Maybe it’s only 1 out of 100 because they listen to the horrible money advice you just gave. What do you need a credit score for? A credit score means you paid money for the right to borrow more money- it’s a cat chasing its tail. You never get a better price for financing- that’s a fools game. When they offer incentives to finance it’s because they get a kickback from the lender- who did the lender get that money from? You of course. I don’t care if you buy a boat on a 20 year note at 10 percent- just don’t act like it’s smart or necessary.

Well number 1 if you have access to a credit union that is the best interest you’re gonna get other wise good luck.
Either way get approved if you’re not sure how much you’re able to borrow.
One other thing most will only finance 85% of book value . So anything over that comes out of your pocket.
Unfortunately most guys want more than boats are valued at . So do your homework and take your time.
Buy what you can afford it makes zero sense to get a long term loan on a boat.
I would try and find one that had good electronics and spot lock trolling motor just because they cost a lot.
The most important thing DONT BUY A EVVINRUDE OUTBOARD!!!
https://youtu.be/A89F_4miTEc?si=QfPoqjX3Sf17q6F1

J D

You can buy a very nice rig for that price range. I would advise you buy a 1-2 yr old boat that still has warranty. Most of the new Mercs and Yams come with a 5 yr warranty. Pay cash if you can but if not no biggie. Put as much down as you can and look around for the best interest rates.

I have purchased a bunch of them over the years and mostly financed them for no more than 5 yrs. I have found that if I put 10% down and financed the rest I am not upside down after year one. You don't need to get pre-approved for a loan. Most financial institutions will approve you within 10 mins if you are trying to borrow money and you have good credit. If your credit score is above 720 you will get the best interest rates.

My problem has always been that I am sick of the boat within 12-18 months and I want the new bright and shiny thing witht a bigger motor. Buy at least a 20 footer with a 200 HP or you may be disappointed.

Keep an eye out and look for the boats that have been won in a tournament. I sold a new Skeeter with a 150 SHO I won for about 60% of what it would've sold for at the dealership. That guy got a smoking deal. There are several boats given away as prizes every year and the winners almost always sell them on the spot or within a few weeks. You can follow Bass Champs and go to the weigh in at their events and buy a boat from the winners if you don't care if its a Skeeter.

This ^^^^ Cash is king and always will be.

Hummm….. I must have done it wrong. Paid cash and have an over 800 credit score.

One of my coworkers told me his credit score was over 1,000 and I was like, Uh, Ok bruh...

And I’m so broke I can’t pay attention

I'm no expert on the subject but locate a dealership tou like the brand of bass boat tou want everything you want on it get the total price out the door. Pay with cashiers check or cash would be my guess. Pretty simple huh !!!!!

If you buy from a private seller, just make sure they have the titles for the boat, motor, and trailer. And do NOT hand over cash until you’ve got the titles in hand.
But yeah, cash for a good used boat makes the most sense. New boats have huge markups and like cars, they depreciate instantly. Financing something that loses value daily never made sense to me.

I always viewed having a boat as a luxury so I have tried not to over due it over the years. It’s fishing for crying out loud, and there is alot of truth to the old saying fish don’t know what kind of boat your in. It’s cool and all to have the newest and best boat on the market but it’s normally not a great investment unless you are managing to write it off your business. I would suggest to go conservative on the spending because you just never know what the future will bring. I’ve owned new and used boats. When I got ready to retire I bought a used boat that had been in storage for ten years and paid cash. It was plain. I’ve been building it up one piece at a time. Just got FFS and Raptors put on. I have about $27,000 in it and it’s all paid for. I was patient and waited for the right deal to come along. I could sell it and break even easily if I needed to. Cash is king in my book.

i actually saved through a company stock purchase plan about ten years and bought mine out right. that worked for me. just a different kind of savings plan

Last weekend I bought a used boat and paid cash. It’s 8 years old and looks like it just came off the showroom. Engine had very low hours for its age. Got in to it good enough to put all new graphs and set it up like I want. Do some shopping and you can find some great deals out there.

I bought a used 2012 ZX200 that was slick as a button two years ago and financed part of the purchase with a huge down payment. With the boat market being what it is I wouldn't purchase one now with out paying at least a 30 to 50 percent down payment in case you have to unload it for health reasons, job/business slowdown, etc.. I look for bass boats to take a nose dive before to long given the condition of the market. The used market has already backed way off.
I saved my down payment in my 401k account and that left me two options to pay for it. I was old enough to take a one time withdrawal with no penalties so I did that and got my down payment or I could have withdrawn enough to pay cash. I could have taken out a loan from it at 4% which I would have been paying to myself and paid for it or paid a down payment. The other deal about using 401k funding is if you invest correctly you will accelerate the process; get Wall Street to help you pay for your boat.

Used with cash. Plenty of boats around that barely get used. Might take awhile to find exactly what you want in color, motor, accessories, but they’re out there. Be willing to travel a bit to buy.