Fishing Q&A - How do I buy a used boat?

How do I buy a used boat?

I'm thinking of buying a boat for fishing, waterskiing, tubing, water sports. We will use it for freshwater lakes only, no sea water. Cuddy? I'd rather camp but if the price is right.... I've looked at some classified. $5000 would be my limit. What do I look for in buying a used boat? How do I tell if it's a lemon? Is there such thing as a lemon boat (just as a lemon car)? Is it just as easy making a lemon look perfect just as easy as it is for a car? If boat is well maintaned does it matter how old it is? 1970's? Can anyone help me out?

Public Comments

even the best maintained boats, will get some rot somewhere, floors or decks. might be 25 or 30 years, but it'll need replacing. soft floors/decks aren't that hard to detect just by walking around. the transom is the crucial part -- transoms can be replaced but it is a major headache, unless you're looking for a "project boat", you want a solid transom. With an outboard, it's easy -- tilt it up, get a firm grip on the lower unit and give it a good shake -- if the transom flexes at all, walk away. there is literally no upper limit on the service life of a well-maintained marine engine -- they don't typically wear out -- they get junked because of operator error or lack of maintenance. A compression test will give you an indication of the overall health of the motor -- if the lowest cylinder isn't within 5% of the highest, walk away. If the boat's on a trailer, ask the owner to start it for you. If he does so without using a hose to supply water to the lower unit (outboard or stern drive), walk away -- the motor's been abused.
try ebay.com or craigslist.com i bought 1 boat 2 cars and 4 dirt bikes on these sites for cheap i bought a 85hp 16ft boat for 600 dollar ran perfect nothing wrong with it on craigslist does 30mph at half way never maxed it out.
first get a boat that looks good to you get a out board engine there more reliable get one that comes with a trailer if your going to trailer it and shop around and dont be in a rush start the engine and if you can take it for a ride jummp on the deck to see if its soft or solid pull on the transom to make sure its solid usaully you can tell by talking to the owner and looking at the boat if your lucky you get a good boat if your not lucky you will hate boating good luck