Oktravis Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Hi all im planning to buy my first boat. I thought to my self I don’t know the first thing about buying a boat. My questions are what do I need to know? What questions should I ask? What do I need to license a boat and trailer? How do I go about paying tax? Is there anything else I should do or know? I don’t have a boat picked out yet. Im looking for something small, 14 to 16 foot aluminum with a small motor and trailer. Any help would be very appreciate Thank you Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vance Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 1-you will pay tax when you buy it. 2-If the motor is 10hp or over the boat will need a license 3-the trailer will need its own license 4-to operate the boat you will need a license 5-you will need insurance on the boat when in the water 6-unless you are fishing big water and big fish anything that floats will get you to the fish if you can catch them!! 7-the only real question is will your vechical tow it legally.... vance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 1-you will pay tax when you buy it.2-If the motor is 10hp or over the boat will need a license 3-the trailer will need its own license 4-to operate the boat you will need a license 5-you will need insurance on the boat when in the water 6-unless you are fishing big water and big fish anything that floats will get you to the fish if you can catch them!! 7-the only real question is will your vechical tow it legally.... vance Please show me the reference for #5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbouck Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 Please show me the reference for #5 If financing new I believe the banks require you to have insurance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike the Pike Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 What You Need to Know When Purchasing an ALUMINUM BOAT QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK HULL STRENGTH * How is the hull constructed? * How is the transom assembled? * # of bolts in the transom and what are they attached to? * Is there extra protection (twin plating) where the boat takes the most abuse? * Are the seams double riveted? SAFETY * Does the boat have upright, level foam floatation? * How wide is the 'footprint'™ of the boat (part of the hull in the water) - the wider this is the more stable the boat will be. WARRANTY * What type of warranty is available? * Specifically on the seams and plywood surfaces? VALUE * What is the re-sale value like on this brand? Model? FISHABILITY * What type of seats and seating arrangements are available? * What type of livewell system is provided? * Where are the livewells/baitwells (if applicable) located? Convenient? * What is the glove box like? How roomy is it? * Does the helm have room to mount electronics? MAINTENANCE * What type of paint is used on the exterior of the boat? * Can you get vinyl floor options for easy maintenance? INDUSTRY TERMS... BEAM Measurement of the widest part of the boat. Measured from the top of one gunwale to the other. GUNWHALE The upper edge of the boat. LENGTH The total length of the boat. Generally measured from the tip of the bow across the top of the boat to the end of the transom. MAXIMUM HORSEPOWER This is the maximum horsepower that the boat has been rated for by the Canadian and the U.S. Coast Guard. FOOTPRINT A boat’s footprint is its width at the waterline. Make sure you check this feature out, the boat you are considering may have a wide beam but a very narrow footprint! TRANSOM This is the back end of the boat where the motor is mounted. HULL The hull is the structural framework of the boat. Make sure you ask about and understand the hull construction method. This will play a big role in determining the longevity and safety of your boat. Have a look at this I took it from the Lund website.Or go to the Lund site yourself.www.lundboats.com MTP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 DANG Mike... and all I asked was "how fast does this puppy go?" !!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muskieman Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 #1 welded vs riveted #2 horse power , 2 or 4 stroke. #3 how many passengers will you carry #4 $$$$$ range #5 tow vehicle #6 storage space [in the boat or at home] #7 does the wife agree with the purchase #8 I forget #9 how big of water you will be fishing #10 Insurance *10 I have my boat insured under my house insurance.. so it's covered when it's at home in my yard. When i tow it it's automatically insured under my vehicle's policy. It might stupid.. but when I'm on the water I'm uninsured... I'm thinking of getting a small liability policy. My buddy put me on to this he sells insurance...apparently ends up to be cheaper. there are boat length & horsepower restrictions to this policy.. I've been pulled over by the water cops a dozen times in the past few years and they've NEVER asked me for Insurance.. or ownership for that matter. Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radnine Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 First of all I would like to say I hope you are better at picking boats than you are at picking hockey teams. Secondly, regarding insurance, my boat is insured through my house insurance (as an extra); I don't need on the water insurance as well do I? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vance Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 (edited) If financing new I believe the banks require you to have insurance! If you have an at fault "accident" you better have insurance or you WILL pay for the rest of your life.I bet that within 5 years it will be manditory!! vance Edited March 15, 2008 by vance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LundGuy Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 Actually the most important thing is how much money do you want to spend. Once you know that,then you can start looking in around that price range. You will eliminate or add many types or manufacturers of boats depending on how you have to spend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muskieman Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 First of all I would like to say I hope you are better at picking boats than you are at picking hockey teams. Secondly, regarding insurance, my boat is insured through my house insurance (as an extra); I don't need on the water insurance as well do I? I don't need it on the water ... My Insurance pal said if you can take the loss of a damaging accident to your boat.... then buy Liability Insurance.... in case you Injure someone else or damage their property...he said it should be 60 -80 $ / yr. I'm gonna look into it next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LundGuy Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 First of all I would like to say I hope you are better at picking boats than you are at picking hockey teams. Secondly, regarding insurance, my boat is insured through my house insurance (as an extra); I don't need on the water insurance as well do I? I have my boats insured through my house and no you don't need extra on water insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vance Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 First of all I would like to say I hope you are better at picking boats than you are at picking hockey teams. Secondly, regarding insurance, my boat is insured through my house insurance (as an extra); I don't need on the water insurance as well do I? When your boat and trailer are attached to your car/truck you are insursed with it,otherwise it is on with your house policy even while on the water. vance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POLLIWOGG Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 You want to check those with the house deals, sometimes the boat has to be kept inside or they have some other fine print reason to turn down a claim. Can you get a liability only or do you have to get a package deal? I would insure the boat if I could get liability only. I was at a transport ca.-coast guard thing a couple years ago and they said mandatory ins. was on the way then. Maybe we can get Bob Rae to start a federal insurance program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry2Rs Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 (edited) This is all good advice. When my boat and trailer were wrecked, it turned out they were covered under my fire insurance??? Anyway...I got paid off no problem. I would suggest for a first boat that you shop the used market. New boats take a big depreciation hit as soon as they leave the dealer. If you buy used, in a year or two you will know a lot more about what you want/need in a boat. The used tinny will sell for about what you paid for it, and you can then look at new or nearly new boats. The best time to buy new boats is in the Fall. The dealers have to pay interest on the unsold boats that they carry over the winter. They will cut you a very good deal to get rid of them in October. Once you find a boat you're interested in, new or used, make a post asking about that brand, model etc. As a rule of thumb, all the big brand name boats are good. Many are made from the same hulls, that are finished by different companies. The brands that you have never heard of before can be less good. They are often built to a price and advertised as loss leaders or so the marina can move you up to a higher priced model...AKA "Bait and Switch." Garry2R's Edited March 16, 2008 by garry2rs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splashhopper Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 dang... that kayak fishing rig is looking even better to me now.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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