor doesn't necessarily mean that they were well maintained. It could just be a good cleaning job....or that exterior maintenance was important but not internal maintenance.

Never get pressured into a deal. There is always that exact same boat sitting for sale somewhere else, and it might be cheaper! Someone else beat me to the point, but take your own muffs. It's a one-minute demonstration that the motor is worth looking into further. An on-water test is a must in my book. I've bought motors off the stand before, but they were always smaller and so were the boats. To me, if I'm spending more than $1k or $2k I'd better get to use it first. Ever buy a used car without a test drive?

Ask maintenance questions. I usually expect three types of responses when I ask boat and motor maintenance questions. Either the seller will: 1) admit to not knowing much but state that he/she paid the dealer to do everything; or 2) sound somewhat knowledgeable but also somewhat ignorant at the same time; or 3) sound very knowledgeable and will probably have done most of the maintenance themselves. If it's #1, I will quiz them about what time of year they took the motor in for maintenance and the average cost. Quick answers are expected. If the seller is a #2 type, I walk away. I don't want a boat owned by a semi-knowledgeable self mechanic. If the seller is a #3 type, then I usually feel a lot more comfortable. You can usually tell as most things will be well-maintained, the seller is knowledgeable about every nook and cranny, and can probably tell you the how long it takes him to change the oil and gear lube.

Also, paperwork is a must for boats of the type you are likely to purchase. If the guy doesn't have a clean and clear title, walk away. I once test rode a boat that I really liked. The guy had boat it that year but then decided that he wanted more of a pure bass boat. We agreed on a price but he was still waiting for the title from the state. It didn't take very long for me to move on. I missed the first red flag about the guy "flipping" the boat. Luckily his title entanglement gave me the time and clarity to realize that this wasn't a good situation. I ended up with an even better boat.

Good luck and ask lots of questions here.

 

[444]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

You are 100% right on viewing a seller refusing a water trial as a red flag!

Assuming the boat for sale is close enough to the water anyway. My house is about 1.25hrs away from the water. While as a seller I wouldn't refuse a water test, I would expect the buyer to pay all fuel costs for the trip and I would guarantee the boat to not have issues once we hit the water. However I could see other sellers refusing a water test because of the distance involved.

 

[TyeeMan]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

One thing I don't think I've seen here. What is your tow vehicle? You might find the perfect boat with the shining light from heaven showing over it, right price the whole deal is perfect. BUT, if the tow vehicle is too small you will have nothing but a miserable time at the landing and a potentially dangerous ride down the road. So once you convinced mama to buy a boat, now your gonna have to convince mama that you need that truck that you always wanted.......I mean that you need to pull the boat.
If you have a smaller vehicle look in your owners manual to see what towing capacity is. If you already have a truck or full sized SUV your likely in good shape unless your going to by a small yacht.

Good luck!

 

[444]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

That's a good point TyeeMan. Total weight is one of the first things I consider when I've gone boat shopping. You have to know your towing limitations and get an idea of boat/trailer weight before getting too excited. I stick to the realitively lighter weight stuff for just that reason. Many boats are deceptively fat, especially some i/o bowriders, but you need to do your research no matter what kind you're looking at.

 

[cons_dad]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the input. I learned a few things, added a few things to my list to double check, and confirmed my thoughts on a few others. I GREATLY apprciate it.

Thanks Agan EVERYONE!