Looking for first bass boat

[Josh Bertrand]

Hello everyone.I'm fifteen years old and have been dreaming about having a Nitro since I started fishing,I have got my Dad to atleast consider upgrading our 16 foot alluminum multispecies boat to a bass boat. I'm about as serious a fisherman as you can find, including older more experienced aglers. I can't afford a brand new 901 unfortunately but I am looking at mid 90's 17 or maybe 18 footers with 90-150hp. How much will this cost me? What kind of performance can I expext? Thanks, and you can look forward to having me around for a while. Josh

 

[Mark Gross]

Hi Josh,

Welcome to the board. You'll find more good advice here on fishing and boating then anywere else. Feel free to jump in any time. Most of the guys are on in the daytime so be sure to look at your post tomorrow . I can't answer your question but there will be plenty of guys how will.

Good luck and good fishing.

 

[David Lewis]

Hi Josh

Welcome

You can go to this website below, look at Tracker Marine, whatever year and see what a boat would be selling for depending on condition, options, motors. You can also look in the Swap and Sell section on this site. You will see several boats listed there. Hope this helps.




http://www.iboats.com/boatprices

 

[Staci Matheis]

Josh -



Get yourself a 17' boat with a 90 to 115 hp motor and you'll be happy for many years to come!



Early- to mid-90's Nitro 170 in good condition should run you somewhere in the $5,000 to $7,000 range.



This time of year, there are a lot of good, older boats out there for even less money......



Stay away from a 135 hp or larger on your first boat - learn to feel the boat with the smaller motor first and enjoy the economy!



Welcome to the board!

Just don't pick up too many bad habits from Mac, Mini, Rob and Mike Snow! :^)



me!

 

[Richard Whittemore]

I think it's great that as a young man you are deep into the sport of fishing. Also being responsible enough to take on buying a boat at your age.

I don't know you and I'm not preaching. No one on this site will not contradict what I am about to tell you. Let me emphasize the importance of an education. Get the best one you can, finish high school and get a college degree. Then you can buy any rig that is out there.

In the meantime get what you can and keep your line tight.

Good Luck...

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Carlos has a rig in the swap and sell that is sweeet and would fit your needs, go have a look. I have seen this boat and it is mint. Welcome by the way and keep that enthusiasm!!



TOXIC

 

[Rich D]

Josh,



Stay away. You have been warned. Of course since you have already been brainwashed by the glass guys, it is probably too late.



Welcome!



Rich D

 

[Michael S]

The real question is how much is your allowance? I might have to move in with you.



Josh you might consider looking at a tin model. they make great first boats and you could probably get a newer model tin for the same price as an older model glass.



Just my .02

 

[Rob LaMoy]

If it's the first real performance (ie GLASS boat) you and you dad have run, listen to "me" and get a 17 footer with a 115 or 125 HP. That will be a good learning boat to get down the fundamentals of boat handling. I get nervous when I see people jump right into 150's and racing across the lake with little wheel time. You should be able to get into a nice 17 footer with a 125 in the mid 90's for under $10k. Good luck and keep fishing.

 

[Michael S]

Josh there are plenty of real performance Tin Rigs out there. Tracker might not have high pefromance models but there are other good brands out there.

 

[David Jordan]

1 Glass

2 Glass

3 Glass



17 foot 90 to 125 hp

18 foot will work w/ a 115 or 125

Stay away from old 150 HP motors w/ GT in their series.

Stay away from old F---- named motors

By all means, have the motor and boat checked out by an independent expert. It will save you a lot of money in the long run.



Tracker 1800 TF 1989, Had a 150hp (RIP) on it, now a Mercury 125 HP, 46 MPH Wide open throttle w/ 23P aluminum prop.

w/ a 150HP, 58 MPH. The 150 requires alot of experience.

Stay below 50 MPH untill you have some seat time. Once you get above 50MPH, There is a whole new learning curve. Mistakes will cost you big time. 46 seems fast. above 50 seems like going over 100mph in a motorcycle.

 

[Bryan Fary]

originally bought a pt185 1998 model for $7000 on ebay. it had a 50hp on it. great 1st boat, just needed more power on the back. kept it a year but when i ran across a 2000 nx882sc with a 150hp at $8500, i couldn't resist. for a VERY short time i had 2 boats. my pt185 sold for $7000 to the first guy that looked at it.



i am a glass man now, but you won't hear me say anything bad about tin either. BOTH are excellent boats.



bryan

 

[Texas Transplant]

Josh,



I went from a newer Targa 18 (tin boat) this year, to an older Stratos. Eighteen feet (actually 17' 8"), with 150hp Evinrude. Got one in excellent condition for $7,900.00. The point being, if you look around, you can find some really good 'rides' for reasonable prices.



I'm like some of the others, if you can find a 17 footer with a 90 or 115 on it, that would be a good starter also. Lot's of buying tips here on the site. Look at the engine closely (under the cowling), and also the electrical wiring on the boat. That will tell you a lot on how it was maintained.



And good luck!



Tex

 

[Keith Wilson]

Keep checking here. You'll get an idea of what you can expect. It changes so you'll have to check back once in a while to see whats new. Good luck.
http://www.marineusainc.com/preowned/preowned.htm

 

[Josh Bertrand]

Thanks very much everyone. You seem like a great bunch of people. Unfortunately I'm not some rich kid driving around an Escalade, the boat will be out of my Dads wallet. I have previosly been in a 2002 901 with a 200 merc several times and been on the water twice in a 1999 700 lx with a 120 force, I loved them both but I know the 901 would be out of my range, I really did like the 17 footer. We really can't spend more than 7,000$ and closer to five or six thousand if possible. I have considered alluminum such as a G3 or express but I wasn't impressed by the size of the front deck. As Dave said I'm going to try and stay away from Force and older Evinrude motors but ironicly right now we are running a 96 force and it starts on one turn of the key and runs as strong as a measly 40 hp will run. I do know someone who bought a tracker power series(120 Force) and he tells me it hasn't run well since he bought it. Thanks again and I'll update you when I take another step towards my dream boat. Josh

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Josh: Welcome aboard this may be your first and only shot at getting an honest answere out of this group with out much ribbing. First of all what kind of water will you be fishing? Lakes? Rivers? Tidal? This will help in makeing your choice. What you need first is to pick something in your budget that will still allow you to fish (not make big payments) You will need a good fishing platform that fits your needs (Big water means big boats) for a starter 17ft glass or TIN (HINT HINT) should be fine on most types of water. 150's and speed come with practice and seat time. You can always trade up later. Most of all PLEASE take this time in your life to spend with your Dad.. Be a partner,freind,buddy what ever. You will never regret it trust us.

BF

 

[Josh Bertrand]

Thanks Bruce. The lakes I fish out here in Arizona are decent sized lakes, I in the Phoenix area so I fish Saguaro, Pleasent, Roosevelt. I have no reason to go up to the huge rough lakes such as Mead or Powell. I'm fishing very hard and learning fast so tournament are in the near future as well for me. My Dad is awesome for doing all this for me as you said fishing is my way to spend time with him. Josh

 

[David Munaretto]

I just recently sold a 95 Nitro 180 FS for about 8K that was an incredible boat. I upgraded to a 901, but NEVER had any problems with my 180. It was fast too, I'd come close to 60 GPS on it without any radical adjustments.



If you can find an older 18' boat (mid 90's) and the engine checks out (get a compression test done by a mechanic) then I'd HIGHLY recommend a slightly older hull/engine with a higher performance level.



BTW, resell is great too - I bought for 8-something, and sold a year-two later for 8-something...



Food for thought, my 2 cents, or whatever phrases are applicable...



Daver

 

[Aaron Groves]

I just bought my '96 Nitro 170DC last month. I was pretty much like you not wanting to spend too much money but wanting something I could be competitive with in local tourneys. I found my boat through Boattraderonline.com. You can run a search by state, type of boat, price range, whatever. Anything that matches what your looking for pops up with info on how to contact the seller. Pretty cool set up and I ended up getting the boat for under $4500, which is an awsome deal. Only had to drive four hours to go see it and test drive it, heck the owner even told me I could bring my poles and we could make a day on the lake out of it! Awesome experience!

 

[Tommy Potts]

I have had my 1989 1800 TF for 10 years, I paid 4500.00 for it then with two eagles, tm, life jackets, 150 merc. I have not regretted it ever, it has been a great investment and alot of fun for the whole family. Dont get in a big hurry to buy. Good Luck