Boat Advice Needed

[Jabba]

Hi All,

I've finally come to the decision that I would like to buy a boat. I have decided to go for a used one for the time being and am looking to spend anywhere from $5000 - $6000. I know this is a paltry amount for a boat, but I'll probably use it a dozen times a year to pull the kids on the tow rope, water ski, and do some casual fishing.

I''m only using it on smallish type lakes.

There will be five of us in the boat, two adults and 3 kids

So, I'm a completely newbie when it comes to this stuff. I can hardly tell the diff between a $5000 Bowrider or a $10000. I hear size and age make the big difference. <- Good mangle material there ;-)

So, can anyone here give me any advice?

Name brands on both boat and motor I should stick with, ones I should avoid?

What the tell tale signs of a lemon? Of a gem?

How can I tell if the motor is good?

Out of the following, which one would you recommend?

Here

Thanks Guys, much appreciated and look forward to your replies.

[grantspain]

for $5000 i think you're gonna have to get a rowing boat mate

[sodapopinski]

Bayliner is a great name. We own one and there are others on the beach. All of the owners happy.
Try to find an outboard. Inboards are too much work!
I would go with min 80 hp and up.
$5000-$6000 should buy you a decent used boat.

for $5000 i think you're gonna have to get a rowing boat mate

I don't know if your aware, he's not buying a yacht.

[Buddabing]

The two best days in your boat-owning time will be the day you buy it, and the day you sell it.

Is it possible to rent a boat where you are? That should give you all the fun and none of the hassle.

Or do what I do and mooch off your friends who have boats. Best of both worlds.

[Jabba]

Thanks for the advice guys. Definately appreciated.

So, I'm getting pics in from the various sellers, and I'll prolly be taking some out on the weekend to test.

One of the sellers mails this to me...

"The engine has just 5 hours operation since the rebuild.  The engine received new pistons, rings and connecting rods in November.  Compression is now full.  The interior seating was done professionally during the winter too.    I did the carpet myself and then realized that I

[mpm32]

$5000 can buy you a lot of boat.  This is what I got for $5000.

There are a lot of Correct Crafts for sale on this site; www.correctcraftfan.com

and this site is dedicate to the restoration and upkeep of these boats.

Try not to buy a bayliner, they are like to Yugo of the boat world.

I wrote a bunch of more boat info but it got wiped out when my pic was too big.

If you like to ski, try to get an inboard skiing off of an I/O sucks bad.

Here is mine;  1978 Correct Craft Ski Nautique 17'9" 351 Ford Windsor.

[Jabba]

Thanks for the info mpm32. I looked that that site and it is for the US, unforetunatly, not Canada.

Thanks for the advice in the bayliner.

Feel free to retype you boat info that got toasted with the pic.  Just think of it as your advice being permantly stored in the BYOAC archives 

What about the one in this link? Any opinions? This guy is the second owner.

http://www.trader.ca/SendToFriend/Results.asp?id=2279897&adid=5300642

BTW: Nice boat you have there.

[missioncontrol]

The SS Minnow is probibly a ship I'd stay away from........

[mpm32]

That looks like an OK boat.  You really have to think about what you want to do with the boat.  If it's just for hanging around on and fishing with a little tubing and skiing thrown in, that might be OK.  But if you find that you really like to ski and wakeboard you will quickly outgrow that boat as 75 hp doesn't have enough hp to do those things satisfactorily.  So it really depends on what you like to do and what you might like to do with the boat in the future.  Sort of like planning for all of the controls you can fit on your cabinet, you want to plan for all the games you like to play and all of the games you might like to play in the future.

I didn't realize that you were in Canada.  I did read that for used boats in Canada, you have to have a marine surveyor certify that the boat is seaworthy.  So you might want to check into that law because that might limit the year of boats you want to look at.

Also make sure you can get a test ride with whatever you end up getting.  Even if you aren't mechanically inclined, you will be able to see that it starts up right away (make sure that the engine is cold, put your hand on it when you get there) and that it rides and steers correctly.

And remember some say that BOAT stands for Break Out Another Thousand.

There will always be upkeep costs.

[Stingray]

When I was a kid we had two Bayliner ski boats. I don't remember either of them ever needing any significant repairs.

-S

[mpm32]

Bayliners just use cheaper materials, their fiberglass hulls are very thin.  They don't keep their looks very long due to the cheaper materials.  You get what you pay for, for some they are happy with them and they are good first boats when new.  I wouldn't buy a used one.  I bet you can't find a pic of a bayliner that's as old as mine in as good original condition.

Whatever floats your boat. 

[JackTucky]

Been awhile since my family had a boat.  My father boat a Sea Ray.  As we were getting into the "boat scene" more, the idea was bayliners were cheaper all around, including price.

My uncle was a bayliner guy, and he got much more boat for the money than my father, but he bought and sold like 3 bayliners during the 8 years my father had his sea ray.

Jacktucky