I'm shopping for my first boat, a used one, and while I'd normally like to keep it for years and years, circumstances might dictate otherwise. In case I do sell it in a few years, what are some boats that really hold their value? Obviously, any boat that's taken care of won't depreciate as much as one that's neglected. From my looking, Ranger and Lund obviously retain their value, but what about other brands?

Boston Whaler

Ranger for sure but any will as long as the motor is good.

Bass boats: Bass Cat, Champion, Bullet Allison are all very good.

Shallow Sports are the best at retaining value of any boat I've ever seen.

Don't let the rangerphiles run that junk past you, if you take the original retail price, vs the resale price, the percentage isn't any better than anything else out there.

Champion gets my vote. Ive owned (5) and always did well on a sale or trade.

None.... They all go down..I'm with Pat.. More expensive new ones just sale for more used. .. it's all a numbers game.

a $1000-4000 boat.

A free boat, and that is the only one.

Not always the case Creed for example...

1 free boat

xxxx amount to fix it up.
xxxx hours spent using it.

Divorce court and wife gets boat....priceless!!!

Look in a NADA book. Allisons hold their value better than any other bassboat.

The tradeoff is that most folks would rather fish out of a larger heavier boat. I have owned two Allys and they are a joy to own but not good to fish three out of as I do most of the time. They are too narrow and move around too much when fishing with two 300# Bubbas.

Rangers resale well because of the name recognition. People that don't fish know the name Ranger thanks to BassMaster. They associate that along with them being around forever with quality. I have also owned 3 Rangers and did well when I resold them. BassCats also do well as do Champions. Champion has gotten some negative press here lately due to being bought out by Genmar. Ranger is also a Genmar boat as are many others.

My advice to you would be to buy a Ranger, BassCat, Champion, or Triton and make sure there is warranty left on the motor. Most of the boats from about 2004 and newer came with extended warranties up to five years. All of these boats are like Ford, Chevy, Dodge. Allisons are like Ferraris!

Hope this helps.

Ken

Tritons, Boston Whaler, Pathfinders, and Parkers. I think whomever said something about the expensive boats to begin with, is right. All the boats I have mentioned cost an arm and a leg but their resale value is high. The good thing is, they are all good quality boats that should last a lifetime.

I do not believe NADA or Kelly are worth a darn in determining the value of a used boat. I think the best thing to do is look at the hundreds of used bass boats on various Web sites and look for comparables just like houses. Personally, comparably equipped, I don't see that Rangers are any higher that Cats, Champions, or any of the other top of the line bass boats.

Find the one someone's grandma used for crappie. Low hours, garaged kept, expert mechanic maintained. Buy it used for less then $5K then, if you have to unload it there is always a buyer. Kind of like an old truck they go down to a certain point and then hold their value or go up after that.

That being said, I bought mine new 16 years ago and have personally cared for it. Been paid for for 14 years. The only complaint is that it spends more time in the drive way then on the lake.

With the price of used boats I thought they all held their value.

A Boston Whaler is by far the best for holding its value. It is the Airstream of boats.