Help me buy my first boat, recommendations, etc...

Hey guys, here is the story...

I grew up going to the river with the family, ski/knee/tube/wake behind a jet boat and an I/O.

I am now looking at buying a used boat for myself and would like to stay around or under $10K.

The people that I have talked to so far have tried to steer me towards direct drive boats (MasterCraft, etc..). I am a newbie wakeboarder and don't need a perfect wake or anything like that. I don't know much (other than what I've read) about the different drive types and their specific differences, but I don't remember ever having a problem getting yanked out of the water and holding steady speeds in jet boats, i/o, and outboard boats.

I see pretty nice looking boats ready to go for around 6-7 grand, but I don't know much about the brands, which motors have a good history for running a long time, resale value, maintenance, etc...

So what do you guys think? With the money I've got to spend, what is my best bet?

Thanks in advance!

-gvb

(Message edited by gvb on May 09, 2003)

Get and old Ski Nautique or MasterCraft inboard. Great boats you can buy for like $7-9K and if you weight them right they throw a great wake for the $$$. We dont impress anyone with a $50K Wakeboard boat but it does give you something to work towards.

Whatever you get will be much better than watching from shore !

Bill

You say you are a newbie and don't need a perfect wake, well only a newbie can say that. You will change your way of thinking as you gain experience and wake quality will become a top priority. It's hard to understand why people become so obscessed with wake quality untill you spend enough time on a lousy wake and start to imagine what it would be like to have a good clean wake to ride. The other thing that is very important is the boats ability to hold speed without hunting up and down. Monsters advise is good, go for an older tounament boat in your price range.

Right on... thanks guys..

I am looking at a few Master Craft boats. PS 190's, 1989 and 1990, both right around $10k.

We'll see what happens!

-gvb

1990 MasterCraft ProStar 190 w/ 595hrs, bimini, barefoot boom, heater, and tandem axle trailer. Asking $10,500.

1989 MasterCraft ProStar 190 w/ 307hrs, extended pylon, bimini, barefoot boom, ripped cover, and single axle trailer. Asking $9,995

I've seen one of them, and from the description of the other, it sounds like they are probably in about the same condition. Both selling at MasterCraft shops, both accepting offers below the asking price. Both are mechanically sound (according to the shop). Trailer needs a little cleaning up and possibly new tires.

Which would you go for?

I was thinking about offering $9,300 for the 89'.

Oh yea, the other question is regarding a full inspection on the boat... the shop says that they check out their boats and run through em before they sell it, but I would imagine they are a little biased since it's on consignment and they are trying to sell it to make profit. Should I get a third party to do a full mechanical inspection of the boat first? Maybe try and get the owner to split the cost with me? Or am I just being paranoid?

-gvb

(Message edited by gvb on May 10, 2003)

Mastercraft 190 are good boats for boarding. When weighted they trow a nice wake and handles fine.
It can never do any harm when looking the boat by a third party. So if you can... Do it.
Check if it's possible to get a warranty on the boat (engine or something like that). We bought a Nautique from '88 by our dealer (in an other country!) and get 1 year full warranty!

Also check the Nautique 2001 models ('88-'89 are nice). I believe they remain value a little better. But you cannot do any harm with these two boats.

Enjoy!!

Offer $9,000 and see what happens. A dealer can come down some since they have a certain percentage that they mark the boat up. It may be a trade in versus consignment so they would have more room to maneuver. Start with $9,000 and ask about the warranty also.

Offered $9150, the guy said that he wouldn't take anything less than $9500. Instead of haggling I agreed on that price. No warranty, but they will give me a full written inspection and copies of all maintenance records (they say they have a decent history of records... we will see). I gave them a fully refundable 10% deposit and will make a decision after I drive it, see the compression check results, and look through the maintenance records.

I'll let you guys know what happens.

Thanks for the help bringing a newb into the wake world.

-gvb

I have an 88 ProStar for sale in classifieds. Has new PerfectPass WBPro, Tower, racks, ballast, new paint and clearcoat, and professionally maintained. Asking 12,000, but willing to wheel and deal so I can get a V-Drive !!!

Oh yeah, its getting new trailer tires as I write.

(Message edited by ndh2o on May 13, 2003)

Alright... just got back from the test drive today. Once we jumped the battery, it took maybe four or five tries to get it started and keep it running.

It seems like it runs strong, tranny is in good condition, no vibs or anything weird. It idles a little rough, not too bad, and upon acceleration it hesitates a bit, like its not getting fuel for that 1/4 second. The same way my old ford van with manual fuel pump does. This is the first time its been in the water since last summer, and with 300 hours it probably just needs a tune up. Seems like a pretty straight, solid boat.

I am out of town this weekend, but will be going by the shop Tuesday to finalize the paperwork and payment. Take it home and give it a full tune up, and head out to the river the weekend of the 30th.

Anyone have any good links to boat maintenance sites? Part numbers, writeups, etc...

Thanks again guys!!

-gvb