My first Post. So I am looking at buying a used boat.

If you buy second hand, it's all about the surveyors 'to-do' list, your budget that's left, and the way you can do things yourselves (you only pay for the materials) or have it spend on pro's (you pay for labor and materials).

Sometimes it is money well Spend, hiring a pro to do the work for you..

Welcome to YF.

The real gotchas are structural and mechanical integrity. Depend on a good surveyor to check that out. For interior construction, look closely how things are put together on boats. Remember, things are not generally attached to 2 x 4 studs on boats or RVs. Ceilings and wall are often panels held on by hidden screws or clips. A lot is attached with glues. If what's needed is things like carpet, paint, wallpaper or such it's pretty much the same on land except that carpets exposed to the elements will be marine grade (generally rubber backed). One thing that drives many boaters nuts is leaks around the deck or windows. You can easily find a leak showing up in one place, and have the source outside a very good distance away. Often water will penetrate at a screw holding down a stanchion or rub rail that wasn't put in with caulking, and travels down through the deck or hull a great distance before emerging on an inside wall.

Keep in mind that weight as a serious consideration. I recently heard of a guy who put granite counter tops in his galley. They had to be removed as they left the boat listing badly.

If you can give us specific models some are prone to certain problems, or if you have specific concerns with a particular boat I'm sure we can give you some advice on what will be involved with that.

Hi there,

Welcome aboard Carl and hope you find your stay around is nice and useful.

Your first boat will be your toughest and roughest teacher! It might hook you more into boating or make you another figure in the suicide statistics, all while redefining your relations with family and friends and eating up your funds. Fun eih?!

What you can and can't do is a variable that changes by time, conditions, mood, basic knowledge and gained experience to name few factors, so you might not be a cabinet maker but by time or by seeing how others do things will enable you to tackle things that you have never done before, loosing money will teach you when to pay for professional help and when to live with the fruits of your labor. The good delight of modern technology, such as this forum and youtube, many DIY projects are archived with details and specifics, such projects if you look around vary from petty maintenance all the way to building your own boat! So my advise would be:

Search here for threads about problems and fixes or projects that other members have gone through, you will find many great things from real people that were once in your shoes right now, such as the Carver forum, Post forum, or Chris Craft forum, many fixes, rebuilds and upgrade or modification projects that you will find interesting and will even push you to be more hands-on. Then tube similar projects to see in motion picture how regular "Joes" go about doing them. The last part would be to select a job that you think is common in all the boats you looked at and check its costs in your area, from material and tools if you wanna do it your self or request a quote from a professional. You will learn how to talk the talk and how to weigh whether you'll grease your elbows or let your wallet smell some fresh air!

I hope you find this useful and positively motivating. You will have lots of material to share in the future so keep us in the loop.

Cheers,

Alf

As a diving YF member myself, a sportfish with a transom door is an excellent dive platform

Welcome to YF Carl,
One piece of advice I will share with you and this is one you can count on. The members in here are very knowledgeable and very experienced and will tell you like it is. Like any other place you will get some off the wall things but hey thats just life.

If you ever feel that some one is being a little pushy, well it is only because they know what they are talking about and simply want to make sure you catch on...Believe me....I learned alot in here and still am and made some really good friends too.

Ask questions and you will get answers ......ask indepth questions and you will get wisdom.... No I am not bucking for a promotion..lol I just know that the folks here tell it like it is and that is what you came for.
Have a great learning time
Jim

Chris would definitely not be my first choice. They had some bad years through the 80'/90s. Around what size are you looking for? If looking toward these years, one thing to do is to take a good, slow walk around the decks. Many are balsa cored and have lost their integrity. Feel for soft spots, look for delamination, cracks, discoloration, etc. I second Beau's suggestion to look toward sport fishers with a transom door, and a good/strong swim platform. Since swim platforms are exposed to a lot of water beating against them (and sometimes idiots jumping down hard from the docks onto them), look closely at them, especially the underside and supports. One thing to consider is how much house space and how much cockpit space you need. The wife is probably the best one to ask about that.
Some good names from that era are Hatteras, Bertram, Post, Tiarra, Cabo, Viking. There are many more, but that's a start. Another thing to consider, and I think you're already realizing it, is that boats designed for fishing will have a lot of wear and tear.
Another thing to consider is your planned use. If you plan to stick in the bays or poke your nose out a mile or two most any boat will do. No need to buy a battle wagon when all you need is a row boat. But you don't want a day boat if you'll be running 40 miles off shore in whatever weather comes up.

Hi Carl, Welcome to YF. It would help if we knew (other than diving) what you're going to use the boat for. I'm assuming that you'll want to get into clear water to dive, like maybe the Oil rigs...so you're in for a 25-50 mile run one way. Are you going to cruise and spend the weekend aboard the boat? Will you be inviting guests, or Family aboard? We really don't need your budget, but just know that, Insurance, dockage (which runs $6-9 dollars a foot per month in Kemah) whatever refitting you're going to do....all adds up in a hurry. I would also look at Cockpit Motoryachts, Viking and Hatteras top the list for me. They have relatively short cockpits, with transom doors to which you can add a swim platform, if they don't have one. But if you could be a bit more specific, about how you intend on using the boat...it would be a great deal of help to us...the more blanks you fill in the better we can help you scope lock on your best choices for a first boat.

Welcome aboard.
What brand new boaters does not know (yet) is how much time and money a used boat will require in repairs, upgrade and maintenance.
If you think you just found a bargain boat that only needs new carpets and some cabinets, you are in for a big surprise, money wise and otherwise.
It is not like getting an old Chevy truck that just needs new tires and brakes, then will run another 200,000 miles.
Yachts are almost, but not quite, in the same category as helicopters:
For every hour of flight, they need 10 hours of maintenance.
A ratty old boat may be cheap and of good design, but usually have tons of deferred maintance.
How would you like to overhaul engines, trannys, repair blisters, re-wire and re-plumb a 25 year old boat you got for a song?
(In addition to the carpet and the cabinets)
Listen to advice from folks who have been there and done that:
Spend more money to get a well maintained boat than to get a cheap non-maintained boat. The initial savings may seem sweet, but you will pay in the long run. (Like marrying a slutty girlfriend

Can't repeat enough. Get a survey of the boat and the engine including a sea trial and an oil analysis. I know some purchasers of inexpensive boats say it's too costly or not worth it. That's because they're looking at the cost of a survey vs. the price of the boat. But you need to look at it vs. how much the boat could end up costing you with all the things it would need done.

Agree with Olderboater, a survey is a must.
I even had a survey done on a 21' Twin Yamaha Answer Marine "Divemaster" I bought 15 years ago: The surveyor dug up important information about the bottom view ports (glass bottom boat) that had caused accidents in the past.
Had the ports glassed in and the boat re-surveyed. (All at great expense)
The boat got stolen while in a storage yard during hurricane Irene and the insurance paid every nickel and then some as I could document surveyed values, expenses and general condition.
After everything was said and done I got all my money back on the whole deal based on the survey, and I had a safer boat while I was using it.
Since then I had all my boats surveyed including two 18' canal boats and several ocean going sailboats.
That being said, don't spend survey and haul-out money on a piece of Sh!t boat. You will get a bad survey and end up not buying it, money wasted.
Look for a nice and clean boat and one that is whispering your name, then have the surveyor put it under the microscope. THEN if things are still looking good, you make an offer with survey in hand.
Good luck, it is an interesting road ahead)

We have had new boats surveyed as well. A lot easier to get repairs expedited before taking delivery than after.

For a couple, around 40' (35' to 41' or so) is a good size. Not only will getting much bigger be more expensive, but it will require more time and you may well need to hire a captain for your first year. Also operating, and especially docking, could require more hands. Keep it as simple and convenient as possible. You should be able to find some good deals in that size range as that part of the market hasn't recovered much. Right now people are buying center consoles and big yachts. So don't be afraid to bargain. It's still a buyer's market in that range.

I feel your pain.

The beauty of digging a ditch or cutting wood is instant gratification.

Unfortunately your computer knowledge will be of limited help on small boats. You don't know the internal workings of things like radar, chart plotters and VHFs, etc., and they generally get swapped out when dead anyway. Throw-away society. It's good though that you'll feel at home dealing with manuals and system menus. Some of the new chart-plotters and radars have you scrolling through menus a lot. Another piece of bad news is that it'll be hard to find any yards willing to let you work as an apprentice. Liability. A third piece of bad news is that finding a yard willing to let do serious repair work on your own boat is getting harder and harder. Again, liability and bookkeeping as well as taking food off their plate. All these things aside, the best place to look would be a boat yard, not a marina.

I recommend that any new or move-up boater hire a captain for a lesson or two. As part of the lesson they should teach you about all the systems on your boat, how to operate and maintain them. Believe me that an older boat will be a good learning ground. So will be your dock mates wherever you put the boat. Boaters are notoriously helpful. The beauty of mechanical systems is that you can trace most problems with your eyes. (most computer systems look the same whether they're working or not...at least to me).

One hint to look for as you check out boats is that their outward appearance is a good indicator of problems within. People take pride in their boats. If you look at a boat that's filthy, with a bilge filled with oil and debris, walk away. Check that all systems are working, and the boat looks to be in reasonable shape. Then bring in a surveyor. What you pay him, and a captain for a couple of lessons, will be some of the best money you ever spend.

BTW, have you and your family taken or at least signed up for a basic boating course yet? Another thing worth its weight in gold.

As for Austin (a great music town), the only relevance I can think of is to make sure your air conditioners are working well, about once a month rinse out the screens.

In theory your plan is good. However, I don't see that happening. What do you know that would qualify you even as an apprentice?

I'd suggest taking courses, based on what your future boating aspirations are. If you feel it will be diesel, then take a diesel mechanics course. Unfortunately, most of what I see is going to be in the Galveston/Seabrook areas.

Are you contemplating a boat for the lake or something to use coastal?

Often the way to learn, to apprentice so to speak, is to hire someone to work on your boat who will allow you to watch and learn.

What is your time frame to purchase? Are you assuming you'll be purchasing an older boat in need of a lot of work?