I bought a USED Boat (some notes)

[PeteV]

Greetings, I'm a boating novice just sharing info for those thinking about a used boat. just a couple thoughts of what I went through. I am a very hardcore fisherman but I know very little about boats. After thinking about buying one for a long time I finally decided to do it.

First decision point was NEW vs. USED.
I decided on USED since I figured I'd be making a lot of mistakes & I'd end up banging it around & beating on it (through inexperience). Stuff like forgetting to raise the prop while trailering, screwing up loading and unloading, and just other things that would kill me if I had a new boat. I considered this a training boat & something that would help me figure out what I really wanted if I ever decided on a “Real” boat.

Second decision point was type of boat. I was looking for functional, fishable, safe, easy to clean, easy to handle, easy of trailer… and simply… just what was available & cheap. I ended up with an old center console.

Third Buying the boat.
After we agreed to the price of the boat, We needed to generate a Bill of Sale (necessary for registering the boat). The one we did was itemized and we broke it into 3 pieces. First piece was for trailer alone, second was for boat alone, third was for accessories (everything else). If the seller wanted to sell the boat for $3K. the itemized bill would show Page 1, Trailer $1K. Page 2, Boat $1K and Page 3, Accessories $1K.

This worked out good when I registered the trailer I showed just the trailer portion of the Bill of Sale and paid taxes on just the Trailer. When I registered the Boat, I showed only the bill of sale for the Boat and paid Taxes on the Boat alone without the accessories. So instead of paying taxes on a $3000 boat you pay only for whats shown on that portion of the Bill of sale (you can weight the itemization any way you want… cheap boat & expensive accessories).

Fourth, buying & registering…this is a chicken & egg story.
It takes some partnering between Buyer & Seller.
Obviously you have to bring it home …so you need a license plate for the trailer. To get the license plate you have to have the title for it & you have to insure it… so you basically have to buy the trailer. You need to get the sellers title & registration . Leave the boat with the seller. Register it & then go back with license plate in hand & so you can bring it home.

Registering the boat is different than registering the Trailer.. you have to
Show you paid taxes on the boat & you have to show the Bill of Sale. Again this is were the itemized Bill is nice.

Fifth, I brought the boat home & just started cleaning & fixing it up. I also signed up for a Coastguard “Safe Boating Class”(this helps with insurance). Now that I’ve got the boat almost cleaned up I’m going to bring the boat to a Marina to get the engine tuned up, fluids checked & the thing lubed up. I’m also trying to learn more about the trailer. I want to figure out how to make sure the bearings and hubs are working over time. I figured they’re going to get gunked up after being immersed in Saltwater So I wanted to learn the procedure.


That’s it & I'm sure there are many holes in what I wrote but I just wanted to share some notes if anyone else is going this path.

[pat horgan]

That thing is sweet. Handsome boat. Get a grease gun for the trailers bearing and the fittings on your outboard. When in doubt, smear some grease on it. Rinse with fresh water. Run engine with freshwater earmuffs. Change your fuel filter. Get a good Chart and get familiar with geography and tides in your area. Get your Cost Guard Equip together AND a first aid kit. Bring your cell and program in Tow Boat (NOT that you'll "ever" need them.) Add water. Enjoy.

[PeteV]

Thank you Pat, I realize there are probably a lot of negatives about my selection but I'll figure them out & make a mental note. I very much liked Jim Millers cuddy Grady White but even the used ones were a lot of money. So I'm just going to putz around in the boat I found & try to learn a little about how to use it and hopefully get educated enough & understand my own needs to make the right decision later on.

I guess my biggest issue was size. Since I'll be loading and unloading the thing myself. I wanted a boat which was light enough to be able to handle while I get it on & off the trailer.
The biggger cuddy would be tricky for a 1st timer.....not trying to be a wuss ... just an attempt at respecting my ability.

[pat horgan]

Just graduated to a slip and a 22' WA myself. Single handedly launching an loading your boat will be tough but do-able. However, I never seemed to lack for wiling "volunteers" to come fishing and help me with the boat.

You'll have a blast. Just take your time and make yourself a "pre-flight-checklist" to start. eg: priime engine, correct engine trim level, drain plug, asst gear, cell phone NOT in shirt pocket, spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch, etc etc.

Here is my new toy.

[Philster]

I think I just bought the same boat. It's now called the Stagepoint 17 and is being sold in Westbrook, CT. I think the mold was owned by Roth at one point.

I put a Suzuki 70 4-stroke from a prior boat on mine.

I'd love to hear how it works for you and I'll do the same.

[PeteV]

It does look like a stage point ...mine is called a Yankee Fiberglass and its about 30 years old (a mid 70's vintage) its kind of cool as I was cleaning it up I noticed it had a lot of things you see in a Roth: Teak seats, dash & rubrails (I like the teak splash rail), exact same brass bow light the Roth uses & the hull looks very much like the Stage Point 17 (which I hear is a great boat). The guy who had it before me used it for both fishing & lobstering and said the boat handled garbage weather with ease & was a solid boat to work out of.

I'd like to look at the family tree but it looks like the Roth/Stagepoint & this old yankee fiberglass share some sort of relationship.

[fishsmith]

Nice boat Pete,
For $3K that looks like a sweet deal. If you haven't done so you might want to check:
-lower unit oil level
-take the prop off and check for line
-check the steering arm
-make sure the fuel is fresh

I had an 1984 75hp rude, the trick to starting it quickly was to prime the ball, push the key to prime it 3 times, then push and hold the key when you go to crank it.

Best of luck!!!!!

[Too Fly]

Pete,

I'm no boat expert, but it looks like you made out pretty well for $3K. That boat has got some classic lines and for a 30 year old boat, she looks to have been extremely well cared for.

Welcome to boating and enjoy! :-%

Paul

[dollarshort]

Your Boat is GPRGEOUS! I love the looks and lines of the Stagepoint and Roths.

Getting the boat for 3K is unheard of. Looks clean and well maintained. Ok be honest did you use a gun and ski mask?

Best of luck ! Hope she brings you many days of enjoyment:D

Whoever wrote the post indicating " there are never a shortage of people looking to take a boat ride to do some fishing" maybe in your area but everyone I know has the same answer " I would rather walk the beach ". I like wade fishing too but lets be real.... a boat is alot of fun and a little more productive. Now that I finally have a nice one no one wants to play on it!

More fun for me I guess:-%

[iluvgear]

Congrats on the new boat! I will offer one piece of advice from personal experience. Recovering a boat when it is time to go home can be a challange. There is ALWAYS wind and current that can make it difficult to get the boat squarely back on the trailer. I learned the hard way by launching and recovering in the Saugatuk River in CT and the Kennebec River in ME. The best trailer accessory I bought was a set of long guide-ons. They are available with a galvanized finish from Cabelas for $90. With the boat on the trailer you install the guide-ons so they are snug against the side of the hull. Don't be tempted to get the shorter ones or the post type. With the long guide-ons the boat self centers and cuts down on the foul language. Best of luck with the boat.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/horizontal-item.jhtml?id=0017569015501a&navAction=push&navCount=3&indexId=cat21382&podId=0017569&catalogCode=ID&parentId=cat21382&parentType=index&rid=

[PeteV]

Sighhh.. First, I wasn't trying to post a hero story for how well I did with the boat I bought. I was just sharing some notes for someone else that might be thinking about buying their first used boat. When I mentioned the $3K it was a simple number to show how you can break the price of a used boat into several pieces to help you when it comes to taxes and registration. In my case I broke it into 3 pieces, Traler, hull, and accesories. Since you only pay taxes on the hull & trailer, it helps to itemize the bill to show those as individual items. Otherwise you pay tax on everything together & that can be a lot of money you could have saved. I payed a little bit more than $3k for the boat ..I just used the 3K as an easy number to help explain itemization.


ILUVGEAR...THANK YOU!!! I sincerly appreciate your recommendation. I just put an order in for the one you showed in the Cabelas URL. I think the "guide-ons" will help a lot.

Sunday I took the boat out for my first run, Since I will be handling the boat by myself, I was very nervous about managing the trailer for the 1st time. So I wore my waders to help. I have to admit, it went a lot easier than I thought. and the waders were a big help when loading the boat back onto the trailer when I was done. I just simply beached the boat, jumped out , got the truck & backed it down. waded in and pushed the boat out and guided it onto the trailer. winched it up and it was done... I still need to practice a little more just to be courteous to the others when the lines at the ramps get longer.

I'm also making a checklist of things to learn so I don't get stranded.
- Changing hubs on the trailer.
- Changing fluids in the motor.
- locations for greasing the motor.
- How to change the Racor Filter for the gas line.
- learning about the fuses


Anyway I appreciate your ideas, and help

[Tball]

Those Guides is that 89.99 for a pair or is that each ?

[Nauti Buoy]

Pair. ;)