Boat Buying Advice [Archive] - Alberta Outdoorsmen Forum

hockey1099

06-20-2011, 11:52 PM

Im looking for opinions on boats. Im interested in any brand except for lunds (I get that they are the best but the are also the most expensive)

What i do want is an aluminum boat between 16-18 feet with a full windshield, road storage, live wells, seating for 4 and full stand up rain canopy.

The boat is strictly for fishing. 90% of the time it will have 2 guys in it, 5% 3 guys, 2.5% 4 guys, and 2.5% 1 guy.

Im on the lake at least once a week from ice out to ice in.

My price range is $13,000.00 to $23,000.00.

I have seen 16 footers with as small as 40hp outboards to 18 footers with 135hp inboards.

What should i get? Prince craft? Legend? Smoker Craft? Crestliner? etc etc?

Do i want a welded hull or a rivited hull?

What size engine do i need at a minimum for a 16', 17' or 18" boat?

This will be my first real boat. Currently i have a 14' aluminum with a 25hp merc tiller its a great boat but i want something bigger, faster and better able to handle rough water on the likes of cold lake.

Thanks fo any advice

Gust

06-21-2011, 01:21 AM

go look at hewescraft, they have some great all weather boats and motors and great financing options and are awesome on a customer service front outside of their dealers,

Overdrawn

06-21-2011, 06:14 AM

Look at the Trackers, I bought mine for 23200 with a 115hp 4strk full windshield, bow mount minnkota, fishfinder and it is 96" wide. I love the and I a really happy with all the features.

Winch101

06-21-2011, 06:32 AM

riderpride55

06-21-2011, 06:59 AM

We are running the 19ft, lots of room but I think it would be well over your budget. I think the 16ft would work well for you.

briangeorge

06-21-2011, 07:40 AM

I bought a brand new Smokercraft last year and I really like it. It is a 162ProAngler with 50 H.P. Merc. 4 stroke. It has all the goodies/accessories that you need for fishing (live-well/fish finder/minnkota electric/life jackets/etc. Total price for everything with trailer and all goodies was under $20,000.00. I purchased at Shipwreck Marine and found them to be very good to deal with. If I could do it over again I would have spent a little more money and gone to the 75 H.P. engine. So my recommendation is even though you will usually only have 2 persons in the boat go for the bigger motor because when you load it up with 3 or 4 persons with all their gear you will see a huge difference if performance.
Good Luck Shopping.
briangeorge

freeones

06-21-2011, 09:07 AM

Take your $20,000 and go shopping in the USA for a used boat. It's easy and you'll end up with twice the boat for your money.

You can start here - https://www.walleyecentral.com/classified/new/searchresults.jsp - then do some google searches.

Also, don't rule out Lunds, you might be surprised what your money will get you in the USA. You can get a used Lund, Alumacraft, Crestliner, etc... that's in great shape, fully rigged and ready to fish for less than you'll pay for an unrigged bargian brand boat new here.

Winch101

06-21-2011, 12:32 PM

Freeones right .....likely to get a hell of a price also good chance it is rigged right ...( a problem here )If you see something on Walleye Central ...that interests you ...pm me ... I worked for lund for a while and have owned at least 10 big tin boats . Always glad to help W101

Smokercraft

06-21-2011, 01:13 PM

I have to agree with briangeorge, smokercraft is pretty good bang for buck (see my login name...)

I bought mine used, 4 years old, 172 Pro Mag, with a 90hp Mec Optimax. My favourite feature is the 7.5 ft locking rod storage built in under the bow casting platform, it's something I haven't seen in other boats.

Came with litereally everything you could think of from water ski's, to a trailer mounted rock guard, to the usuals like a Minn Kota (still in the box never used) and a livewell, it even had 6 life jackets and a safety box!

I just about bought the same boat brand new this year until after tonnes of searching and research I found this one. It only had 35 hours on the motor, hadn't even gone through a whole tank of oil yet and I got it with all the additions for $17K, about $10K less than the equivalent when you inlcude all the add-ons.

Granted I think the guy needed to sell fast (I actually ended up paying the bank not him for it), but if you've got some time, a lot of searching and patients can save you big $$.

briangeorge

06-21-2011, 01:14 PM

deltravers

06-21-2011, 01:19 PM

I just bought a legend XGS last weekend and I can't complain. Its perfect for fishing with 2 people and works with 3. I came in under 20 with ext warranty and loads of options. I have a 50 hp 2-stroke Merc and it seems to do fine. I got it from Homestead in Calgary and they were awesome to deal with in comparison to the dealer in Edmonton.

freeones

06-21-2011, 01:57 PM

Remember that Service and Warranty work can become a real issue when you need something on a boat purchased in USA. I guarantee that you will get very slow if any at all service from Canadian Dealers.
Just a thought.
briangeorge

This is a common scare tactic that I see. Service is service, and the warranty will be valid on any Mercury product, and any Lund product, regardless of whether or not it was bought in the USA. I assume the same is true for other manufacturers.

I did encounter one dealer that gave me attitude over the boat being from the USA. His loss, I'll never darken his door again, and I'm always sure to pass on the story of his attitude and pathetic customer service when I get the chance.

There's a simple solution to the service problem, find a better dealer. I've found a couple that I can recommend and I've never had a problem with getting quality work done in a timely manner whether it was warranty or not.

Bottom line for me though is that the savings are so big that I'm willing to take the small chance that I may not be at the top of the service heap or that it may cost me a few extra bucks if something goes wrong. Do dealers give better service to guys that they just sold a boat too? Maybe, but at what cost?

keep it reel

06-21-2011, 03:03 PM

Brother-in-law has a 16'. Comes with Yamaha motor. Nice boat...

mszomola

06-21-2011, 03:21 PM

personally , the hull is generally the same in most cases with aluminum boats . I would look for a one with a solid motor like yamaha , merc ... i wouldnt touch an e-tec right now, i have heard of and witnessed lots of blown e-tecs in the last year....

i myself drive a bass boat and that may not be your cup of tea but one advantage of fiberglass is through hull high speed transducer , and ofcourse less leaks ...

Overdrawn

06-21-2011, 04:20 PM

Crestliner 1750 sport angler....

Free Spirit Marine Edmonton ...Talk to thane ...

Dollar for Dollar , compare warranties.....The best

I have a Lund Always max out the HP.

You can buy a Lund cheaper at Kevins marine

in Fort quappelle Sask .... than from anyone in Alberta .

One day road trip but worth it....

Forget Tracker ....lots of hull problems and no warranty....

Always glad to help... W191

No hull problems here and my buddy is coming on the 4th season with his and no one problem yet , he's had it in some ruff water that make me cringe even watching him come across the lake and not a problem. My last Crestliner I had the hull's welds on the transom were cracking and Crestliner wouldn't touch it, fuel tank is in a very poor spot as well. and my brother 20' Crestliner with a 250 Verdo heading across water the walk through windsheild hits together in ruff water, very weakly designed boat. I had a welding shop reweld it and it still failed to fix the problem. And Trackers warrenty is comparable to everyone else's. Each to there own but sorry to say if you want to spend around 22000k mark go look at the Hewscraft they are unbeatable. Stick away from Legend everyone I know that owns one has nothing good to say about them. And look at hull materail and thickness and supports in the construction of it. My dads Lund 1650ProV has 12 season under its belt and leeks like a siv, Lund is always fixing it. Yes alluminum has to flex but the rivets and the plates seem to leak. For the $11000 that I saved on the Tracker I think it is worth it. You can get alot of welding done for 11k that is if you have any problems and warrenty doen't fix it. Everyone that I have spoken to hasn't had a lick of problem with there Targa 18 or the ProGuide175. I have owned alot of boats and have had the chance to fish in alot of different brands. And it all boils down to if you maintain your boat it will last a lifetime.

Gust

06-21-2011, 04:34 PM

Overdrawn

06-21-2011, 05:17 PM

gorgeous and very durable welded boats,,, and they have lifetime warranty on the welds and deal with lotsa canucks,,, I'd call them just for a looksy and a dealer if you're interested. I do know some custom boat builders on the coast too.

http://www.hewescraft.com/freshwater_boats/?p=1.1.3

My cousin has a Hewscraft and they are the boat. Simple well built in my opinion. I really like his boat and it is made to last a lifetime. Definitely check them out. The only reason I bought a Tracker is I had to trade my car off on it and was bound to dealers that could take trades like that. Not saying there are a bad boat I actualy love mine and don't regret buying it.I have to say for more bang for your buck check them out. There a very durable boat. I couldn't agree more.

Gust

06-21-2011, 05:36 PM

My cousin has a Hewscraft and they are the boat. Simple well built in my opinion. I really like his boat and it is made to last a lifetime. Definitely check them out. The only reason I bought a Tracker is I had to trade my car off on it and was bound to dealers that could take trades like that. Not saying there are a bad boat I actualy love mine and don't regret buying it.I have to say for more bang for your buck check them out. There a very durable boat. I couldn't agree more.

I was talking with one of the Hewes boys/owners trying to talk them into making me a replica of the aluminum boat their Grandfather built to start the company,, apparently they get the request often but won't do it because they can offer a better boat with the same amount of aluminum,, that's when I was made aware of stunningly affordable, durable all round craft. I never did but one but know several owners who won't go with any other brand/model.

I had a 16' 1971 Lund (that Lund won't recreate for the same reasons as Hewes),, it had a 1500lb capacity after the weight of the motor, a 56"beam, deep V bow but otherwise quite a flat bottom, and I'm kicking myself for selling it, though the guy who bought it has offered many trips on the Fraser, so I can still get to utilise her.

hockey1099

06-21-2011, 05:53 PM

Thanks for all the advive so far. I should add i am looking both new and used.

Overdrawn

06-21-2011, 06:37 PM

I was talking with one of the Hewes boys/owners trying to talk them into making me a replica of the aluminum boat their Grandfather built to start the company,, apparently they get the request often but won't do it because they can offer a better boat with the same amount of aluminum,, that's when I was made aware of stunningly affordable, durable all round craft. I never did but one but know several owners who won't go with any other brand/model.

I had a 16' 1971 Lund (that Lund won't recreate for the same reasons as Hewes),, it had a 1500lb capacity after the weight of the motor, a 56"beam, deep V bow but otherwise quite a flat bottom, and I'm kicking myself for selling it, though the guy who bought it has offered many trips on the Fraser, so I can still get to utilise her.

I bought my Tracker and passing by my cousin's who own a Hewscraft that I'd hadn't spoke to in a few years, so I decided to stop and have a visit with him. And then I learnt he bought a hewscraft. He got a 115 Yamaha 4srtk complete stand up top, Lowarance GPS/fishinder, Trolling motor and I am not sure if he was pulling my leg but he told me he paid just shy of 30000 for it. But that was with a fishinder worth 2 or 3k ,switching his motor to a Yamaha because he like the steering set up better over the Mercs and put a 9.9hp Yamaha on for a Kicker. I looked at his boat up and down and couldn't see one bad thing about it. I kinda wish I would have been able to sell my car privately because I would have one sitting in my garage. But I like my boat. and can't complain.

Gust

06-21-2011, 06:55 PM

the first bid is $150, wow!!!

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?id=4508377&convertTo=USD&tid=GLSPPS7283&cm_re=1-_-hotlots-_-row1col3

Gust

06-21-2011, 07:07 PM

I'll stop but last one;

http://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/aucdsclnk?sl=41QSCI11306002

TyreeUM

06-21-2011, 07:07 PM

the first bid is $150, wow!!!

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?id=4508377&convertTo=USD&tid=GLSPPS7283&cm_re=1-_-hotlots-_-row1col3

He said he wanted a boat for cold lake...not to drift down the bow...

I agree with looking for a slightly used boat. You can get so much more boat for the money, especially with your budget.

Gust

06-21-2011, 07:10 PM

He said he wanted a boat for cold lake...not to drift down the bow...

I agree with looking for a slightly used boat. You can get so much more boat for the money, especially with your budget.

seriously, look at this one for drifting $15,000, 1 day left, even shipping would be less than new;

http://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/aucdsclnk?sl=41QSCI11306001

TyreeUM

06-21-2011, 07:19 PM

seriously, look at this one for drifting $15,000, 1 day left, even shipping would be less than new;

http://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/aucdsclnk?sl=41QSCI11306001

There is no way I would buy that boat...I usually fish with a buddy and I refuse to buy a boat that would require us having to use planer boards to keep our lines from tangling...

antler addict

06-22-2011, 05:56 AM

hockey go to the states way more bang for the buck I saved $11000.00 on mine its easy to do.

keep it reel

06-22-2011, 08:56 AM

Thanks for all the advive so far. I should add i am looking both new and used.

If used is acceptable, there's usually lots on kijiji...

xtreme_lund

06-24-2011, 11:55 AM

This is a common scare tactic that I see. Service is service, and the warranty will be valid on any Mercury product, and any Lund product, regardless of whether or not it was bought in the USA.

Quite simply this is not true. I actually phoned mercury on this when I bought my boat. After extensive research I found that Lund warranty is accepted in canada. But "quote-unquote" a Mercury Rep, informed me that engines bought in the US come with a "mercury us warranty" and that I would be expected to return the engine to the US for service, unless I could verify a change of address.

I looked into the above again, back in march, when I saw 9.9hp Merc's on sale at Costco for a blowout price in the states. I again phoned mercury and they have said I will have to service the product in the us.

All in all, I phoned the dealer I service through in edmonton, they told me that the manufacturer was correct however they could sneak the warranty work through mercury anyway.

Overdrawn

06-24-2011, 03:12 PM

Get that last bit in writing. I'll support Canada. I hate Yankee's. Why would you want to support that 3rd world country. I laugh when the Bragg look see made in the USA when China actualy owns them. Buy your boat from the states and have pride in your own country. That causes resesions.

freeones

07-04-2011, 10:35 AM

Quite simply this is not true. I actually phoned mercury on this when I bought my boat. After extensive research I found that Lund warranty is accepted in canada. But "quote-unquote" a Mercury Rep, informed me that engines bought in the US come with a "mercury us warranty" and that I would be expected to return the engine to the US for service, unless I could verify a change of address.

I looked into the above again, back in march, when I saw 9.9hp Merc's on sale at Costco for a blowout price in the states. I again phoned mercury and they have said I will have to service the product in the us.

All in all, I phoned the dealer I service through in edmonton, they told me that the manufacturer was correct however they could sneak the warranty work through mercury anyway.

Well I guess all the warranty paperwork I have from Mercury and the warranty work I've had done on my Opti here in Canada is a figment of my imagination then.

"Quite simply", it is true, and it can be done rather easily with the right paperwork, so don't come on a forum like this because you made a phone call and claim to have absolute knowledge of an issue when you clearly don't.

freeones

07-04-2011, 10:36 AM

xtreme_lund

07-07-2011, 01:55 PM

don't come on a forum like this because you made a phone call and claim to have absolute knowledge of an issue when you clearly don't.

I didn't think this would go as far as it has... nevertheless, for those of us that figure we should hear it from the horses mouth directly....

"Warranty coverage is available only to retail customers that
purchase from a Dealer authorized by Mercury Marine to distribute
the product in the country in which the sale occurred, and then only
after the Mercury Marine specified pre-delivery inspection process
is completed and documented."

**This comes right from the merucry product manual for all inboard and outboard engines.

All in all, it seems pretty clear to me that warranty coverage is available in the country toward which the product was purchased.

p.s "freeones"... to praraphrase your last post, might you please refrain from going on this forum with little to no knowledge of the subject matter at hand . As for your paperwork, perhaps it is a figment of your immagination... or more likely your canadian dealer is doing the warranty work because it is likely still profitable for them to do so.

freeones

07-07-2011, 03:23 PM

I didn't think this would go as far as it has... nevertheless, for those of us that figure we should hear it from the horses mouth directly....

"Warranty coverage is available only to retail customers that
purchase from a Dealer authorized by Mercury Marine to distribute
the product in the country in which the sale occurred, and then only
after the Mercury Marine specified pre-delivery inspection process
is completed and documented."

**This comes right from the merucry product manual for all inboard and outboard engines.

All in all, it seems pretty clear to me that warranty coverage is available in the country toward which the product was purchased.

p.s "freeones"... to praraphrase your last post, might you please refrain from going on this forum with little to no knowledge of the subject matter at hand . As for your paperwork, perhaps it is a figment of your immagination... or more likely your canadian dealer is doing the warranty work because it is likely still profitable for them to do so.

Are you calling me liar? I don't take that lightly. Send me a PM, you can come by my place and check out the paperwork for yourself. Then you can come back on here apologize publicly.

Are you calling these Canadian dealers criminals? Maybe you should contact them about defrauding Mercury Marine and see what their response is. Doing warranty work is not taken lightly, it can cost them their dealerships and their livelihoods if they screw with the system. It can either be done or it can't, it has nothing to with "profitable".

I'm not too proud to admit that things may have changed in the last year or two regarding the purchase of a brand new outboard from Mercury because of all the cross border buying, but warranty on new purchases was transferable in the past. I know for a fact that the warranty was transferable to the second owner in the past, and I'd be willing to bet that it still is with nothing more than a simple phone call and about a $100 Visa bill if I remember right.

xtreme_lund

07-07-2011, 07:12 PM

Are you calling me liar? I don't take that lightly. Send me a PM, you can come by my place and check out the paperwork for yourself. Then you can come back on here apologize publicly.

Are you calling these Canadian dealers criminals? Maybe you should contact them about defrauding Mercury Marine and see what their response is. Doing warranty work is not taken lightly, it can cost them their dealerships and their livelihoods if they screw with the system. It can either be done or it can't, it has nothing to with "profitable".

I indicated that I was paraphrasing what you had said to me prior regarding not knowing what I was talking about. With that out of the way, if your interpretation was that I was calling you a liar, then this would imply that you were calling me a liar earlier in the thread.

Either way, at present according to my owners manual, which was printed in 2009, warranty coverage is available in the country the product was purchased. Therefore for the past 3 years, according to the policy, US purchased engines need to be returned to the US for warranty work (it is in black and white for all Mercury owners).

As for calling canadian dealers criminals, I did not read that anywhere in my post.... I would just think to file a warranty claim all a dealer would need to do is put a claim in. It would really be up to Mercury themselves to follow the rules to which they set and approve/or/disapprove the claim. Without question the dealers most certainly profit from putting these claims in while mercury profits by making their customers happy.

In the end, according to mercury policy a dealer is permitted to refuse to do the work on US purchased products, however I would think that as long as mercury is allowing its dealers to circumvent their black and white policy and earn a profit through warranty work, why wouldn't they (unless the customer stiffed them on the initial sale, which is where the 100% legitimate scare tactic comes into play).

freeones

07-11-2011, 09:19 AM

I indicated that I was paraphrasing what you had said to me prior regarding not knowing what I was talking about. With that out of the way, if your interpretation was that I was calling you a liar, then this would imply that you were calling me a liar earlier in the thread.

Far from it, I wasn't calling you a liar or even inferring it. I was pointing out the fact that you may not know as much as you think you know about the subject. That's a far cry from suggesting that my paperwork is a figment of my imagination.

As for calling canadian dealers criminals, I did not read that anywhere in my post.... I would just think to file a warranty claim all a dealer would need to do is put a claim in. It would really be up to Mercury themselves to follow the rules to which they set and approve/or/disapprove the claim. Without question the dealers most certainly profit from putting these claims in while mercury profits by making their customers happy.

In the end, according to mercury policy a dealer is permitted to refuse to do the work on US purchased products, however I would think that as long as mercury is allowing its dealers to circumvent their black and white policy and earn a profit through warranty work, why wouldn't they (unless the customer stiffed them on the initial sale, which is where the 100% legitimate scare tactic comes into play).

Call your Mercury dealer and ask him if he's willing to try and get around Mercury's warranty regulations. Then ask him how flexible Mercury is on their warranty policies. That should put an end to your speculation about dealers circumventing the rules, submitting knowingly false or grey area warranty claims, doing unapproved warranty work, and Mercury breaking their own rules.

While you're at it, ask the dealer what he makes more money on, warranty work, or general service. That might also shed some light on your speculation about profit.

I have no doubt that you firmly believe you're correct, you obviously haven't budged an inch from your initial stance despite being given evidence to the contrary. I'm done with this, everyone here is free to do their own homework and come to their own conclusions. I would just encourage them to do exactly that and not be scared off by the bogus tactics of dealers looking to make a sale or guys quoting a 3 year old owners manual as though it's be all and end all on the subject.

There are some GREAT deals to be had south of the border if you know what you want and you put in the time searching.

Rainbow_boats

07-11-2011, 11:36 AM

I think this is an area where a dealer could put this to an end.

According to mercury, warranty work is to be performed in the country toward which the engine was purchased, this has been the case for as long as we have been a merc dealer (2005). As indicated by Extreme Lund it is a black and white policy without mention of any other provisions, however it is in everyones best interest to put claims through here in Canada for US purchased engines. I suppose however that dealers who lost a sale might refuse service, and according to mercury policy are permitted to.

In the end, according to policy ALL engines purchased in the US need to have warranty work completed in the US, although at present Canadian dealers are not being forced to follow the policy. I suppose the great caution would be that if you bought an engine in the US, you had better hope mercury never forces dealers like us to turn away the service work to our american counterparts.

If anybody would like to discuss this further, please feel free to give us a call.

Happy fishing,
Rainbow Marine

xtreme_lund

07-11-2011, 02:59 PM

however it is in everyones best interest to put claims through here in Canada for US purchased engines.

:sHa_shakeshout: :sHa_shakeshout:

This was exactly as I figured it to be... after all I am certain the dealer is going to make money from the warranty, as I suggested.

The scary part mentioned by Rainbow is the possibility of the day mercury no longer allows canadian dealers to do the warranty work.... this is what scared me off from purchasing a 9.9 for my small boat a few years back from Costco... at any point and time mercury's flexibility could end, and I would be looking at a very pricey shipping bill to have my motor serviced.

All in all freeones is right only in saying that it is a scare tactic... nevertheless according to policy it is a very legitmate scare tactic that I have looked heavily into and verified.

Tuco

07-11-2011, 04:53 PM