Buying Your First Bass Boat
by Bill Mathis
Let’s take a look at some
areas for first time bass boat buyers to consider. First, allow me to note that
there is no
mention of specific dealers
or manufacturers. This is not an
article that will lead you to one boat or another or to one dealer or another.
It’s to simply help the first time bass boat buyer with some things to consider.
What do you want to spend is the first thing you have to know. You can spend
anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 on a new bass boat. Once you have a price
range, I recommend
you consider the following:
1.
Do research on the Internet. Every boat manufacturer has a web site where you
can look at all models including standard features and options. You should also
request a catalog from each manufacturer you are considering from their web
site. Many times the catalogs are a little easier to read and they are free.
There are only a couple of manufacturers that have the price on the Internet.
You will have to call dealers to get prices for most make and models. There are
many boats on boattest.com. You can see videos of the boats in a test run with
commentary, charts with mph at what rpm’s and miles per gallon at each speed.
You need to be a
member,
but it’s simple and you’ll just get junk e-mail from them about once every two
weeks. That’s cheap for good information.
2.
The dealer you buy from is very important. Your boat will need service, no
matter what you buy. Will the dealer be able to service your boat in a timely
manner? Has the dealer been around a long while and do they have a good
reputation? How long have they been selling and servicing the brand of boat you
are considering? All very important.
3.
If your boat comes with a choice of engine manufacturer, I recommend
you buy something that has been on the market for a few years. Without naming
engines, there has been a couple in recent years that were the next and greatest
motor, however they had major problems. Technology is always improving, so it
doesn’t mean an outboard that is new to the market is a bad motor, it might be
the best on the market, but beware, you have no track record to go on.
4.
Get a stainless steel prop for whatever motor you run. A stainless steel prop
will withstand more and will also give you more speed. I recently saw a guy
with an aluminum prop and one of the blades was nearly gone. He said he hit
something small the day before and then the next day he didn’t hit anything and
it just fell off.
5.
Maybe most importantly, take a test drive. Some dealers are very good about
letting you test-drive the boat, while a few are very hesitant about it. If you
find a dealer that says no test drive, ask yourself, would you buy a car without
driving it? There is one dealer I know of that will let you test drive the
boat, however you have to have a purchase agreement done and if you don’t like
the boat you test drive, you can use the money to purchase a different boat from
them.
6.
Get a recessed trolling motor pedal. It will save strain on your back and
legs. This is pretty standard in bass boats now, but not all of them have it
available.
7.
Compare warranties and check to see if they are declining warranties or not?
8.
If you will be fishing alone quite often, you might consider a single console.
It gives you more room in the boat. If you will have a partner or have a child that
will go with you from time
to time, I recommend that you get a dual console.
9.
Finally, it comes down to personal tastes such as storage, how the gauges read,
seating comfort and so on.
If
you think you want to go with a used bass boat, there are many great used boats
for sale at www.classicbass.com.
Good luck and most of all have fun buying your new boat.
Bill Mathis
classicbass.com Field Staff
