Looking for a boat

reds · #1 01-26-2011, 07:13 AM

I am looking to buy a fishing boat this year and have a budget of about $25k! Looking for 4 storke and about 18 feet in length.
I have been looking at smokercraft, sylvan, lund or crestliner. I would like a full back seat or bucket seats for my small daughter that is why I like the smokercraft and sylvan.
Any personnel experience on these brands of boats? Thanks

Paule · #2 01-26-2011, 08:50 AM

Was looking for the exact same thing last spring. Shopped around and ended up with a 17ft, 115 horse Sylvan adventurer. Same budget. lol Was very happy with this boat last summer. Suits the family of 4 very well. And our golden retriever as well. Fishing/boat control had no issues in some rough water. Did a lot of tubing and boarding as well. Nothing negative to say other than switch the factory plugs that come with the boat(to the smal screw in type)...cause your dog may hook and pull one out with his paw while swimming in the middle of the lake!!!!! Not that this happened to me. Good luck

nicemustang · #3 01-26-2011, 08:56 AM

Consider looking over the border. Lots of deals down there and quite easy to save $5k-10k.

And remember, boats need oil!

stiknfish · #4 01-26-2011, 09:46 AM

have a look at "theboatfinders.com".They are out of Manitoba and are very good to deal with.They found me a Lund Tyee at a very reasonable price two years ago and have been extremely happy with my boat.There was an issue with my livewell when I got the boat I called them and they made it right immediately was very impressed.

Big Animal · #5 01-26-2011, 11:41 AM

I have a 20'1" bass boat with a 200 merc on it for sale

nicemustang · #6 01-26-2011, 12:04 PM

Check craigslist montana, lots of deals. Check crankyape.com, amazing deals. Phone some montana boat dealers and take a drive.

rookiemoosehunter · #7 01-26-2011, 12:13 PM

With the brands you mentioned, I would also recomend looking at Princecraft.
I purchased one last year and have been impressed with it.

Go to the Boat and Sportsman show and you will be able to look at all those brands.

Gust · #8 01-26-2011, 01:06 PM

25K, WoW you could get a smokin great vessel from Hewes craft,, and it would work great on both salt and freshwater.

Winch101 · #9 01-26-2011, 02:08 PM

Look at the new Lund Impact 1775.... Call kevins marine in Fort Quappelle sask for best pricing and options ....W101

AbProwler · #10 01-26-2011, 03:39 PM

Not sure where your located, but if you are near Edmonton, go to Leduc, there is a Legend dealer there. For $25K, you can pick up one in the 20' range, totally outfitted!!

thenaturalwoodsman · #11 01-26-2011, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Animal

I have a 20'1" bass boat with a 200 merc on it for sale

How much do you want for your boat?????

Dale S · #12 01-26-2011, 06:19 PM

Have you ever thought about a jetboat. There good for lakes and rivers.If your close to a river a jetboat is the way to go. The rivers I run I only see 1 or 2 boats all weekend. On Chin Lake I counted over 30 boats one Sunday,thats to busy for me.

Wolf Tracker · #13 01-26-2011, 06:31 PM

I have a 2005 17 smokercraft ulitma. 115merc for power.Mostly fishing and some tubing.Handles good and doesnt leak.If I could do it again I would by a jet boat.More money but more options.Looked at some last fall but really couldnt do it.

TYEE · #14 01-26-2011, 07:16 PM

Personally you can't beat a Lund. Try Brokers marine in Camrose, saved 8 grand on my lund tyee compared to city prices. Although next time I would look at used. Kijiji has a few good deals now and again. There's always that guy who is desperate to dump something for cash, especially in winter months.

floppychicken · #15 01-26-2011, 08:16 PM

Yeah, that SMOKERCRAFT above is a GREAT boat... Had the EXACT same MODEL, but newer and loved it! Great in Big Water / Waves and VERY fast with the right prop setup on the OPTI.

Jet boats are GREAT and especially on Rivers, but contrary to what MANY people believe or say, 'Go for a Ride' in one on ANY LAKE on a 'moderate to Windy' day in Mid / Southern Alberta BEFORE you buy one.... I guarantee that you'll notice a HUGE difference between the boat 'rides' when it comes to your 'Aching Kidneys'

The stiff hull of a 'Deep V' is a completely different ride than that of a near flat-bottomed Jet-Boat. Having stated the obvious, if you're talking about a JET-BOAT with a Deep V or at the very least, a 'modified' Hull for bigger water, then that would be my first choice also... Unfortunately those boats normally run well over the 35k mark...

cheers,

/FC..

Goater · #16 01-26-2011, 09:07 PM

Good to look around and find prices.
. http://boat.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/boat.c...=d&submit=+GO+

reds · #17 01-27-2011, 07:29 AM

Thanks everyone for the responses! This is what i was looking for.

Jiffy10 · #18 01-27-2011, 08:20 AM

Look on Kijiji Toronto/Barrie/Niagara Falls/ etc.. all the ontairo
kijiji sites are loaded with good deals. I looked for a whole year and
eventually bought one from Kijiji that a Dealer on Oshowa had listed. I bought a Legend for $9,000 under the new Alberta price. The boat had
31 hours on it and was one year old . Cost $1200 to get it delivered Via boat carrier.
Always look where there are lots of boats . Albert has inflated
prices as there is little to choose from. If your not a tournament
fisherman I dont think you need to focus on the brand. They are all
similar with little differences from the most popular to a little known
brand. If your doing some family fishing you'll be happy with any
of the well know brands and styles. Yes the Lund / Princecraft etc.
brands are premium brands but they are also lots of money and anyone
selling them knows it so you'll pay big time.
As far as the bucket type seats that that you mentioned.... remember you can upgrade each seat for about $200. They simply bolt on the pedistals
and they mostly are the universal type. You can make a boat look like
a million bucks with an upgrade like this !
So dont limit your boat search to what kind of seat there is.

good luck ..,,, see you on the lake

Stuarty · #19 01-27-2011, 02:24 PM

Bought a 16ft Crestliner a couple of years ago from Edmonton, Free Spirit Marine. They are U.S boats and the salesman (I think his name was Thane) with a little bit of nudging, was able to use the strong $ to give me a great deal (I am a Scotsman so haggling comes naturally). They didn't seem to have any real issue with passing on the strong Canadian $ advantage when pushed, as they had bought them in from the US at a great price. My boat was been fantastic, except the trailer bearings were cheap.