Thinking of buying a boat want some feedback

So, recently, I decided may want to buy a boat. Kind of a random thought that crossed my mind and I am really considering it now.

Mainly wanting a boat that can hold 6-8 people which will be used for recreational use (skiing, tubing, wakeboarding, etc)...

Having said that, is there certain makes or modesl to stay away from? My price range is about $4,000 and I have been scouring craigslist for boats. To my suprise there are actually some decent boats in that price range.

With that said, is there certain motors to steer clear of? Inboard or outboard a better choice? Any major maintainence associated with having boat (aside from regular maintainence)

I was looking at some seedoo speedsters on CL, however, they only seem to hold 5 and Im worried that with that many people it won't be able to pull a tube fast enough... but, like I said, not very knowledgeable about the boat world.

Your thoughts?

 

Another hole in the water to throw money?

Bring out another Thousand.

 

Haha fml...*wakeboarding* wakeboarding. We'll save that waterboarding for the pros

 

Perhaps Keel Hauling instead of Waterboarding?

 

Haha neither keel hauling or waterboarding...

 

A common saying that I hear is, "Two best days of owning a boat. The day you buy it and the day you sell it."

Ive never owned one. We just rent one if we have an itch for water sports. Ive also been lucky enough to have friends with boats, so we just pitch in for gas. Good luck.

 

I've definitely heard from some that they can be costly. However, I live within minutes of Lake Erie and it'd be nice to have my own boat and go whenever I want...

I'll definitely weigh the pros and cons...

Just looking to get an idea as to what motor may be good to try and look for and or/boat combination...etc

 

Pretty sure any boat is gonna need plenty of maintenance. My dad owns a 21' Sea Pro with a Mercury outboard motor. We use it mostly for fishing but have pulled tubes with it. I think we squeezed 6 people on it but I wouldn't want to do that on a regular basis. Not sure how much it costs to buy one but it is a pretty good boat. We've had problems with the motor a couple times and have had to maintain that a bit. That's all the input I can give. Sorry.

 

I mean understand there is always going to be reguarly maintainenced needed for a boat. Just not familiar with the inner workings of them and what may be prone to break and/or fail.

 

We need to replace the internal water pump and have had to replace the hub for the propellor. My dad did some extra maintanence a while back with the cooling system.

A couple of things you need to look into, the weight of the boat and towing it and storing the boat somewhere.

 

The best adivise I can give you is, Before you buy it take it to a boat mechanic and let him go thru it so you dont find any hidden issues with it. But just remember what SNOWROXKT said, It's just a hole in the water you keep putting money into. As a boat owner I can TOTALLY AGREE with that.

 

Marshbuster;

What kind of boat do ya own?

 

Don't buy one with carpet. I am replaceing the parts of the floor and the carpeting on mine now it sucks, I guess I can't ask for much more out of 1996 Fourwinns.

 

Buy a nice sailboat. That way you can at least use it for a camper All that flipping around stuff is overrated anyways LOL.

 

For a boat in the price range you are looking I'm sure you could find an 17-19 ft early 90's. My suggestion would be if you want to do watersports such at tubing/skiing, you get atleast the 4.3 liter V6. That will have plenty of power to pull people around. I prefer an inboard over an outboard in a bowrider. You will have 2 choices, Volvo Penta or Mercruiser. I prefer Volvo, but it is more about person preference, kind of like Ford or Chevy. As long as you keep the fluids changed in the outdrive/motor and have the boat winterized each year, that should be all you need to do. But there other stuff comes up. esp on an older boat such as tires, trailer brakes, gibel bearing, bellows, u-joins, exhaust manifolds, etc.... But if you are looking for a boat you can find decent boats in that price range. If i were you I would try and find one that hasn't been kept in the water (will probably have bottom paint if it was), hasn't been run in salt water, has solid floors (this is really important in an older boat). If I were you I would look for a Four Winns, Sea Ray, Crownline, and Chaparral. Good luck!