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.
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Excellent, fantastic info thanks so much! I set my search radius to 300km. Maybe I'll bump that up a bit.
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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.
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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? |
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Might have to travel a bit to get your new or new to you boat but will be well worth it. Good luck. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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.
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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?
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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. |
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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. |
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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 . |
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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. |
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