when is the best time to buy a boat?

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
My Lowe 16 big jon mod v always did me good.
Wish I never sold it. Screwed up.my back and could not lift the motor or pull it so I sold it.
New plan is to get power T&T E start. That should help
Bad backs and pull start don't work. I can't deal with an easy starting 25 HP now. I had to convert a 30 Suzuki to electric and you didn't have to pull that thing 10" out of the cowl.
 

CountryRN

Twelve Pointer
Thats a hard call and is up to you but i would say no.
I purchased a 1996 seaark a little over 4 years ago. It is an 1860 mv with center console. She had a 1997 mercury 60 hp that i ran hard up until November 2014 before i had to repower. I purchased the boat motor and trailer for $2500 from a guy in Belhaven. The motor probably would have lasted a lot longer had the original owner not been the NC Wildlife Commission who ran the hell out of it.
She is a bear bones boat with no frills. I have made some modifications such as running the electrical and gas lines under the floor to put my two batteries and a 15 gallon tank in the bow. My point is, yes i have a 20 year old hull but she is solid as a rock and SeArk is a tank of a boat anyway. If you buy an old hull, you can customize it the way you want for cheap. And say you have to repower, you still have a lot less cash in it than a new rig. If the hull needs a little work, a hundred bucks and a case of beer can get a lot of aluminum work done. If the paint needs to be freshened up, $50 worth of the rustoleum camo green from Walmart will repaint the entire boat
You say you want a tiller; well if you can find a great deal on a console boat and for a couple hundred put a tiller on the motor and remove the console. Keep your eyes on Craigslist and have patience. You will find a good deal on one soon enough.





By the way. The fender sitting on the wheel look is probably from an extra 1000 lb of water logged foam in the floor of the boat. Just one extremely possible explication.
 
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Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
Those boats are high and that stuff adds up quick. But he is adding the accessories up at close to retail and not depreciating it 10 years. I would suspect he will own it a while.
Thats what I was thinking.

Lot of money there and may need some work.
Was thinking it would be in the 10k or less for the age.

Funny all the J boats out there beat to crap, lots of holes from them adding this and that over the years yet a 12 or 14 foot boat is selling used for 700 to 900 when they sell new for 699 to 999.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Yeah but the big ones can be had decent, maybe not now but they are out there. I looked what I thought was forever which was actually about 18 mos when I was also looking for a new one the configuration I wanted. Dindn't find what I wanted used and I finally bought that Lowe new and within two months I saw two used ones, one at a heck of a buy. Told a friend and he bought it.
 

catfishrus

Twelve Pointer
Considering it has a 4 stroke and being 20 ft. long...a new one loaded would run 30 grand..he is asking half price...I think he's in the ball park on price for a 20 ft. boat. Its not a steal but compare it to another 20 fter and I think you will find out he's close on price. JMO
 

23mako

Ten Pointer
Check out Kliebert custom boats. I think the guy was on swamp people for a season. Builds no frills aliminum boats with open layouts.

that being said, I have a lowe 1860sc with more than enough room on it.
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
Had lowe in the past

It was a great boat and was leaning that way.
Been looking at the 1860
Does yours have t he livewell in the front with extra storage? What motor?
I think they call it a 1860 DXL or something. The standard 1860 has a lower deck but no livewell of storage.
 

23mako

Ten Pointer
Mine has the side console and the livewell is in front of that. However I run a removable livewell on my boat the sits on the deck and can just take it out when I do not need it. The livewell on most of those boats are junk. I have a 15 gallon circular one so I can use pogies etc.

I have a 70 hp suzuki on it with a foil wing. Absolutely love the thing.
 
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