I've looking to sell my 20' Center Console and get into a rig that fits my needs better. I Bass fish mostly and almost always alone. I don't fish tournaments , I'm looking at a $30K budget for the best used rig that fits. I don't enjoy offshore too much and really enjoy shallow fishing in the trash, I want a boat I can bang around on stumps and rocks, launch and load solo under less than ideal conditions, tie up to a bridge piling, and beach without worrying about the boat getting banged up. I will tow long distance so primo trailer a must. I'm thinking aluminum, 4 stroke, XL front deck. I'd be happy with a 90 horse 40mph boat. Prefer Yamaha power, I will probably keep my Helix 12 G3 so electronics not necessarily have to be in that budget. What ya'll thinking?

Those Xpress boats look awesome and they are built with yamaha motors.

I will also add lund. I've been in one and it was pretty nice.

they are pricier now....but in all my research crestliner seems like one of the better brands out there in terms of longevity. I have a tracker PT175 and pretty sure its the best boat ever....but really, Trackers are great! If the pro teams are too small for you some of the deeper v stuff can still get you in the muck...and is supposed to handle big water way better. I got a couple buddies with deep v trackers and they swear by them

Buying used will let you know what issues there are...since I have heard complaints about the newer stuff it seems...but i dunno. The ones that last....really last! i got an 04 and just love it!

I believe the bass tracker 185 can be brand new for that price 18'6

This post title is just SMH, I remember not that long ago when that price would buy you a new tin rig loaded. Inflation has definitely ramped up the price of things has gone insane.

I’d never buy a factory aluminum boat.

If going aluminum, I’d personally buy a custom built boat such as a hanko or Uncle J’s custom boats. I’m sure there are multiple builders out there, just the ones I know of from my hometown in Louisiana. Would think there are similar builders in Texas, I’m just not familiar with them. You will end up with a hull that will not depreciate and will last a lifetime.

I've been researching vexus boats and this one fits your price range but not your hp requirements:

https://vexusboats.com/model/avx181/overview/

18 feet with a Mercury 60-75 hp and shows starting at $24,995. The next one up from that price is a 18.7' which has a Mercury 115 hp starts at $28,295. These models have a hybrid aluminum/fiberglass hull.

We had been using a 1990 Cajun 174TW for the past couple of years for my son's high school tournaments. I'm not expert on boat motors but have managed to keep the force motor running but it has given us problems on tournament days not wanting to start after fishing for awhile on the lakes. My father in law bought a 2019 tracker pro 170 for my son's to use which was really awesome but I will confess that I would never buy one new or used again. I can detail the issues with you if you want by private message. Looking for a new boat that would we could afford by selling both the tracker and the cajun as well as my project javelin we could come close to purchasing the lower end vexus and being able to pay it off quickly. My research on the vexus, lund, crestliner, and g3 models got narrowed down by what we though would be prudent to spend. My son looks at all the 80-100K boats and I tell him that he can go into debt forever later on his dime rather than mine. I would hope that I've instilled some sort of mindset on prudent financial practices on both of my kids, guess I'll see later.

I will state the the mercury 50hp on the tracker gets us where we need to go at around 35mph with 2 kids and me on the boat. The fuel consumption is a fraction over what the cajun was using. I'd be more than happy with either the 60 or 75 hp on the low end vexus. Not looking to win any races as most times I keep it between 25-30 mph.

Good luck finding a new Yamaha...I have had one on order since last December & had to change to Mercury because they just can't get them...

Two options: You can look for a boat in the 20K range that needs some upgrades to the electronics/trolling motor. Then put a good (Your pref spot lock TM) plus some upgraded electronics on the boat. Other option is to find one with a good TM/electronics already installed. 20K should get you in a darn nice boat if you look around. I still think there will be a ton of boats hitting the market next year, there was a ton of boats sold during covid. Many people will find it is not for them.. I think is will be a buyers market next year.. You should be be able to find something, but being without a boat might cause you some grief. Be patient and ask around, you will find something. Hope you get your boat sold at a good price. Keep us updated.

Prosise

There is a lot of truth to this statement, but even those boats will dent and crack if you push em hard enough it’s just the nature of what they are. I have some experience in damaging boats so I can speak from that experience.

My best advice to someone buying aluminum is that selling it later shouldn’t be in the equation if you intend to use is as hard as most say when looking. Don’t get me wrong I love my boat but I fix and improve it every time I damage it but in the end it will go to a recycling place and I will move all my stuff to a new one. Second best advice is don’t expect speed to last , dents which are inevitable slow them down as they add up.

I went to Arkansas last year and picked up a unicorn for my brother an Xpress X18 pro with a SHO 175 , the only year that they rated the 18 for 175
I paid $24k for it with 100 hours.

I de rigged it and fixed all the hack job work and put it back together with all new electronics etc. he picks it up to go to Wyo in a few weeks. That’s the kind of buy you are looking for.

I don't know what SMH is but I attempted to write the Title to be self explanatory.
I remember when one could buy a new Chevy Malibu SS 396 for $5000.

Listen to Chris. He knows.

Thanks, there is a lot of good info I had not considered. Maybe a $30,000 glass boat would work just as hard for me and cosmetic damage I would just have to accept. I don't know, I'm not stuck on Al , I need a tough boat that I can get skinny in and load and launch easier by myself than my current rig. What I have now is really clean and in high demand on the Gulf and should sell for more than I paid 3 years ago. It was a Hurricane Harvey victim I went to Houston and bought for a song and worked on for 6 months. That being said, I bought low, now can sell high, and then probably buy high and go fishing or wait and hope the market corrects. I'd probably rather fish.

You could buy the SS 396 for $4K. For $5K you could get a Vette. We must be about the same age. I learned all the cutesy acronyms because I have four sons age 19-26 and thats how they communicate. SMH is Shaking My Head.

There are deals out there, you just have to look and be ready when you find it.