Best Budget Boat for Outside?

[Squiggle]

We are now looking at getting a boat for using outside (hubby loves doing this). I have seen alot of nice boats in range of our budget but hubby said the hull aren't deep enough ::).

I would like to hear everyones opinions on types of boats (older models) that they have had experience with good and bad.

[Chimo]

Hi Squiggle

Whats the budget

How fast do you like to go

What will you tow the boat with or

Will it be left in the water at a marina

[Brissyguy]

Important questions could also include:

How far offshore do you want to go ?

What type of fishing are you into ?

Do you need o/night facilities ?

What experience do you have ?

If it is your first offshore rig it would pay to go with something tried and tested and most likely second hand to keep the price down incase you find it not to your liking.

Cheers,
Rich

[Squiggle]

Whats the budget

$5,000

How fast do you like to go

Fast enough to get them out to fish with breaking any water records ;D.

What will you tow the boat with or

Will it be left in the water at a marina

Commodore 6 cylinder

How far offshore do you want to go ?

Not sure...they would be no more than day trips

What type of fishing are you into ?

Hubby loves deep sea fishing and older sons want to learn.

Do you need o/night facilities ?

No

What experience do you have ?

Hubby has owned Swiftcraft and Nautiglass previously and has worked on trawlers up north. Done heaps of deep sea fishing though not for the last 7 years since selling the Swiftcraft. This had a 200hp outboard on it and it used to cost $60 per trip to run back then, so motor this big not an option now.
Basically we need something that will do the river quicker than my little 5hp tinny and that can be taken out wide for the occassional outside outing for hubby and the boys.

[Blackened]

G'day
well... to be honest, I dont see anything in that price range that would suit your needs 100%. But I may be wrong.

If anything i'd imagine a 16 or 17' aluminium boat with up to 90 - 115HP. would be closest to that price range

Best thing would be to troll boatpoint for boats under 5k and see what comes up and if anything takes your fancy.

Dave

[Chimo]

Agree with Dave but also suggest newspapers like the trading post.

Good luck with the search

Cheers

Chimo

[Lone_Wolf]

Respectfully Squiggle,

I would keep saving. A $5K rig will leave you short of what you really need to be safe outside.

I would pay attention to the "going fishing" page. There are heaps of guys looking for deckies to take outside on a regular basis. This is an excellent cost effective way of fishing offshore as you share the costs of fuel and bait with the skipper. It is generally costs around $100 a trip.

This also gives you the chance to test out many different boats giving you an idea of what you are really after. #

If you want a look at a used boat in that price range that can handle any weather outside for $5K, click on this link. Remember you will also have to buy a motor and all safety equipment.

http://www.ausfish.com.au/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1154624524

LW

[Squiggle]

Things have changed then... :o

Back when ny husband had to sell the Swiftcraft he struggled to get $3,000 for it. Then the only person that rang about it for that price wanted a full written report which cost us $60. In the end he decided he didn't want the boat.
It was about 18ft long with trailer and 200hp motor all in good condition. He ended up selling it to a friend for $2,500. :'(

[steve_n]

me mate had a early seafarer viking (1990) with a 90hp jonno on it. Great boat offshore. Find one with a solid transom and they are tops. ;) Get the thing inspected by someone who knows his stuff and you have a A1 rig. 8-)
You wont find a better outsider for the money but hard to find a good one.

Steve

[hussy]

hubby has never owned a swiftcraft, nautiglass , has not worked on trawlers. knows shit all about not being deep enough, think you got your posters mixed up, hubby
#ps i once owned a sportsmancraft and found it to be a good outside boat ,can #still get them cheap.hubby



pps, now i get it ,christ i,m dumb

[BigE]

squiggle
need to be patient and keep your eyes open for a boat they never seems to move(IE grass not mowed tyres a bit flat) and approach the owner & make an offer. do some home work read a few books and gain some knowledge on what to look out for and how to ID rotten floors & tramsons and such. when your confident start looking. Identify the things you cannot fix (at $5000 you will have fix something!!) for me it was mechinical so when i bought my engine (second hand) i took it straight to a O/B shop for a service and general going over. I ended up with a 4.8m 1/2 cab on the water for under $2500 ........ BUT i had to learn some skills and do some work like a new floor & stringers ((see Itchy and Stratchy) somewhere in the boating posts) I hit the water last week , boat is ez to tow , does 40kph , uses about .6ltr per nautical mile (IE 30-35 mile on a tote tank ezy) has two bunks & some shelter, will fish two person comfy. It's not the greatest or latest but it's right for me and didn't cost an arm & a leg. If you need any advice with your project start a post and the love will start to flow just remember everyones opinion is valid to them, so take whats good for you and dont throw too much mud at the rest (Lots &lots of knowledgeable & helpful ppl on this site will steer u right)
happy hunting

BigE

[BigE]

new floor
;D

[StevenM]

hubby has never owned a swiftcraft, nautiglass , has not worked on trawlers. knows shit all about not being deep enough, think you got your posters mixed up, hubby
#ps i once owned a sportsmancraft and found it to be a good outside boat ,can #still get them cheap.hubby



pps, now i get it ,christ i,m dumb

good one made me giggle ;D ;D

[Squiggle]

hubby has never owned a swiftcraft, nautiglass , has not worked on trawlers. knows shit all about not being deep enough, think you got your posters mixed up, hubby
#ps i once owned a sportsmancraft and found it to be a good outside boat ,can #still get them cheap.hubby



pps, now i get it ,christ i,m dumb

I take it you know MY hubby and thanks for the nasty PM. ::)

[bignick]

Buy my Seafarer V-Sea. You'd have to stretch your budget a helluva lot, but you'd be better off in the end. Here's why; cheap boats usually have cheap (read: old, tird worn out) motors on them and the hulls and/or trailers are often in less than good condition. An el-cheapo boat will let you down more times than it's worth (once is too many) and you'll spend many an hour bobbing around waiting for a tow home, which costs a fortune if you're not in the VMR. Whilst a cheap boat is cheap to buy, like a cheap car, you'll never have your hand out of your pocket and they finish up costing 10 times what they're worth. If you buy a cheap boat with a questionable motor on it, it will go FUTT! and the thing will be worthless and you either have to sell your boat for nothing or spend big bucks on a new motor, thereby blowing the budget to Hell anyway. If you want to fish Outside, just imagine being 40km Offshore and the wind springs up; time to go. Turn the key: NOTHING! It will be a long lonely wait for help to arrive, assuming that your cheap boat has got a decent radio in it. What about if you get caught in rough seas, or worse, crossing a Bar, and you have to push to GO lever hard to move quick and: NOTHING! And that can lead to a trip upside down, which is never good. If you want to do some serious fishing, don't waste your time with cheap rubbish boats, and it pays to stick to the brand names, as they are easier to sell later on. An el-cheapo boat will bring you more heartache than happiness; it may even kill you.

Cheers,
NICK.

[Braddles]

Things have changed then... :o

Back when ny husband had to sell the Swiftcraft he struggled to get $3,000 for it. Then the only person that rang about it for that price wanted a full written report which cost us $60. In the end he decided he didn't want the boat.
It was about 18ft long with trailer and 200hp motor all in good condition. He ended up selling it to a friend for $2,500. #:'(

I agree there! I think the used boat market is incredably inflated especially now that big companys (eg Motorama) are delving into second hand boating market.... You do get what you pay for, but I think what you will pay for something half decent these days is a joke sometimes, especially from some of the yards. The other thing I have noticed is the wide spread under- powering of trailer vessels around the boat yards.. The other day I seen a Haines V17C with a 50HP on it and the dealer had advertised it as a "sporty cruiser"... lol.

I remember selling our Swiftcraft Gull (old hull but fully reconditioned) with a 2 year old V4 90HP E'rude for $6grand... and this boat was beautiful... and was for sale in the trading post for many runs! That was about 6 years ago... now a similar 17ft refurbished boat with sound hull and 2 y.o. engine would be closer to 15 even 20G!

[bignick]

The prices of second hand boats are artificially high only because the price of new boats is so ridiculously outrageous. That, coupled with the fact that there has been far too much easy money around for far too long, results in a market with a gap in the entry level. There is always the rubbish, but the entry level boatie doesn't want to spend 50K (+), but he can afford 15-20K. As everything gets scooped up in that range, supply cannot meet demand, and there you go!! As new boats get sold, the market gets flooded with rubbish trade-ins, which people buy for way more that what they're worth thinking they've scored a bargain. Don't forget, a boat yard can provide finance, insurance, rego transfers, warranties and all the accessories and toys under the sun; and this all comes at a price. And, when these places have got a hoarde of hungry shareholders to satisfy, nothing comes cheap.

Cheers,
NICK.