I am looking at buying a used boat but I am not sure what I am looking for. What kind of boat do you have? What do I need if I am looking at taking it out on the bay and not just out on a river or inland lake.
Please be more spesfic about what you are wanting and wanting to do. Are you wanting a motorized boat to take the family out on to cruise. Are you wanting to water ski behind it. Are you looking for a kayak or canoe to use on a bay, river, and inland lake?
For salt water your choices are somewhat limited. Sea kayaks with length and a cockpit are suitable or a large canoe (17 feet or more) with a cover will work. Many types of sailboats would work but they need to be stiff and have a decent keel. Power boats should have a deep vee hull with a lot of dead rise at the transom, and maybe twin outboards. Give us more info. Any boat is a good boat because it gets you on the water. Do not be too casual about boats on salt water. Currently I have a 19 foot aluminum Jetcraft with a 115 hp outboard and two canoes. An 18 foot Old Town Guide from 1951, and a newer 17 foot Bell Northwind made out of a compostie material for rivers.
We are looking for a boat we can take fishing or just out for a spin in the bay. We aren't going to ski or pull a tube with it or anything. We definitely want something bigger than an aluminum fishing boat but not something as big as a pontoon.
Cupcake, Realize that aluminum fishing boats can be 25 feet or 40 feet or bigger and some are designed for ocean passage making.
i have a restored 1973 starcraft. awesome little aluminum boat 14.5" seats 3, and really easy to tow around and plop in the water. awesome little fishin boat.
I've had a few boats in my day. Piloted a wide array of various ships in all sizes ranging from 20 to 200 feet. In the past few years and due to my age I've dwindled my fleet down to 1 but still stay fairly busy. Currently I own a 1975 40' Pacemaker Sportfish. Had her since the 80s and always been my personal favorite. She's sturdy, decent size, fairly quick, great range with a 360 gallon tank and gets excellent mileage with twin 671 DD naturals.
How big is the bay, how deep is the water? Will you be in any currant or large waves? Will there be much wind?
Do you want an open boat, or a decked boat? I assume you're planning to trailer it, so what can your tow vehicle handle? How many people tops? How much gear? Wind and waves can come up fast and hard on large bodies of water (even bays), so you need to take the possibility of handling bad conditions into account. I don't know a whole lot about larger craft (I'm mostly a canoe/kayak/jonboat guy), but my advice would be to sit down and figure out what you want to do with the boat, and from that figure out roughly how much weight you'd have to handle, and go from there. Go down where you'd be sailing and talk to folks. They are on that water, so they can probably give you some good advice. Remember two things about boats: 1. A boat is a hole in the water into which you throw money. 2. The two happiest days in a boat owner's life: the day he buys it, and the day he sells it! Just kidding, but a powerboat is a big investment, and takes constant upkeep, especially around saltwater.
I just bought this boat Friday. I'll be taking it out on the bay for fluke fishing and crabbing, and on lakes for bass and trout fishing. I went with the 9.9 HP because many NJ lakes have a 10HP limit. I ruled out a steering console because I use it on the local lake frequently and gas motors are not allowed on the boat at all, not even up, so I have to be able to remove the motor easily. I ruled out anything larger than 16 ft because I couldn't fit it and my car in the driveway otherwise. It replaces this boat, which is now on my lawn with a for sale sign. It had the same uses, but the new boat is wider and has a lot more freeboard. This one got a little hairy in the waves on the bay. And I didn't like having to climb over the seats to get to the front of the boat. There are many things to consider 1. Storage room 2. planned uses 3. budget 4. trailering capacity of your car 5. type of water. Waves? Strong currents? 6. Power restrictions on local waterways 7. Will you want to use it where gas motors are not allowed? 8. How many people will you carry? 9 Will you use it alone from time to time, or will you always have help? .
I have Cuddy cabin boats have a small cabin for storage or a small seating area. They may accommodate a berth and or head. They are usually about 22–30 feet in length.
It does not look like very much boat for salt water conditions. Watch the weather and be ready to head for the boat ramp at a moment's notice.
