Buying our first boat!!

Dave R · 04-09-2006, 07:06 AM

I have had two excellent experiences with late model used boats. Great way to save some serious dough up front and depreciation when it's time to sell. Also a nice way to get into a bigger boat for the same money. You'll find a vast difference in the quality of rides between a 20 foot boat and a similar design 23 foot boat. The bigger boat will be far less tiring to operate all day. We upsized from a 21 foot boat to a 25 foot boat with the same hull design last year and were utterly shocked by the ride improvement 4 feet and 1400 lbs of dry weight made. One downside to used boat shopping is that a lot of the late model used boats out there have the base engine packages. Often, this is done to keep the sticker price down and the engines are not exactly adequate for the boat. Underpowered boats are not much fun, especially on a choppy body of water, and they hit the used market quickly.

Since you plan to trailer all the time, please be sure you have an adequate tow vehicle. The published boat weights you read are substantially lighter than the actual "real world" weight; and then you'll need to add the substantial weight of the trailer. For instance, my boat has a published dry weight of 4300 lbs. That sounds great since my Durango can tow in excess of 7000 lbs. Well, when you add 1500 lbs for the trailer, 450 lbs of fuel, 80 lbs of water, 400 lbs of gear and a weekend's worth of food and drink, I'm much closer to the actual towing limit.

After you get a boat, post your float plans. Perhaps someone with experience can show you around the lake, it's a bit overwhelming. If I'm around, I'd be glad to lead a tour.

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04-09-2006, 07:06 AM	#25
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,984 Thanks: 246 Thanked 743 Times in 443 Posts	I have had two excellent experiences with late model used boats. Great way to save some serious dough up front and depreciation when it's time to sell. Also a nice way to get into a bigger boat for the same money. You'll find a vast difference in the quality of rides between a 20 foot boat and a similar design 23 foot boat. The bigger boat will be far less tiring to operate all day. We upsized from a 21 foot boat to a 25 foot boat with the same hull design last year and were utterly shocked by the ride improvement 4 feet and 1400 lbs of dry weight made. One downside to used boat shopping is that a lot of the late model used boats out there have the base engine packages. Often, this is done to keep the sticker price down and the engines are not exactly adequate for the boat. Underpowered boats are not much fun, especially on a choppy body of water, and they hit the used market quickly. Since you plan to trailer all the time, please be sure you have an adequate tow vehicle. The published boat weights you read are substantially lighter than the actual "real world" weight; and then you'll need to add the substantial weight of the trailer. For instance, my boat has a published dry weight of 4300 lbs. That sounds great since my Durango can tow in excess of 7000 lbs. Well, when you add 1500 lbs for the trailer, 450 lbs of fuel, 80 lbs of water, 400 lbs of gear and a weekend's worth of food and drink, I'm much closer to the actual towing limit. After you get a boat, post your float plans. Perhaps someone with experience can show you around the lake, it's a bit overwhelming. If I'm around, I'd be glad to lead a tour.