HELP 1st boat

[Dvs206]

Me and my wife are buying our first boat and have narrowed it down to two: a 2008 tahoe Q6 SF and a 2003 Ebbtide Campione 210 series. The Tahoe comes with 2 wakeboards, some life vests, boueys etc. But does have some minor cosmetic issues (seam in one seat has come undone for about 2 inches of the seam, the plastic around the gauges has a minor crack in it which doesnt affect anything but looks, does not have trolling motor anymore, and slight stain or fade on rear bench seat, all other seats are fine). Tahoe has an estimated 250 hours on it (no hour meter) and is $15,000
The Ebbtide is pretty much flawless and has 43 hours on it but doesn't come with anything and is $17,000
The Tahoe has a 4.3L V6 with 225 hp and the Ebbtide has a 5.0L V8 with 220hp.
We will be using this boat to wake board and tube with friends (usually with 6 or 7 onboard)

My questions are:
1)With the Ebbtide being a 2003 and only having 43 hours on it, is it a bad thing like not getting used? He did have it serviced yearly but didn't use it often.
2)Why does the V8 have less power than the V6?
3)And does anyone have any input on which boat to go with, were torn between the 2?

Thanks in advance for any help on this.

 

[airdvr1227]

When they were new the Ebbtide was a higher quality boat than the Tahoe. Now what matters is condition. 43 hours is very low for a 2003. Whichever rig you choose you should have it surveyed and water tested before finalizing the purchase. I think you're going to want the torque of the V8 vs. V6. With either boat 6 or 7 will be tight quarters.

Does the Tahoe have a trolling motor? Are you wanting a trolling motor? Are both at a dealer? Can you haggle with the dealer fornsafety equipment to be thrown in with the deal?

 

[wrvond]

I don't know anything about the Ebbtide, but I do own a 2002 Tahoe and I can tell you a bit about it. I have found the gel coat to be pretty thin and subject to stress cracks, take a look around the base of the windshield as well as near the outdrive.. The bilge drain plug is plastic, with a plastic socket attached to the transom. The hole through the transom is unsealed bare wood. This presents a really good place for wood rot to get started. I would definitely investigate that area thoroughly before buying. The vinyl upholstery is rather thin and the thread doesn't appear to be of the highest quality marine grade thread. The vinyl cuts and tears easily and the thread rots out relatively quickly, IMO.
The Tahoe is a pretty fast boat overall. This is because it was built to be pretty light. A six cylinder is going to weigh less than a V8 so will require less power to move itself through the water. What the ideal power to weight ratio is, I have no idea, but all things being equal, a six is going to be a bit easier to work on (more room around it) and cost slightly less to maintain. I wouldn't put too much stock in the horsepower ratings. How they get measured and what can be claimed seems to change almost from year to year. Much better to water test each boat and see which handles better, accelerates quicker and goes faster for you.

 

[jkust]

Tahoe is about the lowest quality bowrider there is in the entry level bow rider world. I'm not surprised it has upholstery issues as it will have thinner and cheaper quality everything....the thing is though that you get a lot for the money and that Tahoe is a fishing heritage boat. If you plan to fish alot, a bow rider that isn't at least a ski and fish is about the least accommodating boat to fish from.
Used boats tend to be about condition first and formost. There is no way to verify the hours on that Tahoe as it is an old fashioned cared engine e versus that 4.3 liter which has mpi and can be plugged into a scanner and cerified. I wouldn't be in a position to believe the hours on the tahoe. 43 hours on the other boat could be the ultimate trailer queen assuming everything still works as the worst thing is for a boat. To sit unused.
Bluntly, I wouldn't take a dealership full of free tahoes if I wasn't allowed to sell them to buy something else.
Post up some pics of the campione.

 

[Dvs206]

airdvr1227 the tahoe had a trolling motor originally but the previous owner did not fish that often and decided he did not want it on the boat so got rid of it. And both boats are from private sellers ( one is my mother in laws friend)

jkust the tahoe is mpi 4.3 and can be hooked up to verify hours . And just wondering about the 2003 but only 43 hours. How bad is it? He has records of the dealer servicing it annually even if it didn't get run much but I'm still wondering if it's a nicer boat with that low of hours on that year should I expect problems? The owner is a retiree about 80 years old and bought the boat to go out with kids/grandkids but didn't take it out as much as he expected to

I will try to post some pictures of both. Right now it's saying I am not authorized to create attachments

 

[blando]

Im no expert but what i learned buying my first boat is to weigh the boat, and check for soft spots and or signs of wood rot. If its weighing over the weight ( be sure to account for gear and fluids) claimed by manufacturer, the boat foam may be saturated and have issues, including stringer rot due to chronically saturated hull. This may not even be an issue with these boats you mention especially if the stringers are composite. As others have said get it surveyed. How/where boat was stored, including geographic area( places that freeze in winter especially) is a factor. Research alot to get real opinions from actual boat owners. Plus a hundred other things . Good luck.

 

[lineman09]

i think I would look around some more ... once you give them your money its over , I would stay away from a used Tahoe....not that they are bad boats, but they are a entry level boat and usually a learner boat so u get the previous owners mistakes on it .. take your time and get something you love .. its out there , I would be more inclined to get the older boat you mentioned if its in good shape .. good quality can with stand the test of time if cared for ... you don't want your first boat to be a money pit ..

 

[jkust]

airdvr1227 the tahoe had a trolling motor originally but the previous owner did not fish that often and decided he did not want it on the boat so got rid of it. And both boats are from private sellers ( one is my mother in laws friend)

jkust the tahoe is mpi 4.3 and can be hooked up to verify hours . And just wondering about the 2003 but only 43 hours. How bad is it? He has records of the dealer servicing it annually even if it didn't get run much but I'm still wondering if it's a nicer boat with that low of hours on that year should I expect problems? The owner is a retiree about 80 years old and bought the boat to go out with kids/grandkids but didn't take it out as much as he expected to

I will try to post some pictures of both. Right now it's saying I am not authorized to create attachments

MPI is preferred over what I view as 1800's technology with a carbed engine. I can't believe carbs lasted as long as they did in boat engines regardless of their venerability. Low hours happen, it's not uncommon to see headscratchingly low hours in colder climate states as in my state of MN. 43 is definitly on the low end of low. I prefer low hours because the interior won't be worn and should still look like a new boat assuming it was stored correctly. I/O's don't like to be stored without being used as there are parts such as the bellows which can get old and cracked and ultimately sink a boat in the worst case scenario. I'd rather have a perfect condition boat that needs a bit of preventative replacement maintenance done to it than an average hours boat that has average condition upholstery and dock rash. You drop the boat off at the marina, they replace a few things and spend a couple grand...big deal.