In the coming 4-6 months I will probably be buying a used jon boat or similar craft for inshore and freshwater fishing. The canoe I’m using is OK but just a lot of work if you’re really intent on finding fish.
When my dad passed away, we had one of those small 13’ Boston Whalers with a 25hp Evinrude that would have been perfect, but it needed a lot of motor work and I was a newlywed that knew nothing about boats when I inherited it, so I sold it (2001).
When it comes to buying a used boat with a motor that may be 20 years old (say, 5-25hp), what do I need to be looking for and, probably most importantly, what do I need to avoid?
I do not want crap I’ll have to fix every month just to go catch a few trout.
FWIW I will be spending less than $2,000 I am sure, which puts me sorting through Craigslist things that are outright crap, and good deals.
Don’t buy an old motor. I’ve had 3 or 4 old 25-35 hp Johnsons and they were constntly breaking down. The cool thing about them is tht you can fix them easily enough though. Save up and buy new or slightly used.
I may have what you are looking for. I have a 14’ fiberglass jonboat with a 15 HP Mariner motor. The boat/motor was used in a private freshwater lake, with the motor having less that 50 total hours on it. The boat sat unused for several years. I restored the boat and had the motor serviced with intentions of using it myself but, am now thinking of selling the rig (boat/motor/trailer). Not sure what I will ask because I really don’t know what it is worth. Let me know if you are interested and I’ll send some pics.
Well, I am “interested”, but I do not have a penny to put toward anything at the moment. It’s going to be at least first of the year before I can afford to do anything, and I also have to put a trailer hitch on my car. I drive a 10 year old Caddy that was given to us by a retired pastor. It’s a Northstar V8, so it can tow quite a bit, but is a front wheel drive.
So while I’m at it, what kind of hitch should I look for, for a FWD car?
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[quote]Originally posted by Rapchizzle
Don’t buy an old motor. I’ve had 3 or 4 old 25-35 hp Johnsons and they were constntly breaking down. The cool thing about them is tht you can fix them easily enough though. Save up and buy new or slightly used.
Yeah this is what I really want to avoid. You can get a new 5hp for around $1200, and I’m sure a used/good one can be found for half that (somewhere lol).
I am not in a hurry to sell. It is currently in my garage and I am doing a few things to the trailer (rewiring, etc…). Part of me wants to keep it as it is a great little freshwater or creek boat and it is paid for but, I know I simply won’t use it enough as I also have a small CC and a couple of kayaks. As for a hitch, it would depend on what car you have. This whole rig probably doesn’t weigh 1,000 lbs.
If you are still interested after the first of the year, give me a holler and we’ll see if we can work something out.
OK. PM me how much you plan on asking for it and I’ll let you know if it’s even in the ball park of what I can afford.
When I do the trailer hitch, I’ll put new shocks in the back (regular Monroes) since I’ll have the rear up off the ground. The OEM air shocks are about shot, they seem to leak.