1st time buyer
Submitted by Graeme76 on Mon, 2011-12-12 22:08
I'm looking at getting my first boat very early next year, just a basic 12-14ft aluminium dinghy & it will have to be second hand as I'm only going to have $1500-$2000 to spend on the initial purchase of boat, motor, trailer & basic safety gear. I'll save up for sounders, gps etc as I get around to it. What I'm after is any tips & advice you can give me on what good things to look for & what to beware of when buying a secondhand aluminium boat, motor & trailer.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Swan River Fisher
Posts: 877
Date Joined: 03/05/11
i think that budget is just
i think that budget is just do-able for that size boat.
Ali hulls are generally pretty solid and last for a while, so concentrate more on getting a decent motor with the boat. Ask for the person to start the motor/ forward, reverse and maybe even have a test on the water on it, because motors perform different under load than in idle.
Check if the seller is genuine and hasn't stolen the boat and is trying to sell it quickly- check rego numbers, drivers license etc. its not likely but it can happen.
Hope this helps
SRF
sstevee
Posts: 466
Date Joined: 15/11/11
SRF, has given some pretty
SRF, has given some pretty good advice there.
You definitely wanna be looking for something that has a decent outboard. I also somewhat recently got into boating and even though my tinnie is only a 3.4 it still costs money. There are a few hidden costs and if ur like me you will be tinkering for a while to get everything where and how you want it, which will also cost money. I dont mean to scare you but its something to be aware of. IMO if you find something that is well set up and has a decent outboard but is slightly out of your budget i'd do everything i could to stretch the budget a little further because it will definitely save you in the long run.
Oh and when looking at tinnies dont take anyones word on anything, always check hulls and everything as best you can. Unfortunately thats just the type of world we live in now
Happy hunting, hope you find a good one
Swan River Fisher
Posts: 877
Date Joined: 03/05/11
Good Point
For your budget, theres some pretty good tinnies to 2.5k on gumtree. I'd have a look on there.
SRF
Graeme76
Posts: 287
Date Joined: 03/10/11
Thanks guys. The budget will
Thanks guys. The budget will only stretch to $2000 max. I figure for that I should be able to get a tinny around the 12ft mark & a decent motor. As you said, it's mainly the motor I want to be sure of. Small leaks, bad finish etc in the hull are no problem for me to fix myself & whatever is wrong with the trailer I can easily fix myself as well. I do want to keep my labour to a minimum though because I don't have a whole lot of free time between work & my kids care requirements so I don't really want to spend that time cutting & welding like I do at work.