Need help choosing a boat

i know i need to find whats best for me....but alot of the sites i look at dont have any prices on them....i know for sure i want an aluminum boat tracker, lowe,g3 ect. but what is the best cheap 16 to 17 ft. with a side console. please help thanks.........also caught a 6 and 1/2 lb bass on amon g carter day before yesterday on blue flek gulp worm texas rig

Not the cheapest by any means but Lund is the cadillac of aluminum boats and the extra cost will come back to you when you get ready to resale it or trade it in.

also it is almost impossible to buy a good aluminum boat, with at least a 20 horse for under 10 grand new

should i be looking at used boats instead of new? thats all i have bought in the past but usually end up buying junk and fixing it up to my own satisfaction.

My brother has a brand new Tracker Boat for sale, here is a link, save several thousands off show room price
click here to see tracker boat

Buying used can be a real money saver, but you have to be careful. There are lots of threads about what to look out for. A good boat mechanic inspection with compression test will find most problems. Good luck.

Agree 100% Do not waste your money on new. Deals are all around, all the time. As long the transom is solid, Every cyliner has good compression. The rest is cosmetic and the fish cant even tell the diffrence. lol

Just a suggestion, Don't buy a bass boat below 18'and less than a 115 horse power. Im a proud owner of 18' Xpress, its my 3rd aluminum Xpress, I just keep up-grading.

I like the G3 and the Xpress. Asking for the "best" will end in debate.

What is your budget, because I think what you want to know, is what has the best value for your dollars?

The best thing to do is go out and "kick some tires", so to speak. See what boat fits YOUR needs. And if possible, do a test drive of a few boats. If you have family that will be fishing with you, take them along for their input. Good luck!

I recently bought a Tracker 16' Panfish with 40 HP Mercury, equipped, 2002 model for 1/3rd the retail of a new one. It's a jewel, and I'm pleased to have saved about $7000 from a new one.

They are out there. You just have to find them.

Get the biggest and fastest you can afford used. You won't regret the extra space or speed, and always consider how "dry" the dry storage actually is. That's important, and you learn that with Tracker boats and those types when everything you have is molded a week after a trip in the rain.

Used is the best way imo Be sure to check it over very close If you are not comfortable doing it then pay to have it done as it is money well spent. I have a buddy that has a nice little 18' Bass tracker for sale he bought it in the early 90's i think but it is a nice boat It has a 50 HP Merc on it and im guessing the boat and motor prob don't have 50 hours The guy is prob 70 now and just don't get around good enough to use it. He told me he would take $3500.00 for it I know it has been covered all of its life until the cover ripped Im thinking in the last year so im not sure how the seats would look but can tell you before it was very clean. Bass tracker is definatly on the lower end of boats and im not a Merc fan but believe the smaller Mercs like this 50 HP are dependable But for the money i think this would be a great deal If i remember correctly it also has 2 live wells. If interested pm me for details and i will go take a look at it and possibly get some pictures I have known this guy for many years and he takes good care of his stuff and is very firm on his price. I might also add that the boat has sat a few years and prob needs the fuel system cleaned.

I am 69 been bassfishing for awhile,tried all kind of boats.Started out w/terrybass 15.6 long(wow).Went to skeeter for a couple of boats,and still like skeeter(if I had unlimited money,however I don't.Went to a fisher aluminum,nice boat but too small,my final boat is a xpress X19,would have went larger but wouldnot fit garage.I love this boat,rated for a 200 hp motor,I went w/150 yami fuel injected,run 60mph 94"beam handles rough water good,however with all this said,considering money,I would look for a good used boat for my 1st boat.good luck

My advise would be to NOT be in a Hurry, I'm not an Impulse Buyer so it took me 2-Years of looking to find a Retired Person looking to sell his Triton-V197 Magnum.
It was an 04 with less than 30 Hrs on the 150 Merc. for 11-K he payed 24-K when he bought it..He and his Wife were going on the RV-Traleling thing and need to get rid of it..

For a first boat, definetly buy used. Take your time. It may take months. Use Craigs list and this forum. Avoid dealers. They get most of their boats from auctions and they have no history on the boats. Go look at their boats, though, to see what's out there. Buy from an original owner, preferably a recreational fisherman (sorry tournament guys, but I don't what a boat that has been run at max rpm all the time). They should have original paperwork from the purchase, so you can tell they bought new. I would try to buy from an older owner, as I do think they tend to take better care of the boat. No guarantees on any used boat, but I think this strategy improves your odds. I bought my 5 year old Lowe 16.5 Fishing Machine (I really don't like that name, but love the boat) from the son of the original ower who was 86 when he passed away. The son was a tournament fisherman and did not need the boat. He had a nice big Ranger.

My next boat, which I hope won't be for a while, will probably be new and I'll be the older owner someone else can buy it from.

Anyone ever had one of those skeeter ss90's? I'm savin up to buy a boat and can't decide whether to get aluminum or a smaller glass. Tired of borrowing my dad's lol. And I don't think I'd ever buy a brand new boat, even if I had the money. You can just save thousands having someone else break in the motor for ya .

1.) educate yourself on ALL the aspects of the boat you want, including wear areas & weak points. Be confident when you....

2.) BUY USED!!! wait till off season (oct-feb)
you'll save a small fortune.

3.) www.usedboats.com
www.boattrader.com
www.nada.com

3.) good. fast. cheap. pick 2. seriously.
"best" & "cheapest" are not usually associated
with eachother.

4.) be prepared to spend a considerable amt of $$ to rig/repair
your new toy to your expectations., then add'l cash every
year in maintenance, storage, and INSURANCE.

hope this helps. post up pics when you get on the water
tight lines
-Brian

What ever you buy, buy it at a place where you can take it back for servicing and warranty without a bunch of [censored].
Ask who gives the best after sale service, is close, and convienient. I bought a boat at Cabelas, personally I won't do that again. I would buy my next boat from a boat dealer, with a full service shop, close to my house, with a good reputation.

If you are going to go aluminum and want the best for your money then you need to check out sea ark and alumaweld. Xpress are faster boats and ride better in my opinion, but they cost more. I'll keep my tracker opinions to myself. As far a Lowe goes, I have a friend who literally had to return it to the mfg twice before he got fed up and took it back to the dealer and got a fiberglass legend.

I suspect that at some time in the next few years I will get out of fiberglass and go to aluminum mainly because of the cost factor. The older I get the less important it is to me to fish in bad weather. That being the case, and aluminum boat with decent amenities would be just fine.

A LUND can handle that rough water when you get caught across the lake and that front rolls in. I crossed Rayburn in 3 foot waves a week ago and didnt get wet in my 16'8" long LUND. I challenge any glass boat that long to do that. And it didnt beat up my kidneys doing it.

http://walleye.outdoorsfirst.com/classifieds.asp?a=63256

I got a hell of steal on a 24ft Century last Spring. It was a demo boat with about 100 hrs on it and 2 yrs old. Had just about every bell and whistle you could think of. Got it for almost half price.

When I bought my last boat, I was looking at $15K for a "good" used fiberglass, less then 4 years old. I ended up buying a certificate from someones tourny win. I ended up with a brand new fiberglass full warrenties, for the cost of a used.

I also had boat looked for 2 years and hard shopped for 1year. Information and time are the key to "good deals".