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I have 10 thousand set aside for a boat. Any leads or suggestions?

2008 Skeeter ZX20 Bay Boat

http://tallahassee.craigslist.org/boa/4533798368.html


This is a friend's boat and it is in great shape!

That boat is practically my dream boat. It is however out of my current price range.

I have a 1720 Key West with 115 for 6900.

Depends on what you want to do and where you like to fish. Offshore? Inshore? Family boating?

A bay boat like Skeeter Bite's will sort of do it all. I like to stay near the shore and mostly East of St. Marks River so I run an aluminum boat with a jet foot due to all the rocks and shallow, dark water.

If you want a bay boat, a used Sea Pro or Key West may be within or slightly over your budget.

How many boats have you bought and/or sold?

When buying, there are plenty of mistakes that lead you into buying "someone's problems". Plenty of do(s) and don't(s) when checking out and test riding a used boat.

Never spend $10,000 without a 45-60 min test ride. Buying $25 worth of gas on a test ride, is often the wisest $25 you may ever spend. Then, there are a dozen things that need to be accomplished on that test ride.

Decide what kind of fishing you will do: off shore, inshore (grass line or flats). Then find the best boat that you like. Pay Ifishtoo a couple of fishing trips and have him test the boat with you.

We have a 198 Carolina Skiff for the flats and it serves us very well. A person would have a dozen or more boats if they got one for every purpose.

The big decision is what type fishing you want to do. Then match the boat.

You can get a great used boat for $10,000. Figure out what type of fishing/boating you intend to do, then start cruising the Craigslist classifieds. If you can, have a professional who you trust look the boat over completely before putting any money down.

I am looking at a flats boat or a bay boat. I have liked a few key wests and a couple of sea pros thus far.

Well that covers a lot of ground. How much comfort are you looking for?? A 14 foot aluminum skiff with a 9.9 HP will get you to the same places, as that 150 HP flats rig! And you need to consider how often you will be using it vs how much you want to spend. Looking out the window at your $3K boat in the yard, is easier than looking at a $10K boat.... Another issue is room, how many do you expect to take with you?? One thing for sure, it's a whole lot cheaper to buy the right boat FOR YOUR NEEDS the first time around.... Good luck on your purchase....

How "new" does the boat have to be? There are some great deals on used Hewes if you look hard enough. Most in that price range are 90's boats, but the old Lappy hull Hewes are some outstanding flats/bay boats, and anything newer than '89 has no wood in the hull from what I can remember.

Don't rule out eBay either. I found a very nice one from down in Deland. Also found a 78 Ford Bronco that way. I was nervous about bidding that much,but if you get there and it is a POS, the worst they can do is put you in ebay jail. You don't HAVE to buy it. I always talk to the person ahead of time on the phone before I bid. If they won't talk to you, run away. Same for craigslist. Just narrow down what you are looking for Tempest I think is the name of craigslist search engine that will help you find them all over the southeast.

Yep, that's it. I use it all the time. http://www.searchtempest.com/

That is a great search site. Thank you for sharing.

i've got a 2008 triton Redfish series 1860 CC tunnel hull. with a 90 mercury. i believe we could work something out if you where interested. if so shoot me a PM. if not, good luck with your search!!