me and my friend wanna buy a boat next summer were only 16 but we both have jobs l was thinking about buying a bowrider from craigslist does anyone have any information on boats that l should know about?

a big one

the kind that floats!

With the price of gas l would invest in 2 wetsledes{ SeaDoo} jet ski. More fun and easier to transport.


Good Luck JT

You know what is said about boats. The BEST day & the WORST day of ur life is the day u buy a boat. l would never buy a boat except from someone who has it in the water where u can try it. l once bought a boat from a guy who swore up & down that it was perfect. Hauled it home, put it in the lake, got up the next morning.no boat at my dock. Where was it? At the bottom of the lake. Cost me a bunch to have it lifted & checked out. A big hole hiding under the glued-down carpet. Took the guy to Small Claims.won.he was ordered to pay me back $3500 & court costs. Did not have a job, did not pay, could not garnishee.
So, no money for me. But, wait.5 years pass. The guy wants to get married & goes to court house to get license. Whoa, Nellie. No license for you. You owe Miss Ava $3500.
Yippee, l got my money, cause he really loved the girl!

a 16 to 18 ft inboard out board with nice interior that runs great when buying listen to it when shifting in to gear does it grind if so plan on putting 1200 in to the lower unit if u buy it

Before buying any used boat, first gain as much knowledge as you can by talking to experienced boaters, and once you have a boat in mind, have it checked over by a competent marine tech. This will cost a couple of hundred bucks, but it could save you massive headaches, and thousands in repairs.

l would spend my money of my future! school, car, etc.

OR,

score an old aluminum boat 12-16 feet long, buy an old cheap used outboard--and POW gone fishin'! Bowriders and anything more than that cost money to maintain---oil changes, outdrive maintenance, storage etc.

The kind of boat u buy depends on where u will use it & what u will use it for. Craigslist or ebay arent necessarily bad places to shop, but it also depends on how good u r at inspecting it, knowing what to look for, & how handy u are. Plus being able to compare the asking price of a boat, to what its really worth. There was a guy on here asking about selling a 2001 tracker boat with all kinds of goodies for 16000. If someone was a sucker, he may have sold the boat, but thanks to alot of people on here, the guy was answered that the boat was only worth about 12-13k. Talk to people that have boats in ur area, & find out what they r running.

The cost of petrol is rising dramatically so I'd be looking at a nice light aluminum boat with no more than a 75hp on it. Once you get into heavier boats and bigger motors , you have to save up just for a decent day on the water and it is hard to enjoy when it is costing you more per hour to run the boat than you earn per day.

If u buy used make sure the engine is a known company & the boat has no cracks/holes in it. Whatever u do make sure the boat runs before u buy it. A bowrider is good for more people & fishing space & as a starter no longer than 21 Ft. A good engine type choice is an inboard outboard for nice power but the most important thing for that engine type is to look at the belt usually at the front of the motor & check for any cracks, wear & tear because that belt controls almost everything on the boat & u for sure do not want that to break.

if u r both 16 l suggest a Boston Whaler. They r pretty tough & the unsinkable legend if u dont trust yourselfs too much in maintaining it. At 16, l would advise u to stay away from anything too big because of the repair costs u will eventually see. Heres a couple brands u should check out: Boston Whaler, Aquasport, Mako.

also, l suggest an outboard engine for u guys.

Im 17 & l have a 22 foot aquasport & a 140hp evinrude outboard. l can literally put the engine up with the flick of a switch & my boat floats in 6 inches of water. (Its one of the legendary mid '80s aquasports with low draft) It literally rides on top of the water.