do like me. wait until someone gives away a free bass boat on here and then spend around $400 on it and you have yourself a real nice 18ft bass boat with a 115 motor on it.

thanks andy.

A jon boat on a trailer would be a great choice. Real versatile and can be rowed, propelled by a trolling motor or small outboard. Use it to hunt fish float the river and sell it for what you have in it when the time comes.

Hey Hook-n-Finger, jump on this deal above. Then continue to save as much as you can. Academy sells paddles, seats, roof racks, etc . . . specifically for canoe use. Get a long rope and a lightweight folding kayak anchor and you'll be good to go. I did a lot of fishing when I was 15-18 years old out of a square stern canoe my Dad had in the backyard. Wish we would have never sold it. Cause now it would be fun to take my kid's out on it. With straps and pads, my buddy and I could put it on Mom's car and have her drop us off and come back hours later. Canoe's are great, you can go alone and sit near the middle, or take a buddy and make him sit at the front. You can even make them extremely stable if you buy some clamp on pontoon's. I'm not sure exactly what there called, but you bolt them on off to the side's and then remove them to transport. Makes it stable enough to then stand up and walk around.

Things you need for canoe immediately:
lifejackets (at least 2)
air horn to call for help
paddles
folding anchor and rope
extra rope to tie off to stumps and docks
pad's for car or suv roof and good straps

Things you'll want eventually:
fishfinder and motorcycle battery
seat cushions
pontoon stabilizers (or homemade)
trolling motor and battery

My buddies and I have a lot of good memories fishing from canoes and kayaks South of Houston. We literally took them everywhere. Ponds, Lakes, Bayou's, and even the flats on West Galveston Bay to fish for spec's and red's (on calm days). Another plus to a good canoe: It won't lose it's value any more than it already has if you take care of it. Pay a few hundred for one now, and in a few years when you want to upgrade you can sell it for a few hundred.
Think about it.

One aluminum canoe tip for being stealthy quiet: Lay an old thick blanket in the bottom under your buddies feet so if he drop weight's, paddles, hooks, or pliers, it won't make a loud banging noise and spook all the fish.

One more tip for ya:

Join a local Bass Club as a non-boater. Start fishing tournaments with them and you'll have a good time meeting fishermen and learning new techniques. You'll also learn alot about boats, what to watch out for, what to look for, what you like in an inexpensive starter boat, and what hull designs you like.

You never know, you may end up meeting somebody that know's someone selling a good old boat too. Looking back I think I would have really enjoyed a Bass Club back then.

To answer your original question: that boat doesn't look like it's worth $300. Parts alone to get running will add up to 3 times that or more easily. Batteries, steering components, lights, seats, tags, livejackets, fire extinguishers, etc . . . .

My first boat was a 14' aluminum canoe. I had 2 seats, fish finder, and trolling motor. Very useful and fun. But when it comes to practicality, take my advice... Keep fishing from the bank, save up that 5k, and believe me, it will be worth all the wait to have a decent boat that is lake ready. Just remember most of the people that are telling you to be patient or save your money have 'Been there, Done that' I know how hard it is, but be patient. It's worth it.

on a serious note. You can find all kinda boats on craigs list. two summers ago, I bought a center console tri haul that ran okay for $1000 bucks. If I where you, knowing what I know now, I would go to voto zone or some auto parts store and buy a compression tester for around $20 bucks. PM and I'll tell you how to use it. The next boat you are interseted in, take it with you and and do a compression test. If you have good compression, you can prolly get the motor running if not already for a fair price. Next, you can check the transom. An easy way to do that is to make a fist and knock on the transom. If you hear a hollow sound, most likely it is not a good transom. That and the motor is what will cost you the big bucks to fix. Everything else, you can work around. Also, that boat you showed us, if he is asking $300 for it, offer him $100 and down play the boat. All he can say is no. You remind me of me when I was your age. I grew up on the water and I love boats and I was chomping at the bits to get my own boat when I was your age. Luckily my grandpaw had a boat that he let me borrow but I did work at the local car dealership and bought myself my first boat when I was your age. I have owned some kinda of watercraft since then. If you want that boat and know how to work on it, go for it. Offer him a little less. Bring cash and show it to him, you never know he might take a lot less. But always remember "BOAT" stands for "break out another thousand"

Thanks, that helps a lot.

check this out hook http://houston.craigslist.org/boa/1700558242.html http://houston.craigslist.org/boa/1699818608.html

I'm saving 5k to buy a boat.. Few months and I'll post pics of it.

be patient, took me 41 years to ge myfirst bass boat!

No way I'm waiting that long! I can't.

Oh he can get out on the water before then, come on now.

Yeah, my brother can do whatever he wants.. I'm buyin my own boat.. I'm practically 16, what will I do with all the money I earn? Towards a boat!

Id say with the cash it will take to get that boat running again (1k at the very least if not more, plus lots and lots of time) you could probably find an older bass tracker for around that price. Another thing you might think about is a nice sized (14ft or so) older john boat. You can hit up the lakes on average days with it, and definatly hit up the creeks around killeen, and the brazos river. Good luck, keep saving and you will eventualy find the perfect boat that doesnt need as much work

thanks for the help everyone.