First time bass boat questions

[apegs]

I am currently looking to purchase my first bass boat. Due to my budget I will be purchasing a used bass boat. Im new to this and dont really know much about engines.

My question is how do you know if a motor is fuel injected? I have been told this is the way to go. I have been looking at a skeeter that has a two stroke yamaha engine. Can two stroke be fuel injected? Any info on motors will help and how to tell if its fuel injected. And thoughts on pros and cons between two and four stroke. Thanks.

[JohnMickish]

Merc Optimax, Evinrude Etec and Yamaha HPDI are all fuel injected. Yamaha had some two stroke motors with a throttle body EFI called the OX66 as well.

The benefts and downfals are the same as the vehicle you drive. No carburator (good) but you have electronics which depending on the model/year may be bad.

Today I would say that all new motors fall into great catagory. 10-15 years ago I wouldn't say that.

If your looking at a bass boat more than likely it will be a two stroke.

[TR21HP]

mnfishinguy nailed it. Let us know the model and motor and we can tell you more about what you're looking at. My last 2 boats including my current one have been Skeeters.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I would not limit myself to only fuel injection. There are a lot of very solid motors out there that are not fuel injection. Im on my 4th bass boat now. My newest is the only one that is/was fuel injected. All of them ran like tops! Learn as much as you can about each of the brands both motor and eng. Find out what you like about each of them, and then start your search. If your not in a huge hurry, there are a TON of fantastic deals out there to be had. IF you are willing to drive you can save a lot of money too. I drove to Iowa for my first Champion, then to Bowling Green Kentucky for my Triton.. and picked up my BassCat in Ohio.

[apegs]

The boat im looking at is a 2003 skeeter 180 sx with a 115 hp yamaha motor. If you guys have more elaboration on this I would love to hear it. I dont want to start a war but am curious about opinions on boat brands. Im most familiar with rangers and basscat just from fishing with other people. There are alot of brands out there I dont know much about and am wondering if there are any qaulity differences between all the brands.

[apegs]

Deitz, regarding your response to buying a boat out of state. I have just recently started looking out of state. My budget is around 10,000 but would be willing to go to 12 or 13 if its the right boat and a good deal. I am not in a rush but the more I look the worse the itch gets to get my hands on a boat. How do you go about buying a boat out of state? I figure if you are driving hours to look at a boat you are pretty serious about purchasing it, but how do you know the boat is in good shape and the motor is fine befor you waste your time making a long drive? Just from buying a house its amazing how good can make things look good in pictures but dont look good in person.

[Deitz Dittrich]

It helps if you can find a dealer that is selling the boat. That way you can have them hook it up to a compression test and give it the once over. One I did buy used from a dealer(The Triton), the other was from a private party, but he delivered it to a dealership and we split costs on the compression tests/hours ect. But yes, get as many picts as you can, you can tell often from picts if its well taken care of.. But sometimes not. You HAVE TO, and I repeat HAVE TO... Be willing to walk away if it does not feel right. Dont go with blinders on, dead set to come home with it. You are just setting yourself up for failure.

Get picts.. ask the seller for his fishing buddies phone numbers... I have called and asked how well the boat was taken care of.. as I said, have him bring it to a shop and talk to the mechanic who looked at it, they will know if there are any costs needed right away and any that will crop up soon possibly.

[apegs]

Also looking at a 2006 nitro 482 with a 150 mercury optimax. Anybody out there have a nitro?

[Cecil]

Take your time. Plenty of time for a good deal to pop up before open water!

[Todd S.]

There is deff a LOT of boats out there with plenty of time before open water. I second all the above advise, pictures are a must. I like to ask "What's wrong with the boat?" If private party find out there fishing habit's, where, how much fishing they do. Helps get an understanding of usage, and potential issue's.

When inspecting a boat physically I like to look around the splash well and transom area's for stress cracks, around trolling motor mounts, along with the hull itself. If near big water I have seen boats look perfect until you look under the port side about mid ship, there I have found stress cracks. Some people unconsiously drive in rough water so they don't get wet and quarter waives so the port side takes most of the impact, at least thats been my experience. Some cracks may be cosmetic and won't hurt a thing, but the worst feeling ever is to get a rig home, shine it up in the garage and find a bunch of stuff wrong with it!

[mwal]

I just got my 1st Bass Boat last year. I was going to go used but I had to much fun with used engines Evinrude FICHT which I ended up replacing with an E-tec. SO I bit the bullet and went with a Stratos 186 and a 115 Evinrude E-tec again. I was also told to look at the corner of transoms and along the trailer bunks for cracks. Look in bilge to see if it was always wet. Push pull on engine to see if transom flexes etc. Take to dealer and have compression done and computer read if Opti or E-tec. That will tell you hours and any warning codes etc. I just decided to go new with this boat glad I did so far.

Mwal

[apegs]

Should the transom have absolutely zero flex or wiggle with an engine on it?

[Craigums]

No flex in the transom. Also look at things that will cost $$$ beyond the cost of the boat. A trolling motor will set you back 1K, same with decent electronics they run 1-2K. Then look at things like the seats, carpet and gel coat for damage. Boats are expensive, don't max out your full budget on the boat and then get left hung to dry because you dont have money for repairs and upgrades

[JohnMickish]

When looking at a boat out of state, the great thing about technology is you can have 100 digital pitures of everything on the boat before you leave the driveway. Don't be afraid to ask for something specific. An hour reading from the computer along with the RPM readout is helpfull.

Boats from down south get alot more hours on them than our boats due to their extended season. Keep that in mind too, right now you have time and cold on your side, but she is going to warm up pretty quick down south.

My last two boats where out of state purchases and I had no problems. I knew what I was getting before I even saw it.

[Raider4ever]

Also, on used boat purchases from private parties: in MN you only pay tax on the value of the trailer. Did not know that when I bought my boat and walked out of the DMV with a lot more cash than anticipated. Used boats from dealers cost you sales tax (in exchange of possibly feeling better about your purchase).

[KBush]

All good advice so far.

My $.02 - I purchased a used Champion last spring. I'll repeat others advice in saying don't spend your entire budget on the first purchase. The wish list and maintenance cost money . Also, if you are buying a boat out of state, in addition to having out state mechanic look at it, have your mechanic give it the once over when you get home.

[Presco]

apegs, I'm in a similar boat (pun fully intended) and looking at bassboats for this spring. The boat you mentioned, I assume is the one listed for sale in the metro. I looked at that one as well and honestly never felt comfortable with what you got for the price. No trolling motor, no electronics (which you'd easily spend another $1.5-$2k on) and another poster here said that the 115 is actually a really small motor for that boat. Not saying do it or don't, but if you do go after that boat, I'd lowball them as much as possible. You will find similar aged boats elsewhere in the country with trolling/electronics for about the same price.

If its a different boat, nevermind.

[mamohr686]

My previous boat was a 97' skeeter ZX 180. The model is basically unchanged except for the SX or sport designation a few years later. The boat was rated for 175 hp motor and mine went 58-60 gps with a carbed V-Max 150. I think the quality of the boat finish itself was good. I didn't like the ride very much. I got a good pounding in a crosswind, and if you would trim it down in the wind you got soaked. The seats were garbage and the vinyl cracked within 3 years despite taking very good care of them. My other complaint was the gas tank covered the bilge area of the boat (this changed in later years but you have to check it). I would have strangled whoever engineered that boat. I had to replace a clogged bilge pump, and when I upgraded my electronics I had to remove the batteries, charger, oil tank, and gas tank. A 16 hour project that should've taken 1 hr. The boat also lacks rear storage. I think it would be a great first boat, but if you like to fish big lakes or are considering tournament fishing, you might need to look at a different model.

[apegs]

apegs, I'm in a similar boat (pun fully intended) and looking at bassboats for this spring. The boat you mentioned, I assume is the one listed for sale in the metro. I looked at that one as well and honestly never felt comfortable with what you got for the price. No trolling motor, no electronics (which you'd easily spend another $1.5-$2k on) and another poster here said that the 115 is actually a really small motor for that boat. Not saying do it or don't, but if you do go after that boat, I'd lowball them as much as possible. You will find similar aged boats elsewhere in the country with trolling/electronics for about the same price.

If its a different boat, nevermind.

Yeah I agree fully. That was one of the first boats I found when I started looking but after looking at other boats this one is pretty bare and smaller than I wanted. Thanks for the input.

[apegs]

My previous boat was a 97' skeeter ZX 180. The model is basically unchanged except for the SX or sport designation a few years later. The boat was rated for 175 hp motor and mine went 58-60 gps with a carbed V-Max 150. I think the quality of the boat finish itself was good. I didn't like the ride very much. I got a good pounding in a crosswind, and if you would trim it down in the wind you got soaked. The seats were garbage and the vinyl cracked within 3 years despite taking very good care of them. My other complaint was the gas tank covered the bilge area of the boat (this changed in later years but you have to check it). I would have strangled whoever engineered that boat. I had to replace a clogged bilge pump, and when I upgraded my electronics I had to remove the batteries, charger, oil tank, and gas tank. A 16 hour project that should've taken 1 hr. The boat also lacks rear storage. I think it would be a great first boat, but if you like to fish big lakes or are considering tournament fishing, you might need to look at a different model.

Great input on hear! I was looking at a skeeter but leaning torwards a ranger now if I can find one in my price range. Really appreciate the honest evaluation. Thanks

[delmuts]

I think it was stated before. but!! Right now is a great itme to be shopping! Be patient.