starter boat?
 

What do I look for when buying a used boat this will be my 1st boat. thanks alot.

Need to know type of fishing..... marsh, lake, offshore or what and amount you plan to spend and type of hull

Im in the process of getting my first boat, a 21' bay stealth. Solid hull for the $$

would be more of a cypremort point type fishing, nothing more then 4500g since it will be a starter boat,engine type would be outboard.

15' aluminum boat with a 25 hp and trolling motor. Get used to fishing in that and then you can upgrade and save that boat for frogging, hunting, and smaller water fishing.


just saw your response and I am not gonna change my answer, you can get a rig for that money, almost new. You don't need a big boat there when its calm and you can get in the marsh easy with that rig. and its perfect for the Atchafalayayayayaya

Yeah getting tired of bank fishing and Pier fishing not many spot and always fighting the crowd to get a spot..

I would start with least 15' and 25hp but if you can go up to 16-17 with 40hp you will have more room in the boat...... minimum of 42" bottom but wider will be better

I know the feeling! That's why I said to hell with it and bought one. Bank fishing for saltwater is terrible unless you're around grand isle.

1995 17' Spectrum Dominator

http://images.craigslist.org/5N95L15...663d3517f5.jpg

any good? what to look for when buying?

Clean looking boat here

http://www.louisianasportsman.com/lp...e_ad&id=396176

Buying a used boat what do I check?

Hull condition, check for cracks or weak spots
Engine hours
Wiring
battery conditions
Electronics

That's just the tip of the iceberg I'm sure, I'm a boat noob myself.

Some will tell you to bring it to a boat mechanic for a detailed inspection

thats a nice "do it all" fishing boat for fresh or salt water and except for open water you have no limitations.

what to look for?

the motor should start easy on the first crank, if it spins a few revolutions first its a sign of wear on the motor as lower compression engines take longer to start up. its not a warning not to buy it but more of a FYI that the motor is well used and maybe in a few years you'll need a new one.

look for service history and reciepts for work done to indicate its been well taken care of. if there is no paper trail then you are having to guess how well its been maintained but while its easy to understand someone doing work yourself because is cheaper, you just dont know how often it was done or wether it was done properly (stripped threads and nuts and bolts can be the result of joe average doing his own maint on it.

for the boat look for sun fading telling you know its been uncovered out in the sun, while it may look ok now seat stitching gets rotten fast that way and you could have ripped seats before long once you start using it so assume things are worse then they look. also look under the console for hacked up wiring or mounds of loose hanging electrical tape under there indicating joe average doing his own wiring.

trailer look close at the boards if they are rotten or dry rot as well as look for cracking of the tires indication dry rot. tires can be trash but still look new so if you see shattered glass looking cracks when examined close then you need to replace them to avoid issues on the road.

what you see really is what you get with a boat so look very very up close at things you cant see easy, thats where you can find tips if there are any red flags.

last point before buying go fishing in it, just you and the owner because this is a buisness fishing trip so you dont want others distracting you from the "test drive" this is so you spend several hours in it and you can see how comfortable it is to fish in and the workings of the trolling motor and livewells and if all is working well but mainly so after a few hours you want to see it hasnt taken on any water from unseen tiny leaks somewhere.

wow thanks! I talked to the owner he want 4000obo is that a descent price for that year?

What's the nada value?

Here's the NADA on that boat

http://www.nadaguides.com/Boats/1995...dard-Equipment

look like the motor been changed out to 70hp would the price change due to a different
engine?

Yeah but not sure how much

I would look for a boat with tiller handle to start off, less problems to worry with and you can get something newer at better price

40/50 Tahustsu TLDI on a semi V hull would be ideal for a first rig. As stated, you can upgrade from there, but it'd be perfect for both fresh and salt. Can find a good used rig on Southeasttexas.com or other classified im sure.

Good luck.