Hi all. As the subject says, I am after tips on buying my first boat. I have googled and come up with the following;
- aluminium is the way to go.
- fibreglass is the way to go.
On top of that most comments suggest getting the boat checked over by a qualified boat mechanic prior to purchase. My experience with qualified car mechanics is poor at best, and would assume boat mechanics are the same?
So, off to a trusted source for help - here! Couple of questions,
Engine mechanics, outside of normal engine running what should one look for on a boat motor? Just play and corrosion? Are the tilt/steering mechanism subject to failure?
The hull, if going fibreglass I have read up on dry rot and ways to check (tap with a hammer etc, look at recently repaired or painted boats). Can someone tell me, the gel coats, can they be reapplied? Secondly, how durable is the gel coat to stone chips when towing? I see some painted aluminium with stone chips.
Basically what I am after is 14-16ft forward control (probably half caddy). The purpose of to go out and fish (estuary, just out in the ocean etc, not far out and smooth waters). I am treating this like my first car, old but reliable and learning curve, thus don't want to spent $15k or anything. I'm seeing consistantly $3.5-$5k little 14-16ft savage, pleasure crafts and swift crafts, and part of me is thinking "cheap yes, and cheap can mean big problems, but would a market be flooded with cheap boats all similar with faults?"
Thoughts?
- aluminium is the way to go.
- fibreglass is the way to go.
On top of that most comments suggest getting the boat checked over by a qualified boat mechanic prior to purchase. My experience with qualified car mechanics is poor at best, and would assume boat mechanics are the same?
So, off to a trusted source for help - here! Couple of questions,
Engine mechanics, outside of normal engine running what should one look for on a boat motor? Just play and corrosion? Are the tilt/steering mechanism subject to failure?
The hull, if going fibreglass I have read up on dry rot and ways to check (tap with a hammer etc, look at recently repaired or painted boats). Can someone tell me, the gel coats, can they be reapplied? Secondly, how durable is the gel coat to stone chips when towing? I see some painted aluminium with stone chips.
Basically what I am after is 14-16ft forward control (probably half caddy). The purpose of to go out and fish (estuary, just out in the ocean etc, not far out and smooth waters). I am treating this like my first car, old but reliable and learning curve, thus don't want to spent $15k or anything. I'm seeing consistantly $3.5-$5k little 14-16ft savage, pleasure crafts and swift crafts, and part of me is thinking "cheap yes, and cheap can mean big problems, but would a market be flooded with cheap boats all similar with faults?"
Thoughts?
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