I am looking to buy my first boat soon. My wife and I have actually been looking for a few years, but just haven’t bit the bullet yet. We came VERY close to buying a 18’ Tidewater last year, but wanted to be a little more financially stable. I have never owned a boat, but I have been around them a good bit.
With the boat show coming up every so soon, I had some questions about what type and size boat I should get.
I live in Mt Pleasant, and I think I would probably fish in the creeks and back behind IOP and Sullivan’s for the most part. I really do want to have the ability go offshore and fish some. I know nothing about fishing offshore besides a trip out to an artificial reef near Edisto. That was a blast and I would love to do that pretty regularly around here too. We will also be taking friends/family out a good bit when they visit which would mean we would have 4-5 people on-board sometimes. (and maybe a dog eventually too)
I think that probably rules out a bay boat then, so I would probably be looking for a standard CC. Does that sound right?
First thing is whether or not I should even consider buying a new boat. The advantage of a new boat in my opinion is that it will be reliable for my first boat. I won’t have to worry as much about breaking down in the middle of nowhere. I know used boats/motors can last a long time, but most of that depends on how well they are treated. What’s the general consensus on new boats?
What you are asking is good questions, but really you need to ask yourself some just as important questions, i moved here from the mountains of NC 10 years ago and had very similar feelings as yours, i had never owned a boat but had been around and in them on the lakes. Many people who first buy a boat will use it frequently the first year or two then it will sit in the yard or garage for most of its life (some people), some will buy and use them all the time through all seasons, You need to decide what will be the primary purpose of the boat, fishing or recreation, there is a difference, and the next question is where are you going to use it most frequently, rivers or open ocean, (thats a big question) My first boat here was a used because you can find a used boat in good shape for a lot less money and if you see in a couple of years that this is not your thing or you want a bigger better one then you can change up. if it is primarily for fishing a center console will bring the best resale around here 18 to 23 ft good starter, if recreation, an open bow side console will do well and you can even fish from it, if you are going to fish feeder creeks 16 to 18 ft jon boat type or Whaler , there are so many variables it is hard to choose, again theses are just my opinion and if you ask 10 people you can get 10 different answers , so really you have to decide what is best for you, i now own a 16 ft G3 side console jon boat for inshore and a 24 ft Harris Kayot for recreation and occasional near shore excursions to fish harbor and near shore reefs… you will get some very useful ideas on this site just search the forums:smiley:
Thanks for the ■■■■■■■■ PaintBlend. I am probably going to use it for fishing around 80% of the time.
I am pretty sure that we will use it somewhat regularly. My wife’s dad has had a boat for 15-20 years and they used to go out pretty regularly. I think we would use it regularly for things like fishing… (inshore and nearshore), shrimping, and crabbing.
There are times where we would certainly go out joy riding also, but I would say that it would mostly be used for fishing.
We would probably be inshore fishing in the creeks and rivers around 75% of the time, but I really love the idea of learning to fishing offshore/nearshore and catching some fun stuff.
first boat. Charleston. 17’-19’ center console. 18’ tidewater would be a good choice.
new or used is personal preference and budget… i am all about letting someone else take the initial depreciation hit, but i am comfortable doing doing my own maintenance/repairs. just depends on you.
Awesome. I have been looking on Craigslist and BoatTrader for a long while now and it looks like the inventory is slim picking during this time of the year. Last year there were tons of boats available during the spring, so I may wait until then and try to find a used boat.
I’m not sure that I will have the restraint I need after the boat show on Saturday!
I just took delivery of my new boat (Key West 203 DFS) this week. I was in a similar situation: Had spent a lot of time on boats but never owned one. I went round n round between new/used, etc, etc, etc. You’ll drive yourself nuts because you can logically justify both options. There’s an old sales adage that says “People make logical buying decisions for emotional reasons”. It’s very true.
I ended up going new because I didn’t want to acquire someone else’s problems. Yes, it cost more, a lot more, but it didn’t strap me and I got exactly what I wanted.
I would suggest first putting together a budget of what you’re willing to spend. Be careful, because if you let it, that number will slowly creep higher unless you set it firm.
Then, start seeing what’s available in that range new and used. The boat show will be a great oppty to see all the features you’d like and dealers will also tell you what they have on their lot to meet your needs/budget.
A flat bottom boat is much better for fishing inshore becaue it has a shallower draft and you can get to areas that are not accessible in a larger V hull center console. However, a flat bottom hull does not perform as well in the harbor and ocean becasue the hull is flat versus a V shaped.
A 18/19 Tidewater bay boat (I think they bought the Seapro model) would be a great start. This isn’t the shallowest boat, but you can fish the creeks and venture to the nearshore reefs and jettis on calm days. I would get trim tabs becasue this helps the ride in a chop. Stay away from a deep V center console if you want to fish the creeks because they draft too much.
As others mentioned, you really need to decide if you will fish primarily in the open water (ie. nearshore reef) or inshore (in creeks or harbor) because this will determine what kind of boat you want. If you want to fish the nearshore regularly, get a deep V center console. If you want to fish the creeks, get a bay or flats boat.
Buying new = buying your own problems. Buying used = buying someone elses problems, but for a lot less money.
I always buy used. I look for a 4+/- year old boat with low hours thats been maintained very well. My current boat was 4 years old with 20 hours on the engine - boat was basically brand new for 1/2 of its orig price and 1/3 of current new price. Basically I paid 16k for a boat that is 45k new.
I can’t wait for the boat show next week and try to make up my mind on what I want. My wife has always been in a regular CC and isn’t sold on buying a bay boat. I think that is probably what we’ll go with just so we can have the option to go out and do some nearshore stuff a little more easily.
Are there any brands that I should stay away from? I know that from what I’ve read around here and elsewhere that Mercury motors aren’t very well thought of…
[:0] That thar ,my friend, is a dangerous question, AARRGG
I’m sorry did i just hear a can of worms being opened?
Research, Research, Research, Research, Research Research, Research, Research, Research Research, Research, Research, Research Research,Research, Research, Research, Research Research, Research, Research Research, Research, Research, Research
Sea shaker go to the boat show and plan on spending all day there. Ask lots of questions and do not buy anything with out a test ride. You would never buy a car with out a test ride so why would you not test ride a boat. If you go new remember resale. There are many new boat boulders out there that make some great boats, but if people have never heard of them don’t plan on sellin the boat for what you want it for. Your budget is going to be the big factor. For what you want to do I would look at Grady, cobia (barrier Islam marine is a stand up dealer and very easy to work with), regulator, Cape Horn, sea hunt, edge water. Pathfinder if you want a bay boat. Personally for the money and quality I think that cobia and sea hunt are the made boats on the market right now. I went with cobia because I felt it handled better in the slop. Also maverick boat company took ownership of them and have been building a great boat for a long time!
To me 18 ft sounds a bit small for 5 people offshore fishing.What is your budget? that will help you narrow it down. There are some boats you need to stay away from. when you narrow it down post on here before you purchase it and you will get a ton of info. Tidewater makes good boats.
I’d rather be a free man in my grave than living as a puppet or a slave.
I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know exactly how much I can afford. I am hoping to keep the payments under $250-300 a month and I should have around $3-5k down.
From what I read, it looks like most boat loans go for around 10-15 years. At 10 years, it looks like I’m stuck around $30k or so for a boat, which seems like it would be a pretty tight budget based on the prices I remember seeing at last years show.
quote:
To me 18 ft sounds a bit small for 5 people offshore fishing.What is your budget? that will help you narrow it down. There are some boats you need to stay away from. when you narrow it down post on here before you purchase it and you will get a ton of info. Tidewater makes good boats.
Thanks Jimmy! I will certainly check back in after the boat show and let you all know what I have narrowed it down to! My wife and I loved the Tidewater boat last year and it seemed to be really well priced. I’m hoping we find that kind of deal this year! Thanks again to everyone for all of their ■■■■■■■■!
I have a 18’ Edgewater CC that I would sell to you sitting on an aluminum trailer. The boat is in mint condition but will need a new motor as the one on it is blown. You could buy it with the down payment money and then finance a new Yamaha and take advantage of 6 years of warranty.
21 Sea Pro bay boat…Enough boat for 5 and enough to venture out on good days…If you do your homework you can find a good deal.My brother has one that has caught plenty of crabs as well as dolphin…
If I had one piece of advise it would be buy 2ft too big,not 2 ft too short.
A buddy of mine bought one last year at a good price and loves it.
AARRGG 
