How old can we go? Advice on ideal year range for our "new to us" bass boat

[Im_his_best_catch]

Hello! Would really appreciate your input and experience to help me figure out how old of a boat we should be considering in our "new to us" boat search. Also, any advice on boats we should look at would be great (additional details on that below).

Someone told my husband and I we should try to purchase a boat that isn't over 10 years old. I want to double check if you guys would consider that to be correct advice. How old of boats can we be considering on our search, while still hoping to maintain reliability and not be purchasing a money pit?

I don't know enough about boats to understand if boats in the 2000-2005 year range are that much more likely to have engine/mechanical issues?

What we're considering in our boat search:

• No higher than $30k with all the bells and whistles
• I personally would prefer to be around $20k, but I realize I'm not yet fully educated on bass boats and that may be unreasonable
• We are pretty frugal and don't really care about the appearance of new/flashy.
• We currently have 16ft v hull, but it's not very comfortable for the two of us to bass fish
• Want something that will allow us to get in shallower waters
• Definitely want something more with the flat platform to fish from
• Not too small and not too big, but a bit bigger/wider than what we currently have
• Really only the two of us will be fishing on it
• We'd ideally like to keep this boat the next ~10 years, don't plan to upgrade again anytime soon
• We're in the DC area and fish creeks off the Potomac
• Husband does not seem to like the boxy look of tracker boats
• Husband wants the boat to have power poles, whether it comes with or we add them
• Husband wants to have trolling motor with spot lock, whether it comes with or we add them
• Husband has a really busy work schedule so we are lucky if we get to fish once a weekend when the weather is nice (which is why we're having a little trouble justifying an expensive boat)
• He also talked about wanting something that slides/raises and lowers the engine

*As a side note, my husband grew up fishing and is pretty handy. We've checked out a couple boats so far and he is good at telling if the boats been well taken care of and we will be sure to have a mechanic check out the boat before we purchase it.

Thank you so much in advance!

[sewhite]

I would agree with a 10 year old rule as useful. Probably an 18 to 19 foot size in any of the major brands could work. The motor is a big part of the equation, it would have to be in good condition. Accessories can be be changed to fit your needs.

[XingEyeballs]

If you seek a fiberglass bass boat as long as the hull is clean of stress cracks and the transom has a no wood construction and is free of cracks I wouldn’t hesitate to own one 20 years old. Early 2000’s Rangers are still very desirable and in heavy use. As for outboards, there’s years with more issues than others in certain brands but I wouldn’t hesitate to own a 20 year old Yamaha. Mercury had some trouble years that guys can point out and I wouldn’t want a Evinrude Ficht as they were full of issues. Accessories are going to be a mix.

[Im_his_best_catch]

Thanks you for your input, I appreciate it!

[brnzbaklvr]

10 years is really not that old when talking about boats...I've seen some 20-30 year old boats that look brand new and are mechanically sound.....May want to consider Aluminum for the type of fishing your doing and to keep the price down....
A spot lock TM and power poles is about 7-8k brand new....May want to pick one or the other then add the other one later...
For 20k to 30k you should be able to find something nice....but the market is tight right now so take your time and be patient..

[WarEagle24]

First of all Welcome to the boards!! There's a wealth of knowledge among the thousands of members here.

I would look for a 18 foot fiberglass boat with a 150 hp engine. That would fit your needs pretty well and you can find some good bargains on them. I would have a qualified mechanic do a compression test and an overall evaluation of the engine. Good luck with the search!

[KandKKustomz]

All depends how you want it equipt a 20 year old boat with 4 of the latest graphs active target 360, a spotlock trolling motor, power poles and lithiums and maybe a little newer injected motor is going to be in that 25 plus k range where you could get a 10 year newer boat light electronics no poles no spotlock and no lithiums for around the same price. If you want that newer boat there may be no money to equip it how you really wanted. Depending on what region of the country you buy from a 10 to 20 year old boat might only be really half that as there stored 5 months not being used and usually indoors. A Florida boat gets alot more use usually then a Michigan boat. ( are exceptions always). I would have no issue buying a 20 year old northern boat that was equipt to the hilt with everything that a new 80k to 90k boat comes with, rather then a 10 year newer boat with nothing The boat itself is just a floating platform. I too have seen 20 to 25 year old boats that look better then 4 to 5 year old rigs. that northern boat in most cases ( always exceptions ) with have less hours on the outboard. Ive seen 20 year old boats on them with 300 or less hours Ive seen 1 to 2 year old boats with that.

[WisconsinF]

Here's a nice 'northern" rig.

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/boa...439587939.html

[Slicefixer]

First, patience and a lot of due diligence are virtues in your quest.

Here's what I did....

Age was my last consideration, satisfying my budget and my mission were my priorities. As a result I did a LOT of due diligence to lock down a couple of hulls that would satisfy my goals.....stable, easily handle 2 fisherman and gear, tough, able to run in both shallow and rough, trashy water, etc.

Once located it became about attempting to locate the "right" boat, the right deal. Condition of the hull, engine were all that mattered to me. I knew I was going to tear it down and rebuild it to my liking, so the TM, electronics, etc etc etc didn't mean a lot to me. They were nothing more than a possible bonus.....

I ended up with an aluminum....18' 3", 88" beam 17° deadrise (handle rough water better), a hull that carries the 88" well up into the bow so the front deck isn't claustrophobic. Came with a 75hp Merc, but, was underpowered a bit. However, it ran great and was/is in excellent condition. The hull was in great shape so it was worth it to run underpowered for a year or so. I ended up locating a good buy on a on a 115 Merc and it's been perfect for me.

The best part is I have far, far less in my whole boat, new to me dual axle trailer, Ultrex, graphs, etc than half your max budget. But, in today's market I'd have to pay twice the price I paid 5 years ago for the boat as originally purchased.

Addendum: I forgot to tell you the hulls I searched for once I'd made my decision. Tracker Tournament V-18, or the hull it was developed from, the Fisher Pro Hawk 180. The V18 is considered perhaps the best hull Tracker has ever produced. It was the brainchild of Rick Clunn and Johnny Morris and is a great boat to this very day. The only issue is they're reasonably difficult to find unless you're willing to travel and they tend to bring a premium if in good shape.

[D_Wade85]

Any 400 series or 500 series Ranger built in the 90s would serve you well and be a great boat to own. Some of the finest fishing platforms ever made and very stable. The 400 series especially, excellent quality and craftsmanship were put into those hulls. Hands down the best boat made in that era and it’s not even close for second place. Ranger 481v, 482v, 487v, 488v, and the 461 and any of the vs models. The 518 and 519 were great hulls as well. I personally like the look of the 400 series better.

This would put you under budget in a fantastic fishing hull and allow you the extra money to add upgrades as you see fit.

Stay away from Evinrude and Johnson Ficht motors at all cost.

[Im_his_best_catch]

Thanks for all your advice! Your point about patience really stuck out. Since we already have a boat trip fish from, we’re going to make sure we simmer down our eagerness and wait for our perfect boat match.

[Im_his_best_catch]

I’m having trouble figuring out how to reply to your individual responses. Just wanted to say thank you again! I’ve passed everything along to the hubby and he appreciates your input.

I think we might be leaning towards a fiberglass Stratos or an older Ranger I’ll be sure to steer clear of Evenrude and try to go for a Yamaha engine. & we will look for Northern boats. My FIL is in NY and we have family in Wisconsin so luckily that opens up options.

Another question though- does anyone know if the 18’ boats we’d be interested in fit 7’6 poles in the storage things? With our current boat we can’t store rods how the bass boats do. The little vertical rod holding things my husband installed are a pain and I really want to make sure we can be able to put the rods away. If that means we need a bigger boat, then I’ll start lining up contractors to expand the driveway.

[basscat tyler]

I have a 2002 BassCat Sabre and I have no problem putting 7’6” rods in there

[DaveBrabec]

I bought a 6 year old boat 8 years ago.14 years old now and its worth more than I paid for it.Still runs great.

[JJohnSind]

I wouldn’t put a limitation on the age, if it’s taken care of. Not much goes wrong with the hull, and a simple refresh of carpet and upholstery can make any well cared for boat look new. I sold a 14 year old boat last year that I guarantee looked as good most newer ones. Looked for garage kept boats, avoid ones with stress cracks and transom issues. Stay with the better brands when you go older.

[DewRonInc]

I bought a 2004 stroker and redid entire boat, it was in great shape but I updated everything

[tj]

.

[Oprod]

I’m selling a vx20 2001 ranger and “upgraded” to a z21 2006 ranger. Point is 20 year old fiberglass boats are fine, but you need to inspect for sure. I think that the electronics and trolling motors are so expensive these days , that it makes good since to buy an older boat and have the best accessories. It helps keep things affordable. Figure that you will probably need to spend 10k in a engine rebuild or buy an older boat with a newly rebuilt engine. Look for stress cracks transom and hull. Look for blisters in hull where the bunks rest. Go with a brand that still offers parts and customer service. The part of these forums that discuss individual brands are excellent to visit when considering a specific year boat.

[Slicefixer]

I’m having trouble figuring out how to reply to your individual responses. Just wanted to say thank you again! I’ve passed everything along to the hubby and he appreciates your input.

I think we might be leaning towards a fiberglass Stratos or an older Ranger I’ll be sure to steer clear of Evenrude and try to go for a Yamaha engine. & we will look for Northern boats. My FIL is in NY and we have family in Wisconsin so luckily that opens up options.

Another question though- does anyone know if the 18’ boats we’d be interested in fit 7’6 poles in the storage things? With our current boat we can’t store rods how the bass boats do. The little vertical rod holding things my husband installed are a pain and I really want to make sure we can be able to put the rods away. If that means we need a bigger boat, then I’ll start lining up contractors to expand the driveway.

Mine does fit 7' 6".....longest rod I have. I keep meaning to figure out how long I could store every time I have the front deck off, but, keep forgetting to do it.