I'm going to keep saving my money and get something newer with less unknowns. Sure it might be a good buy but I really don't want to risk it from what you guys are saying. Thanks.

brian41

Freebird,

These guys are good for two things, if nothing else....

1) Spending your money for you
2) Talking you off a ledge

All good advice, here, though.

Thanks. Brad.

My .02 would be to buy something modest and put as many hours as you can on it in the next couple of years. At LOTO I see way too many people that have more money than boating sense and the boat can get ahead of them (they are good people, they can just afford way more than what they can handle). Watching some of them around the docks in thier expensive boats can be a hoot! Spend $10,000-$20,000 and know that you are not going to be the cool kid on the block for awhile but you will be building experience in a boat that has good manners and will not cost a mint in you ding it up on a dock. My start was in a 12' aluminum v bottom with a 3hp johnson where you spun the motor around to go in reverse! At that age, I probably had just as much fun as I do in our current boats.

I understood that. I just read it like he was doubting Dans estimate or experience.

He hasn`t been here long enough to know how dumb I am.

no arguments here!!!!

You can try this boat evaluation tool or also use Keen2Boat.com to scan all the listing prices of any boat.

https://www.keen2boat.com/boat_valuation

If you’re lucky, those engines are built right, the drives and transmissions are in good shape, the boat is dry and well maintained. Then you could just buy it and run it for a couple years of just maintenance.

Based on all of the old boat threads you see here, you could assume it’s got an issue. Could be rotten, engine block and head rusted due to salt use, rigging going bad due to salt use and lack of maintenance, oxidized gelcoat due to being in Florida (can almost see this in the pics), bad upholstery also due to being Florida.

I like the advice given here.

Only purchase that boat if you have another $50 to $80K cash sitting there to address the unknowns, and you WILL have them. You could easily dump $200 into that thing to make it what you want - and end up with a $60-80K boat when all said and done for your $250K "investment".

You will be years ahead and skip all the anxiety of waiting, building out a project, missed hours on the water if you start with something like a 28ft BAJA - and just go enjoy boating! THEN, work your way up to a twin 31ft, 33ft or 35ft. After that, get into the 38ft boat.

Chances of buying that boat and actually running it without major stuff needed during your first and second seasons, I would put at 10%.