I have an opportunity to buy a 2013 Bass Cat Puma FTD next year from a pro staffer. Its gonna be loaded. I get to pick the options and colors too. My question is, are there anythings I should know before I agree to it? This will be my first boat and I just want to be sure. Has anyone here done the same? The boat will have a Merc. 250 ProXS with less then 75 hrs. Lowrance HDS10's, power poles, MK 101 Fortrex, structure scan, hambys, etc....

just depends on the pro and his style of fishing i suppose will determine the boat and its condition

how does that getting to "pick the options and colors too" work on a boat he already has ..?

What shape is his current boat in? Most pro staffers really take care of their rigs because they know they need to sell it In a yr and they don't get them for free.

This is for the 2013 season. I will be getting it(hopefully)next August. He says hes sold many of his boats like this before and even purchased from other pro staffers before. He says he keeps his boats in his garage and puts very little hrs on them(under 75hrs)

Martin is right no. I bought a used boat from him that was 6 years old and only had 40 hrs on it. It had a LOT of problems due to the low hours that I knew about going in but, were caused by lack of maintenance by the previous owner. Just be careful and have it checked out by a good mechanic, like Martin before you buy.

MAKE SURE YOU KNOW AND UNDERSTAND WARRANTY ON ALL ELECRONICS,BOAT ,MOTOR,AND ETC.........DON'T JUST TAKE HIS WORD FOR IT.bEEN THERE DONE THAT.....IT WASN'T PRETTY.

I would rather buy a Rental Car. That Pro has to catch fish to remain sponsored and he will sacrifice the boat to get them. Especially if he knows he has a buyer already committed.

I've bought two boats from a pro and never had a problem. He maintains his boats and they are garage kept. Higher hours than what you're looking at, too.

I preordered his 2012 with all my colors, etc. I'll get it after the TTBC at the end of this month and save some serious moola in the process.

I'm in the process of asking a lot of questions. I will ask about everything, especially warranties on electronics and such.

Ok, here is some new info I found out. He is a Bass Cat rep that travels less then 100 miles from home to fish. He works 6 days a week so he obviously doesnt fish everyday. He does only local tournaments. He lives 10 minutes from Champlain. He garages his boats and does full maintainence with the best fluids. He baby's the boat. All warranties transfer over. He will be the first owner on the title and I will be the second. And, thats pretty much it. If you guys can come up with any other questions I should ask, let me know.

Pro staff usually means that the manufacturer of a boat or the distributor of that brand of boat will ALLOW the user (Pro) to use the boat for one year, providing, at the end of the year he either buys it or sells it. Times up, $$$$ time. If the "Pro" is a serious fisherman of tournaments, 200-300 hours is not uncommon. He usually don't give squat about the boat other than it makes it back to weigh-in. WHY? The boat is under warrantee. No money out of pocket, no problems for the user, other than run it like you stole it, add gas, oil, recharge the batteries and off to the next tournament. So when you look at a "Pro Staff" boat with 50 hours,,,,LOL. I spend that much time in the "libary if you know what I mean?
As far as warantees. The boat is classified as having "not been sold" It's sometimes run under a Dealers Registuration Number so: As far as the manufacturer knows it's still setting on the showroom floor. Unless the manufacturer shows up on the dealers showroom, they don't know the difference. So along comes John Doe and actally buys the boat,"New Warranttee applies" Bourderline, SCAM.
So: Pro Boat is BS from the get go. You just as well buy a boat from an individual that is richer than Gates and you most likely will get a better than good boat for your money. A lot of Pro's make a deal with a distrubator or dealer to show the boat/truck/lure or whatever in any picture that is published. So "Pro" could be your 104 year old grand mother that can talk a bundle of BS and get himself the use of a boat for 1 year. Other than that....I most likely stepped on a few Pros's toes, but WTF? This is real life, not make believe. You wanted to know the in's and out's. This is it in the raw.....

As long as the is as good or better then advertised, I couldnt care less who owns it. I will obviously check the boat over before handing over any money. He has provided references. I will get all the warranties, and even extended warranty for the motor. If he tells me it wont have more then 75 hrs then I expect it have that many or less. If its substantially more, I will not take it or the price will have to come way down. He has done this many times before along with buying a boat from a pro staffer as well. I hope all goes well.

My last two boats were pro staff boats, one was a dealer staff boat. The dealer boat had unlimited access to the mechanic and by the time I purchased it all the bugs were worked out and they do a once over everything before sale. All warranties started the day of purchase. The second boat came from Shaw Grigsby and the only I would say negative is the hours but it has warranty and the boat was immaculate. He even gave me a roll of carpet for the boat. You can save $10-$20K on a fully loaded boat. New boats are almost like mortgages. I don't think you are going in the wrong direction.

Thanks Gil.