How to fund your first boat? 2025

helms83 reply :

I'm curious how you guys fund (or funded) your first boat? Did you get a simple john boat with a handle motor or save for a nice steerable bass boat? I know about the possibility of loans, saving money, etc. I'm curious how long it took and what you did to expidite your purchase.

backpain... reply :

Hi there, I am new around these parts. But I am also a first time boat buyer. I have owned mine for about a month and a half. I knew personally it was time for a change in my life while looking at pictures of my family and in almost 80% I was in front of a computer. Having a 2 year old son I knew I needed to make some changes.

For me the financial situation was slim to none as far as funding a boat purchase, in fact I thought the idea was impossible and ludicris. What I ended up doing was selling off the things that I felt were not NEEDED in my life. The extra shotgun, the high end computer (and replaced with a cheapy old one) and stashed the money to save for a boat. In my case I bought cheap a plain jane 14' aluminum with a decent tiller motor. Now I am slowly turning it into a personal fishing machine.

A few observations from my recent experience.

#1 Make sure you buy under your budget, what I mean is be sure you have the money to take care of all of the legal things, as well as those small things that pop up along the way.

#2 Don't be afraid to buy a jon type boat and fix it up. I have learned more in doing things myself and been greatly enriched by the whole process. The sense of fulfillment is amazing after you have some success in working on it in your down time.

#3 Don't skimp on safety! make sure you do all of your homework as to the size boat you need as well as the equipment needed for safety.

#4 Lastly, don't be descouraged. Keep saving and looking around for a good deal. If you want in PM or email I can show some good places to look for deals.

helms83 reply :

Your post was exactly what I was hoping to read!!!

If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing to your boat? I thought about buying a flat bottom aluminum with a flat top (for better standning) instead of the benched version. I've seen a few of these on ebay.

How much were the legal fees?

What safety aspects should I consider?

I appreciate your help!

cart7t reply :

My first boat was an early 70's Tomboy bassboat with a 1975 Johnson 35hp motor on it. The motor was only around a year old. It was one of the old bathtub style, cathedral hulls with stick steering. Only some tiny storage areas under each pedestal seat and a livewell. At 15 1/2 foot it wasn't much. I paid around $1200 for it. Half the money I saved and I financed the rest.

I barely had it for a year when I sold it and bought a new 1978 Charger Bassboat with a 115hp Evinrude motor. The size of the lakes I was fishing just made that Tomboy impractical to fish out of.

bassboy1 reply :

Well, "our" first boat was a 1974 Lund fish n ski that we bought about a year and a week ago. We bought it as a restoration project, and have spent about 3000 on it. 3000 spread over the period of a year. Of course, we didn't skimp on anything. Unfortunately, we have run into some major time restraints, and the restoration has gone over schedule by about nine months.

"My" first boat (I am 14) is a 1997 12 foot Grumman vee with a 1988 4 horse Evinrude. I bought it with money I have earned in the past few years working on this and that (never at my house. I get food and shelter for working at home) I have also gotten an Eagle fishmark 320 fishfinder, and a 50 pound MK powerdrive.

All of which, I bought used. The key is to buy used, and don't exceed your limit. I fish Allatoona with it, and I believe allatoona is 11,000 acres. I can fish with the big boys just fine.

helms83 reply :

Quote
The size of the lakes I was fishing just made that Tomboy impractical to fish out of.

Thats a very good point. I'll be fishing Kentucky Lake, it's a decently sized area

Jig Man reply :

My first boat was a 12' styrofoam canoe that cost me $39.

northgabassfisher reply :

well my first boat was also a tomboy with a 25 horse, but i only had it a month or two then i decided i need a bigger boat so i got a loan for 10000 and bought a 2003 tracker tournment v-18 and now im just paying the bank back.

cart7t reply :

Quote

Quote
The size of the lakes I was fishing just made that Tomboy impractical to fish out of.

Thats a very good point. I'll be fishing Kentucky Lake, it's a decently sized area

LOL, talk about coincidence. That's the VERY lake that convinced me I had to go bigger. I was fishing a club tournament out of Kenlake marina. I was leading after day 1, overnight a front came through and the wind began blowing. I had never seen water stir up that bad. We were able to get only a mile down from the marina and the ride was brutal. My good water was on the other side of the lake and it was out of the question to try that crossing. Wound up in 2nd. The trip back to the marina was the scariest I've ever had. It felt like I was riding a surfboard in that little boat. We stringered our rods, reels and tackle to the boat in case we went down. We figured if we sank and the boat was recovered later at least our tackle would still be attached.

Jig Man reply :

Something you should know is that there is funding available to boat buyers of up to 125% of the value of the boat. I will cover the price of the boat, licensing, and even sales tax. It is available for buyers who haven't had charge offs or bankruptys. It can be done for a period of 180 months. The kicker is that kind of loan usually comes with a hefty interest rate.

helms83 reply :

northgabassfisher - if you don't mind me asking, what were your beginning payments like, did you put anything down? I've thought of doing the samething.

cart7 - That is a coincidence! The lake is beautiful, but HUGE. I launch from Paris Landing, only been a couple of times. I love the line "We stringered our rods, reels and tackle to the boat in case we went down. We figured if we sank and the boat was recovered later at least our tackle would still be attached." LOL Now that's thinking ahead!

fishingfourfun reply :

I bought my 14 foot aluminum boat on ebay. It came with a 9.9 hp motor and trailer for $1200.00. It has been a great boat for the last 5 years. I would like a bigger boat but my lake has a 10 hp limit. The nice thing is that $10.00 in gas will last several trips There are some good deals out there, just take your time and good luck.

backpain... reply :

My boat is a 14' Aluminum V bottom Lowe jon type. It came with a 15HP tiller, trailer and three chairs for $1,300. I found it on craigslist.org. As far as start up costs: You have to consider taxes and title fees (depending on state laws). Here in PA I paid $280.00 in taxes and fees to make the boat and trailer legal. Other costs were making provision to pull the thing. At the time of purchase I didn't realize my trucks wiring was all crapped out. So I ended up getting a hitch installed on my car instead to pull the very light boat, that was $195.00. Again states vary as to safety equipment; but life jackets for three (my self, my wife, and the 2 year old son) $80.00, An anchor $20.00, fire extinguisher $8.00, whistle $3.00... You get the idea things begin to add up and most of these are legally neccessary to launch a boat. Things that were optional like lights for night fishing ~$50.00

As far as upgrades for the future:

I plan on a decent fish finder one day ~$150.00

Better trolling motor (mine is from the 60's) ~$150.00

I am currently working on front and rear casting decks and some telescoping seats on them. ~$125.00

But I am so glad personally I bought the cheaper boat and upgrading things as I go, because I am using the boat while I am working on it, as opposed to waiting to find a fully loaded fishing boat I would still be waiting and looking and in the end spend roughly the same as I am now.

helms83 reply :

I'm about to admit my ignorance...

What is the average weight of a boat/trailer? I have a 1991 ford ranger 4 cylinder standard (I bought for $500 a year ago). I'm not sure if this will be able to tow. What kind of towing power do I need?

jdw174 reply :

Quote
northgabassfisher - if you don't mind me asking, what were your beginning payments like, did you put anything down? I've thought of doing the samething.
cart7 - That is a coincidence! The lake is beautiful, but HUGE. I launch from Paris Landing, only been a couple of times. I love the line "We stringered our rods, reels and tackle to the boat in case we went down. We figured if we sank and the boat was recovered later at least our tackle would still be attached." LOL Now that's thinking ahead!

My first fishing boat was a Sportspal Canoe. After fishing from that for a couple of years, I swore off canoe fishing forever ;D Second boat was a 15' semi-vee with a 15hp outboard. That lasted for a couple more years before I decided it was time to move on up. Next rig was a Champion 176 w/115hp Merc....new in '85. Cost was 12K at the time. After a couple of years, decided to swap it in for a bigger rig. In this case it was a Ranger 360 w/150 Johnson. Cost, fully rigged, was a whopping 14K (1988). When I moved to Tennessee from up north in 1998, I swapped in the Ranger for a new Triton TR20 w/175 Ficht. Still running the same rig, and it was paid for 5 years ago. It's doubtful that I will ever buy another boat, but if I did, it would be a later model USED. New ones are WAYYYYY to high for this kid.

I'll tell you what Helms83, I live in Paris, just 14 miles from Paris Landing. I work every sunday and take Fridays off to fish. Any friday you can make it, the trip is on me. It's the least I can do for a member of the 101st Feel to PM me here on the board anytime you want to set up a trip. 8-)

Fendercaster reply :

Quote
What is the average weight of a boat/trailer? I have a 1991 ford ranger 4 cylinder standard (I bought for $500 a year ago). I'm not sure if this will be able to tow. What kind of towing power do I need?

An aluminum jon boat with a small gas motor and a tiller trolling motor/battery and trailer shouldn't weigh more than 7-800 pounds. You should be able to tow this with no problem, your only problem might be pulling out of a slick, steep ramp.

bassboy1 reply :

Here is the weight stack up of mine. 12 foot Vee - 100 ish pounds.

Evinrude 4 horse deluxe - 50 pounds. I believe many 9.9 - 15 motors are 70 - 85 pounds, so you get the picture.

6 gallon gas tank with 3 - 5 gallons of gas at 7 pounds a gallon. 20 - 35 pounds.

50 # thrust MK powerdrive - 30 ish pounds.

Group 27 trolling battery - 70 pounds.

wiring/lights and other stuff that stays in the boat when on the trailer (paddles, seats etc) - less than 30 pounds.

Trailer - 200+ pounds. Mine weighs more than most should. It was made in the 50s out of some thick walled water pipe. Typical Jon boat trailer should be less than 150.

Add this up, and I come to about - 500 ish. If you get a 14 or 16 footer with a bit of a larger motor, I doubt you would go over 700 or 800 pounds. I see people pull larger boats with 4 banger rangers.

helms83 reply :

JDW - I sent you a PM!

I haven't decide on a boat style yet. Everyone is providind valid points as to each style: john boat or bass boat. My philosophy is to buy the one you know you'll want, but then again, if I get a john boat I could be on the lake alot sooner. Tough call...

T-Bone reply :

My first boat was an old canoe that i found at my grandparents house. It came equipped with a human powered paddle trolling motor. LOL! After about 6 months of that I saved my money and bought a 1976 terry bass boat for $2000, which i found in the newspaper (best time to look is in the winter, thats when you will find the best deals). And unfortunately it now has a tree limb through the hull and it would cost more than i paid for the boat to fix it. :'( So I am currently looking for another boat.

I found that the best thing to do is look everyday and go and look at several boats in your price range to get a general idea of what is in your price range, because words and pics only say so much.

northgabassfisher reply :

helms83-my payments are only $250 for 4 year there not to bad and no i did not put anything down, i also pull that boat with a 2001 ford ranger and it pulls all right but im scared to pull it to far though

HunteR reply :

I feel your pain.

I thought I would never have a boat.

While I lost my employment, I was fortunate enough to be bought out > Ford Motor Co.

After getting some debt cleaned up, I was not able to get a NEW boat. I did find one that was a showroom left over with 1 owner who traded back immediatly for a bigger boat.

Still, without the buyout, Davey boy would not have a boat! THANK YOU LORD!!!!!

The main thing I would say is Look for and buy a boat you REALLY WANT!

I shopped for 4 months online and around the area for new and used rigs.

And YES the best deals are in winter but the most available boats are in spring and early summer (When the big guys get a NEW BOAT )

They ARE out there. DO NOT SETTLE for anything that is not what you really want!!!

Here is a good link to some perty nice preowned boats...

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/

scroll to boats and click...

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/boa/

Mind this is the St Louis page, just enter your city and browse.

Please understand that I know you do not have cash in hand, and I HOPE and PRAY you will be blessed with a rightious boat, but if you live on pages like this you will be MUCH educated on what folks are asking and if it is fair. For this to work you must understand NEW boat pricing, as well as dealer USED boat pricing.

http://www.nadaguides.com/SectionHome.aspx?l=1&w=24&p=0&f=5601&DNAid=12879,8,192599,4176805,365035419,1180888150,boat%20blue%20book&aid=75276&iid=56865&nozip=1 > You can compare your findings here.

Also consider your expense of use and upgrade (bringing it to your liking with add ons)

I hope this helped, and I hope you will find a nice boat within your means.

Dave

Team_Dougherty reply :

The way I saved for a new boat was to setup a "secret" savings account that I could not access easily. The only way I could get the money out was to drive to the credit union to get the money out. I then had my work put $100 a pay, every two weeks, into that account the rest then went into our joint account. With that arrangement I was able to save enough money to pay cash for my 16' Crestliner with a trailer in under two years. The only way to save money is if you can not spend it. I did not miss that 50 dollars a week. Instead of buying lunch everyday I packed. not only did that save money it was healthier. I would buy a case of soda on sale at a grocery store instead of buying two a day out of the machine at work. That saved alone saved $10 a week. Take a look at what you spend a week on stuff you do not need or you can save on buying in bulk. Does every one in your house have a cell phone? If yes, do you still need a land line phone? I am sure if you look closely you can find savings everywhere.

fishingfourfun reply :

I have a ford ranger and it has no problem pulling my aluminum boat.

Fishin Phil reply :

I did the head gaskets on a buddies car. He gave me a boat and trailer he had that his wife was begging him to get rid of. I took a lot of elbow greese to make her waterworthy but it was cheap in the end.

SDoolittle reply :

I bought a 14' jon boat several years ago and have slowly turned it into a mini bass boat. Brand new the boat, trolling motor, and trailer cost me about $1300. I started with nothing but a transom mounted trolling motor and fished off the bench seats. It didn't take long before that got old and I started making improvements. I now have 9.8 mercury outboard, a fishfinder, swivel seat, and a bow mounted trolling motor on a deck that I built myself. I didn't add a livewell because I usually catch and release. Although I have taken it out on large lake, I usually stick with smaller ones.

fishn bear reply :

I bought my first by doing the same thing team_Dougherty did by putting money into an account were I couldnt spend it and putting away every penny I could and it didnt take long. My first boat was a 12' v-hull with an 8hp honda motor and trailer. I pulled it with a little ranger and took it anywere I wanted to fish. I fished some big water with that boat. Fished lake norman just out side of charlotte nc with no problem. Just have to watch the weather and other boaters. Like several have said make sure to no your budget and stay with in it. About 2 mouths ago I sold my little 12' v-hull and upgraded to a 14.5' crappie style jon boat. So far its a great boat and Im having as much fun adding little thing to it along as I am fishing out of it. Biggest thing is just know what you can afford and stay with in that. My dad once gave me some great advice about boats "a fish doesnt know the difference between a $50k ranger bass boat and a $200 jon boat"

guest reply :

I live in an area with a lot of HP restrictions. Many lakes are electric motor-only or limited to motors under 10hp. There are only a couple of bodies of water around here where a big bass boat would have made sense. Otherwise, I knew I could get by with smaller boat that I could use on HP restricted lakes. A jon boat made sense for me.

I bought a Tracker Grizzly 1548 long-transom, all-welded jon. I think the price new was about $1,500. I bought a trailer for about $900 new. I put on a 9.9hp long shaft 4-stroke outboard that was wel under $2,000 new. I bought all three with cash from my tax-refund.

Since then, I reinforced the casting deck and added carpet, built and carpeted a floor, added chairs, hardware, wiring, fuses, bow-mounted trolling motor, electronics. I now have a boat that fishes like a champ on smaller lakes, and doen't give up much on larger lakes. I've even had a few offers to buy it. All in all, I have under $6,000 in it.

Here's how it looked when I towed it home

guest reply :

Here's what that same boat look like now (minus rod holders and a few mor mods).

iowaguy reply :

I got my first boat just about a year ago - and what a life changing experience it was! $1500, Sylvan 16 ft. Aluminium V Hull, with side console steering wheel, live well, 35hp merc, fish finder, trolling motor, raised casting deck on bow w/ under storage. All the equipment was from the mid 80s, but hey - it all works and the boat doesn't leak. I am in the process of upgrading it bit by bit. I've replaced the old trolling motor with a new MinnKota Powerdrive ($530), next up is a side imaging sonar ($1300 w/ maps and tax). I was dead set on getting a jon boat, but I am glad a friend at work sold me this old boat to learn on.

I funded the boat with a three week payment plan (friend from work selling it).

I'm not sure If I got a good or bad deal but the way I see it is:

The value you get out of your boat really depends on how much you use it.

With that way of looking at it, I'm doing pretty good (get it out almost every week in non ice months).

But the real story of saving for my boat started a while before that. Bought a used truck (1996 Dodge Ram 1500 Magnum V8, $7500) that took a year and three months to pay off. No sense in having a boat unless you can tow it :

When saving up for an expensive item, the internet is handy. Not only can you find good deals, you can also research it to death.

Tpayneful reply :

In 1990 I got my first boat and it was a 1965 Sears game fisher, 12' v-hull alluminum. It had a trailer and nothing else. My grandfather gave it to me. I was in college and really couldn't afford to buy much for the boat. I used the oars and rowed the boat the first summer. For Christmas I got a depth finder and a trolling motor for the boat. I used a car battery to run everything. The next year I built a casting platform and carpeted the boat. The next fall we renovated the trailer. The last thing that I added was a trolling motor for the front.

In 1995, I bought my second boat and still have it. It is a 1980 Skeeter SS-1 Fisherman, 15', 6" fiberglass trihull. The boat had a 115 HP Evinrude and a 28lb trolling motor on the front. I paid $2500 for the boat and financed it with a personal loan. I think the payments were $100 a month. The trolling motor broke after a month. The lower unit broke the third year that I owned it. Last year after 11 years, the engine cracked a ring and I replaced it with a 70 HP Evinrude. Each year I have done upgrades like trolling motors, depth finders and this year I completely renovated the boat with new carpeting. I would say on average I end up spending about $200 a year fixing, upgrading and replacing things. My boat is by far the oldest, slowest and ugliest in our weekly tournaments but I usually place better than guys with $25,000 boats.

I plan on purchasing a Stratos 285XL in a couple of years when my wife graduates from college. I really could get the boat today but I have to put the family budget first. My experience has been that I just need something that floats and can get me to the fish.

Way2slow reply :

My first boat was one I built from plywood with my dads help. I bought a used 17' Grumman canoe for $20 when I was 14 (1961) with money saved cutting grass and working odd jobs and hualed it on top of my 1948 Ford I bought for $10 when I was 12. Still have the canoe and wish I still had the Ford. I bought my first new boat when I was 16 (14' Glass Master with 65 Merc) and paid cash for it with money I saved working weekends and after school. I have only owned one other new boat (1969 Allison with twin 135 BHP Mercs that I sank in 1970) and I will probably never own another unless I become independently wealthy (actually down right rich with more money that I could ever hope to spend). I have owned more boats than I could list since then but have always bought used and paid cash. Until my kids got grown, I funded my fishinig and boats by buying boat's/motors that needed work, fixing them up and selling or trading them for a nice profit, now my Air Force retirement funds all that.

I really have little need for a shiney, new boat because I use a bass boat for what it was built for, a fishing boat and there is nothing about one I can't fix or refinish myself. The heavy the scumm line just shows the boat is used a lot. It might get polished and cleaned out once a year whether it needs it or not. I keep them in good working order and seats and carpet in good condition and will take the pressure washer and knock them off from time to time but I'm not into keeping one all pretty and shiney. That's kinda like having a 4WD truck and not wanting to drive it throught the woods and mud because it might get scratched or dirty (I give them hell also).

Fishing Buds reply :

I was waiting on a deal I could afford? My first boat was a 12' jon got it for $60 bucks! from an old man from work(came up in a conversation with him) sold it 4 years later for cleaning up some dept.(dave ramsey inspired and with it being gone gave me a reason for a bigger one)

A year later waiting on a deal again(lotta prayer-was getting worried) about 4 weeks ago got another one. you probly seen it here on the post subject "question" (trying a project) ;D

Here's the hard honest part---I begged the wife for this one, we've been hitting the dept real, real hard pass 14 months(this by the way is not a popular subject to bring up to others) so the money was there but, dedicated for something else

after about 16 no' no's on the phone with her-and some promises from me :-/ which I dare not break ;D she let me.

now a side note: I agree with iowaguy on his statement that its a "life changing experience" thats hitting the nail man!

My son often asks why other familys don't do this?

we the family love the outdoors, camp hunt and fish but, fishen has been the top one the last 5 years since a boat came along, fun stuff

Thinks to God we can enjoy a full life with this! ;D

398

How to fund your first boat? 2025

related Bass Boats Canoes Kayaks topic

previous topic

next topic

most viewed Bass Boats Canoes Kayaks topic