New to boats, teach me!

[SlowStang305]

Hello everyone, my name is Roman and I'm new to the boating scene. My brother and I are looking into purchasing a small open fisherman and I was hoping you all could educate me.

Im looking for a used boat something that I could buy cash for $10,000. I was looking into financing a new Dusky but the payments would be a bit high.

I was hoping you all may answer some questions for me.

1. What should I look for in a used boat, say a 1995-1999 when it comes to the hull. How do I tell if its in good condition? What are the signs to look for?

2. Is Angler a good company, I'm looking at a 1999 22 Foot angler right now.

3. What do I look for in a used outboard motor to make sure its good. I was told to make sure it "shifts fine". How can I do that when the boat is out of the water?

4. As soon as I get a boat, what are the first things I should do with the motor? I was told to get the oil changed and change the plugs. How much would something like this cost?

5. Is Mercury a good company for outboards?

6. Aftermarket TTOPS, how much am I looking for to spend on one for a 22 ft boat installed.

7. What are "stress marks" on a hull of a boat? What are they refferring too?

If there is any other advice you would like to share with me I'm all ears, I'm hear to learn, I don't know a thing about boats!

[Lazy_Iguana]

1. run the HIN (hull ID number) and see if the boat was ever salvaged or had an insurance claim made on it. If the HIN is clean then just about any 1995 - 1999 hull SHOULD be OK. Look for soft spots on the deck (walk around on it). Also look for overall condition. An older hull should have signs of use, but you want to look for abuse. The boat should be clean - but not too clean as if it were just cleaned and waxed and stuff. Fresh paint is a danger sign. What is it covering? Look at the metal parts for corrosion. Check the wiring in the center console for corrosion on the copper (looks green).

2. Yes, Angler is a good company.

3. Hire someone who can give you a qualified opinion on the engine. This person will be called a "marine surveyor". They can also look the hull over and give you an opinion there. A surveyor can save you a lot of money and time.

4. If the motor is good and was properly maintained - nothing. A 2 stroke engine never needs an oil change, but it does need the lower unit lubricated from time to time. 4 stroke engines do require oil changes like a car. Inboard engines are always 4 stroke. Changing filters and oil is never a bad idea, so if you want to do that then fine. But is the seller has taken care of the boat then it should not need to be done right away. If the boat has not had filters or oil changed for years - I would not take it.

5. Mercury is an excellent company for outboards. So is Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, and so on.

6. T-Tops can be expensive. Figure $2500 for a new one custom made at most shops. At least. There are mail order places to get tops from, but they are not going to be custom made for your boat. They will be a "one size fits all" deal and in my opinion not really what you want. Look around locally A LOT before you buy. I found a guy in Miami that made me a custom T-Top and installed it for only $950. Less than half of what everyone else wanted. The guy was able to go so low because he runs a one man shop from his backyard and has no overhead at all. The work was excellent.

7. Stress marks are cracks and stuff on a hull. They are caused by rough use (excessive pounding), mishaps (running aground), and overpowering (using a larger and/or heavier engine than the manufacturer intended). There can be other causes too. Not all stress cracks are created equal. Some are non structural and just ugly and some are structural and can be very dangerous. A good marine surveyor will know where to look for cracks. So get one.

8. TAKE A USCG AUXILIARY SAFE BOATING CLASS! This is important. You will pick up some great info there. There are two classes they offer, the one day class and the class that runs for a few weeks. Take the longer class. The one day class is better than nothing but can not possibly cover what the longer class covers.

9. Do not fall for the first boat you see. Take your time looking. There are a lot of used boats to pick from right now.

[Lazy_Iguana]

Did I mention hire a marine surveyor? I think I did. But I will mention it again so it really stands out.

As a first time buyer you should get one. $10k is a respectable chunk of cash and with a used boat there is no warranty. A surveyor can help you from making a mistake. But only hire one after you find something you really like and that you are ready to plunk down the cash for. If you leave a deposit with someone, make sure you get in writing that the final sale is dependent on a marine survey AND a sea trial. You would not buy a used car without a test drive - a used boat is no different. If possible, take the surveyor on the sea trial. Some sellers may want a few bucks for a sea trial and this is acceptable because if you do not buy the boat the seller has still burned gas, has to take the time off to run the sea trial, has to wash down the boat, and so on. A few bucks prevents people who just want a ride from wasting the sellers time. Of course for a sea trial you should pay any tolls or boat ramp fees as well.

[SlowStang305]

Lazy_Iguana, thanks for all of your help fellow Miamian! This has brought up a lot for me to think about! Thank you once again, Im leaving my house right now to go look at the Angler, I will let you know what I think. I will def find a marine surveryor before I buy anything.

[razoo125]

SlowStang, I would take the engine to a mechanic to check it out before I bought it.

[TSA]

I normally don't reply to these types of threads but your post seems to be in earnest. MY SUGGESTION would be to join a boat club were you pay a monthly fee and and have access to several different types of boats. That will get you into the boating environment and help you to make an informed decision without making a huge initial financial commitment/mistake (purchase).

Good luck.

[SlowStang305]

Thanks again guys! I just got back from looking at the Angler. It looks like a pretty decent boat for the money. I will have a mechanic do a compression check this Saturday on the boat to make sure it checks out. What kind of psi should I be looking for in each cylinder, its a 225HP EFI Merc motor.

[Lazy_Iguana]

The mechanic should know that. If the mechanic asks you, find another one! But for the most part what you are looking for is equal psi in each cylinder. A few PSI + or - is ok, but if all the cylinders are at 128 - 131 PSI (for example) except one that is reading 100 there is a problem. But even a not so great marine outboard mechanic should know what the compression should be.

If you are in Miami and want a T-Top you can find the guy I used on Craigslist. His ads are always the same. $600 T-Top installed. Just search the boats area for T-Top and you will see the ad. When you talk to the guy, he will show you a $600 top and a $950 top. The $950 top is so much better than the $600 top that it is not worth the $350 savings to go with the $600 advertised top. Take the much heavier duty $950 top. I am only saying this because you mentioned wanting one. Here is the ad.

http://miami.craigslist.org/boa/610749070.html

I am posting it because this is the guy I went to for my T-Top. But there are other ads for tops on the list. I can only speak for one, but it can not hurt to maybe check out some others and see what kind of work they produce and what they charge.

The joining a boat club idea is also a good idea. A very common thing for new boat owners is to buy the wrong boat. They buy a boat thinking they will use it for one use, and then find out that they either end up using the boat for something else - or the boat is not really good for the intended use. For example, lets say you intend to weekend on the boat so you want a cabin. You may find you never weekend on the boat and would rather have an open boat for more fishing space, or the cabin is not big enough and you find out after one or two weekends that you really want a larger cabin with an enclosed head or a generator and AC or whatever. Having a boat club membership allows you to try several boats and get a better idea of what you want.

Another suggestion for you is to get Sea Tow or Boat US towing insurance! You may never need it. But if you do ever need it the insurance pays for itself AND saves you a few hundred bucks the first time you use it. A $300 towing bill for a marine tow is probably below average. The insurance is around $120 or $130. So as you see, the insurance is worth it. When you get a boat, also get the towing insurance. You can obtain Sea Tow insurance at any Boaters World location (there is one across US1 from The Falls) and you can get Tow Boat US from any West Marine location. You can also sign up for either service online. In the Miami area both services are just as good, so Sea Two is just as good as Tow Boat US. So as long as you have one or the other you are good.

If you live near Coral Way and SW 87th ave there is a boating safety class conducted by the USCG Auxiliary at the West Marine store located in the mall that also has the Office Depot and CVS and Taco Bell and Burger King in it. I took my boating safety class there and it was well worth it. The classes are Monday and Wednesday from 7 - 9 PM. If this location is close to you then stop by the store and pick up a schedule. The store will have schedules for the next course, so just ask. This is the location I took my class at, and I enjoyed it very much. If this is too far from you then there are other auxiliary flotillas that conduct classes from other locations. You can search for classes here.

http://cgaux7.org/pub_classes.asp

There are two classes offered. The one day ABC class and the multiple session BSS class. Take the BSS class, as it contains more information than the one day 8 hour class.