Fox News - Don't buy used boats...

[Timmy!]

Fox news has an article out that lists boats as one of the top 6 things that you should NEVER buy used.
WHATEVER!?!?!
http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-...ings-buy-used/

Boats
Because boats typically don’t get serviced as often as cars, they are much more likely to have maintenance problems, according to John Thedford, CEO of LaFamilia Pawn and Jewelry in Miami.
And when it comes to maintenance, the hull of a boat is much more difficult to repair than a flat tire.
“Our practice is to test the item before we write a pawn loan,” says Thedford. “And it would be difficult, if not impossible, to test something such as a watercraft.”
Buying used is all about knowing what you’re getting, Thedford said, and when a test drive can’t be performed and a diagnostic test would be prohibitively expensive, you’re better off buying new.
“People have to take care of their cars because they drive them every day, but you can’t say the same for a boat,” he says.

[zad0030]

A pawn shop owner is a very reliable source...

[AdaminMN]

This article sponsored by,Bayliner, Larson, and your local Moomba dealer.

[Iwndr]

Pawn Stars

[talltigeguy]

He is mostly correct. That is why buying a used boat should be a scary prospect.

Why is maintaining your car any more likely to have been done? I bet a person could go 20K+ on one oil change before there would be any performance problems. Would hurt in the long run, but I would change it before I sell it. The only difference seems to me to be it only costs me $30 to change the car oil, and $300 to take it to a dealership to change the oil.

[Timmy!]

$300 for an oil change!?!?!? Where you taking your stuff to?

[Bad05]

I knew I should have been leery of Larry! Knowing the person, or at least knowing how the boat was maintained is a huge factor and was a big concern for me when I bought mine, but I don't think anyone out there took better care of their boat and I felt confident in the purchase. I've heard horror stories of boats having never received maintenance and then sold. The new owners were stuck and couldn't afford the repairs until the following year!

[murphini]

IMHO, most boat owners* I know treat/maintain their boats BETTER than their cars, and sometimes better than they treat their wives!

You can spot the used boat-losers/sellers pretty quick, as well as spotting the genuine good guys who are selling.

*Pawnshop & Miami boats? Salt water. Go Fasts. "Thirty-Thousand-Dollar-Millionaire" Don Johnson wannabe type of owner. I'd stay away from them too. In fact, any go fast I'd be concerned would have been driven like the 4th of July.

But would I buy a freshwater tow-boat from a guy/family that keeps a maintenance log, describes what he has done, what his rituals are and takes me out on a spin? Now that I know what to look for --absolutely. There will be flaws and little issues, but overall it's a part of the deal.

I had a great experience with my first boat (14 years old/used when I bought it). Put 250 hours on it over 5 years. Sold it to another guy and I still see it on the lake 4 years later. Each owner of that boat kept it nice for the next owner.

Then I bought a new boat in 07. IF I ever sell it, someone will get a pampered, washed, waxed, serviced asset that they'll enjoy for years to come...and I'll get my next--maybe new and maybe used.

[Timmy!]

Then I bought a new boat in 07. IF I ever sell it, someone will get a pampered, washed, waxed, serviced asset that they'll enjoy for years to come...and I'll get my next--maybe new and maybe used.

[Ewok]

IMHO, most boat owners* I know treat/maintain their boats BETTER than their cars, and sometimes better than they treat their wives!

You can spot the used boat-losers/sellers pretty quick, as well as spotting the genuine good guys who are selling.

*Pawnshop & Miami boats? Salt water. Go Fasts. "Thirty-Thousand-Dollar-Millionaire" Don Johnson wannabe type of owner. I'd stay away from them too. In fact, any go fast I'd be concerned would have been driven like the 4th of July.

But would I buy a freshwater tow-boat from a guy/family that keeps a maintenance log, describes what he has done, what his rituals are and takes me out on a spin? Now that I know what to look for --absolutely. There will be flaws and little issues, but overall it's a part of the deal.

I had a great experience with my first boat (14 years old/used when I bought it). Put 250 hours on it over 5 years. Sold it to another guy and I still see it on the lake 4 years later. Each owner of that boat kept it nice for the next owner.

Then I bought a new boat in 07. IF I ever sell it, someone will get a pampered, washed, waxed, serviced asset that they'll enjoy for years to come...and I'll get my next--maybe new and maybe used.

X2, I would never be affraid to buy a used boat.

[bgkchild]

There are reasons why used boats are so much cheaper than new. For those of us that can't afford new it gets us on the water. So I have more problems than a new boat, at lest I'm not just stuck at home wishing for a new boat. Besides if you can do your own miner maintance it saves a ton of money.

[3sportboat]

I maintain my boat way better than my vehicles. Being broken down on the side of the road is one thing, being broken down in the middle of the lake is much worse, to be avoided at all costs.

[Nobody]

I maintain my boat way better than my vehicles. Being broken down on the side of the road is one thing, being broken down in the middle of the lake is much worse, to be avoided at all costs.

Must be a chevy, dodge, or ford owner.

[talltigeguy]

After reading another horror story, you have to believe that buying a used boat has its risks.

The worst one I read was a guy who traveled 2000 miles to look at a boat and then found out the boat had previously been wrecked at WOT on a rock at Lake Powell. The rock punctured the hull and put a hole in the oil pan from underneath! The dealer had a huge fight with the insurance company because the dealership called the boat unrepairable, and the insurance company wanted it fixed instead of repairing it.

The insurance company eventually gave in, but the boat ended up at auction and some bozos fixed it. The dealership refused to touch it. The bozos then claimed to know nothing about the repair which is the sad part. They had even posted a question about the repair on the same website that the ad was on. After the potential buyer gets there to look at the boat, he then calls the dealership. (yes, that was a bad idea to do that after traveling 2,000 miles). The dealership tells him the story and then he goes back home empty handed. He had test driven the boat and did notice it rattled more than most...dealership thinks that the stringers would never be normal after the damage.

Anyway, there are some bad boats out there and it is a risk to buy a boat.

[Pro-Fab]

BUying a used boat is no riskier than buying a used car. you just have to have the correct person look at it before you buy it. wether it be you or a mechanic that knows the right questions to ask and the right things to look for that may be wrong.

I say its a push from boat companies to buy new boats. because the general public is clueless. Boat, and TRX250r maintenance are more enjoyable for me than Cummins and Range Rover maintenance I have to do. So i am more inclined to maintain the toys before the Daily drivers.