Balancing my budget vs the needs?

[TexasGardenRabbit]

North Texas lakes, not looking to battle white caps. I'll be mostly running up and down the Red river, and looking for moderate sized coves around Lake Texoma.
I'll be by myself or wife in tow most of the time, occasionally carrying a 350 pound man in the bow on special trips, " yes my brother needs to go on a diet".
It would be nice to tote the kids around on a flat tube occasionally in the summer, but no great speed is needed for that.
I'll get to point and add the parts combinations, with prices I have available to me locally. Please give me your honest input to help me achieve my goals within reason of my budget.

Budget $3800 after taxes.
Academy Sporting 12 foot Alumacraft $599
14 foot $699

Trailer $599

Motor options Nissan 9.8 $1959 "all motors are 15 inch shaft"
Mercury 9.9 $2199
Coleman 15 $2199

This is my first boat purchase. I'm horrified of not having enough power, as well as too much and wasting money that could go towards luxuries.
Seats, pole holders, life jackets ect ect..
I will begin my purchasing this coming Friday on the 21'st. Any and all help/ recommendations are welcomed.
Crappie season is about to start : )

 

[edrow]

I would be all over Craigslist for the area, you can find a darn nice setup for < $3800, if it were me. I would look for at least a 1448 and at least 15 hp.

 

[JMichael]

I agree with going with a used setup. With that sort of budget and you're requirements for what you'll be hauling/doing, I wouldn't go less than a 15 ft boat and 42"+ width, and I'd want an 18-25 hp motor. You should have enough money left over to buy other things like new seats or w/e you need to make it fit your needs.

 

[dejamat]

I agree with the previous posts and suggest checking out some local boat dealers. They get boats all the time as trade ins and you may find the right deal and get a small warantee to boot.

 

[stevesecotec02]

Used is certainly the way to go especially once you consider all the things you would want to add to a new boat....seats,rod holders, depth finder etc. Whatever you do stay away from coleman outboards!!! chinese made junk with no manufacturer support and no parts readily available.

 

[redbug]

life jackets [/b]ect ect..
I will begin my purchasing this coming Friday on the 21'st. Any and all help/ recommendations are welcomed.
Crappie season is about to start : )

I agree with the others look for a nice used package in that area you may get a better deal than you thing
up here the small boats go for a huge premium because of all the small lakes we have with limited hp restrictions
but one thing to remember is life vests are not a luxuries they are required for each person on the boat so add the cost of them into your budget

 

[TexasGardenRabbit]

Thank you all for the response.
I've tried craigslist in a 100 mile radius from my home. Either I see boats that people are way too proud of, or tons and tons of people who don't have titles.
I visited with 3 people in the area that didn't show a picture of the boat because the size and HP were appropriate, but the motors didn't run, and one ran, but barely.
Most of what I see online, the owners don't even take the time to clean something they are trying to sell.

I'm not really looking for a project boat. And honestly I don't mind spending the money, because I would rather have the warranty to go with the motor.
I was just looking for the best combination/ motor suggestion for what I've found, before I sink this type of money.

Thank you for the tip on the Coleman motors. This is the info I really need to know the most.
And I totally agree, I should not have put life jackets listed as a luxury. The same laws apply in Texas waters for life jackets, as well, we are not allowed to drink on the boats regardless if we are operators.

 

[DrNip]

I would go with this Tohatsu motor for $1899.99 w/ free shipping:

https://www.onlineoutboards.com/Tohatsu-9-8-hp-MFS9-8A3S.html

This is a reputable company out of Tennessee.

 

[Brine]

Craigslist. You can get alot of boat for that budget.

What city are you in/near?

 

[ccm]

You can find good deals on craigslist, just make sure they have a title on boat motor and trailer(some cases Reg. as homemade). Make sure it runs perfect. You can get a used flat bottom pretty cheap and buy a new motor for it. Lots of options here to choose from. Try other resources too Newspapers, radio programs, and local boat shops/yards. I found the good deal on my boat on a local radio program an I got a good deal on my new motor (new old stock) from my local boat mechanic. Just keep your ears open a good deal might just be around the corner.

 

[TexasGardenRabbit]

Ok using the search JON BOAT instead of John boat, I yielded more results.

https://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/boa/4373278514.html

This seems like a good used buy? I'm trying to contact the owner and set up a meet on a lake this Saturday for a motor test, and to see if the boat takes on water. It has a bilge pump? I assumed these things wouldn't need a bilge pump.
Maybe I'm just paranoid.

 

[JMichael]

It would be over priced for my area but prices vary by area so who knows. Boat looks pretty nice but the front 2 seats look pretty rough (tears in covering) so the rear one is probably about the same condition. Can't see much of the trailer so that could go either way. I'm not real good with ID on johnnyrudes but that motor looks to be quite a bit older if I had to guess. Not that old is really a problem as long as it's in good condition. He states it needs tuneup so that and seats and possibly other things might be good talking points to get him to lower his price if you like it. How does it compare with similar listings in your area as far as price avg?

 

[JMichael]

https://collegestation.craigslist.org/boa/4370974437.html

Not sure how close this one is to you but ($3250 OBO) sounds like he's willing to negotiate and it looks decent from what I can see. Of course there's lots of details missing like year and condition of the 25hp motor, info on trolling motor etc. But it might be worth looking at if it's close enough.

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

Budgets and boats... Good one! Your really had me going for sec. ;-)

 

[ccm]

Make sure the motor runs and has a title. Check out TPWD's https://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/boat/owner/titles_and_registration/ website for information on that process. Find out what type of materials he used PT plywood is a big NO in aluminum boats because it causes galvanic corrosion when in contact with the hull. Jack up the trailer to inspect it's condition. Give the tires a spin to make sure the bearings are good ( Don't want to be broke down in traffic around the metroplex ) Pull the plugs on the motor look for little pieces of metal or scoring and pitting on the cylinders or the cylinder walls (Use a small flashlight for this) Do a compression test if possible ( no more than 10lbs of difference in each cylinder) If it has any of this then the motor is not worth your time if not hear it run. Make sure the motor is a cold start ( feel the head for this ) If he warmed it up he's hiding something. I would start low around $1200 because the mods he did are simple and easy to do. For me personally $1500 is a fair price to pay for that rig if everything else checks out OK. Sorry for this long rant Just wanted to cover everything that I could think of.

 

[acabtp]

i also have a 350# brother... plan on getting a 16' if you really want to take him out. a guy that big in the front of a 14' will cause it to plow all over the place... and in a 12'? fughedaboutit

from what you say about maybe pulling a tube also, it sounds like you probably want a 16'+ anyway.

 

[shemstreet]

Funny, I like your Academy Sports idea after seeing the junk on Craigslist here in OK. Probably would look at the Alumacraft 1542 (they still call it a 1540) for your purpose over the 1436. I could not get the online outboard place to come up, but Tohatsu and Nissan are the same engine with good reputations. I have also heard the Coleman is junk, as well as the Briggs & Stratton.

 

[jethro]

RiverBottomOutdoors » 19 Mar 2014, 23:11[/url]"]Budgets and boats... Good one! Your really had me going for sec. ;-)

Thought the same thing!! Whatever budget you come up with, and no matter how much you do the math, double it and be happy if in the end it isn't triple your original budget! I didn't need to spend any money on my boat this year, until I realized I needed new trailer tires, a new chartplotter and a new boat seat. Quickly turned into $1000. In a heartbeat. Then that weekend I lost a downrigger ball and cable. So I'll be spending $50 or $60 today if I want to fish for salmon this weekend.

 

[richg99]

Lots of good advice already. Also consider finding a good aluminum boat... and maybe a decent trailer...and put a new motor on it. Boats and trailers can be fixed or modified by most of us. Motors call for more expertise and costs. Rich

Buying everything new is really expensive.