my first boat

[Dan22]

hi everyone
I'm trying to save some money to buy nice boat. I have $5000 and my question is :
is it possible to buy a nice boat for that kind of money? I know it won't be a brand new, but I don't want to buy s**t for 5K.

[vnemous]

Consider $5000 as an initial investment. People often joke that BOAT stands for Bring Out Another Thousand. Not to far from reality. JMO

[Dan22]

I know it's not a lot, I can wait and save some more. I'd like to buy it now but if 5K is not enough I have to wait.
Thank you for your reply

[JPEROG]

If you are able to find something for that kind of money, make sure that you take someone with some real knowledge along to inspect it. You might find an old hydrostream, action, or 18 skater "which are very cool boats" but chances are that they will need structural work and or mechanical attention. The other issue is where you live almost everything is run in salt down there and it doesn't have any positive effects on boat hardware and motors. It takes a lot of extra time and care to properly maintain a rig that is run in the salt.

Joe

[XstreamVking]

Older boat that is solid, newer motor that runs good. Keep it simple. And buy a small boat for the first one. Everything is easier with a small boat...You can always move up. That is how most of us started out. jm2cts

[vnemous]

Looks like a nice way to jump into performance boating.

http://www.screamandfly.com/showthre...Ray-1983-4-900

[mrichartz]

Looks like a nice way to jump into performance boating.

http://www.screamandfly.com/showthre...Ray-1983-4-900

Definitely...had one for years alot of fun..handle great and fast..wish I still had it

[Radiant]

$5k is enough, depending on what you want. That Laser looks like a great boat to get into.

[yachter55]

JP said it all, go with someone who knows. Like most of all the guys here we all started out with a little boat that needed work. I wish I had internet when I was a kid it sure would of saved me a lot of money. But now after 40 years of boating I still have questions. The guys here are always willing to share there knowledge. I can say my first boat was upholstered with beach towels for the first year. Welcome to SF and good luck on your hunting.