BigOxley Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 I wanna hear some opinions/experience on a good entry level used boat. This is going to be a couple of years away, but I want to start getting ideas. My experience is very limited. I've been on PWC a handful of times, piloted small boats and got to pilot a 38' Sea Ray for 20 minutes or so on open water. Looking for something under 20' inboard or outboard doesn't matter. Reliable. The more versatility, the better. Pull a tube or two. Probably no fishing. This will be a purchase knowing I'm going to sell in couple years to upgrade (once I cut my teeth). Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linn1647545492 Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Price range? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractor Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 I'm in the same boat... Except I'd be looking for a small day sailer to practice/see if its a possible hobby. My family is seriously talking about moving to a coast soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigOxley Posted July 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 10-15k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linn1647545492 Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 10-15k You have a lot of options in that price range. You will need to figure out what type of boat/boating you want to do. You can pull a tuber with a cruiser or go-fast or jet boat or pontoon. Think about how many people you want to have on the boat and if you are going to sleep on it or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pomade Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 I'm in the same boat... YOU'VE PUNNED MY BATTLESHIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pomade Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 You have a lot of options in that price range. You will need to figure out what type of boat/boating you want to do. You can pull a tuber with a cruiser or go-fast or jet boat or pontoon. Think about how many people you want to have on the boat and if you are going to sleep on it or not. What if, for the boat, you wanted to be able to comfortably fit 5 to 6 people and you didn't necessarily want it to sleep on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigOxley Posted July 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 No sleeping, it would be a day tripper. Open bow probably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akula Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 BOAT, Bust Out Another Thousand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigOxley Posted July 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 There are maintenance costs for boats?!?!? /sarcasm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linn1647545492 Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 What if, for the boat, you wanted to be able to comfortably fit 5 to 6 people and you didn't necessarily want it to sleep on it? a go-fast would be my choice. I've had 6 on mine comfortably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linn1647545492 Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 No sleeping, it would be a day tripper. Open bow probably. The only open bows I would ever own would be either a wake board boat or Yamaha/Seadoo jet boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flat tire Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 I just picked up a 07 Tahoe 19.5ft open bow seats 7 with 4.3 V6 37 hours for 17,300. Top speed seems to be low 50's with 4 people so its not real fast but its good on fuel. Seems you can pick up something a bit older for a lot less. I did not want to work on it so I tried to get something newer. Now I wish I would have got something around 25ft that was a bit older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbospec29 Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 What if, for the boat, you wanted to be able to comfortably fit 5 to 6 people and you didn't necessarily want it to sleep on it? Almost anything over 22 feet from Scarab, checkmate, baja, and Formula should fit the bill. Bravo outdrives are better than Alphas, but an alpha is OK on an N/A small block. Try to stay away from 80s boats, that's when they went from wood floors to fiberglass. Wood rots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flat tire Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 The only open bows I would ever own would be either a wake board boat or Yamaha/Seadoo jet boat. I went with open bow just so I could fit more people for the size of the boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linn1647545492 Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 I went with open bow just so I could fit more people for the size of the boat. HA, I hate having more than 4 people on the boat The more people you have on the boat the more things get broken and the slower the boat is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHIEF Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 My parents have a Yamaha LX something. 22ft and I think its close to 300hp. It'll go mid 60's (not gps) and turn like no other while going 40~50 (like uturn sharp). Has the open bow and its a pretty good looking boat. They've had it for 3 years and only replaced the speedo guage. Might want to look at those boats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam1647545489 Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Before you buy a boat, just get this in your head. All boats are piles of junk. No matter what you buy, they all suck. Once you understand that then you can go about finding a boat. If you ever had to take one apart you will understand why I say this in the first place. Most boats outdrive style will have a alpha one drive, which suck ass to begin with, unless your motor makes 330 hp or more. Then you will be in a bravo drive, alittel stronger, still junk. Motors are typically identical to car/truck motor with most bottom ends being forged and a more torque'ier camshaft. If you get something new they are typically are gonna be f/i but most are carbed. If you get one with some hours on it, plan on having to rebuild the motor at some point unless you are very easy on it. Jet drive boats are decent, but if something breaks, then you are stuck getting all the parts from a marina or a dealer. Most typical outdrive boats will have motor parts available at autozone as posted they are alot like car/truck motors. I would not get anything smaller then a 19'. It will be a rough ride if you do. The rest is personal preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam1647545489 Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 My parents have a Yamaha LX something. 22ft and I think its close to 300hp. It'll go mid 60's (not gps) and turn like no other while going 40~50 (like uturn sharp). Has the open bow and its a pretty good looking boat. They've had it for 3 years and only replaced the speedo guage. Might want to look at those boats If this is something you like, i have a 2006 seadoo 20 speedster with 430hp for sale. Low hours and runs great. All stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaTS1200 Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Before you buy a boat, just get this in your head. All boats are piles of junk. No matter what you buy, they all suck. Once you understand that then you can go about finding a boat. The rest is personal preference. That about sums it up. If the OP liked to fish I would recommend a center console. They have tons of open space, easy to clean and there isn't much to break on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigOxley Posted July 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Before you buy a boat, just get this in your head. All boats are piles of junk. No matter what you buy, they all suck. Once you understand that then you can go about finding a boat. If you ever had to take one apart you will understand why I say this in the first place. Most boats outdrive style will have a alpha one drive, which suck ass to begin with, unless your motor makes 330 hp or more. Then you will be in a bravo drive, alittel stronger, still junk. Motors are typically identical to car/truck motor with most bottom ends being forged and a more torque'ier camshaft. If you get something new they are typically are gonna be f/i but most are carbed. If you get one with some hours on it, plan on having to rebuild the motor at some point unless you are very easy on it. Jet drive boats are decent, but if something breaks, then you are stuck getting all the parts from a marina or a dealer. Most typical outdrive boats will have motor parts available at autozone as posted they are alot like car/truck motors. I would not get anything smaller then a 19'. It will be a rough ride if you do. The rest is personal preference. Lol, thanks Sam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRTurbo04 Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 If this is something you like, i have a 2006 seadoo 20 speedster with 430hp for sale. Low hours and runs great. All stock. This boat was full of win. Fast, handled great, looked sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rl Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Boats arent all bad if you do it right. I buy and sell them and havent lost money yet, plus I use them all summer. I have a 25' walk around with twin outboards on Erie this year. I like outboards, but for a cruiser you dont see them to often and they arent great on fuel. I've had less issues and costs with outboards however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigOxley Posted July 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Boats arent all bad if you do it right. I buy and sell them and havent lost money yet, plus I use them all summer. I have a 25' walk around with twin outboards on Erie this year. I like outboards, but for a cruiser you dont see them to often and they arent great on fuel. I've had less issues and costs with outboards however. I read that outboards make for lighter and more fuel efficient boats. No? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rl Posted July 9, 2013 Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 In some cases I'm sure. I had a 25' boat 2 years ago with a I/O and a 4.3 v6 and it did MUCH better on fuel then my current boat and was only 10mph or so slower. A normal weekend for me is 25-30 gallons, but we also run for miles to get on fish normally in rough water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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