1st Boat

[Strike]

I'm looking to buy a boat with a mate but we have no idea what to look for...

I guess we'd wanna do mainly estuary fishing.. maybe with about 3 or so on board with a budget of around 6 grand..

what sort of boat would we be looking at around this price range? Would any boats around this price be capable of fishing the bay when we get some experience or should we look at upgrading down the track?

As far as looking for problems with boats my brothers mate is a boat builder so he could always checkout hull's etc.. would just need a mechanic to checkout that side of things..

any ideas on which boats to look at?

[Lachie1]

Where abouts exactly are you fishing mate? For six grand you could get a farily nice tinney. Have ya got a boat licence cos if u dont that will limit you to a 6hp or less.

Look in the trading post or weekend shopper for like a 12-13ft tinney with about a 15 to 20hp motor that is less than 6 years old and that should be about ya price range. I'm sure you'll get many more replies on this topic so yer take it all in to consideration and then make a decision.

Good Luck,
Lachie

[Zeeke]

Strike, what do you plan on towing it with?? that'll give us an idea on how big you can go, for around 6 grand u can pick up a fairly decent 16ft fibreglass half cab with a old outboard.. prolly with a 50 to 70.. depends where ya look.. but they are pretty cheap but they arent new either.. but just remember, when they first came out they were the bee's knees ;)

Tim

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

if heading to the bay - buy a new donk but a second hand 14ft tinnie & trailer. Its a bad time to buy just before Xmas - far better off waiting - more become available after the holiday period & by then you may have more $ for a bigger motor. Its a good idea to keep your eyes glued to the classifieds - that means buying papers at dawn etc because there are blokes who make a living buying the best value deals then selling immediately - just like cars.

If its your first boat don't look for too many extras - you are far better off getting a bigger rig / motor & slowly figuring out what you like according to how you fish & use a boat. By about your third boat you'll probably know what you really want.

good luck,

chris

[Big_Kev]

If you get yourself a copy of the latest Qld Fishing monthly it will be riddled with adds for new boats.
You will find a tinny package for around your budget and you will know what you can get new.
I would recomend a sounder, just a basic model.
You will need at leat a 3.9 with a 25hp to fish the southern bay and up to Amity on a good day 2 up.(once you get the hang of it).
To go onto more open water you need a bigger boat, as it turns to shit quick.
The papers are full, some are bargains and some are nightmares.
Basicaly the newer the boat the less it will cost it repairs. But be warned a new boat will not stop you from spending money on the fxxxxer.
BOAT= bring on another thousand.
Cheers Kev.

[clutter]

Don't forget looking in the Bush'n'Beach fishing magazine also. Besides having heaps of new rigs advertised, they also have a Classified section in the back that sometimes has boats for sale. Go back through the for sale section here as well.

Cheers, Clutter

[Strike]

Thanks for the tips fellas!

Would be fishing rivers around brissie and yer if possible moreton bay..

Towing shouldn't be an issue.... i've got a wrangler (4L, 6 cyl donk)

Not in a rush to buy so i can wait until after xmas ;D

So i guess what im looking for is a boat around 13-16 ft and then save like a bastard to run the thing heh.. im not looking for anything flash just something that will survive a newbie pounding! Like chris says by about the third boat youd know what you like/need...

Looks like its time to checkout some mag's etc..

cheers

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

Strike,

Go to link below, then click on boats for sale. Pick your budget category, do a search and you will soon see what sort of bang you are going to get for your buck! Also deduct the cost of a new donk from your budget, do another search and you should get a heap of hull only results - if not, just call the dealers from your first search and ask them if they will sell hull only and how much.

If you have time on your hands, check it regularly using the last 7 days function and you may be able to grab a bargin as soon as it pops up. (a lot of the boats that come up when you use this function are just the same boats already there, but the dealers repost them so they will come up in a last 7 days search, but there will be new ones amongst them as well)

I used the link for the front page rather than the boats for sale page coz there is some new boat info on the front page which might be useful to you as well.

Cheers, and good luck.
Jeff

http://boatpoint.ninemsn.com.au/Home/HomePage.asp

[Strike]

Cheers for the site gorilla

Was speaking to my mate today I think he's more keen on a boat thats capable of reaching the bay on a good day...

Also forgot to ask is there any reliable makes/models i should be looking out for around this price or are they all a much of a muchness?

[Big_Kev]

Strike reliable is the word of the day.
Hows the searching been going.
Cheers Kev.

[jeffo]

i got my quintrex dory 4.1 with a 96 model 20hp evinrude, near new trailer, sounder bimini top, false floor and safety gear for 3800..i replaced the sounder got a GPS and fitted it out with a few other bits and pieces all up spending about $5000. i fish mainly offshore and it handles it well. hope that gives you some idea of what you can get for $6000.

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

Strike,
Unfortunately the reliable ones are exactly what you are unlikely to find on boatpoint or in the trading posts etc coz people generally don't want to sell their boat if they have a reliable one.
An example of this was a mate of my brothers who was looking for an edgetracker, and said they were notable by their absence in the trading post.
My bro just bought a boat a while back that is not too big but looks like it would be ok for outside in good weather or for on the bay. 2 years old with a 30hp on the tail, trailer etc spent around $10,000 if I remember rightly. I will try and get the details for you and you could look it up and see if its what you are thinking of.
Hope some of the numerous experienced boaties on this site can chip in with some more advice.
Cheers,
Jeff

[ba229]

Heres a boat buying story.

Last week i saw a 12 1/2 ft fibre with 20 Hp mariner that all looked good.

Went to the owners house and he was a genuine retired seller who seemed to be a nice old guy. He talked the boat up and after a while we went for a test run.

I live in newcastle and we took it around the corner from him into Lake Maquarie

i noted before we left shore that he had put life jackets on board but no bucket, oars etc. I figured if we got stopped by the authorities he was in charge so he would get the fine.

After a few pulls he started the motor and reversed us back from the boat ramp. turned around and had just put us up on the plane we he starts swearing and asking what was going on.

The motor lost revs and then died. started first pull. into gear and it stalled. this went on about 5 times.

The wind was strong and pushing us away from shore. after me doing some convincing i tied us off on a channel marker as we floated past it.

i noticed that the spark plugs were loose and due to no tools on board i tightened them as much as i could by hand.

Couldn't even start the motor now.

40 minutes later we were towed in by two guys in a tinnie.

The old bloke was very apologetic and said he would look at the motor. he thought it was carbie and proceded to overhaul it with me watching in amazement at his lack of mechanical skills.

Carbie back on. motors runs real rough. i suggest taking plugs out and looking at them and sure enought there was water on one of the plugs.

Ends up due to age of motor that it has had it. made an offer on hull and trailer that was significantly cheaper than he had in mind.

In the end i didn't buy the boat and am damn glad the motor shit itself before i bought it.

Moral to the story "watch old motors and old men who talk them up" #;)

[Strike]

mate not so long ago i bought my first car... to be honest most cars i looked at i didn't even listen to the salesman.. lets face it there only after your money so it doesn't really matter what they say to you. Having said that there definately ARE genuine salespeople out there.. you know who you are ;). Lucky you took the old guys boat for a test! Im sure many people buy boats without actually doing or getting a chance to do a water test..

that sounds like a decent buy jeffo.. i was suprised there are decent packages like that for sale for such a small budget. I think the main thing is i have time on my side..

Cheers,

Nick

[peterbo3]

Hi Strike,
This subject has been on the board in various forms in the past but the most important advice I can offer is no matter what the rig costs - get the whole setup checked out by an O/B mech before you part with one cent.
Visual inspection, then test run, then mechanical check.
If the vendor is not keen on 2 & 3, then walk. The world is full of used boats. Some are OK, others not. :o :o
The $200 you spend on the mechanical, hull & trailer check with a WRITTEN report will be your best investment ever. ;D ;D ;D

[Big_Kev]

Strike when I bought some boats in the past I would get the paper early as and know what I wanted.
Even being early did not always help and I missed out on a couple of good buys by five minutes.
Knowing what you are looking at and what its worth comes with looking at heaps of boats as well as heaps of shit.
Cheers Kev.