Which boat/motor to buy?

[Haveago]

Hi Everyone,

Bear with me! never owned a boat but taking the plunge (!) with the family up here in Nth Qld. We are looking to buy a used 5m or so half cabin to be used for fishing and/or basic skiing. I have noticed a lot of different shapes etc.

What to steer clear of? I am hoping to buy an older boat with a reasonably new motor.

Sorry to be a pain, but I would like to hear some opinions - so many boats around!

Thanks!

[Wahoo]

Hi Everyone,

Bear with me! never owned a boat but taking the plunge (!) with the family up here in Nth Qld. We are looking to buy a used 5m or so half cabin to be used for fishing and/or basic skiing. I have noticed a lot of different shapes etc.

What to steer clear of? I am hoping to buy an older boat with a reasonably new motor.

Sorry to be a pain, but I would like to hear some opinions - so many boats around!

Thanks!


G'day haveago, what $$$$, there was a nice 5.8m Fisher ( 3yr old) for sale in last weeks paper could of picked it up for $33,000, good all rounder


Daz

[Haveago]

G'day haveago, what $$$$, there was a nice 5.8m Fisher ( 3yr old) for sale in last weeks paper could of picked it up for $33,000, good all rounder


Daz

Hi Daz,

Should've mentioned that! First boat so only looking to spend around $15k.

[Wahoo]

another Q is , alloy, glass, or polly, 15k should get you a nice clean boat of that size


Daz

[suzygs1000]

Welcom to Nth Qld fishing, Haveago.

I assume you're interested in reef fishing mainly, but correct me if not.

I have owned a variety of different hulls, and might I suggest that in the size range you're looking at, you may be better off with a runabout or centreconsole, as they have heaps more fishing room than the average halfcab.

Having said that, if you have kids that you intend taking out, then a half cab is probably a better proposition.

Never had anything to do with poly boats, but I personally prefer aluminium over fibreglass, if it's mainly a fishing boat. Bit easier to look after, and no floors or transoms to replace if the hulls pretty old.

But I had a 1967 Seafarer Viper in the late 90's,and it was a great hull.

You will be looking at a twostroke outboard,

Nothing wrong with any of them, unless it is a Chrysler, which were a fair enough engine in their day, but were really susceptible to corrosion in the exhaust area.

Just make sure that it has been serviced regularly, and that the steering and tilt is nice and free.

Looks count for a lot in an outboard with a bit of age.

Hope this helps
\
Dave.

[johnny roger]

Hi Everyone,

Bear with me! never owned a boat but taking the plunge (!) with the family up here in Nth Qld. We are looking to buy a used 5m or so half cabin to be used for fishing and/or basic skiing. I have noticed a lot of different shapes etc.

What to steer clear of? I am hoping to buy an older boat with a reasonably new motor.

Sorry to be a pain, but I would like to hear some opinions - so many boats around!

Thanks!
gday,
looks like we are starting out at the same time mate. I'm also looking around for a boat, and its going to be my first boat as well. no, i tell a lie i bought a 3.75 M stessl about a month back second hand. everyone said it was a good buy, so i believed them. but on further investigation after buying it, i found out it had some holes in the transom.
anyway, thats another story. to help you look for boats i guess the first step would be to know your price. you say 15K. well thats what i said too, but then the more i looked, the more i liked, and and the bigger i got. origianlly i wanted a 4M, tops and spending around 15K. now i 'm looking at maybe a blue fin 4.5M weekender, or the Quintrex 440 coast runner. i was not too keen on the cuddy cabs as it looks like it takes up a lot of room. i was also originally looking for a center console. but again, the more i looked and studied layouts of boats, ive found that the front console type boat would be good, with a folding rear thwart seat. that way if its just a couple of you going out, just fold up the rear seat, and you have massive deck space. i live on the tablelands, so redclaw pots would be part of the outings. and with 2 kids and 16 pots, you'll need all the deck space you can get.
here are few sites that i have been to:
www.yamahapitmansmarine.com.au (http://www.yamahapitmansmarine.com.au), www.bluefinboats.com.au (http://www.bluefinboats.com.au), www.boatsales.com.au (http://www.boatsales.com.au), www.stacer.com.au (http://www.stacer.com.au), www.boatpoint.com.au (http://www.boatpoint.com.au), www.billsmarine.com.au (http://www.billsmarine.com.au), www.makocraft.com.au (http://www.makocraft.com.au).

seeing as your starting out, you will need to know about launching, safety, tips and tricks etc etc. these are those sites i have been to:
www.fishingcairns.com.au (http://www.fishingcairns.com.au), www.boatlicence.com.au.com/boat_checks.htm (http://www.boatlicence.com.au.com/boat_checks.htm), www.fishsa.com/boatingcl.php (http://www.fishsa.com/boatingcl.php).

sorry its all a bit long winded. hope it helps mate.

John

[BaitThrower]

Good idea ensuring the motor is fairly new and in top condition. You can spend a fortune on getting an older motor up to scratch. You might save a bit buying an older motor, but you will probably spend all that difference on parts fixing it up :(

I think buying second hand hulls are ok, but they need really good inspection first, and factor in the possibility that you may have to spend money on repairs, even if it does not look like it needs it! Keep about 2k of that 15k for fitting the boat out to your liking as well. All those little bits of hardware or bits and pieces that make boating much better (not to mention safety gear too!) add up quick to a substantial amount so account for that required spending as well.

Good luck!

[Xahn1960]

Definately hold some dollars in reserve.... I bought a nice S/H boart last year, Beutifull beastie and I love it, 17K " ready to go boating......" However I then spent another 7K to bring it to my definition of "Ready to go boating.... " Baithrowers advice is very valid keep a bit in reserve to fix up the the little bits ......

Bill.

[BaitThrower]

hehe yeah the sales pitches are good... "Ready for boating" might mean its ready to put in your bath tub, but don't take it out in a bay or river whatever you do!.

Another good one on a certain auction site at moment says "motor pumps heaps of water" but the picture clearly shows the droplets coming from the telltale, and quite a way apart, certainly no stream.

"Boat/motor/trailer in great working order". It might be for the seller's low standards... And it might work for 5 mins, so thats great working order :)

And the classic "it worked fine last time I ran it". This doesn't mean it will continue to work for long :) especially if they cannot tell you with certainty when "last time" actually was.

But when it comes down to it, you still need a bit of pot luck to get yourself a good secondhand deal.

[Haveago]

gday,
looks like we are starting out at the same time mate. I'm also looking around for a boat, and its going to be my first boat as well. no, i tell a lie i bought a 3.75 M stessl about a month back second hand. everyone said it was a good buy, so i believed them. but on further investigation after buying it, i found out it had some holes in the transom.
anyway, thats another story. to help you look for boats i guess the first step would be to know your price. you say 15K. well thats what i said too, but then the more i looked, the more i liked, and and the bigger i got. origianlly i wanted a 4M, tops and spending around 15K. now i 'm looking at maybe a blue fin 4.5M weekender, or the Quintrex 440 coast runner. i was not too keen on the cuddy cabs as it looks like it takes up a lot of room. i was also originally looking for a center console. but again, the more i looked and studied layouts of boats, ive found that the front console type boat would be good, with a folding rear thwart seat. that way if its just a couple of you going out, just fold up the rear seat, and you have massive deck space. i live on the tablelands, so redclaw pots would be part of the outings. and with 2 kids and 16 pots, you'll need all the deck space you can get.
here are few sites that i have been to:
www.yamahapitmansmarine.com.au (http://www.yamahapitmansmarine.com.au), www.bluefinboats.com.au (http://www.bluefinboats.com.au), www.boatsales.com.au (http://www.boatsales.com.au), www.stacer.com.au (http://www.stacer.com.au), www.boatpoint.com.au (http://www.boatpoint.com.au), www.billsmarine.com.au (http://www.billsmarine.com.au), www.makocraft.com.au (http://www.makocraft.com.au).

seeing as your starting out, you will need to know about launching, safety, tips and tricks etc etc. these are those sites i have been to:
www.fishingcairns.com.au (http://www.fishingcairns.com.au), www.boatlicence.com.au.com/boat_checks.htm (http://www.boatlicence.com.au.com/boat_checks.htm), www.fishsa.com/boatingcl.php (http://www.fishsa.com/boatingcl.php).

sorry its all a bit long winded. hope it helps mate.

John

Hi John,

Thanks for the info. We are not too far apart. Tinaroo will see a lot of use by us (Mareeba), as well as some river/reef use.

Thanks everyone for the advice. Still looking... I might have to travel to Bundy or Brisbane if I can't find something worthwhile up here soon. Most of what I have seen is overpriced and below the standards of what I have seen in Brisvegas and the Fraser Coast.

[rockyfish]

Hey haveago, enjoy your fishing and don't forget the redclaw traps......

[Haveago]

Hi again!

After searching, found and bought a Seafarer 5.5m. Everything seems okay after spending up on all the bits.

One more question - how do I tell the model of the motor? It is a black Mercury, 115hp, 6cyl, 2 stroke, with brown Mercury stickers. I think it is a mid-80's?

The reason I ask is that I want to get hold of a cd/manual (ebay/ wherever) to learn a bit more about the motor and there are no marine places around here to ask.

Can anyone help? I can take a photo if that would help.

Thanks!