How to Buy a Used Bass Boat

Most of you have probably seen many articles about buying a used boat. Most of them offer advice concerning price. For instance, "buy at the end of the month when the salesman's quotas are not filled", or "buy at the end of the year to get a good price on last year's models." Most of the comments here will not be concerning the price of a boat because it is my opinion that price is not the most important consideration in boat buying. If you believe that price is important in buying a used boat tell me in which of these two examples the buyer got a "better deal".

1. Buyer pays $1000 less than book value for his boat and every time he walks by it in the garage he says to himself "I wish I had never bought that piece of xxxx, it doesn't do what I wanted and I don't think it has ever run right.
2. Buyer pays $1000 more than book value for his boat and every time he walks past his boat he says "I'm glad we bought that boat, my family loves it and it does everything we expected of it. I don't see how we could ever get along without it now." In my opinion, Buyer 2 got a much "better deal" than buyer 1, even though he paid $1000 more than book value for his boat. The purpose of this example is to show that things like quality, service, suitability for the intended use, and condition are much more important that price alone.

I understand that we cannot completely ignore price, but I am saying not to get completely hung-up on price only. One place that price does play a factor is in planning your budget. Have a serious talk with your spouse about the amount of money your family can spend on a boat. Remember that the initial cost of a boat is only a portion of the overall cost. Boats are extremely expensive to operate, and you must allow for the cost of maintenance.

With your budget firmly, set you can now choose from newer "entry level quality" boats, or older name brand boats and motors. For example a newer Bayliner with a Chrysler motor will cost the same as an older Ranger with a Mercury. Know approximately what you can get that is within your budget. The quality of the boat and motor often translate into resale value. You may pay more now, but you may get back more when you sell it. Paying a little more for a "top of the line" boat compared with paying a little less for an "entry level quality" boat makes sense. If you look at a BassCat and aNitro, the same year, with the same equipment, but the BassCat is priced $3000 more, you are seeing a difference in quality and future resale value.

Sometimes service is forgotten about when buying a boat, buy it should be one of the important issues to consider. There have been many marine centers that have gone out of business in the last few years. With the number of factory authorized repair shops decreasing, finding a center that can maintain and repair your motor is important. Try not to put yourself in the position of having to deal with only one service center. If the dealer knows you can take your motor elsewhere, he may try a little harder to satisfy his customers. If there are four Johnson/Evinrude dealers in your area and only one Mercury dealer, your choice is simple. Go with the brand of motor that has the largest number of authorized repair centers in your area. Speedy, high quality service during the summer time goes a long way in making your boating experience an enjoyable one. A good way to find out about the service centers in your area is to talk with local boater owners.

It is now time to narrow your search. You have decided which motor brand has the most dealers available to service your motor. Now decide on the type of boat. Aluminum boats have some positive features. They operate with smaller outboards so they have lower maintenance costs. They are lighter so they can be pulled with a smaller tow vehicle. Aluminum boats are much harder to seriously damage and easier to fix. Fiberglass boats offer other advantages. There is more variety of sizes and styles of fiberglass boats than aluminum. Glass boats offer greater size, therefore larger engine options. The intended use of the boat is important here. Do you want a fish only boat, a fish and ski unit, pleasure cruiser, pontoon, or river flat bottom? Be sure to think this over carefully. What you and your family want the boat to do is one of the most important factors in choosing your new boat. The size and type of water where this boat will be used n eeds to be considered. A 16' flat bottom aluminum boat is a great fishing boat on Kansas lakes of under 1000 acres, but that same fishing boat on Lake Erie would not work.

Now is the time to start seriously shopping for your new boat. Check all avenues where you might find a boat that fits your needs. Look in newspapers, shopper's magazines, and at local boat dealers. Go to boat shows and talk to a number of people at the show, not only boat dealers. If a person has a fishing tackle booth at a boat show, he may know where a boat for sale is that meets your needs. The more boats that you look at, the more knowledgeable a consumer you will be. The internet provides some opportunity but many risks for the average boat buyer. Buying a boat over the internet is a gamble that most potential boat buyers should not take. You can look at the internet to get an idea of the boat market, features and options available, but try to buy locally. Talking to the previous owner of a used boat is one of the best things you can do to understand how the boat has been taken care of. Ask the previous owner how long he owned the boat, why he is selling it, what problems he had with it, and where he had it serviced.

Last but not least, test drive the boat on the water. Do not just start the motor in a tank or use muffs. How the boat performs on the water under full load will tell you a lot about the boat. It will also tell you if your expectations of the boat are realistic. Most people say they want a fast boat, but many boaters are truly frightened when they ride in a fast boat, so have realistic expectations of what you can make the boat do.

Do not ever buy a promise. A seller that says a problem can be fixed for a small amount of money is not telling you the facts; if the problem could be fixed for a small amount of money it would already fixed. Remember that if you buy from an individual you have no warranty whatsoever. No matter how many verbal promises an individual makes to you, they mean nothing and most are not enforceable in court. Written promises made by a dealer are more binding, but the best course of action is not to buy a boat that needs so much work that the warranty is a factor. The dealer also must protect his good name and reputation. He is more likely to honor his promises than an individual with no business reputation to uphold.

It is my hope that some of the suggestions covered in this discussion will make it possible for you to enjoy the shopping experience of looking for your next boat. If you have done your homework and carefully shopped, you should have many hours of enjoyment with that boat. If you have any questions about a specific boat or motor feel free to call me at 888-294-8957 or visit me on the web at www.theoutboarddoctor.com

Ben Minor Marine Service
Professional Mechanic and Technician for Outboard Motor Repair