Help with 1st boat. what do I look for.

[BigA972]

I would like to get a boat, I have been riding jet skis for a few years and really would like to trade up and get a boat.

Looking at a runabout style. I really like the layout in the yamaha jet boats.

There would be a little wake boarding and tubing. Along with just riding around with family and friends

I am thinking new little worried about buying used not knowing how it was carded for.

Price wise I was thinking around 35k or so but less is nice.

Please help and any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Help with 1st boat. what do I look for.

If you have not already done so, a boater safetly class (Power Squadron or USCG Aux.) would be good to take.

There are a lot of options in the $35K and less range. Yamaha is a popular brand currently. If you can take in any boat shows over the next few months, that would be good.

Other wise go here http://www.nadaguides.com/Boats/Power-Boats

this is a list of popular brands that you can use to narrow things down.

 

[tomdinwv]

Re: Help with 1st boat. what do I look for.

Are you dead set on a jet boat or are you open to other options?

 

[BigA972]

Re: Help with 1st boat. what do I look for.

Not at all, thats why I come looking for help.

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Help with 1st boat. what do I look for.

Big...as you can see in my sig, I have had both a deckboat and a runabout and I currently have a deckboat again. With your budget you'll have lots of NICE deckboats on your radar....and I highly recommend that Mariah be on your screen

 

[BigA972]

Re: Help with 1st boat. what do I look for.

Ok I will bite why a deck boat?

 

[southkogs]

Re: Help with 1st boat. what do I look for.

Where are you, and what kind of water are you going to be on (river, lakes, ocean, etc.)?

 

[tomdinwv]

Re: Help with 1st boat. what do I look for.

Deck boats are nice. They give you lots of room to carry passengers (like a pontoon) with performance like a v-hull. I'm no expert, put from all I've read, most jet boats are less effecient than a boat with a prop. It all depends on what kind of water your running on. Jet boats seem to be prefered when running in shallow waters. Less chance of banging your prop on a rock. A 35k budget gives you all kinds of options in runabouts. You said in your original post you mostly want to do a little bit of water sports and a lot of cruising. My advice would be to look around your area and check out boats for sale. Look at the different types of boats and try to imagine which one will best fit your needs. Maybe even rent a boat for a day from a marina and get a feel for how it handles your needs. Good luck!

 

[BigA972]

Re: Help with 1st boat. what do I look for.

Where are you, and what kind of water are you going to be on (river, lakes, ocean, etc.)?

I am in texas most of what I will be on will be lakes, there is one that I go to that can be swallow at times.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Help with 1st boat. what do I look for.

First thing is do you have a tow vehicle? Are you going to be towing very far to the lake? Do you have storage room at home?
(Full size pickup trucks and big SUV's are best for towing.)

What are you going to be doing with the boat? Wake boards? Tubing? Water Skiing? Simple cruising?

How many people will you be taking with you? Are there any young children?

How big is the water? Are the waves very large where you'll be going?

Decide what you need, and then go to Boattrader.com and iboats.com and even EbayMotors.Com for what's available in your area. For the $ you're talking about, you could even go a new tritoon/pontoon boat with 150 hp that'd do anything you want.

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: Help with 1st boat. what do I look for.

Lots of options at that price. If it were my money, I'd be looking for something 1 - 2 years old. Just like cars, there is a depreciation hit as soon as you drive it off the lot. I understand not wanting a problem child, but looking a something a couple years old should still be in great shape, and your money goes further.

As for type of boat, I agree - based on your description, I'd look at deck boats. They have features in common with most types of boats, and are kind of a swiss army knife when it comes to multiple uses.

The only other advice I would pose - think about spending less on a "starter" boat. You don't know how you will really use the boat until you get a chance to get out and use it. Chances are very good that your first boat will teach you things to look for in your second boat. Again, back to the depreciation thing. If you buy a boat for 5 - 10K this year, take care of it - you should be able to get most of your money back out of it when you trade up in a year or two. Just a thought.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Help with 1st boat. what do I look for.

The only other advice I would pose - think about spending less on a "starter" boat. You don't know how you will really use the boat until you get a chance to get out and use it. Chances are very good that your first boat will teach you things to look for in your second boat. Again, back to the depreciation thing. If you buy a boat for 5 - 10K this year, take care of it - you should be able to get most of your money back out of it when you trade up in a year or two. Just a thought.

I usually suggest this to first-time buyers without much boat owning experience too. It's good advice. A PWC isn't the same thing as a boat. A $5K 20' runabout isn't the same thing as a $30K 24' runabout. I like the idea of a deck boat for you too - reasonable power for some limited water sports, stable platform and lots of room for family and friends cruising. Your on inland lakes, so you don't need to handle a bunch of swelling water.

HOWEVER, an 18' bow rider is a reasonable starter boat too ... and you can have a nice one under $10K.

 

[BigA972]

Re: Help with 1st boat. what do I look for.

I usually suggest this to first-time buyers without much boat owning experience too. It's good advice. A PWC isn't the same thing as a boat. A $5K 20' runabout isn't the same thing as a $30K 24' runabout. I like the idea of a deck boat for you too - reasonable power for some limited water sports, stable platform and lots of room for family and friends cruising. Your on inland lakes, so you don't need to handle a bunch of swelling water.

HOWEVER, an 18' bow rider is a reasonable starter boat too ... and you can have a nice one under $10K.

I do understand about spending less on a 1st boat. but I made that mistake on my first two skis always in the shop for this or that. I just do not really want to get it to that again with a boat.....I did grow up around boats.