New to me boat journey - best time of year for used boats?
 

Hey guys (and gals?), thought I'd make a whopper of a first post. I've been cramming my brain for a solid 3 months researching boats. It's been quite an interesting journey.

I've narrowed down what our perfect boat needs to be for next season. Right now we're in a 10ft Seamax inflatable with a 9.9 Merc 4 stroke. It's been surprisingly awesome the last 4 or 5 years but the kid wants to tube and ski and the wife wants to lounge in the bow.

We fish and camp at Cold lake (going on 3 yrs). We've had some sketchy rides back to camp in the Seamax. It doesn't exactly cut through the waves. Ventured across the lake ONCE and that was it.

However, now that we store our trailer 10 minutes away from the MD campground we can pull a real boat up from Edmonton.

So, I started the search with Lund of course. Always wanted a Lund. Kinda like Nike eh? Had the Crossover 1875 picked out and then saw the new asking price :scared0015:......then we started looking at Impacts....then Adventure Sports... then....not Lunds.

Looked at Alumacraft and Crestliner. Basically same price point as Lund.
Mirrocraft, PolarKraft, now we're talking... nice thick aluminium even on the 17-18'. Definitely worth considering.

Finally, started looking at Princecraft. .110" aluminum. Double plated to .190" final thickness on the bow to midship. Similar fit and finish to the big boys, etc. Nice sizing in the Sport line. Not made in Mexico. Storage isn't as refined as the Lunds but not gonna be a deal breaker. I think the Sport 182 would fit the bill perfectly.

So that's where I'm at so far. Things do change from week to week though. I saw a 2018 Tyee 189GL go for $62,500 in Calgary about a month ago so you know...might push the budget for that.

Anyways, my question to the experts and experienced here is when do you buy a used boat? I'm looking in the 3-5 year old range and don't see any Sport 182's or 172's.
Used stock seems low across the board which makes sense in mid summer. Does the uptick start in August? I'll be looking for dealer inventory for financing. Does dealer vs. private have different spikes? I imagine when the masses are buying at the boat show and in the spring they'll be trading in a ton. I'd guess dealers would be asking top dollar at that time eh?
Share your experiences! Thanks in advance.:)
Greg

Spring is always the time. That's when the boat shows are going on and most new boats are sold. Those people buying new have to sell their boats first, and that usually means a pretty good supply of used boats on the market. You'll have the most options in the spring, but maybe not best deals, prices can be hit and miss.

There is also a window around early September, where guys who know they have a new boat coming in the spring (Pro Staff, Dealer demos, etc...) are looking to sell their current year boats. That often creates a trickle down effect of people looking to sell their boats and upgrade. It's the end of the season too, kids are back to school, holidays are over, and there's always the guys that know they're selling and just don't want to have to store the boat all winter long and deal with another year of depreciation. If I was looking for the best price, that window in late summer/early fall is what I'd be focused on, and the closer it gets to freeze up, generally the better the deals get.

Know what you want (it sounds like you've done your homework), have your cash in hand, and be ready to travel. When the really good deals pop up, you have to be ready to strike, because they go FAST.

I knew what I wanted (Lund) and just kept looking online in surrounding states. Finally decided last august on vacation that I was coming home with a boat one way or another. Fortunately for me I found exactly what I wanted for a decent price in Minnesota. I’ve bought and sold stuff over the years and found that knowing what you want, having cash on hand and being willing to travel are the 3 musts to getting a good deal. It always seems like what I am looking for never shows up at the opportune time or location.

Excellent, fantastic info thanks so much! I set my search radius to 300km. Maybe I'll bump that up a bit.

I ve got a Lund crossover and my next boat will be a welded aluminum boat over the 22 ft lenght mark
Most new boats that come over the boarder now you have to pay that big tax on them now ,just not worth it .Thats way when you went and looked at a new one they are $50,000 higher in price than what they used to be few years ago .
If you want a good boat check out Leos boat 2021 kingfisher in the for sale section.
He's a well know guy on here and you can trust him .

When I was looking, the supply was still poor, but the best deals were in fall, when people decided to sell, rather than winterize and store for the winter. There were also late deliveries on new boats, that the dealers sold at good discounts on October, rather than store until spring, when the new stock was arriving.

Hey, thanks guys, appreciate it.
JR - I looked at some heavy duty welded boats like stanleys, harbourcrafts and kingfishers but I decided that I wouldn't be in conditions that required that kind of bulk. The wife didn't like the commercial look they had either. C'est la vie...

Now, does that mean your Crossover is a little too small and light? Where you fishin?

Agree and if I may add dont just settle for something your not really happy with just because so be a little patient and search hard.
Might have to travel a bit to get your new or new to you boat but will be well worth it.
Good luck.

The Crossover is a larger,heavier boat, more than enough boat for any lake in Alberta, in any conditions that a person should be fishing..

Thanks, I see that sentiment echoed quite a bit and it definitely applies to me. I'm very impulsive if there's a deal to be had. Need to reign it in.

I would definitely hope so right! Even the Impact should be able to handle big water but I've heard a few contradicting stories, hull damage, etc. Tough to judge other peoples experiences and what they consider a rough ride or how they were driving in certain conditions. I think some folks might be under the impression that they can blast through 3 foot waves at full throttle and expect a smooth ride.
That being said I would definitely like to error on the side of caution and go with the heaviest gauge aluminium I can get even if I will be babying it a bit.
The Crossover, Tyee and Princecraft sport 182 are all within 0.010" of each other and would be my ideal boats.

I was limited to what fits my garage, and still get stound it with the door down ,so I went with a Rebel 1650 Sport with a 90, and it is fine for what I use it for, but it is only comfortable for three people fishing, and I stay off of the water, when it gets rough. That being said, the little Rebel does well in a chop with 800lbs, I just back down the speed to where I feel comfortable. A friends Crestliner is a bit bigger, but it is rougher in a chop, but no faster, even with 25hp more, the Lund IPS hull is very well designed. I did price a smaller Crossover, but rigged the way that I wanted, it was almost double the cost.

I've watched the market a lot over the last decade. These things can be somewhat regional, but from what I've seen in SK and MB I think there are generally better deals to be had in fall and buying would likely be a bit easier. The sales volume just isn't there as most people are gearing up for winter, not buying a boat they won't be using much or at all for the next 6 months. So boats are generally priced accordingly due to less people shopping and those listing them are of the mind that they'd rather not bother with winter storage.

Volume and variety is far better in spring. But when you see a good deal, it will probably be gone in a day so you typically need to act pretty fast. Have the funds accessible on short notice.

I think you are off to a pretty good start as far as finding what is right for you. Considering needs and looking at layouts is really important, not everyone shares the same opinion on things like storage and floor space. For me, I've been a Crestliner guy since I bought my first boat. Really like the wide open layout of the Superhawk. But Lund's 1875 Crossover was the other boat on my list.

Unless your schedule is really tight I think your 300km radius is probably a bit tight to find what you want. Not to say that it isn't possible, the boat I bought ended up only being an hour drive, but like 85% of the boats I was interested in or inquired about were like 400km+ away.

Great info! When I see a nice Rebel or 16-17 ft Adventure Sport in the $20-30k range I ask myself if a 19' boat is really necessary. How fun is it to fish in big chop and wind anyways right? The wife seems pretty adamant on those bow cushions and a ski pylon though...lol. Thanks for the first hand IPS hull feedback. Would love to hear how the Princecraft hull rides in comparison.

Thanks for the input, I've increased my search radius to 500km but man, driving out to Saskatoon to look at a boat would put a little more pressure on me to buy it even if there were some issues with it that I wouldn't typically accept if it were local. I guess if the price is right it makes sense.

Lots of photos, a video of the motor running would help. If it is legit people won't mind that ask.

We ended up going to Prince Albert and saved almost 7k
Well worth the 300 dollars in gas and a nice lunch.
Then went to Edmonton to save a bundle on a trolling motor, batteries, charger and installation.
It’s the wife’s boat and she took almost three years to get exactly what she wanted now it’s a pontoon boat but man she was picky on all the data she gathered etc
I like my kayak…. [emoji4]

Got a buddy that runs a Lund like elks, great boat for two or three anglers very stable when the wind picks up.

We had a 17.5 fish and ski combo when we had kids which was good for four to six people.
Fishing the morning, play all day then fish in the evening and it could take the windy days too but as mentioned it’s just not fun at all.

Barry jays marine has a beauty boat the sport 172 max on sale, add a min kota, batteries, charging system and a hummingbird and your golden!!!

https://www.barryjaysmarine.com/New-...05640?ref=list

I know it’s easy to spend others money [emoji38]

Again good luck you will find your boat soon enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

58TheCat, that would be pretty much the setup that I'd be after! Very nice boat and layout.

A guy can dream...

I saw that Martin Motorsports is having a clearance sale on all of their 2023 Crestliners. They've got a surprising number of boats in stock, and looks like some pretty serious discounts, might be worth a call.

As an option you may want visit Gibbon's boat yard...Kingfisher is an option, but they have brought in Stabicraft from NZ...which are bomb proof...they are apparently going to set up mfg in Seattle initially with a 19' centre console...worth a look...what do others think of Stabicraft for this gentleman?

Good call, you could ask for a lake test drive video if they were willing. I always hear that "insist on a lake trial" phrase on the YouTube vids. Pretty sure I'd get a polite "#$^ off" from most sellers.

Awesome info, I LOVE fishing out of my Kayak! That Sport 172 is an amazing boat for that price eh! I really like the 98" beam of the 182 though. Would make for a bit more of that pontoon stability ;). Barry Jay's would definitely be my best bet. Good to see you were happy with them. Hopefully they'll get some trade ins this fall.

Nice, thanks for the heads up. I was kind of hoping dealers would be overstocked and putting up big discounts after getting caught up in the Covid rush.

Man those are some tank lookin boats! If you check out gibbons motor toys website they've got a typo on a 2023 1550 Frontier. $16,946. Should be $66,946. I'll see if they'll honor that....ha.

That is where you have to be willing to walk away if it isn't exactly what you wanted. I did a lot of online communication with the owner of the boat I was looking at. Discovered they were the original owners and got lots of pictures. Told them that I was interested but as the boat was listed a month before my trip, that I knew I couldn't ask them to hold it so if it was still online when I showed up I'd get back in contact with them. When we got over there they were nervous to sell because they wanted it to go to a good home. When they saw my wife and son get out of the truck the owner ran inside to get his wife and they were ecstatic it would be going to a young family. They come over from Minnesota and fish Montana once in a while. Told him to look me up and if he ever wanted to take it out fishing he was more than welcome.

Thickness of the plate matters FAR LESS compared to construction and support of ribs and cross members. The grade of the Aluminum is also extremely important.

Think of this way - You can have tin HALF as thick provide 10 times the strength if the construction (supports) are closer together.

Buying a boat based solely on "thickness" of the tin is not something you should do.

Top notch construction will be found on Those premium brands like Lund, Princecraft, Alumacraft (most models) and a few others. Big box store package boats are JUNK.

They look cool and all reviews seem to say they are rock solid, well built boats. Stabicrafts are also known to be rough and wet rides. So there is a trade off.

Again, simply because I was doing some serious research last year on these and not necessarily from personal and comparative experience. Some pretty cool boats.

Kingfishers (formerly Harbercraft for many smaller river models) are solid boats, solid reputation in the "river" type hulls but nothing special for big water (larger deeper vees) are less impressive but good boats.

These I have first hand experience with and comparison against other larger big water boats. They are good, and the price is fair for these. Some cheaper options (HEWES) that are comparable to Kingfisher IMO (Mid sized vessels in particular).

There are, of course more premium options but the prices get ridiculous in a hurry (Woolridge, Older Thunder Jets, Kustom Welds).

If you are not fishing big waves and surf (on lakes and inshore) a Stabi is a great choice IMO. Then again, for the average joe any other of the above mentioned are good boats.

The crossover is the opposite of being light ,on the trailer at the scales its about 3000 lbs Some people like it because its also a ski boat . Just to much rug for me . Mine has a removable floor rug via snaps ,but full carpet on rear casting deck and front bow casting deck and on the sides. Nothing worse than removing fish slim or blood at the end of a trip . Its easy to pressure wash the carpet but it takes days to dry . I want a boat with no carpet !
The crossover is also build to come out of the water and just skim the top of the water . Sounds good when the water is like glass but very rough ride when you just get a little chop . The tyee with a deep haul or a kingfisher with a deep haul would be my next pick . My goto lake most weekends is Cold lake . Seems like I am always driving off at 10- 15 mph when there are whitecaps . Been looking at boats over 22 ft . The draw back is they sit to high on the trailer and will not slid under the garage door .
Hard to convenes wife we need to move so i can get a taller garage .
Cold lake would be my choice where to move to and have a slip .
Then i would get a boat with a hard top .

True statement about getting a deeper vee in the garage .... something people don't think about. I have a 1800 Tyee and the windshield clears the door by only a few inches. The motor must be 90% down to clear as well, so I have to stop short, drop the motor until it's only a few inches above the driveway, and back it into the garage. Same is true on the way out, lift it a few inches, clear the door, then tilt it up before the "curb" at the bottom.

Even with a folding tongue that fold right under the nose (nicely cut short) - my 18'6" boat takes up 21'-6' in depth as well - so an "average" sized depth garage isn't going to work in many cases.

In an attached garage, the landing and steps take up about 3' of the garage length, so a 24' garage with 23' inside dimensions becomes 20'. That allows a 1775 with a swing tongue to just fit, or 1650 to fit and allow enough room to walk around the boat in the garage.