Good starter boat?
 

Hello, I am looking for a good starter boat. Looking to spend about 10-25k. I am basically looking for a single engine boat that possibly needs new upholstery because i do boat covers & upholstery. Im 22, I dont need something that i am going to kill myself or go 100mph. Just something to buy, Fix it up a little bit, Use it for a little bit and sell. I was looking at older pantera's , Checkmate convincer, .Anything under 30ft. with a single engine I would be boating on Lake St. Clair in Mi. Any suggestions. Thanks Jordan

I'd be looking for a 25 Active Thunder Tantrum personally. Awesome boats. Well built, ride great, look great and will run 65-70 with stock power. There are a couple for sale. I know of one in Illinois that actually spent almost it's whole life on LSC. It's a turn key boat and needs nothing.

25 AT, 24-25 Baja Outlaw or a 25 Check Convincer are all worthy candidates. The AT would be my choice of the three.

I have had small fishing and crabbing boats, center consoles, Duck boats. But when I was ready for a all day boat I found a 1986 23 foot Wellcraft Nova II. The trailer needed brakes the clear coat on the deck was peeling the paint on the sides would fade within a week of buffing. But it ran great. It had a Merc 350/260 that would run 30 all weekend and 50 for a day. It was small enough to store and tow all over. But roomy enough to take 6 people out and the price was right. $4500 and got it for $3800 Over time it got new pumps, plugs, engine coupler and paint and the trailer got brake assemblies. It was easier to work on than the truck. So I would say what do you need it for, How many people, Fuel costs so your able to use it etc. I had it for three years until I saw a poker run come through and I just had to move up. But to this day I wish I would have kept her. So find the one that You like and look it over very hard. Good Luck in your search

http://www.powerboatlistings.com/view/29600

I have a 1998 Active Thunder for sale in Chicago, PM me or give me a call 586-651-7389.

23 ft Novas are nice boats. We had one when I was a kid. Very solid ride and plenty of room for a 23. However 23 was just a nova. Nova II was a 26.

If you're going to be boating on LSC, you may want to consider something from the brothers Schaldenbrand in Algonac (Sunsation). Similar to the Panteras in size, narrower beam and smaller cabin than the AT or Baja, but a ton of fun nonetheless. Check Craigslist, there's one advertised locally with K-planes recent Bravo rebuild, and fresh 454 (allegedly, with receipts). The AT is definitely the best choice mentioned thus far, but as you'll see, when you find one, it's going to be at the upper end of your price range.

But there's a reason that they will be at the top of your budget. They will rival most 28 foot boats

I have a 1994 Python with an HP500 and bravo 1. 283 hours (still using it) $16,000 OBO. Let me know if interested. Here is the link: https://norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/4618283159.html

my 97 AT tantrum is for sale .

Lake St. Clair can get pretty sloppy. I would look at Formulas, Active Thunders, Velocity 280 (or older 260s. The older 260 is now called the 280). I had a newer Velocity 260 (a 24' hull plus platform) and occasionally took a ride across St. Clair (often in Lake Erie). While it was a great boat, it was fast, had a deep cockpit, roomy cabin (probably a bit smaller than the AT), had a nice windshield to keep you out of the cold wind (spring and fall), and was great on fuel.. Having the extra 2' of running surface would have been nice to have on those choppy days. The Active Thunder won't be the fastest (equal power) but will be a solid ride in the Great Lakes. Probably one of the largest Cabins in that size boat. If you aren't too concerned with cockpit and cabin space a Sunsation would be a great economical boat. There are a decent amount of them runnin around the Great Lakes. Baja Outlaws 24 & 25s are plentiful in the Great Lakes region, however it seems they get a premium around here because of Name recognition. I sold my 03 Velocity 260 for $22k and it was spotless w/low hours. Yet mid to late 90s Baja seem to be listed for a lot more, yet simply aren't in the same class when it comes to fit/finish and performance...... Good luck in your search! After Labor Day the deals will really start popping up as people will want to get out of their boats to avoid winter storage..

First boat to you I would stick to something at the 23-25 foot level. I wouldnt necessarily go performance first brands like crownline, four winns, chaparral, mariah, plenty out there that are sporty enough and you can get your feet wet. But if your going performance look at Baja or maybe formula.

A classic V-bottom performance boat with no steps to get your feet wet so to speak. If you want a true sit down and go fast speedster, you can't beat a Donzi 22 Classic.
If you want more room and a small cabin than a 24-27 foot Baja, Scarab, Formula, Active Thunder, Etc. would be a good choice.

I seen that, Nice boat. A little out of my price range to be honest.

Thanks for the advice. I have herd the "after labor day" a few times. And i will probably wait until then. Because realistically i will be looking for somewhat of a project ( upholstery & canvas wise ) that i can do over the winter, Use it for a month / month and a half and sell it when everyone is trying to buy a boat. I have a problem with keeping anything anyways lol. I really like the AT's maybe i will find one cheap enough in my budget that i can do a little work to and use it for a little bit.

Wouldn't go anywhere near the chopper gun boats mentioned (crownline, four winns, chaparral, mariah). Stick to true, quality built boats that were designed for rough water use. The Formula line mentioned would also be worthy of consideration with AT, Baja, Check and Sunsation. Good luck.

What is your budget?

No more than 25k. Even then that would be pushing it. I would have to get an extremely great deal on a boat to spend the 25k

Also it sounds like you want to "flip" a boat. Doesn't generally work out to be profitable. Just a heads up. Boats are never worth the money you put it in.

Oh trust me i know. I restored a few cars in the past. Im more or less looking for something i can do a little work to in the winter, Enjoy it for a month or two, sell it and look for something else. If i dont sell it than oh well. I enjoy doing upholstery and i am very good at it. It wont cost me much to make a boat look nice. But i have done some research and from what everyone on here is telling me i have found a few boats i like. Im just trying to get a good idea on a nice starter boat and what to look for. Ill tell you what tho i really like them AT's. Might have to set some more $$ aside and look for one. Thanks guys!!

You can have my 1996 24 Baja Outlaw for $24. Fresh 573, dual full helm hydraulic steering. Fresh paint and so on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs4bXMN4n3A [IMG]http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8b1c6eb3.jpg[/IMG]

Even got 20's on the trailer.
I don't care if my boat sells but a 24 or 25 baja outlaw would be a good starter boat. Really there are to many options really need to know what you want to do with it.

The pics of the Larson that I sent you is the same haul that Active Thunder uses. Its a stepped Haul and Larson and Active Thunder bought the writes to use that Haul Design.

The 20 outlaw 22 scarabs are good boats for $12-17k

I have a 25 outlaw currently (Friends all have 30+) I would say the 24/25 outlaw is a great starter boat that you can grow with for a few years. It really does a lot well and can be had for $25k +\-

I have an 87 villain II but it's only 19' and I probably want more than it's really worth.
http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/r.../imagejpg1.jpg
http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/r...magejpg1-2.jpg

If your looking for a true rough water boat, or just a quality boat for that matter, you gotta look at a 24' Pantera. They are awesome boats. Well built. I would also look at a 24' Superboat, a 26' Corsa if you can find one. Those are great boats as well. In my opinion if your open to outboard power, I would buy a 21' Challenger or Superboat way before I touched a 22' Donzi. You can look into the older Velocity lines as well. You have to remember though, I am looking at this from the standpoint of hull designs, and what boats run better. Pure performance, Taking into account rough water as well. So if your looking for cruiser or something with a big cuddy then some of the boats I mentioned will not be a good choice. It really comes down to personal preference. Im not a fan of some of the other boats listed as options but that's just me who cares. An im sure that others aren't fans of some of the stuff I listed but I think all of us have listed enough boats to where you can narrow it down to what you like.

State, you selling? What ya looking at buying? I have yet to see you out on the lake this summer. I was hoping to see you before the dreaded W comes! We'll be out Saturday, if you're out, look for a red/white/blue 32 Advantage, it kinda sticks out on our lake....

You mentioned twice about doing the upholstery as part of your project. How about posting some pictures of before and after. I have been thinking of adding some design or color to my plain white sun pad. Maybe we could work something out?

If interested, i have a Baja Outlaw SST that's lake ready for $16k

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/t...psf0a448fe.jpg

If I were to start over, Id be looking for a Donzi 22 Classic real hard. However, my CS does have a nice big sunpad.

There was a Formula 242 needing some inside work floating around on Detroit craigs

In have owned a few of those chopper gun boats and been in plenty of them. They are fine and would suit what this guy needs. I have done nothing but boat great lakes and bigger lakes my whole life. While bigger boat the better on big water, anything listed would be fine if they werent you wouldnt see any of them out on the water, when in fact those are the most popular ones. And its not like you need the titanic on Lk St Claire, and if the water is bad enough your not going out anyways.

To be honest with this guys budget and what hes aiming to do, Im not so sure going straight performance is a wise idea anyways. Also for his buget and what he can get is going to denote a certain vintage, mainly late 80s early 90s performance, which is nothign wrong with that. But say getting a 92 Baja and vs a 98-2000 crownline LTD or similar, ehh Id take the crown.

Buyer dont worry about cost, looks, branding. Take your budget and go look at the boats, does it fit your needs and what you want. Do you want to ski, fish, tube behind a boat, have 8-10 people in one, well performance isnt going to do that for you. If you want something that can go fast, take chop, fit 4-5 people, go performance.

As a first time boat buyer, I would just highly reccommend not going straight performance. To be honest anything i listed would go just as fast as any performance boat in your budget anyways. But if you do go performance I would not go less than 24ft, anything smaller than 24ft your going to be disappointed with space, and room, and what the boat can do. I know certain brands feel larger, but still. personally I wouldnt be in a performance boat unless it was 26-27ft or larger, just wouldnt.

A Wellcraft Nova Spyder 23 would be a great first boat. It's a big heavy boat with a wide beam so it isn't the fastest but has a good ride and is very predictable. They can be picked up for the low end of your budget.

No smaller than 24'? you need to go for a ride in a 24' Pantera or Superboat. and definatly go for a ride in a 21' Challenger/Superboat, Activator. Youd be amazed.

Pm me. I've got something u might want but to fit your budget it'll be all show, no go (60) and it's a 3 seater unless u have girls with really tiny hips

I almost bought this when I was looking for my starter boat the past few months.
Price may be a little high, but it's a one owner boat, and still owned by the original couple. The marina/dealersip is just listing it for them and handling the sell. The dealer told me $14,500 buys it.

http://lexington.craigslist.org/bod/4594932454.html

and this..http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/boa/4626008131.html