Looking for a good cheap bass boat... 2024

saint romain reply :

Hi, I'm searching for the best buy. The cheapest boat I've found was the Nitro 640, its small, but thats all I'd really need. And its also a bit out of my price range. I just turned 18, have a part time job, and I'm just looking for a boat I could spend my time on while not working or in college. Is this a good boat for a bit over 12,000$? Brand new, 50 merc (2stroke), and a trailer. Can't see where I'd be going wrong, but please, if you know of a better deal/boat, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks

Jim McC reply :

You're 18 years old and you want to spend $12,000 on a boat? I'm not trying to be rude, but that's crazy. You can find a used 14' or 16' boat, trailer, and small outboard for less than $1,000. Check Craigslist, local papers, etc.

Long Mike reply :

Saint Romain, either your family is wealthy or you have inherited a lot of money. Why else would someone who has only a part-time job and who is about to start college want to spend $12,000 when it should obviously be used to further his education?

On the other hand, maybe you are planning on getting a loan for the boat and paying for it with your part time job. You might want to consider the other things you will need to pay for as well, assuming Daddy and Mommy are not picking up the tab. Things such as:

Tuition & Books

Boat Payment: Three years at 7% = $370/mo.

Car/Truck Payments. (I assume you have one since you plan on towing a boat)

Insurance costs for both car and boat

Gasoline for both car and boat

Room and Board

Clothing

Food

Beer

Just food for thought.

Jim McC reply :

I agree with everything Long Mike said EXCEPT the beer !!!! He is only 18 years old.

saint romain reply :

in louisiana we have TOPS, which is a program that pays for most, not all of college, for having a 2.5 or higher cumulative GPA. i have a bit over 5,000 saved up from graduation/working over the summer, and pawpaw wants to go in halves, or close to it on a boat.

truck is my mom's old (04 dodge ram 1500) truck and is payed off. pawpaw pays for insurance as long as i stay in school, and grandmother offered to pay for books (of course, everyone in my family just about has divorced and remarried a few times).

i got it planned out

now, back to the boat part

Grey Wolf reply :

Sounds like you have got it all figured out , you don't need our help.

skunked_again reply :

this is a total systems failure.

Popeye reply :

My recommendation would be to buy USED and save some big $$$s. I bought this ProCraft for $6K and it was like new and all the boat I needed. Small, but will still fish 3 adults in reasonable comfort. Just my opinion.

saint romain reply :

well i was getting bashed for being young and trying something out, which i have help with the money part but i just cant expect pawpaw to give me everything, thanks popeye...thats all i was asking for was advise

ive tried craigslist and there isnt too much locally, and it seems that every person i contact about the boat says its in perfect condition(which were all 3+ hours away)...but thanks anyways, ill go back to just lurking the forums instead of asking for advise

92 5 oh reply :

if you're lurking around here still, personally, i too would buy a used boat. only you can decide if you can budget a new boat on top of everything else. i'd say that if you can do it, still pay off everything else go for it. but i do feel that school should be the first priority. When i purchased my boat i didn't realize the extra expenses, such as registration of the boat and trailer, fishing license(s), PFD's, gas, bait, fishing gear, maintenance for the boat/trailer ect. These are just a few other things to think about. I've seen some nice setups for $5-6K. def not trying to deter you from a nice boat or anything. good luck with whatever you choose!

roadwarrior reply :

Quote
well i was getting bashed for being young and trying something out, which i have help with the money part but i just cant expect pawpaw to give me everything, thanks popeye...thats all i was asking for was advise
ive tried craigslist and there isnt too much locally, and it seems that every person i contact about the boat says its in perfect condition(which were all 3+ hours away)...but thanks anyways, ill go back to just lurking the forums instead of asking for advise

Dude,

Grow some thicker skin. Nobody is "talking down" to you,

even if that's how you see it. These guys have been around

the block and are just sharing what they have faced. Life is

"learned" while we all struggle through and these comments

come from the "voice of experience". If you choose to move

forward with you purchase, I say good for you, go for it!

8-)

SkeeterZX225 reply :

If you want a boat, get a boat. Hell, at 20 I had a brand new Skeeter SX190 ($23000) and a new Dodge Ram 1500 SLT ($36000). Now 7 years later I've got a 2007 Skeeter ZX225 and a 2007 Dodge Ram 2500. And no before someone says it, Mommy and daddy never paid anything for me, and I worked a full time job and went to school part time.

But, as far as boats go, I'd would personally get a aluminum rig for that amount of money. Fiberglass= usually smaller size and smaller hp than the same amount of money can get you a aluminum boat.

skunked_again reply :

TOPS is FEDERAL AID................FEDERAL.

and if im not mistaken i as well as all others on this forum have put our hard earned money in that pot.

good luck with your boat, we worked hard for it.

bigfruits reply :

dont let these jealous people deter you. get yourself a nice boat and eat ramen for a yr at school.

thefishingone reply :

Quote
TOPS is FEDERAL AID................FEDERAL.
and if im not mistaken i as well as all others on this forum have put our hard earned money in that pot.

good luck with your boat, we worked hard for it.

That's a mean thing to say. We're all here from one reason, we love fishing and want to share our advice.

I would agree with everyone get a used boat that will fit your needs and save the rest or pay for your own books. Common having your Grandma pay for part of your education?

zellamander reply :

I don't think that anybody on here is jealous. It seems to me most people are just suggesting for him to get a used boat for his first boat. My first boat was a 14' flat bottom witha 7.5 hp evinrude motor. It wasn't much but i modified it and made it work. Then I worked and saved my money and came across a 1987 Champion with a 150 Mecury for $4500. Heck, i just bought a 16' buckshot bass boat with a 40 hp Mariner for $400.

Personally i don't think any of us are going to lose sleep if you go out and buy a 12000 dollar boat. But all they are trying to do is help you out by telling you that when you blow your load on a boat, you need to think about the other expenses.

LIKE: $4.00 a gallon gas, for your boat and your moms truck, (i'm assuming that the gas is your responsibility), registration on the boat, (here it is about $35 or so, upkeep on the boat, (the price on that depends on how long you want your boat to last) Then when you are paying all of that, you have to buy tackle, lake permits, fishing license. There is a lot of hidden costs.

Being 19 myself i know what you are going through. I can't think of a single person that walks through bass pro or cabela's and see's the boats and doesn't get that want feeling. It happens to us all. I hope this helps.

Thats all we want you to think about. You are a big boy, and we really can't tell you what to do, but you asked for advice, so thats what we are trying to do.

zellamander reply :

This is a post i saw on here about a week ago. I think it will help you better than most of what we have said. Or atleast it will get you thinking.

Quote
Another thread prompted me to post about this. I think few people plan out the cost of ownership in boats (and other toys). The following is a list of my boat expenses... this does NOT include the purchase price of the boat (mine is paid for).
It seems like a lot when you list it all out, but this is what my particular boat (19' Champion w/ 175hp) and situation actually costs on average since it was purchased new in 1994:

$75/mo boat storage (12' x 30' with electricity, security and 24 hr access)

$25/mo $300/yr insurance (I'm guessing new boats will be 2-4 times that)

$2/mo $50 TPWD boat registration (every other year)

$6/mo $65/yr trailer registration

$50-$100/mo. boat gas/oil (double or triple it if you plan to ski)

$4/mo $40/yr corps park/boat ramp pass

$2/mo $25/yr trailer lights (get him at ramps) & grease for hubs

$5/mo trailer tires (2) every 5 years

$7/mo $250 batteries (avg.) every 3 years

$17/mo $600 motor tune up and carb o'haul every 3 yrs.

$7/mo misc. and truly unexpected

________

$200-$250/month on a receipt tracked, 5 year average. (obviously higher in summer and lower in winter) The first 7 years when it was "new" it was a $217.37 pmt. plus the carrying average above. (I remember the payments like they were yesterday ...lol)

I put $100/month aside for this list, because I pay boat storage (rent) and fuel separately. In doing it this way, I've never had a financial "emergency" as a boat owner. (in fact, I have a cushion in that account) Older boats and unknown histories should also be taken into consideration. If you travel far to reach your lakes of choice you may even want to add some truck related maintenance expenses to the list, so it reflects all the true costs.

These costs should not be unexpected... if you own a boat, you will incur expenses... if you plan for them, it's no problem.

If you buy a new boat you will also have some required maintenance for the outboard to stay in warranty.

I hope the "honest" numbers are helpful, and not discouraging to boat owners and prospective boat owners, alike.

skunked_again reply :

Quote

Quote
TOPS is FEDERAL AID................FEDERAL.
and if im not mistaken i as well as all others on this forum have put our hard earned money in that pot.

good luck with your boat, we worked hard for it.

That's a mean thing to say. We're all here from one reason, we love fishing and want to share our advice.

I would agree with everyone get a used boat that will fit your needs and save the rest or pay for your own books. Common having your Grandma pay for part of your education?

i think youve missed my point. taking federa tax $$$'s to pay for something you clearly have the money to pay for is IMO wrong. but, maybe im wrong.

Grey Wolf reply :

Quote

Quote

Quote
TOPS is FEDERAL AID................FEDERAL.
and if im not mistaken i as well as all others on this forum have put our hard earned money in that pot.

good luck with your boat, we worked hard for it.

That's a mean thing to say. We're all here from one reason, we love fishing and want to share our advice.

I would agree with everyone get a used boat that will fit your needs and save the rest or pay for your own books. Common having your Grandma pay for part of your education?

i think youve missed my point. taking federa tax $$$'s to pay for something you clearly have the money to pay for is IMO wrong. but, maybe im wrong.

You are definately NOT wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

njpaulc reply :

The last time I looked people had to qualify for Federal tuition programs. If you honestly qualify, you'd be stupid not to use it. If you can afford to send your kids to private school are you wrong when you send them to public school.

Anyway, I'd buy a tin boat, and not worry about it.

fishfordollars reply :

Heck if it is what you want, go for it. I did at your age and have never regretted it at all. Good luck and good fishing.

thetr20one reply :

I would advise you to find a better brand, used boat and look for a better deal. Thre is alot more boat available for less money on any classified list. Go for that!!!!

bigfruits reply :

this guy wants to buy a bass boat and you guy's are saying he shouldnt take the financial aid for school because he can afford it? what a joke.

next time you guys get a tax refund, go ahead and send it back. you can afford it right?

to the original poster who was only asking for advice on a bassboat - i hear the stratos fiberglass boats are the best deal around. do some research, find out what you can afford. maybe start a new account, post the same question and leave out your age to get some real advice with this.

good luck

-z

skunked_again reply :

Quote
this guy wants to buy a bass boat and you guy's are saying he shouldnt take the financial aid for school because he can afford it? what a joke.
next time you guys get a tax refund, go ahead and send it back. you can afford it right?

to the original poster who was only asking for advice on a bassboat - i hear the stratos fiberglass boats are the best deal around. do some research, find out what you can afford. maybe start a new account, post the same question and leave out your age to get some real advice with this.

good luck

-z

you do know tax refunds are your money in the first place right? its not as though your local government found the money on the sidewalk and decided to hand it out.

bigfruits reply :

sure its your money. but if you can afford to live without the refund, send it back. that way next years taxes wont be so high for people who cant afford them.

why should we spend govt money on education when we can take all these monies and pay for another week out in the desert.

your saying because this guy wants to spend 12k on a boat he can afford 80k or so of tuition. i guess any college student who can afford something like a car should not get any aid.

roadwarrior reply :

** MODERATOR NOTE **

Okay guys, we're WAY off track and just keep

rehashing the same off-topic argument. No one's

post was deleted or edited, so we'll just leave it

here.

This thread is closed.

-Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior

Global Moderator

649

Looking for a good cheap bass boat... 2024

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