Boat reccomendations needed

I am looking for another boat, i have been on boats my whole life but never thought of buying one till lately. It must have room for 4, good for fishing, we dont water ski but someday we might pull the kids on a tube? I am looking in the 3k and under but prefer the 2k range. I have looked at a few early 80's bass trackers for under 2k but i am not sure thats the route to go? I dont want a closed in boat that restricts 4 people from fishing. Any boaters have some input? I looked at a nice tracker today down by north Denver but i am leary do to the hard starting, it has a new starter and solenoid which tells me the problem has probably been going on a while. I am looking for ideas here and hopeing for some input from other boat owners. I have just been searching CL, maybe theirs a better way to find boats?

I wish you luck. Have friends that have them. Giant money pit. [Beer]

If you're going to be towing anything (waterski, wakeboard, tube) then you need something with a water ski pylon or a full wake board tower. Also, an 85hp motor is probably going to be the bare minimum to get that done with 4 people on a boat. IMHO. Look for a boat that's already ready for the lake and they're trying to get rid of because they bought a new boat or something. Otherwise you'll end up getting someones project that they never finished...

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Originally Posted by jerrymrc

I wish you luck. Have friends that have them. Giant money pit. [Beer]

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Compared to a gun hobby how bad can it be [ROFL1]

Good luck i am in the same boat[ROFL2] still looking for one for the family 4 person fishing and playing there is alot of over price junk < glws

Remember BOAT stands for

BREAK OUT ANOTHER THOUSAND.

A boat is a hole in the water you throw money into.

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Originally Posted by spittoon

Good luck i am in the same boat[ROFL2] still looking for one for the family 4 person fishing and playing there is alot of over price junk < glws

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Yes their is alot of old, overpriced junk. Some people think their crap is made out of gold.

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Originally Posted by trlcavscout

Compared to a gun hobby how bad can it be [ROFL1]

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Depending on how you do it $2000 spent on the gun hobby gets you $4000 in 4-5 years.

$2000 spent on the boat hobby gets you $500-$1000 in 4-5 years not counting that the gun stuff did not cost ya $100-$300 every time you used it. [Coffee]

Like I said. I have friends that have older boats. A member here spent close to $2K on his boat the first 2 years he had it. Paid $800, spent $2000 and now he wants to sell it and may get $1200.

I remember the line about boats. There are two joyous days in boat ownership. The day you buy it and the day you sell it. Every day in between is hell. ;)

And I used to think Camper maintenance was bad. [Flower]

Grew up around boats....NEVER, EVER will I own one of the freakin' things. WORK, MONEY, MORE WORK, BREAKDOWNS, MORE MONEY, MORE WORK...and anyone you invite with you...DOESN"T WORK.

I want a boat just so I can wave at everyone else with boats. I just mean mug people on jetskis though.

I grew up in florida, have owned boats most of my life,
They can be money pits, but honestly i have never really owned one that cost me that way
I just rebuilt a now very nice larson runabout,

I runs great and now looks that way also

I am not sure that you are going to get a decent craft for $2000 though

You do not need to dump $750 plus into a tower, i have skied and tubed off the transom hooks all my life, most of the tower manufacturers do not recomend the tower for tubing anyway,

A big tube on a tower can capsize a boat, the leverage from a heavy tube on a tower with adult riders can be huge,

If you are handy, rebuilding a boat, deck, motor, interior and gel coat is not that hard

I'd look for a 90's era Crestliner, Larson or Bayliner outboard. 85 hp+ if you're going to tube or ski/board. Look in the bilge for waterstains, rotten wood or repairs. Also check the motor for seepage at the joints. Always take it for a spin.

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Originally Posted by Irving

I want a boat just so I can wave at everyone else with boats. I just mean mug people on jetskis though.

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Haha oh damn! [ROFL1]

If you plan to do more than just fish I would expect to spend more than $2K on a boat.

The power plant alone to pull a tuber/skier would be worth at least $2K without a boat attached to it. At this Altitude you need at least a V6 inboard/outboard or an 85HP (I would recommend over 100HP) outboard.

Up your budget a bit and go snatch this up: http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forum...ad.php?t=76402

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Originally Posted by BigDee

If you plan to do more than just fish I would expect to spend more than $2K on a boat.

The power plant alone to pull a tuber/skier would be worth at least $2K without a boat attached to it. At this Altitude you need at least a V6 inboard/outboard or an 85HP (I would recommend over 100HP) outboard.

Up your budget a bit and go snatch this up: http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forum...ad.php?t=76402

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That would be way to cramped for what i will be doing [Beer]. 99.9999% of the time it will be used for fishing with 2-4 people.

Anybody here ever had a Bass tracker? I think i may end up going that route.

the bass traqcker is not very comfortable for doing more than getting to the fishing,

when using to pull the tube it will beat you to death,

a nice open bow runabout will be a better all round boat

also stick with the outboard, not as sexy, but way less maintenance and more power to weight