Boat Buying;Buy New or Craigslist?

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Feb 28, 2013
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Hey guys, Tristan here. Im currently in the process of hunting down my perfect boat. The boat im looking for needs to be stable and even more important, comfotable for two people. Im trying to decide if i should buy my boat and trailer new from the dealer or search craigslist and find myself a cheap project that ill need to rebuild!? Id love to hear your opinions on the subject. Let me know what you think!!!
 
I think most of us are tinkerers and would say buy used. The waiting game on craigslist is slow and painful, but it can pay off. I say keep hunting.

Check out Govdeals.com too.
 
You can buy a good used boat as well. they aren't all total rebuilds.
All depends on what your looking for. For some there is a real sense of satisfaction from restoring and customizing a boat. Some guys get their kids involved and make it more special.
My personal opinion is let someone else take the beating on the cost of a new boat, but that's just me. If budget was not an issue at all I might feel entirely different....also the type of use you will give ( or the previous user may have given ) a boat will be a factor.
I dont think anyone can answer this question for you. It's up to you. But this board is full of guys who started small and went on to bigger boats. Some of the best projects I have seen are peoples third or fourth builds, each one getting more complex.
Hope that helps in some way.
 
Vermonster said:
I think most of us are tinkerers and would say buy used. The waiting game on craigslist is slow and painful, but it can pay off. I say keep hunting.

Check out Govdeals.com too.

i'll have to check out govdeals.com that sounds interesting.
 
2 weeks ago they had about five 16' and 18' boats on there (govdeals.com). I'm looking to go bigger than my 14' eventually so I'm always looking everyday for the perfect deal :)
 
I found my tin that had been sitting in someone's backyard for twenty years. I kept asking until they gave in. Back yard finds can be great. CL sales are mostly overpriced IMO.

Happy hunting!
 
I got mine brand spanking new and then started the mods.the wife thought I was nuts to butcher a new boat,but she loves it now.its set up just the way we like it and its fishable all day long.plus I know it wont leak,rattle or squeak for years.i also wanted a welded hull,which up here never comes up used.even a 30 year old beater is going for a grand minimum.used outboards are even worse.i don't regret going new boat/motor.
 
spagatti said:
You can buy a good used boat as well. they aren't all total rebuilds.
All depends on what your looking for. For some there is a real sense of satisfaction from restoring and customizing a boat. Some guys get their kids involved and make it more special.
My personal opinion is let someone else take the beating on the cost of a new boat, but that's just me. If budget was not an issue at all I might feel entirely different....also the type of use you will give ( or the previous user may have given ) a boat will be a factor.
I dont think anyone can answer this question for you. It's up to you. But this board is full of guys who started small and went on to bigger boats. Some of the best projects I have seen are peoples third or fourth builds, each one getting more complex.
Hope that helps in some way.

^^^THIS^^^
Key is: "GOOD" used boat. They're out there!
 
CL all day long. Take your time and save a ton of cash. Be persistent and it'll pay off. I'd never ever buy another new boat off the lot. Been there and done that.
 
Whatever you do, do not buy a boat of off craigslist. Even after you have found that perfect boat and brought it home. You will soon find yourself awake at 2 a.m. scrolling through page after page in cities way too far away to travel. All just to find another perfect boat. :mrgreen:

I say craigslist for sure. It may take some time but you can find some real deals on there. And it's addictive.
 
Thanks for all the feedback!!! I decided im gonna start putting money back towards a new boat and trailer and the cost of the modifications! If i find my perfect boat on craigslist before i have all of the money, ill buy it! Also, let me know about your finds and how long you had to wait it out!!!
 
if you can afford it go new, but don't go fully loaded. Get the hull, trailer and outboard and do what you want with it. Sure you can save money on a used boat, but if you have the means buy a new one. No wondering what the previous owner hit with it and isn't telling you, or how he half a** rigged something up or any of the headaches that might come from buying used. Now don't get me wrong, nothing at all wrong with buying a used boat. I just can't imagine anyone would pass on a new boat if the price was right, the boat was near perfect and they had the money to spare.
Chris
 
chrispbrown27 said:
if you can afford it go new, but don't go fully loaded. Get the hull, trailer and outboard and do what you want with it. Sure you can save money on a used boat, but if you have the means buy a new one. No wondering what the previous owner hit with it and isn't telling you, or how he half a** rigged something up or any of the headaches that might come from buying used. Now don't get me wrong, nothing at all wrong with buying a used boat. I just can't imagine anyone would pass on a new boat if the price was right, the boat was near perfect and they had the money to spare.
Chris
I agree one hundred percent, but im like everyone else in the sense that im not loaded with money. Im still in high school and am working a part time job. This will be my first boat and boat modification, so it is important to me that i spend my money on something i will be happy with for a good amount of time!!!
 
I got both of my boats off of Craigslist. The first was a 14' General flatbottom boat, 25hp electric start Johnson, and a trailer for $360. The trailer was pretty much junk, the motor still doesn't run, and the boat turned out very well. I had a total of $1,100 in it including a 5hp B&S outboard, new trolling motor, new battery, and a complete trailer refurb. sold it for $1,300. I took that money and got my current project a few weeks later off of Craigslist. It is a straight 14' V hull with a 10 hp Johnson Seahorse, a good trailer, and a bunch of accessories for $550. I'm just about to have this thing on the water and my total investment so far is a hair under a Grand. I still have that 25 Electric start Johnson, too. :mrgreen: I'm trying to get it running so I can use it and sell the 10 horse. Of course, I would sell the 10 horse on Craigslist.
 
I was going through the same dilemma - new or used. I really didn't want someone else's junk. But I also didn't want to spend a lot more for new, either. Plus, looking at the new boats, the boat kept getting bigger and more expensive the more I looked!

I gave myself a reality check. A smaller used boat for the type fishing I intended on doing was all I really needed. So I searched CL until one day there it was. It was an 11 month old G3 1436 sitting on a nice EZ-Loader trailer. Comfy swivel fishing seats dealer installed along with a new Minn-Kota and marine battery. It saved me almost a $grand$ from buying new.
 
By all means buy used man, not a thing wrong with it. Don't buy something small just because it is the first boat you see in decent shape in your price range. Be patient and buy as big as you can. In my opinion, I would never buy anything under 48 inches wide at the floor to use as a primary fishing boat. The stability drops way off the more narrow it gets. Look around and you can find 1648 jons for under a thousand, some with motors some without. I know it's hard, but be patient. Check Craigslist often also local classifieds and drive around near lakes and check for boats sitting in peoples backyards that obviously haven't moved in some time....sometimes they just want them gone. Good luck man!
Chris
 
fyi,i bought my boat new in december of 2011,and i was in the best position to negotiate a really good deal.,and i did.i only wish i could have afforded the motor as well at that time. any boat dealer will kill to make a deal in the middle of winter.its not too late :D i should also add i ended up with a bigger boat than i wanted just because it was such a good deal.i have to trailer it because it was too big for my boatrack,
 
chrispbrown27 said:
By all means. Buy used man, not a thing wrong with it. Don't buy something small just because it is the first boat you see in decent shape in your price range. Be patient and buy as big as you can. In my opinion, I would never buy anything under 48 inches wide at the floor to use as a primary fishing boat. The stability drops way off the more narrow it gets. Look around and you can find 1648 jons for under a thousand, some with motors some without. I know it's hard, but be patient. Check Craigslist often also local classifieds and drive around near lakes and check for boats sitting in peoples backyards that obviously haven't moved in some time....sometimes they just want them gone. Good luck man!
Chris
Great advice Chris! I plan on waitin it out and finding a boat with a 48" bottom, or bigger, for the right price! Its just painfull though!!!
 

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