Cheap boats?

[bassface]

Whats up fellas? Me and my friends are lookin to buy a new used boat. As you can probably tell by looking at my username we're teenagers. We just want something to put on the water that runs and we can cast some lines of off. We don't need anything with a big motor as long as it's not terriblely slow. Can anyone reccomend a used cheap boat for us or a website with good cheap boats? Around 14 - 18 ft.




Oh btw sorry i forgot to mention by "cheap" i meant sub $3000 with motor.

[gonzo]

It would help if you say where you are.

[FAST FRED]

Nothing beats a Boston Whaler as a first boat. The same design was used for decades so a "cheap" find is quite EZ. The cheapest will have a beat look , but the boats are very hard to kill , so mostly cosmetics will be needed.

You can usually find an older WHALER ON A TRAILER (SAVES MARINA FEES) That will have a 18 to 25hp motor for a grand or so.

These will give about 1 mph for each rated hp.Look for the console 13 ft model,it will be much more comfortable and take up to a 40hp , should you ever need speed.

"Paint sells the boat" , so when its time to move on , a really nice refinish will probably get you a friendly profit.

FAST FRED

[woodboat]

Well I am buying an old marina. It is full of derelict boats. I am sure in a month or two I will have a few that I will sell cheap

[marshmat]

If you can't find any Whalers (which are probably your best bet), Springbok aluminum boats (old ones by Alcan, newer by Princecraft) are great for fishing, cheap, live forever with no maintenance and are easy to find. A used 14-footer with a 15hp might set you back $1500; $3k would probably be enough for a used 16- or 16-footer with around 25hp and trailer. Old aluminum boats often have a few leaks, easily fixed with two small sledgehammers.

[Thunderhead19]

Pish Posh! Theres an old 16' Hourston up the street from me for $200! No motor though.

[JPC]

You might also just cruise www.boats.com and some of the other online sites to give yourself a sense of the market. Boats in the range you're describing are not too common here, and you will find a better deal on such a boat by happening across it in your area, so I don't necessarily recommend the sites as a buying source for you, but as an information source.

[artemis]

Try http://www.craigslist.org/ and select the community nearest you, then check out the boats section.