Getting my first boat

[ekul 0]

Hey guys,Got some money together. looking at getting my first boat.I have around $3,500 to spend im looking for a half cab.What size should i be looking at to get most out of the boat, where i can get out to most places to tackle sharks and snapper etc. It will manly be used in the outer harbor/ north haven area.Im guessing conditions is a big part, but most of all i want to be able to take it out to all the local spots and for it to be safe while out there.Im unsure in a boat as to what is too much chop etc for a say 14foot boat.Im guessing 14ft in a half cabin at that price with everything ready to go will proberly be the best i could pull off. So info on this would be great, and if anyone has a boat that would be suitable please let me know so i could have a look. It doesnt matter if it doesnt have a engine as i have one to put on it.Thanks.

[Ranger 48]

$3.5k is a very tight budget, especially if you want a half cab to get into snapper and sharks.I couldn't really offer any advice in that price range, but I'd hazard the choices would be very very limited, and whatever you got would no doubt need quite a few dollars sunk into it to bring it up to scratch and ensure that it's reliable and safe.Good luck with the search though, as it's always fun looking at boats.

[MarsOne 137]

for my own and I'm sure Ekul's benefit - what COULD you get for around that price? Up to around 4k or so? Cheers

[Timbo45 0]

G'day mate,Like Ranger said, 3.5k is a tight budget, but what ever you do, if you do find a f/glasshalf cab for that sort of money make sure it has'nt got a soft transom or soft/rottenfloor. What sort of outboard do you have ?Good luck, I hope you find what your looking for, theres nothing better than getting yourfirst boat.Tim.....

[ekul 0]

I have found a few 14ft foot boats in my price range with the works ready to go, but im unsure if thats a big enough boat or not?I have a old school 25hp johnston motor to go onto it, its pretty ancient looking but the guy i got it off has only used it a few times since it was rebuilt then its just sat in his shed, said its a great motor.

[coonta kinta 1]

for my own and I'm sure Ekul's benefit - what COULD you get for around that price? Up to around 4k or so?

In a half cab........Someone elses junk & a whole lot of trouble!

[Ranger 48]

In a half cab........Someone elses junk & a whole lot of trouble!

At first glance this might sound harsh, but it is in fact pretty wise and straight to the point advice, from someone who knows a thing or two about boats.Unfortunately 4K doesn't buy much anymore.Sure you'll find 4k half cabs, circa 1970-mid 80s. Bearing in mind, a glass boat of this age will almost certainly have a degree of rot in the stringers, transom and/or floor, which can be costly to have repaired. Likewise, the aged motors on these boats, with dubious service history can also prove unreliable and sometimes too costly to repair.For under 4k if you are looking for reliability, the only thing which really comes to mind for me is a tiller steer tinny in the 3-4m range, and this certainly isn't suitable for chasing snapper and shark.You also find 4-4.5m runabouts in this price range, which were designed as river ski boats, but not really suited for this type of fishing or more importantly the waters we encounter.Having said this, for anyone seriously searching, there are occasional bargains popping up from time to time, but you need to be very quick jumping onto these, as they move fast and sell within hours.About all I can think of is to keep an eye out for an old circa 70's Bellboy. They aint pretty, but they are solid and stable old tanks, and would suit the purpose well on a budget if you can find one in decent condition.Don't part with any money without first having an independant inspection and on water test on any budget priced boat.If I could make a suggestion, as a first boat on a very tight budget, consider looking at a little tiller steer tinny first.These aren't gonna fulfill the criteria of hunting snapper and shark, and they probably aren't the sorta boat you pictured yourself in, but they are great little learning craft, which teach you safe boating practices early in your boating career.You learn to pay attention to conditions, operate carefully and safely, build your own confidence, and set the basis for skills you will need and apply much later to larger craft.A wise choice will see you recoup your investment fully come time to upgrade, and it still lets you get out fishing, while providing you time to save a bit more, which will get you into a boat you'll be a lot happier with, and have a lot more confidence in.Just something to think about.

[coonta kinta 1]

I have a old school 25hp johnston motor to go onto it' date=' its pretty ancient looking but the guy i got it off has only used it a few times since it was rebuilt then its just sat in his shed, said its a great motor.[/quote']One thing I learnt about two strokes is that sitting around will kill them quicker than running them every weekend. So whilst this sounds like a great little unit, unfortuneatly, the opposite may in fact be the case

[Ranger 48]

Also a 25hp is gonna be hard pushed to motor a glass half cabin around. Way underpowered! A 25hp would push a tinny to about 13 foot with a coupla guys and all their gear, but is too small to get much more than that up to planing speeds.I actually sold a little 3.3 tinny to Carps, and threw in a motor with the deal, as the motor had been sitting in someones shed for about 5 years without use, and I was afraid that it may not be resurrected after this neglect. I'd actually be very interested to hear if he got the thing running..........Carps?All this input might sound pretty negative, but please don't take it that way. I'd just hate to see you blow 3.5k on something which turns out to be more headaches than what it's worth.Maybe yet another option, is to try selling the 25hp for around $1-1.5k if it's worth that, and also add that cash to your kitty, taking the shopping pool up to about 4-4.5k

[MarsOne 137]

A wise choice will see you recoup your investment fully come time to upgrade' date=' and it still lets you get out fishing, while providing you time to save a bit more, which will get you into a boat you'll be a lot happier with, and have a lot more confidence in.[/quote']Awesome point that I've also heard from another fella who knows his boats (WB). If you buy a good tinny you'll find the depreciation on it isn't a whole lot... Which is great for a first boat.This is what I'll be looking at at some point.... Once the travelling bug has released its hold :whistle:

[ekul 0]

Thanks alot for the replys guys,taking everything into consideration, im new to the boating is new to me, never get the chance to go out on boats, alot of mates dont have time to take theres out, if they do you theres never enough room.

[coonta kinta 1]

Thanks alot for the replys guys' date='taking everything into consideration, im new to the boating is new to me, never get the chance to go out on boats, alot of mates dont have time to take theres out, if they do you theres never enough room.[/quote']Mate far from me to tell you what to do, BUTBoats are expensive items, not just to buy but also to maintain and as the length increases, so to do the running costs.I started my boating career in a 3.8m tinnie with a 15hp motor, later replacing this with 25 ponies. It took me 18months to find the right boat & I had that boat for around 15+ years, ( I only recently parted with it for a slightly larger tinnie) as well as this boat I also have a larger 5m boat. Guess which one I've caught more fish from!The catch list ranges from squid, gar, tommies, & whiting to snapper & small shark. I wouldnt reccommend the later as suitable targets however and of the sharks that were caught, they were incidental captures of managable size.The tinnie was a cheap boat to run and as time & confidence grew I took that boat to some great places. It was easy to tow, easy to handle on my own & could be launched from a beach, can you see where I'm going with this? Unlike my larger boat, the tinnie would be towed behind my commodore as if it wasnt there, unlike my larger boat which almost doubles my fuel consumption limiting where & when I take it away.Rangers point about a tiller steer tinnie makes a lot of sense especially when u consider how we run over fish to get out wide for very little at times.As time & confidence builds you'll find what you REALLY want in a boat and buy accordingly, saving you a packet in the process as you'll get it right the first time, not the second or third.

[Ranger 48]

Luke, I'm out of action for a little while due to a collapsed trailer bearing. Maybe it'd pay you to come out for a day with me when the trailer is once again operative, and it will give you a much better idea of what to expect, and what local conditions are really like around Adelaide waters.You cover my fuel costs, have a drive of the boat, a chat about what you need, and maybe get a few ideas to help you along, or if nothing more, come around have a chat and pick my brains for anything worthwhile which may be hidden away in there.

[Jack. 10]

That is a very nice offer ranger.And CK makes a very valid point about running over a lot of productive ground to get out wide. This is very true.Also, a boat that runs and has a good hull is going to hold it's value. This is good once you've got a boat, but not so good starting off. For example, in 1998 you would by a vt commodore for say $25k. The equivalent boat would be say a 4.7m haines hunter cuddy for $25k. Today that car would be worth around $5k and still be fine condition. The boat though would still easily fetch over $20k, if you were lucky you could get your $25k back.A good quality tinnie will serve you well inshore around our gulf, and later, you'll get the purchase price back later if you desire to upsize. Notice I said purchase price, haha because there is a lot of cash that mysteriously disappears along the way.Happy hunting

[ekul 0]

Thanks alot for the offer ranger, ill let you know how i go.Its not a good mix to be buying a boat while building a car at the same time. I should finish the car first, but when you fish nearly everyday, i think well hope its worth it.I have a mate thats going to come and inspect the boat with me to look for any troubles the hull might be encounting.The only thing thats got me a bit weiry of tinnys in the stablebility, i want to be able to stand and move around on it comfortably. Are they stable in that way?

[Jack. 10]

The modern ones are, they have wider beam. I had an 80s 4.3m quinnie and although. Two people could stand and fish, caution was required. The same size boats today are much more stable due to increased beam.It is a trade off though, the wider flatter stern will be more stable at rest, but the deeper narrower stern will perform better on the move.P.s I wish I had a tinnie

[ekul 0]

Hey guys,Got myself a boat, thought i would throw up a picture for anyone that could have been interested.Gave it a clean with southslide, spent 100bucks on some new saftey gear and bits and pieces, going to spend a couple hundred on a fish finder, wouldnt mind converting it to front steer sometime.3.9m pelican, 25hp johnston in good nick, trailer is in good nick too.Going to take it out for a spin hopefully tomorrow, hopefully we dont sink haha.cheers.Oh yeah picked it up for 1.1k

[Guest B@K]

Well done - reckon you've done well.May I suggest - if you go 'forward steer' you may/will have blind spots both left and right as the bimini is fastened to the windscreen. I found that with the 4 mtre Blue Fin I purchased. However, that may be overcome depending on the height of your forward seats. I rectified that minor problem by simply undoing all but the last two press studs on the windscreen. If all are undone, the bimini will collapse - I know - it happened.Enjoy it - I'm sure you will.Brian @ Kadina.

[coonta kinta 1]

Agree with Brian, it is a good pick up. I'd leave it as a tiller however. The ride will be better & your back will thank you for it.They are a good inshore hull. Had its bigger sister the skimmer for many years.I'd be casting an eye over the trailer however, it looks to be too long so some work might be needed there as well as a bit of a clean up to get some of that rust under control.

[Guest B@K]

Take heed of ck's advice - he's got the runs on the board or is that fish on board:lol: May I suggest getting stuck into the trailer with the 'KillRust' system - others may advise something else but that's what I did (from these forums). Oh yes, check the trailer bearings - there has been an extensive thread on these forums. Perhaps replace all bearings so you have a known maintenance starting point. What's the battery like - yes - I stuffed up on that one.Yes siree - getting a boat is real fun - truely.

[Timbo45 0]

Good on ya mate, looks like a good sound boat. I hope you get years of great fishing outof it . Did the electric motor come with it ?Tim...

[coonta kinta 1]

Yes siree - getting a boat is real fun - truely.

You forgot expensive :S

[southslide 0]

hey fellas, yea its deff a good little runabout. the elec is ekuls he bought of here afew months back for the conoe but is now for sneaking up on bream etc.cheers

[Jack. 10]

You're going to learn heaps with that boat, and as a first boat, it's one you'll remember :)Down the track when it's time to replace/upgrade, you will have a really good idea of what sort of things you will want from your fishing boat, having spent many hours (and a few bucks) setting this one up just how you like it Enjoy the learning curve mate, and hope youse have a ball sussing out new spots :)Look forward to the first fishing reports to start coming in....and if you want my opinion, to get into a boat that runs, floats and has a trailer for $1,100.00, you've done well.Take it easy skipper B)P.s. You boys seem to be pretty shark mad, but be careful if your going to float a balloon out off the back, it's probably not the greatest idea, especially since you lads actually get some pretty big bloody hook ups. :ohmy:

[Guest Brent61southoz]

if the hulls good, i reckon youve scored a winner, see you on the waterbrentBOAT = Bring Out Another Thousand

[ekul 0]

Hey guys,Thanks for the replys, The photo i took of the angle is the worst of the rust, all the rest is pretty good.Ill hit it up sometime in the furture and clean it up. My mate used to build trailers/welder, should have no dramas if some welding needs to be done.Thanks guys

[phear 0]

i recently bought a 15ft 1979 stejcraft with a 60mariner off a mate for 4k and its a great boat, already had great times in it, but as for boat = bring out another thousand ide say double it easy lol by the time you get a good sounder and just upgrade a few things like more rod holders, berley pots, nets, new flares, the list goes on i would have spent 6k and still could spend another 1-2k just on bits and pieces and the boat was very fishable to start with just getting it how i want it now.just be prepared to spend money on it and keep it serviced and maintained and it should serve you well!

[Ranger 48]

You're going to learn heaps with that boat' date=' and as a first boat, it's one you'll remember :)Down the track when it's time to replace/upgrade, you will have a really good idea of what sort of things you will want from your fishing boat, having spent many hours (and a few bucks) setting this one up just how you like it Enjoy the learning curve mate, and hope youse have a ball sussing out new spots :)Look forward to the first fishing reports to start coming in....and if you want my opinion, to get into a boat that runs, floats and has a trailer for $1,100.00, you've done well.Take it easy skipper B)P.s. You boys seem to be pretty shark mad, but be careful if your going to float a balloon out off the back, it's probably not the greatest idea, especially since you lads actually get some pretty big bloody hook ups. :ohmy:[/quote']Best advice I'd read for awhile!