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So I'm reaching out to ask people their experiences buying their new boat.

If you so wouldn't mind I would really like to hear your mistakes/regrets.

When you bought your new boat what did you regret getting/not getting

What mistake(s) did you make in your new perchase?

Perhaps I can learn from your experience and avoid any post perchase regrets.

What leads me to this question is that I have finaly found some dealers interested in actualy working to take my money from me. I can't believe it wasn't easy but there were some boat dealers who seemed to not really care if I bought from them or not.

I haven't chosen my boat yet but it will be from a dealer who cares about customer service and offers me a great product.

Thank goodness there is still 3 week to the boat show, I am really learning a lot and will be able to go more prepared then if I wasn't actualy shopping right now.

Good luck with the local guys and keep the pressure on em.

Don't mention that you are/were thinking of going to south to buy, because when I did I was shunned from the showroom. At first my wife was P/O'd at me because she wanted to sign the papers that day and we probably would have if they had not treated us the way they did. She got over it after it forced us to save 40% by going south of the border.

Cheers,
Prairieboy

Good thread. I bought my first boat 2 years ago. Overall I'm pretty pleased but I wish I knew then what I know now. 1st I wouldn't have any extra's like fish finders or trolling motors installed by the dealer or factory. Way overpriced and easy to do yourself. Secondly I would always go to the max horsepower. I didn't but that was the banks idea, not mine. We'll fix that in a few years with a little extra money.

Great question Mr. J

I am on my 3rd boat. My first was a 14 foot tiller. I got it to see if boating was a good thing for me. At 14 foot with a 30 4 stroke I knew I could sell it easdily if I did not like.


I upgraded for several reasons.

1) I had some shoulder problems that made it very difficult and painful to run the boat. The hull design made the boat very tippy.

2) The hull desgn made the boat very tippy. I wanted to bring my dad out fishing, bt he was getting on in years and i felt the boat was not stable enough nor big enough to take him out in it.

3) I wanted more room and performance.


That got me to me to boat #2: a 16' Princecraft with a 75hp 4 stroke.

I liked this boat except for one thing it had a lack of storage. It was stable enough, ran fast enough (could have got more out of it if I had lifted the motor up put on a small jackplate) but lack of storage was an issue.


This brought me to boat # 3: 18' Champion - 175 Opti

It is big enough - has plenty of storage and is fast enough (although you can never have enough speed or storage).

So what would I have changed?


For boat number two I should have got a bigger boat and motor package.
I was trying to solve a physical problem with boat number 1 ( see Item 1)

If I had gone up in size I would not be in boat number 3. Yes I would have paid about 8 K more but I would still be in it.

so my advice would be to really look at

1) what your intended use will be; Fishing or tubing/storage requirements are diffrent for both.

2) if you are going to keep the boat for a while will your family grow (more kids) or how big will the kids get, that would make the boat small?

3) Where are you going to fish? Erie? Quinte? then a bigger boat (20') would be better. Rivers? then maybe a jet boat with a shallower draft.
Will you be using downriggers, rod holder? what type of fishing?
All these will affect your decisions.

JP wrote an article a while back on buying a boat it was pretty good.

I've owned 2 bassboats over the last 12 years. The 1st boat was a skeeter level entry model (16ft) bought at a boat show and enjoyed the boat itself immensley.
However, over time, I realized that I should have done my homework like your doing now.
first, I settled for under powering the main engine. the boat was rated for 90hp and could only afford 80hp. difference was $5k. I should have negotiated better at the time of purchase.
second, I underpowered the TM. the boat came with a 12v TM 48lb thrust which lasted very shortly until I bought a new unit with 65lb thrust to get me thru the weeds.
The electronics were basic models. they burnt out within the first 4 years and were replaced with better models.
3rd - the dealer was an idiot. Wanted the sale and nothing to do with you afterwards. And trust me, you will always have a problem when it comes to a boat. Especially the 1st year boat gremlins always appear until you understand how to maintain/fix things yourself.

My 2nd boat purchased last year is all I could ask for.
The dealer was great in providing details at the time of delivery on how to maintain it, took me for a drive in it and went over everything about the boat/motor/electronics,etc.
word of advise, take a taperecorder cause I remember being so pumped at picking up the new rig that I forgot everything the dealer advised me by the time i got home. LOL
Thank goodness, he took the time to answer and educate me via many phone calls and emails. I think I bought it from the dealer specifically because he came so highly recommended. I didn't mind paying a little more because of it.

follow the good advise from othe posts here and you'll do fine.
good luck and see you on the water.

I started with a 14' Princecraft Resorter tinny with a 20HP tiller. I liked the wide beam of the Resorter over the Fisherman. Within a few years, I added a floor and bowmount trolling motor which added an extra large battery to the front of the boat. This made the boat quite a bit heavier and the 20HP became quite slow and needed to be upgraded to a 30HP. Moral of the story #1, the weight can add up and the extra power makes the boating experience much better.

I used the Resorter for 10 years because I decided to skip a mid-level upgrade until I could afford what I really wanted, a 20' bassboat. I saw no need to spend a bunch of money on the mid-level upgrade knowing full well it was not what I really wanted and I was happy with the boat I currently had.

6 years ago I bought a 20' bassboat with a 200HP Merc and it is everything I have ever wanted in a boat. Fast, comfortable, lots of uncluttered space to fish from. My wife loves the boat just as much as I do and 80% of my fishing is with her. Moral of the story #2, get something your wife/sig other will enjoy as well. Means more time on the water for you. The only real issue I had with the bassboat was what turned out to be an underpowered trolling motor. I replaced it after a few years with a 74lb thrust 24V Minn-Kota Maxxum. I will be upgrading the electronics in the not too distant future. There are some cool new toys out there right now. I wouldn't mind one more storage compartment either but at the end of the day all it would do is hold more stuff I don't use and remove my excuse to grab a cold one and head out to "organize the boat"

I don't have the Resorter anymore (sniff) but did pick up an old 14' tinny that I put a new 9.9HP on. I plan on replacing the tinny with a 12' jon boat this spring and will put the old electronics from the bassboat onto it.

HTH,
Doug

Lots of good points here MR. J and I think you are well on your way to getting a boat that will make "YOU HAPPY".

It took me two years of research and mind bending, and while frustrating during this period, the end results were more than worthwhile. I do believe the first and most serious questions and answers have to come from yourself, as there is really no perfect boat for everything. What do you want in a boat? What does your family want in a boat? How do you plan on using it - hard core fishing, family cruiser, or bits of both - hard to meet all needs without some compromises. Where do you plan on using it - small lakes/rivers or the Great Lakes? If you buy a bigger boat - they always seem to be better - will your tow vehicle be big enough or will you be facing another expense?

After asking myself these questions, I came up with the following answers. I grew up on Lake Erie and wanted a boat big enough to use on the Great Lakes, but still small enough for easy towing and launching by myself. She had to be fast enough with enough power to get off the water in a hurry - I've seen too many Lake Erie storms. I like to troll a lot and wanted both a kicker, and electric trolling motor. At my age I no longer appreciate nasty weather, she must have a standup top and full windshield. My wife is not into fishing, but enjoys the boat on nice sunny days, so I must be able to readily convert from a hard core fishing machine, to a family cruiser/runabout. I do a lot on long range towing, and decided on larger mag wheels - have never regretted that decision.

Hope some of my prior thought process and results will help. Good Luck and have FUN CHASING YOUR DREAM.

Enough cleats and their positioning for bumpers and for spring line (if required), can you get back into it easily if you're in the water. If you have small kids can they fall overboard. Can you reach for a fish if you forgot your net on shore. Yes storage, storage, storage. easy access to everything that might need repair:running lights bildge pump, battery(ies) gas tank(s), Location of receptacle for gas fill up (if it's rough are you going to gas up the deck???)

Leg room from console to knees, Field of view of instruments while in seated position. Position of throttle control in relation to arm length movement from forward to reverse. type of floor covering (easy clean). Thickness of aluminium on the bottom. plug-in to recharge batteries or take them out. Good all round field of view when underway.

I must be in better shape then I thought because I've got all of this covered/checked off

Still there sure is some great and priceless advice in this thread and It's with great hope someone can learn from this

Interesting that the number 1 advice has always been to max out the HP

On the electronics thought, I have stated I want the sonar that comes with the boat to be bow mounted and then have my GPS sonar mounted at the driver's consol.

I'm close to choosing my boat but still have 2 models I need to sit in and touch.

Mr.J. wrote:I must be in better shape then I thought because I've got all of this covered/checked off

Still there sure is some great and priceless advice in this thread and It's with great hope someone can learn from this

Interesting that the number 1 advice has always been to max out the HP

On the electronics thought, I have stated I want the sonar that comes with the boat to be bow mounted and then have my GPS sonar mounted at the driver's consol.

I'm close to choosing my boat but still have 2 models I need to sit in and touch.

This is almost the best part of getting a new boat exploring different models.

What 2 boats are you down to?

These suggestions can be dealt with after the purchase of the boat, but if you are financing part or all of it then you might want to add them in up front. My dealer also discounted all accessories that were added at time of boat purchase.

Additional seat(s) so that you have seats for all seat bases that can be safely occupied while the boat is on plane. My boat has four spots and came with three seats. Seat #4 was ordered the first winter that I had it.

Electric trolling motor upgrades - autopilot, universal sonar, wireless control...

Onboard battery charger for the trolling motor batteries.

Mooring whips if the boat is going to live in the water at your house/cottage.

All onboard required safety gear (and go for two paddles not one).

At least one anchor.

Oh yeah, if it comes down to two boats, and one has dark coloured livewells and the other has light coloured livewells, go for the one with the light livewells. I've got one of each and there are times when you cannot see the fish in the dark one. A minor annoyance, but still an annoyance.

Well here's the latest scoop

I went today to look at a model. It was very quickly noted by me that this was not going to be "my boat"

I looked over and saw a 2 year old model

I liked it

And it is almost to the penny 50% less than if I bought the exact same boat new

So I have put in a conditional offer and will be doing my inspection in 2 weeks

This boat has absolutely everything I want and will be saving a minumum of $11,000 over another model I was negotiating for that had a bit less room and storage. I will be also saving $17,000 over the boat I really wanted but it had no mooring/travel cover and no stand up cover ($17,000 includes having these covers added to the base boat price)

I'll bring you up to speed once the deal is sealed.

Here is the article I wrote for a couple of magazines.

Thank's Norm for the kind words


TIPS FOR BUYING YOUR NEXT BOAT

When you come time to buy your boat, whether it is a high performance bass boat like a Ranger or a small tin boat duck boat from Smokercraft, here are some things you might want to consider that may save you stress and your wallet later on.

When I get talking to people at different venues like trade and boat shows and at the boat launches, it amazes me how little information is out there for people to make a good decision when buying their first boat. Before you even start looking you want to ask yourself a couple of key questions;

What will you use the boat mainly for?
It sounds like such a silly question, but you would be surprised how many people forget to figure this out and end up getting something that doesn’t work for them. For example, If you are spending most of your time pulling the kids around on a tube or water skiing, then a Fish and ski type rig might be better suited and more comfortable. Also if you are planning to fish for lots of lake trout and troll for salmon and walleye, then a bass boat might not be the best bet.

Who will be using the boat?
Again a simple question, but if you ask many marinas they will tell you that every year many newer rigs are traded in because of this quote “My wife doesn’t like it.” Take this into account if your kids or partner will be spending any length of time in the boat with you.

Where will you mainly use it?
If you are planning to be on big water, then look at boats that can handle the waves and weather comfortably. I know it sounds silly, but there are a lot of people who do not think about this and end up buying something that might not be a good fit for them.

2 Stroke vs 4 Stroke Engines??

This has to be one of the most talked about subjects when people are looking for a vessel and many of us still are confused over this because of all the manufacturers saying this is better that that. Hopefully this will help clear things up a bit.

4 stroke engines have really become popular in the last couple of years. The benefits are that they are very quiet while operating, you don’t have to mix oil and gas, less maintenance, can troll down much slower than two strokes and are great on fuel. The drawbacks are they are much more expensive, are more costly to repair, generally slower to get up on plane and lower top end speed and about 20% heavier than a comparable two stroke model. Because of the great savings on fuel consumption and slower trolling speeds these motors are great for trolling all day with no gas fumes or excessive noise. If you are using your boat to pull a tube or water skier you might find that it takes longer to get them up on the water.

2 Stroke engines have been around for ever and many improvements have been made to improve the fuel economy. There has been a rumor going around for a couple of years now that all two strokes will be banned eventually so don’t buy one. Every one has the image of the old smoking motor spewing a thick blue haze over the water. This is not true. All new engines sold must meet specific emissions guidelines for 2006 and 2010 so they are in some cases better than four strokes. Other benefits are more power and throttle response, better whole shot, less expensive to repair, better top end speed and less expensive. Down side to some of these motors are they can be noisy, can sometimes be harder to start in cold weather, mixing oil in the fuel and spark plugs should be changed every year.

Now that you have figured out this you can devote your energy into finding the perfect rig, but where do you start to look. New or used, private sale or from a dealer??? Here are some points and questions you might want to ask to determine which route to take.

Used Boats

There are some great used boats on the market every year and it is always hard to figure out what is good and what will be a pain later on. Here are a couple of tips that you can use to save you lots of time and aggravation.

ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS;
1. Does the seller have the service history on the boat, motor and trailer? This a great starting point to gage how the seller has taken care of the rig (i.e., winterizing, oil changes, spark plugs, routine service, etc…) . If there are holes in the service history make sure you ask why?
2. Is the seller the original owner and if not, how many owners before? This can give you an indicator on wear and age of the package.
3. Have they made any repairs to the boat, motor and trailer and what were they? This sounds like the first question but a lot of people do their own repairs or have it done off the record.
4. Are there any repairs that need to be made or potential problems that you should know about? If they are honest they will let you know so you can factor that in to the cost of the package.
5. When were the trailer bearings and brakes (if it has them) serviced last. The last thing you want is to be stuck on the side of the road because of this simple maintenance issue.
6. Any warranty remaining on the boat, motor or trailer and is it transferable to a new owner. Some hull warranties are not transferable.

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AND BE NOSEY
1. Take your time and look at everything closely and don’t feel bad about being nosey because it might be the only way to see potential problems and gage the overall shape of the boat, open ever hatch, look into access panels, under the console, etc….
2. With fiberglass hulls pay close attention to the transom and look for spider or stress cracks that may indicate week points or rot. Try running your hand over suspect areas to see if there is any evidence of repair.
3. With aluminum hulls, check all welds for small hair line cracks that could open up over time. With riveted hulls, check to see if any rivets are loose or missing.
4. Open all the hatches to see if they work properly and check the inside compartments with your hand for moisture build up. This might signal other problems like a leak, bad air circulation or rot.
5. Check the hitch on the trailer for dents and wear as well as the chains.
6. Bring a multi meter with you and check the batteries if any for full charge. Batteries left for long periods with out charge may develop a memory.
7. Now turn your attention to the motor and give the prop a spin. Watch it for a wobble or uneven rotation which could mean major problems.
8. Loosen the lower unit oil drain plug just enough for a little oil to drip out. The liquid should be clear and not cloudy or thick. If it is then you are looking at at least a bad seal and money to fix it.
9. Run your hands along the skeg and lower unit, look for any bumps or uneven parts that could indicate a re build and potential problem.
10. If the boat is equipped with a steering wheel, turn it all the way left then right. The motor should turn smoothly and not be jerky or overly stiff. New rack and pinion or hydraulic steering is very expensive.
11. Hop in the boat and walk around the floor and put pressure in every corner to check if the floor is good. If the floor feels spongy or soft it might indicate rot.

TAKE IT FOR A RIDE
If you can take the boat for a test ride to see how it handles and this will also gage how the motor is running. Re open all compartments to check for leeks and try the live well and bilge pumps to make sure they work correctly. Turn on all electronics and GPS units and make sure they function correctly as well as try the trolling motor.

FINALLY SEE THE DOCTOR
After all this and you are still interested in the boat, have the motor inspected by a certified marine mechanic and have a compression test done. This will alert you to any problems that you didn’t see before.

Buying New Boats

Like buying a new car there are so many choices out there and it’s hard to beat that new car smell. Here are some helpful hints when looking for a new boat.
1. Do your research before you start looking at new this way you will have information when you go and start to look.
2. Don’t be afraid to shop around. Dealers can very in price even for the exact same models.
3. Horse power matters. One of the biggest complaints I hear every year from people who buy a new boat is “I wish I had gotten a bigger motor”. When you are putting a new boat package together remember this because it is a lot cheaper to upgrade the motor now than purchasing a new one a year later (sometimes a savings of $5-10 thousand dollars). A larger motor can actually sometimes save you money as well on your gas bill. For example a 15hp motor will get a 16.5ft boat on plane with 2 people in it at full throttle, but a 30hp motor will only have to be at half throttle to do the same and it will use less gas with power to spare. This is magnified when you add more weight to larger boats.
4. Don’t settle for just anything. If you are going to be investing in a new boat then make sure you don’t settle for anything less than exactly what you want and is in your budget.
5. Best time to look at dealers for new boats is in the fall. All of the next years models are on the way and if the dealer has any remaining stock they may cut you a good deal to clear them out.
6. Buying new is more expensive, but look at it this way, you are buying piece of mind with dealer and manufacturer backed warranties should anything go wrong.

Where to buy your boat
Here are 2 of the main places where people are most likely to buy a boat and some tips that will help you along the way.

Buying your boat through a dealer.

When buying your rig through a dealer you have a lot of options like new or used, financing, manufacturers, motors, accessories and the list goes on and on.
1. When you are looking at which dealer to buy from ask about their service hours and if they have priority service for purchasing customers.
2. If you want to gage the service quality of the dealer then try to talk to customers that may be there having their boat serviced. This will give you an idea of what you can expect. You can also try calling the better business burrow to see if there have been any complaints.
3. Products usually will have a warranty and service backed by the dealer and manufacturer which you usually don’t have when purchasing privately. This usually does not apply to boats sold on consignment.
4. If anything does go wrong the dealer and manufacturer are only a phone call away to answer any questions while a private sale you may be on your own.

Buying a boat privately

There are some great deals to be had when you purchase a boat privately, but here are a couple of things you might want to consider looking into before buying.
1. When you contact the seller of the boat, write down all the options and details that were advertised so you can refer to them if needed. This way you will be organized and ready to ask any questions that might come up when you view the boat.
2. When you go to view a rig, drive by the seller’s residence once before stopping in and pay close attention to how their property is kept. Is the grass cut, is there garbage every where, is the house or building in good shape. This will give you a basic indication on how they take care and maintain things like the boat.
3. Ask to see ownership of boat and trailer and make sure it has the sellers name on it. Sounds silly, but there have been many cases where the buyer has gotten ripped off because of this.
4. One of the downsides of buying privately is that almost 100% of the time there is no warranty on the package so make sure you ask about any remaining factory warranty and if it can be transferred to you. Some warranties are not transferable.
5. Most private sellers do not want to put out the time and gas to take everyone who is interested in their boat for a test drive so leave it to the end to ask.
6. Follow all the points on buying a used boat and you should be good.

Hope this will be helpful and good luck with your new toy.

Cheers
JP

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figured I would throw my two cents in for this as well since I just got my first boat last year...

I got a 2007 Lowe FM165 with a 50 HP Evinrude ETEC from Orleans Boat World in the spring of '08.

things I wish I would have done before I bought it:
-actually test drive it. (there was still lots of ice in the water when I got, but I shoulda waited since I was torn between the Lowe and a legend XGS)
-got my own fishfinder later
-pushed to get a better discount on accessories for the boat
-realized how much $$ I was going to spend on it in the first year!

Other than that super happy with the boat!

All I can add is whether you have it dealer installed or do it yourself get what you want now, don't plan on upgrading later.

I should have spent more on my trolling motor (right size just hard to deploy and stow) and finder (again works fine but I dream about the new 10" Lowrence HDs even though it wouldn't fit on my dash. A 7 or 8 would be nice.)