New vs Used

needaboat

New member
New vs Used - that is the question....

kicking around buying first boat and want to make the best investment. Go new with warranties or used? Does the cost of new outweigh the uncertainty of used? If you trade yearly or bi-yearly with a bigger down payment to keep payments smaller what can you expect to loose per year? What about buying a year old boat with warranty for 4-5 years (new cost $70k but can get for around $55K) and trading that one every year? would you finance or just pay for in full but trade often? Not sure the best plan so reaching out to some of your ideas and past dealings with boats. Thanks in advance.

Regards,
1st time boat buyer
 

FishingwithRusty

Active member
my opinion is to by used! you can find the hull and motor combo you want for much less. with the 20-40K you save putting a new powerhead on a motor isnt so painful if it comes to that. fishing is a business to me so starting each month in the red with $5-700 boat payment just doesnt work for me.

buy the boat you want or you wont be happy
 

lafae7

Member
I just got my second bullet bass boat and I bought it used because I know what to look for especially after buying several other boats used. My advice after having already gone through the pains is to buy a boat and motor combo with a warranty. If you can afford it buy new or atleast buy the motor new which is what I did. If you can't afford it then buy both used. However, it's pretty simple once you understand that everyone selling a used boat is out to screw you. NOBODY is selling a GOOD used boat. Most of the time there is something wrong with it or somthing is about to fail. Good luck either way. There are some exceptions to everything though. Just have the money ready if you want to buy used because when the oddity of a GOOD used boat coming up for sale they usually sell in less than 24 hours. I saw 3 boats sell with in 16 hours of going on sell this year that were absolute keepers. Luckily I had the money ready and jumped on one immedialty when it came up.
 

Aries 181

New member
Let someone else eat all that depreciation on a new rig, buy used. Also, look at private sales if you can first.

Bill
 

derek81

Active member
My first 3 boats were used but I finally bit the bullet and bought a new one 3 years ago when I got my Skeeter. There are deals to be had, especially during off season and when a dealer has had a boat on the floor too long. Do not be in a hurry and shop around, I saved a considerable amount of money on mine when I bought it and also timed it right when Yamaha had a promotion for free extended warranty. The peace and mind of having a full warranty is nice, on the flip side you may wait a long time to find that deal, especially the way people are spending money right now.
 

Triton4Bass

New member
Buy used, there's plenty of time to buy a new one after you get settled in as a boater. I had a nice triton when I was 22 but never got to use it b/c I couldn't afford the payments and what it cost to fish at the same time. I make twice what I did then, which was ten years ago and love my 86' Ranger that fishes just as well as a new boat. Plus I can afford to fish all I want. A pretty and expensive rig doesn't fill the live wells up. Good luck!
 

Ranger020

New member
i bought my first 3 boats used and had pretty good luck with them but finally bit the bullet and bought my first new about this time last year its ranger z 518c it was left over from 2015 and i got a pretty good deal on it considering what the prices on the 2016's were
 

silvertalon

Active member
I think there is a website called 'bassboats dot net or com. A lot of dealers use it to post high quality rigs and if you watch these boats for awhile, you can see which ones to make offers on. There are also a lot of them for sale by owner. You can shop by price range, brand, length etc, etc,. Also, if you buy from a dealer, you can get prospective deals on extended warranty's or even an aftermarket warranty company. Boats that are only 2-3 years old should have some sort of transferable warranty on the motor only. Watch out for Tritons from 2014 thru 2016 as there were cracked hull issues. Me on the other hand, have a 12 yr old Triton that I bought when it was 10 yrs old for 14,500. Its bought and paid for and I love not having any payments. Cheap insurance! Even if I need serious repairs, I'm in better shape than being stuck with a big payment etc. (I'm a cert mechanic anyway). Study Craigslist. Thats where I bought mine. Good luck!
 

Mikie9

New member
55k-70k financed budget? I would go for used. A couple of years old at worst. New is nice, but used is 15K less in price(not to mention the finance charges) when a 55K boat is basically the same. I don't know man, it's your money. Like said above, why pay for the initial loss in value when you drive it off the lot?

If I had that budget, I would buy a rental property and get a slightly used boat for around 20K, but I'm weird like that :)
 

Mr. S

New member
I tell you what. I have a Stratos 201, and I've been thinking about down sizing just a bit and getting a aluminum boat. BPS has a nice 185 TX pro with a 115 Merc on the back for $21 k payment around $140. I would want some upgrades that would probably push it out to around $25 k but still say $160.00 per month and a new boat, and better fuel economy. I'm fighting it off because my boat don't eat a thing in the driveway, thirsty on the water now. But it's tempting.... I will have to have a new one before I retire in 15 years, good Lord willing and I will keep on emoAngler
 

Mikie9

New member
Mr. S I just got a Tracker 190 from Bass Pro a couple of weeks ago(I think that's what you meant by 185) with the 115. It is proving to be a nice boat. We went from Harrison Bay up past Hiwassee by a bit and then back on my break in run. Half a tank of gas :) Putted around all day the next day and I was down to a third of a tank.

It rides good for an aluminum boat. With two people and fishing gear we got up to 48MPH, could have done a little better with less chop, but respectable.

I got mine with a couple of options and the payment is 162 but I put a third of the total as down payment, 12 yr loan. Add insurance because it is a loan. If I make the payments over the 12 yrs I end up paying around 8k on top for the loan at 6% interest.

Having a new boat is nice though. 4-stroke engine, brand new everything, warranty... I have no regrets.

Just some info, That stratos of yours is nice :)
 

benchwarmer

New member
If you can't get the high payment out of your head and it effects your fishing...buy used instead. Any boat new or used can have problems and be a headache but at the end of the day the stress of paying for the gas, oil, repairs and a monthly payment have put many of fishermen back in the armchair with a remote.
 

BigFishMagnet

New member
What about fiberglass vs aluminum is a 17ft alum boat gonna beat you to death. it also seems like duck hunters have drive up the price of aluminum boats seems like bang for buck espically used is to go with fiberglass
 

rippinlips2win

New member
this topic is a hard one....I love my z21 but it is an 07...I put a 2016 XS on it last January and do not see a reason to trade, but if I did I would go used all the way...and I am a touring fisherman...
 

ChooChooSnakeMan

Active member
I have purchased 4 boats all used and all ended up being great boats. The first one was a 1985 Dynatrak 178 Fish & Ski with the old Merc 115 straight 6. I purchased the boat in 1990 and kept it until 2004 and had zero problems out of it. In 2004 I traveled to Texas to pick up a 2000 model Viper Coral 201 Fish & Ski with a 225 Merc EFI. Again a great boat that I kept until 2016 with zero problems. In 2013 I wanted a small aluminum bass boat that I could keep ready and would fit in my garage. I found a 2011 Lowe Stinger 17HP with a Merc 90 Opti that had only 30 hours on it and engine warranty until 2016. I still have that boat and it is a great boat with no problems. After selling the Coral I got the bug for a 21' dual console bass boat with a 250 on it. I looked new and just couldn't believe the prices. $65 to $75K is insane in my opinion. I searched and searched and finally found a 21' Skeeter FX21 with a Yamaha 250 SHO on it with low hours. It was in great shape, had been taken care of and I could get two years of warranty on the engine. I tracked down the original owner who traded it for a new boat. He confirmed it was a good boat and even confirmed what the dealer gave him as trade in which confirmed the dealer was playing it straight with me. I saved a lot of $$$$. True it is a used boat but I figure if I purchased new it would be used the second I drove it off the lot. All my experiences with used boats have been great thus far (knock on wood). Common things are: except for the first boat which I purchased from someone I knew all the others were purchased from reputable dealers who had checked the boats out. If you buy late enough model you can get factory warranty on the outboard and that is where the biggest worry and risk is. You have to do your homework and take you time. Get in a hurry and you'll pull the trigger on a bad deal. I also purchased all the boats in the off season, December through February. Dealers sometimes get trades at the end of the summer or in the fall on leftover new boats and come winter time they need to turn some $$$ and make room for new inventory so they will cut you a deal. Push for them to include factory warranty on the outboard. They buy it a lot cheaper than we do. Good luck with whatever you decide. My biggest advice is take your time and don't make a decision based on emotion and ask a lot of questions. A lot of people won't lie to you but they won't volunteer the truth either unless you directly ask. I had decided on a nice Ranger z521 that I found in KY at a dealer. Something just didn't seem right about it and finally after a lot of very specific questions the dealer admitted that the boat had been traded in by the original owner because he lost confidence in it. Engine trouble (the dealer wouldn't offer extended warranty so that was a big red flag) and get this --- the Ranger factory had drilled a hole in the hull and it leaked when new. Anyway ask a lot of questions and get a lot of pictures before traveling to see a boat. Mint condition means different things to different people. This is in no way meant to insult anyone who buys new. If you got the budget and it is what you want then go for it, those brand new rigs sure are impressive.
 

FishingwithRusty

Active member
some great advice, given that we're coming into prime fishing time im sure youre itching to pull the trigger but as ChooChoo said, wait til the off season. one other thing i would mention, look for a boat from up north where the lakes freeze, those guys dont get to use the boats as much(low hours) and they almost always keep them in garages.
 

ChooChooSnakeMan

Active member
FishingwithRusty - 3/16/2017 9:17 PM

some great advice, given that we're coming into prime fishing time im sure youre itching to pull the trigger but as ChooChoo said, wait til the off season. one other thing i would mention, look for a boat from up north where the lakes freeze, those guys dont get to use the boats as much(low hours) and they almost always keep them in garages.
Some more great advice that I forgot to mention. My Skeeter that I just purchased came from Vermont emoLaugh. The guy small mouth fished out of it but their season is short and he for sure kept it inside when not used thus the low hours. The trailer even looks hardly used. Once I talked to the previous owner it was easy to tell that he is like me - middle age and very picky and particular about his stuff. He said the Skeeter was his baby and the only reason he traded it was he was nearing retirement and had saved for a new boat to celebrate. Buy from a dealer that cares about their reputation. I did and there was a little problem with the batteries being older than I was told. With the dealer I purchased from it was really no big deal. Once I pointed it out after I had the boat here they took my word for it and refunded $500.00 emoParty . If I ever look for another boat you can be sure this dealer will be the first I check with. emoThumbsup . I'll give them a plug, go to Weidas Marine and look at their inventory. They have more nice used bass boats than anyone else I found and they are upfront good people. emoWorthy
 

CRUSH3R

New member
I was also torn between new and used. I had my mind set on new until I saw a great deal on a really nice used boat. I pulled the trigger on the used boat and got the motor warranty transferred over and extended just in case. No regrets.
 

Dgreen

Member
I've got an older ranger and its a great boat. I get frustrated when I can't catch'em. emoBadLanguage If I was paying for a new boat I'd probably be so frustrated I couldn't fish. emoHoppingmad
 
Top