How to buy a BOAT – To buy USED or To buy NEW?

If my budget is less than $10K for a used boat, and we want a bay or flat bottom boat, how old should I go to and what brands are the safest to deal with? I am thinking 2003 and have been looking at Carolina Skiff models 19 foot DLX for 11 people max. I do not want to go out in the ocean with this boat and there is a lot of shallow water in Wilmington NC area so something like this would be perfect. I’m worried that the used motors are going to bite me on this deal. What motors are best Suzuki 90 4 stroke, Yamaha, Johnson, ??? If I do compression check then what is a good number for this on each cylinder? Is 300 hours a lot of time for a motor? Is it bad for the boat to dtay i nthe water and only come out once per year for cleaning? If I can buy a 2009 Skif for $16K and a 2003 Skiff for $10K which should I choose if it is apples to apples compared?

If you go used, I’d stick with johnson/evinrude, only cause I know they are all reliable and well-supported as to spare parts and service. merc and yammy are probably a close second and third. That’s a matter of opinion kinda like Ford or Chevy.

4-stroke is heavier and more complex than a 2-stroke, meaning higher acquisition cost, less speed for the same horsepower and higher repair bills. It’s also more fuel efficient, cleaner-running and quieter (above the waterline).

If you want to just climb aboard, turn the key and go, get a new boat with a four-stroke merc or yammy, or a 2-stroke evinrude e-tec. Lot of people like the new Honda 4-strokes, I don’t know anything about ‘em. Myself, I’m partial to the e-tec. It’s a 2-stroke with the emmissions and fuel economy of a 4-stroke.

As far as hours on a motor — the biggest problem most boat motors encounter is idle time, which is hard on any machinery. 50 hours/year is better than 10 hours/year. Properly maintained, there is really no upper limit on the service life of an outboard.

Compression: difference between cylinders is more important than raw numbers. You want to see less than 5 or 7% between the lowest and highest, otherwise walk away.

If it’s on a trailer, as the owner to start it for you. If he does so without hooking it up to water, walk away. You know the motor’s been abused — it only takes about 30 seconds of dry running to damage a water pump impeller.

Good compression starts quick, both warm and cold, idles, accelerates and cruises good, is about all you can ask for in a used outboard. Some basic maintenance will keep ‘em running for a long, long time (I run a ’79 evinrude), but repairs are pricy unless you do ‘em yourself.

On the hull — a few are all-composite, but most have fiberglass-over-wood floors, decks & transom. Replacing floors & decks is hot messy work, but the transom is a real headache. Any soft spots in the floor/deck, either walk away or prepare for some [sarcasm] real fun [/sarcasm].

Motor tilted up, grasp the lower unit and give a good shake — torque in every direction. Don’t try to tear it off the boat — just look for any flex in the transom. Any soft spots, just walk away.

Used boat, you won’t be so unhappy every time it bumps into the dock, or you chip some gelcoat off with the anchor…yada yada yada. But, you’ll have to spend more time & money on upkeep.

Drift Boat Fly Fishing Idaho X Series Skiff CCR Green River

	Wood ROW BOAT Skif Dory CANOE model rowboat skiff 11.5″ nautical decoration NEW $22.99

	A 12′ INFLATABLE MOTOR DINGHY SKIF DINGY RAFT FISH BOAT $1,079.99

	1953 Building Small Boat V Bottomed Sailboat Plans Skif $12.00

	Wooden Boat Magazine #87 Mar.-Ap. 1989 Warp Speed; Fishing Schooners; Good Skif $4.99

	Wood ROW BOAT Skif Dory CANOE model rowboat skiff aprx 15″ nautical theme wooden $34.99