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Thread: Gotta get a boat...

  1. #1
    momudder720
    Alright peeps, first post, so here goes...
    Went out on the lake with the in-laws lastweekend for Mother's Day. Did some fishin and some crusin. Have a boat now, but it's not what I want. 18' jon boat with a 35 hp Merc o/b. I'm more a fan of a pleasure boating than fishing anyhow, and good with Ford engines, so iy only makes sense to get a Ford powered jet boat. Need a jet so I can run up and down the river we adjoin. We've run the jon boat on it, but gotta be careful cuz it gets awful shallow in places. Most of the jet boats I've seen on EBay and BoatTrader only seat 2-5, and I was hoping to get up to 10 so I could have a few others on there too. Top speed and utter performance aren't my primary objectives, as that can always be attained if I keep throwing money at it, like I do my mud trucks. I really just want to get my foot in the door and get started. Not looking for a new one, but rather a fixer-upper that me and the wife can work on together. Any thoughts of where I oughta look? Scour the pages here looking for 'boat for sale'? I was looking for a 'For sale/Wanted' thred on here, but I didn't find one. Help me find a boat!

  2. #2
    n8dawg
    check ebay, alot of boats on there.

  3. #3

  4. #4
    cole13
    Boat Trader Online (http://www.boattraderonline.com/newadsearch.html)
    Taylor SS (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=80653)
    18 ft Apollo (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=26455)
    Thompson (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=80653)
    19 ft Tahiti (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=80653)
    Maverick Hull (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=80653)
    But if it's your first boat you should try one of these
    First boat (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=26431)
    That is some funny Sh**. But really though please do not support those G*D Da*# machines. That is just what we need another newbie running around in that thing tearing the up the lakes.

  5. #5
    Ken F
    First off, having been there and done that, you are not going to make a boat that holds 10 people run fast by throwing money at it.
    I would suggest that you prioritize what you want in a boat, and do it once.
    An open bow boat will usually carry 8 people in cramped fashion, but you have so many people in the boat that it won't preform at all.
    A smaller boat which is capable of higher speed and carries 4-6 people max will be a much faster boat.
    REally think about it before you buy. I can tell you that a Ford is a great "torque-Monster" engine which works very well in a jetboat, and running through fairly shallow water should not be a problem as long as you are up on plane. Remember though that you can suck small rocks off the bottom in six feet of water if you stand on it from a standing start in the shallows.
    My first boat was an open bow which I spent a lot of money, time and effort on to attain 72-73 mph. Wanted more. now I'm in a tunnel. REallly cramped, but fast! lol....think about it.
    Ken F

  6. #6
    momudder720
    Like I said, I'd like to go fast with only a few people in there, but if I got up to max cap on passengers, the last thing I'd want to do is fly around the lake hammer down and threaten to hurt somebody. Being a part-time fisherman/drunk, I understand water manners and wake respectfulness, so you won't see me tearing up the water. Good advice for not getting into it period; the same goes for off-road vehicles. I've got more money tied up in my two off-road trucks I could part em out and buy a scarab or fountain...oh, and that looks like a real good deal for a first boat! Smartasses... I'm only preferable to Ford because that's where all my mechanical knowledge lies. A basis new-b question: what's the preference on jet drives? I ask because I'm looking at a couple fixer-uppers and one has a Berkeley and one is an I/O that would be switched to either a Berkeley or a Jacuzzi. The one I'm leaning toward is a 23' '77 Glastron Daycruiser (?) with a Berkeley and a 460. Thanks for dealing with me guys...and girls...

  7. #7
    BigBlockBaja
    I always wanted to take one of those seadoo's and stuff a hot small block in one with a berkeley behind it. Would be a cool sleeper..

  8. #8
    steelcomp
    Hey, try and have fun with this! Damn all the gloom and doom of "doing it right the first time!!"..."just buy one and get your feet wet", to coin a phrase. You'll be one of the first I've ever heard of that buys exactly what you want the first time. What ever you buy, just have someone you trust help you look it over and make sure it's a sound foundation. No cracks, no rotten wood, no BS. Cosmetics cost money, (bring higher price) so if you find a sound boat that needs a once over, you're in the game. If you get stuck with something that needs a bunch of structural repair work you'll be sorry. Save that for later. Maybe find something that needs interior and motor work, or paint and interior, but runs good, or something like that, but DON'T make it more work than fun. Your first boat most likely won't be the one you REALLY want, but will serve as a good learning platform so when you do find the one you want, you'll be knowledgable, and have the experience to enjoy it more.
    Have fun!!!!!!! It's a toy, not a requirement.

  9. #9
    Keithb87
    ...oh, and that looks like a real good deal for a first boat! Smartasses... .....
    Just trying to help a fellow jetter out.
    I'm still working on my "Project" I have most of the parts, but no time to put it all togehter. Going on 3 years now.
    Berkeley Jets, IMO have the most upgrades avail.

  10. #10
    wrightnow
    Well I look at like this, there are two ways of doing this
    1. Buy a boat that need work, spend a lot of money fixing it up and take a big loss when it come time to sell.
    2. Spend more money up front, get one that someone else has already spend all the money fixing it up.
    Always option 2 is cheaper in the long run, while option 1 has a low buy in but will cost much more in the end.
    But it's all good either way, just get something and enjoy...
    Mark

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