Have question about boat purchase

mksucum · Criminal Joined: 31 May 2004 Posts: 66 City: Norman

Hi, I am a newbie here and have expressed to my parents my new found hobby, and since I am 20 and in college, etc, etc.
I have talked to my dad and he said that if I get around 5 to 7 grand he will front UP TO another 7 or 8 grand so I think by this time next year I will be buying a used wakeboat and have a 15-17K limit, and I know you can get a really nice used wakeboat for that much, but my question is where can I look? I have been looking everywhere trying to learn as much as I can, but I just cant find any info on some older MC's, Supras, Moombas, Nautique, Malibu, nothing. I mean I see all the new boats and yea someday I will have one, but where can I find info on 97-00 models?

Also when it comes to come to start pricing boats much more heavily then I am now, where are some good websites that sell used boats?

mjones47 · Newbie Joined: 01 Jan 2004 Posts: 21 City: Knoxville

Man I know where you are coming from. I am in school and have been making do with a bayliner the past couple of summers. I started shoping in January and by late febuary found a super clean Malibu response with only 200 hours on it. The key to finding a good budget boarding boat is to be patient. As for good places to research boats malibu and mastercraft owners have websites loaded with knowlageable people. I bought a 97 Malibu Response LX. The hull on my boat is the same hull on the new wakesetters. Weighted I have a superclean good sized wake. I bought the boat for $17,000 I put a swoop tower on it for 1,800 and bought board racks for 400. For less than 20K I have a killer setup that has already depreciated. Good luck.

mksucum · Criminal Joined: 31 May 2004 Posts: 66 City: Norman

yea that sounds cool, yea being patient I already have found out is key, I feel that if I am looking 3 times a week until this time next year I will know what boats are worth what, etc, etc.

The big problem with me is I would like to buy a boat with ballast tanks already in there, preferably from the facotry, because as well as a nice boat, I would like to be riding in style so I dont want fatsacs laying everywhere or waterbeds and someone had everywhere.

I also dont care about the paint job itself, it can be faded or whatever because I am painting it with my father and his friend that owns a custom paint shop, and we all decided on a baby blueish color with the name of the boat in a ghost/pearlescent color. And "wet in debt" in ghost on the rear.

I love that slogan, "wet in debt" I feel that it will fit me and my college boarding lifestyle perfectly...

wesgardner · Posted: Jun 03, 2004 5:16 pm Post subject:

Hey mksucum,

I just went thru this...I can't recall all the web sites but as you know, one thing leads to another....these aren't in any particular order...

classifieds here on the forum, e-bay, iboats, flipsell, boat trader online, mastercraft (you can look for a dealer who has used inventory - try 21401 for the annapolis area) type in "used boat" in google and start searching - stuff comes on and goes off the market daily...I spent many, many hours but the rewards can be worth it....

there's a great x-star (used) for 27 with internal ballast, the works, it's in tennessee - flipsell I think

Wes

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

mksucum, If you don't want fat sacs all over the place look for a v-drive. Here you can do a custom install of an auto ballast system. Get 2 35 gallon plastic drums and run intake and outtake hoses to the two valves on top. Then you get the best of both worlds. I can go into further detail if needed. Direct drives don't have the space to hide ballast.

mksucum · Criminal Joined: 31 May 2004 Posts: 66 City: Norman

So I should look for a V drive boat?
I was reading in one of my many wakeboarding mags that a V drive is the dream machine to have?

I believe If I could get a boat for cheaper then I me and my father could do a custom ballast pump system on it, and throw a monster tower on it, and I am ready to roll.

I will look into that. Is there any specidic boats anyone here would recommend I look at for an easy transformation into a wakeboat?

The only thing I am a stickler about is I have to have an open bow, we have a older boat, 80's glasstron and it doesnt have an open bow, hell the boat even run, but that is the only thing that I MUST have...

lakeboarder · Posted: Jun 03, 2004 7:38 pm Post subject:

I had a 1996 Ski Supreme DD with semi custom ballast system, new stereo (no amp) Skylon tower, new upholstery, etc. etc that I just sold for 16,750. It was a great boat for a lot of years. I bought it without any of the Wake specific gear and just added it as I could afford. It sounds like you've got the right idea. If you can get a vdrive thats great but, don't be afraid of a DD. You can get a very good wake if you get the right boat and set it up right. The only things I would suggest that haven't been mentioned are;

1. Ride behind as many boats as you can, you'll figure out which boats and which features you like.

2. If you can move up your purchase time to November or December you could save as much as 15 or 20% (imo) compared to what you would pay in late May or early June. Every body wants a boat in the spring or early summer. Not many buyers in November. The closer you get to spring the more likely it is people will hold out for their price since they know there will be more buyers than good deals soon.

And the real bonus I got by added stuff to the boat every year was that after a few years my wife said "would you just go get a new boat with EVERY THING YOU WANT on it so you don't have to keep spending money on that thing!"

mksucum · Criminal Joined: 31 May 2004 Posts: 66 City: Norman

lol, thats good stuff lakeboarder.

Also IF I was to put the 15-17K as a downpayment on a boat in Nov. and try and get one of the 04 models you think since most places are getting the 05 models in, do you think they would be more inclined to give me a better deal?
I think they may, so I will try and keep that in mind also