A little help...First time boat purchase.

[meddeman]

Good morning, I've been reading this forums posts for a while and love the information. I had a question for veteran boat buyers about purchasing a new bass boat. I've only ever had a kayak but have been saving for a while now and shopping around for the new boat I want. I've narrowed to two options, but had some questions about the boat buying process. Both boats I'm looking at cost around 28k. I will not be financing this boat. I've saved enough to buy it outright. My question is, besides the actual boat price, what else goes into the dollar amount I will be paying? (registration, titling, local sales tax, etc). I live in Birmingham, Alabama (Shelby County) if any locals have a reference point. This is what I've learned so far...correct me if I'm missing anything.

Alabama has a 2% sales tax on boat sales (will i be paying a local tax as well?)
Registration is about $25 from what I can tell in Alabama.
If the boat isn't on the lot I may have shipping and freight fees.

What else goes into a purchase. I just want to be prepared when I go to negotiate. Thanks for the advice!

[Midnight Rider]

There can be additional sales tax, depending on whether you are in city limits, if there is a county tax, etc. It won't be more than about 1% though. Registration is about 25 bucks if memory serves me. The dealer will include shipping prices in the price of the boat. Shipping is one thing the dealer IS going to pass on to the buyer, just like the destination charge when buying a car/truck. Boats do not have a title in Alabama, and neither does the trailer. You do NOT have to have a trailer tag in Alabama, just the registration numbers and yearly "tag" on the boat's bow. Other than that, it depends on who you are dealing with.

Electronics can drive the price up significantly. My advice: Get the maximum horsepower rating for the boat...you can always go slower and get better fuel mileage than running an underpowered boat wide open, PLUS the resale value will be greater with the maximum HP on the boat. Don't scrimp on things like a trolling motor...get more power than you think you need. On boats in the 17-19 foot range, that means a 24 Volt trolling motor...I personally prefer Minn Kota, and a Fortrex model. Get a good stainless steel prop on the boat. Make sure the livewells are adequate and check out any options available on that system...Alabama summers are HOT, and if you want to keep your fish alive, you must have a good livewell system. You will need good gauges too...RPM, Water Pressure, Trim position, at least. A speedometer is useless, as they are a PITA to keep working and inaccurate. If you get decent depth finders with GPS, you'll have accurate speed on the graph. Good luck, and good fishing.

Are you looking at a glass boat or aluminum? If you want to drive a little further, and like Yamaha 4 stroke engines, come see Scott Brech at Breck Marine in Selma. Great guy, and he'll give you as good a deal as you can get. He sells, Skeeters, BassCat, and G3 aluminum. The BassCat is likely out of your price range, but you MIGHT get a smaller Skeeter for your budget. Don't overlook a 1 to 2 year old used boat with low hours and warranty left...you can save major bucks and get a nicer boat in the process.

[meddeman]

Thanks for the great info. I'm really considering aluminum. Like I said, I've been saving for a while, so I can go over 30k if I really wanted. I'm looking at the Ranger RB190, or RT188. I do fish the bays a couple times a year so I really leaning toward the RB190. I will definitely max out the horsepower. I don't pack a ton of gear so I don't need a ton of storage, and I don't pan to fish a bunch of tournaments. I really and just a pure pleasure fisherman. But that is all great info. I'm glad you mentioned the title, because I couldn't find anything about a title in AL. Good info!

[11pounder]

Insurance, many homeowner policies will cover the boat when at home some don't check yours, some automobile policies cover the boat while your towing some don't check yours, you need a separate policy while on the water, be sure to get one and call your agent before picking the boat up.

[meddeman]

Thanks for the info!