# Thinking about first boat purchase



## nhancedsvt

I'm starting to get the itch to buy a boat again. The wife has been saying no for several years, but is finally warming up to the idea now that we have a son on the way who "needs" to grow up on the water fishing. The majority of my fishing and boating is on freshwater lakes, but IF I buy a boat I want one that I can haul to the beach with us and do some inshore fishing as well that's why I figured I'd ask my question here. Not really interested in going 30 miles offshore (yet) and with this being my first boat it probably wouldn't be a good idea anyways. Thinking something in the 15-17' range as it will typically be just me (maybe 1 or 2 others at the most). Any suggestions on good, used boats to look into? I've been looking at some Key West 1520s, Key Largo 160s and the likes but don't know much about them.


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## bhdawgs

Cant go wrong with a Key West or Carolina Skiff... I would recommend buying used, you can get a deal these days.   Get at least a 17 footer if you're going to be using inshore... You will regret not getting the extra room.  I would even say get a 18 - 19 footer.


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## Bryannecker

I have owned both the KW1520 and a J14 Carolina.  Both are very wet boats in a slop and a breezy day.  Be sure that you have a good
set of Frog Togs to go with them.  I suggest that you shop around an ride on as many as possible before you purchase and in a slop with a wind blowing so that you can see what you are getting.  My favorite boat is a Rhino Frontier 18.  It is 18'6" and has a 115 Evinrude on it.  I have it tricked out with a jack plate, trim tabs, leaning post, and it has two live wells.  24 volt system for a trolling motor and I had it built.  But you can still find them on Boat Trader online for a deal.  I would say to go for at least a 17 footer.
Capt.  Jimmy


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## Eroc33

I had a key west 1520 I would deffinetly recommend a 17 foot plus boat


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## Huntsman.45

I have a 1720 KW and if you plan to fish more than a couple of people, I would go to a larger boat if possible. It's amazing what an extra foot will do for you.


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## marshdawg

It really depends on how much saltwater fishing you plan on doing. I have a 17 sea pro bay boat with a 90 hp on it and it is fine for me however; it has very low gunnels and is not very kid friendly. I would go no lower than a 17 footer/90 hp and there are several out there with a better "family" designed hulls and set-ups.   Buy a used, late model boat if you can.


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## Steyr

Does anybody know anything about the Twin Vee boats ? Seeing more and more...word has it they are the smoothest riding boat in the slop. Looks like a regular boat but pontoon style...


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## Adventuringtheoutdoors

*My boat*

Hi guys, I just wanted to start off and say I wish I would have asked this question before I bought mine. But... I got lucky! I bought a 2012 Mako Pro Skiff 17.5 ft long. Love it! I love it because it is cheap, I love it because it is a work horse and I love it because you get the most bang for your buck! I am glad that I did not go with anything different, which if I did then my statement from above would make sense. Anyways, Steyr mention the Twin Vee boats.. Which is called AVI Advanced Inverted V hull with integrated anti-spray design, but what makes this such a great design is the fact that your front deck space is larger. I have a 60 hp on my boat which with just me it runs at a top speed of 38mph. With the AVI hull you will still get a little bit of a front bounce but you learn to control it-its better than the original skiff type boats. Another great thing about this boat is it was built to be a working boat for crabbers and hauling weight so if you notice or watch an reviews about this boat it dominates any other boat its size. Mine can hold 6 or 850 lbs which other boats can only carry 4 at 650lbs. I can go on and one about my boat, about how the draft in only 8 inches and how I bought a brand new boat for 15K. But I do not want to bore you to death, I have attached a few pictures to check out. Last thing if you are looking for a used boat I found this website that I thought was pretty good, and if I were you I would look in Florida because their used boat prices seem to be cheaper. The website is www.skifflife.com Hope you the best of luck finding your boat!


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## Dr. Strangelove

18' Carolina Skiff with the high gunnels option and a 60 horse salt rated motor. Small enough to handle singlehanded, big enough to do what you like, and you can add whatever configuration options you like at purchase or as money allows.


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## Jimmy Lee Armel

I got my 18' Carolina Skiff from Coastal Boat Center and absolutely love it.  I've had the max people on board (7) while pulling a tube and it did fine.  Plenty of room for the wife to lay out on the deck while I fish all day.  It's not the fastest, but it is good bang for your buck.  Got it almost two years ago and have but 270 hours on it with no issues.  Good luck and keep us posted.

TIGHT LINES TO ALL


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## nhancedsvt

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys. I actually looked at the Mako 17 with a 40 Merc yesterday at Basspro as they had a new one on sale for what I thought was a decent price ($13k). I was trying to stay around the 6-8k range probably which I know would be tough, but I didn't want to spend a ton on my first boat. Intercoastal fishing would probably only happen about 1-2 times a year but I want a dual purpose boat. Most of my fishing and boating would be done on lakes around here. 

Does anyone else have any input on the Mako skiffs?


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## jfinch

I have a Carolina Skiff 18 JVX with a 70 Suzuki.  Love the boat.  The Mako 16 was on our short list when we were looking.  It looks like a good boat but most of the ones  I saw in stores seemed under powered.  40 doesn't seem like enough to push that boat especially with the load they say it will carry.  The Carolina Skiff was a little more money but it seemed like it was finished out a little nicer than the Mako.  The other thing that pushed me to the CS was the total package length on the trailer.  It had to fit in my garage and the door close.  Garage is 20'3".  Tracker puts them on a trailer with a swing tongue but the overall length is still over 21' for the 16 ft boat because of how the trailer is built and they only have the one trailer.  I got my boat at the Grass Shack and they had two trailer options and with one of them we were able to get the total package length on the trailer down to just under 20' and it fits in my garage perfectly with a little room to spare.  Here are some pictures of my JVX for comparison.


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## nhancedsvt

Well talked to the bank, the older boats are out for me. It doesn't make sense but the numbers on a new boat are WAY better. I'm leaning hard towards the Mako 17 Pro Skiff now. BassPro has one with a 40hp Mercury that I like. Any pros/cons to this boat?


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## sea trout

your above statement is spot on.
if you're financing all or most of the boat, it makes sense to buy new and get your finance deal and a warrenty!

if you have to finance a used boat...after financing you won't be that far away from the title in hand price of a new one.


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## jfinch

I would ask for a test ride in one with a 40.  Max on that boat is 60.  That is 67% of the max.  Rule of thumb I have always heard is never put a motor less than 80% of the max and if possible put the max allowable.


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## BowHunter89

Just went through this myself wanting a dual purpose rig for fresh and salt water and ended up going with a Mako 181 with a 90 Merc. No specific reason it was just the right boat at the right time for the right price. I was shopping wanting for about 2 years before I pulled the trigger and went from aluminum to skiff then to bay boat and couldn't be more happy. Its small enough to be handled by me and the wife but plenty large enough to keep her feeling safe.


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## bhdawgs

I would get at least a 60 HP motor.   I have heard mixed reviews with the BPS Mako's...  Check the Hull truth forums and ask around first.


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## ryano

cant hide money


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## Bryannecker

*That one looks like a 17??*



Steyr said:


> Does anybody know anything about the Twin Vee boats ? Seeing more and more...word has it they are the smoothest riding boat in the slop. Looks like a regular boat but pontoon style...



I used to fish out of one that had a 50 h.p. Honda on it.  It was slow and did not have enough beam to suit me.  It would tend to tip when two anglers went to the same gunnel on it.  But, it is a nice soft ride.


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## Bryannecker

Check this boat out.  No price quoted but could be a good one.
This is the type boat I have.  Mine is a 115 and this is a 150.


They are great boats as far as I am concerned.  
Capt. Jimmy


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## aabradley82

My advice is to get a boat bigger than you think you want. I had a 24' skiff, best all-around boat I have owned. Every thing from striper-fished, bass fished, pulled tubes and skis, bowfished, I even ran it up the Oconee once. Could get a little rough in a stiff chop, but if you stepped over and made it lean it was as smooth as glass. With the high sides I felt safer than any flatdeck boat especially with kids, dogs etc. Wife still gives me grief for getting rid of it. Now I have a pontoon, a wood skiff I built myself and a jonboat to do the jobs the carolina did. I fished out of a 19-20 ft skiff and it was great too.


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## Bryannecker

Sundance in Blackshear, Sea Chaser in Waycross, or Key Largo in Cairo, GA are all Georgia builders whom you may want to contact to discuss your needs and arrange to have on built through one of their dealers and get just what you want as a new boat.  If you fish with it, get a trolling motor, jack plate, trim tabs, leaning post, poling platform and you will be pretty well set to fish both inshore on the flats, and light offshore trips on good days.  By doing that you will not have to buy what the dealer has for you but what you really want in the boat.  The cost will not be out of sight with these builders and they are locals, not some corporate entity off far away from us Georgia anglers.  That is my advice so that you will get exactly what you want and get a brand new boat.
Capt. Jimmy


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## seastrike

*boat*

you have options to explore. i think the motor is a huge factor. Also as high of quality hull as you can swing. I have had several boats and enjoyed all of them. i also agree with going up in size more than you think you will want/need. Boats filled with gear get small fast. The boat i have now is great for me as a fisherman and a family man. I have always dreamed of a really high quality bay boat and now i have one. For me i couldnt just go plunk out the huge amount of cash to buy a pathfinder. However i found a really old one(1999 2200 v) It was very cheap and stored inside a marina. so it was a little dusty but nice. Well it had a sweet running 0x-66 vmax on it. It was a screamer but THIRSTY! It also was missing the trailer. Hmmm... This really complicated things. It looked like the whole deal could fall apart as the marina/broker/owner struggled to solve that issue. I really wanted this boat. I found a guy in south carolina that had a really nice aluminum trailer. So i bought the trailer,negotiated a low low price on the boat without the trailer. The thing about well made boats like Scout,Pathfinder,Egret,Maverick, keywest bay reef and other nice boats, is that they tend to have less spider cracking issues, ride drier and hold up. I ran this motor for a while till last summer. Then i went to the bank and financed a brand new yammi 4 stroke Now i have a nice old boat with a new motor under waranty for way less than i would have ever thought.You might find a sweet boat with a bad powerhead even... look around.


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## TrackerAtlanta

nhancedsvt said:


> Well talked to the bank, the older boats are out for me. It doesn't make sense but the numbers on a new boat are WAY better. I'm leaning hard towards the Mako 17 Pro Skiff now. BassPro has one with a 40hp Mercury that I like. Any pros/cons to this boat?


The Skiff 17 left today.  I ordered a replenishment with a 60 which is max horsepower for this model and most popular.


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## sea trout

and if your lookin at skiffs don't forget to check out sundance!
i have the 20 footer. its awsome!
it's not very fancey. in fact it's pretty plain. but i like simple....less to go wrong and more room! and less money to buy!
the favorite pro that i like about my sundance is the stability. it doesn't rock from side to side. she is solid!
the worst con is that it can have a rough ride in choppy water. as with any skiff. but i think thats the only con!


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## seastrike

sea trout said:


> and if your lookin at skiffs don't forget to check out sundance!
> i have the 20 footer. its awsome!
> it's not very fancey. in fact it's pretty plain. but i like simple....less to go wrong and more room! and less money to buy!
> the favorite pro that i like about my sundance is the stability. it doesn't rock from side to side. she is solid!
> the worst con is that it can have a rough ride in choppy water. as with any skiff. but i think thats the only con!



 I am neighbors with the family that started Sundance. The Bells are their names. Their son in Blackshear i think Wally Bell runs the buisiness or may own it now. They have a variety of nice hull designs from simple to pretty well packed with fishing features. They have skiffs, bay boats, and flats boats. They even have a big new 25 footer called the Seaborn. It looks really nice. Their little flats hull is the( spyder) looks very cool too.


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## Randy

I went with the Gheenoe.  It's not big but works great for what I wanted.  Runs 20mph with a 9.9 4 stroke yammi and runs all weekend on 3 gallons of gas.


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## bowandgun

Here is an awesome boat that is priced good...Sea King Bay 21ft made by Kencraft out of Carolinas.  Awesome boats.


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## shallowminded

Lots of good boats out there. I looked at many of the boats mentioned already but ended up buying a Triumph 17 ft - 6 in. draft. They are made of the same material as kayaks. Can whack the snot out of them with no damage. No fiberglass to worry about, no cracking or gelcoat. Easy cleanup, easy maintenance. They also make a 17 skiff now as well as a 19, 21, etc. triumphboats.com   Got mine used, 35 hours on the motor. $6,000 less than new. Take your time and shop - you'll have it for a while.  I would buy another triumph to replace mine. Two cents. Good luck with your search!


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## ratherbefishin

Carolina skiff dlv.  shallow draft, high gunnels, lots of room, lower priced than most, very stable and safe.


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## gulpjuice

1720 Key West with a 90hp and bow mount trolling motor. Like previously said ok with 2 adults and a kid but 3 adults is a little crammed for fishing comfortably but can do it. Trailers like a dream. Will get skinny enough to chase redfish and go out to the 10 mile reefs no problem on a nice day. Ive been 30 miles in it. I wouldnt get a skiff/flat bottom unless you dont plan on going in any open water. There is a big difference in the ride of a skiff and v-hull. I do like the bay reef line of key wests also


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## T Tolbert

Too early


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## nhancedsvt

Thanks for the input guys. We're just beginning to look. With a baby due in a month I'm not in a real rush to do anything. If the right deal comes along I'll jump on it, if not I'll just keep looking. I've got access to a jon boat and ski boat whenever I want so it's not something that I "need."


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## 2degrees

Have you looked at the Sea Hunt?  They are sold at Custom Marine in Statesboro and are a great mid tier boat.  I had the 186 Triton and loved it.  I could fish many of the creeks but I could also pull a tube and run 15miles off shore. The only reason why I got rid of the boat was because I got a bigger Sea Hunt.  I have owned used boats before and you can save a lot of money, however there is nothing like that new boat smell when you open a hatch.


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