Newbie needing advice on buying my first boat

[dellsboater]

Re: Newbie needing advice on buying my first boat

Have you boated on the lakes you are wanting to be on before? We have a 17 foot, and it will beat you up if the Lake is choppy. We just sold our 16 foot Sea Doo cause no one wanted to be on it if it was busy on the lake as it would not handle the chop very well. I have been told if you want to be comfortable in all water conditions, buy at least a 20 foot boat. We picked up a 21 foot 4 Winns this fall for 4000.00. It needs some cosmetic work I am attendding to this winter, clean, buffing, repair small items...but they are out there. We looked in a 200 mile radius of our home, and saw alot of boats. I would say a 20-23 foot boat with at least a 4.3 V6 you will be very happy.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Newbie needing advice on buying my first boat

OOF uh Initially asking an outboard to pull a 230 lb skier I would think is asking alot, I could be wrong but I think if your serious about a 230 lb skier your going to need a V8 to do it regularaly....

Well, there are many, many people who would argue to the contrary. It seems in the good old days people were satisfied with what they had and made it work. I grew up in the 80s and we had a 1965 16' Starcraft (fiberglass) with an original 80HP Johnson on it. That little boat and motor pulled anyone willing to try. That boat probably had more hours on it while pulling skiers than most used boats on the market today have all together.

In addition to that experience, I can proudly say that my dad slalomed behind my 04 Four Winns last summer. With only a 150HP outboard by your judgment this wouldn't be up to the task. I'll have you know that the boat yanks with some real gusto out of the hole and I have no question I could pull a 230 lbs skier on a slalom out of a deep water start with no issue....in fact I probably did this past summer.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Newbie needing advice on buying my first boat

Clearly there are alot of people that can get a large guy skiing behind an outboard, and as stated I was wrong! Sorry guys my bad! I owe beer!

Don't kill me!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Newbie needing advice on buying my first boat

We had an older searay flybridge with twin 470's. Never had a single problem with them. All saltwater offshore fishing. It was my dads boat for 13 years.

If well maintained they can be good motors. That does not change the fact that they are statisically problematic and probably not an ideal choice for a new boater.

 

[fisherguy123]

Re: Newbie needing advice on buying my first boat

I see a lot of guys saying you need a huge motor for waterskiing but if you watch the video above you will see that even an old 50 Merc can tow a skier. The first skiier looks light but the second is a grown adult man. I just bought a 14` fiberglass runabout and a 50 merc so I hope to try to tow my 13 year old grandson on both skiis and tube this summer. I hope mine does as well as this one and I`ll be most satisfied.
good luck on choosing you boat !!!!

 

[JoLin]

Re: Newbie needing advice on buying my first boat

If well maintained they can be good motors. That does not change the fact that they are statisically problematic and probably not an ideal choice for a new boater.

And that's the crux of the matter. You can find any number of boaters that have never had serious issues with their OMCs, Fords, 470's, Chryslers, Forces, etc.... but can anyone provide a logical reason to recommend old and unsupported equipment to a new boater?

The current, mainstream motors and drives (both IO and OB) all have been in service for a long, long time.. and are supported with parts, expertise and repower options when needed. I'll go so far as to say that even though I'm a BIG V-P fan, it's hard to beat a GM-based Mercruiser Alpha for the sheer number of units that have been sold over the last 25 years or so. They're still being made, and they're (comparatively) cheap and easy to fix or replace.

Breaking into boating with a 20-year-old something generally holds enough surprises without advising the guy to buy an 'oddball' besides.

My .02

 

[Bass Buster One]

Re: Newbie needing advice on buying my first boat

Just remember two things about boating. The first is the boaters' "Golden Rule": Don't buy a boat, until ya see her float! Then, what you have to know: B.O.A.T. = Bust Out Another Thousand. Good luck....and we have all been there.

 

[hostage]

Re: Newbie needing advice on buying my first boat

Welcome to the forums, I to just got into boating myself last year. I am very particular in what I purchase and try to research a lot into it. By coming here you can learn a lot. I started out with a random budget of ~4500 and ended up buying a boat for $7500 and put about $1000 in upgrades/repairs. Before the next season I am going to put another $1000 into the boat to replace the bellows, impeller, etc. Depending on how much time and money you have it can an impact on the boat. While the upgrades/repairs I did were more preference and preventative you can easily spend a lot of money in this.

The newer the boat you get the more features and less issues you will have if you are comparing two equally maintained boats. Many of the newer boats i.e. mine have a fiberglass floor and stringers. It can cost thousands of dollars to replace them or just pay a few thousands dollars and get a newer boat and not really have to worry about those issues.

What is your budget?

 

[I Am Mello]

Re: Newbie needing advice on buying my first boat

The VERY BEST advise I've ever seen:

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=298831