Hello,

I am starting to look at runabouts in the 16 to 18 foot range to use
for cruising on smaller inland lakes, maybe some water-skiing. Looking
to spend around $6,000 to $12,000 for a good used boat.

There are a lot of some brands of boats for sale in my area. Tons of
Baylines, Four Winns, Rinkers and Larsons. Some Cutters and Tempests.
Some of these look like reasonable deals but I wonder about the
reputation of the various brands of boat and motor. I know the
difference between a BMW and Chevrolet in cars but what about boats?
What is the general repuation of the brands I have listed in terms of
quality of construction, durability, resale value, handling?

I am leaning towards an I/O setup. Most of these seem to be Mercs or
OMC. Some Volvos and Yamahas. Is there some consensus about the
"better" brand of I/O motors? I want something that will be very
reliable without big repair bills. What are the ones to avoid at any
cost? Are there tell-tale signs of a bad motor that a non-expert like
me could pick up on? Dragging every possible purchase to a mechanic is
not feasible.

Are there any consumer opinion websites where folks rate boats and
motors?

Any information that will help steer me towards better boats and away
from "lemons" will be much appreciated!

Inno wrote:
Hello,

I am starting to look at runabouts in the 16 to 18 foot range to use
for cruising on smaller inland lakes, maybe some water-skiing. Looking
to spend around $6,000 to $12,000 for a good used boat.

There are a lot of some brands of boats for sale in my area. Tons of
Baylines, Four Winns, Rinkers and Larsons. Some Cutters and Tempests.
Some of these look like reasonable deals but I wonder about the
reputation of the various brands of boat and motor. I know the
difference between a BMW and Chevrolet in cars but what about boats?
What is the general repuation of the brands I have listed in terms of
quality of construction, durability, resale value, handling?


Good question, but you're off on a dangerous track already.
You're shopping used, so you have to discount a lot of stuff to do with
brand names.
The brand name only tells you what the boat might have been when it was
new, and the choices made by the previous owner (s) are most likely
exerting a greater current influence on boats in the $6,000 - $12,000
price bracket than anything the manufacturer did.

You mention Chevrolet and BMW. How much would you be willing to be that
every used BMW for sale in the $6k -$12k price bracket would be a
better vehicle than any used Chevrolet in the same range. Not much, I'd
hope. And I'd hope that you wouldn't just blindly plunk money down on a
BMW without a thorough test drive and mechanical inspection, even if it
is a respected trademark.

With a used boat the brand name is a footnote. Lots of people put too
much faith in a used boat brand name and wind up with a truly bad boat
because they assumed that "everybody knows Brand X builds a helluva
boat!" and didn't find out about the specific defects on the one they
bought until after they owned it.

What you want to shop is *condition* as well as suitability to purpose.
A 32-foot Grand Banks may be considered a "better" boat than a 32-foot
Wellcraft- but if you need to run at 15-20 kts that "better" boat may
not be as well suited for your purposes.

Suggestion: When you find a boat you really like, ask the seller if
it's OK to have it checked out by an independent expert. Have the
engine, drive system and hull checked thoroughly. You might even try
negotiating with the seller to have the price of the inspection taken
off the selling price of the boat if you buy it.....(if you have the
boat inspected and something turns up that causes you to turn the boat
down you will probably have to stand the cost of the inspection but it
will be some of the cheapest money you never really lost).



I am leaning towards an I/O setup. Most of these seem to be Mercs or
OMC. Some Volvos and Yamahas. Is there some consensus about the
"better" brand of I/O motors? I want something that will be very
reliable without big repair bills. What are the ones to avoid at any
cost? Are there tell-tale signs of a bad motor that a non-expert like
me could pick up on? Dragging every possible purchase to a mechanic is
not feasible.


Don't drag every possible purchase to a mechanic. But do drag any boat
that *really* turns you on. The only boat that needs to be checked out
is the one that gets your blood running so hot you're tempted to write
a check right there on the spot. You ask yourself, "Is this the boat
I'd want to own if it proved to be in good mechanical condition?" and
unless the answer is "yes" you just keep shopping.

Be prepared for repair bills. Big ones. No matter how carefully you
shop and check out the prospective boats. You can expect big repair
bills if you check a boat out carefully- but that's a lot better than
disastrous repair bills you are likely to encounter if you don't.
This isn't a poor man's pastime, unless you are willing to row. As they
say: B.O.A.T. = break out another thousand



Are there any consumer opinion websites where folks rate boats and
motors?

Any information that will help steer me towards better boats and away
from "lemons" will be much appreciated!

There are a couple of sources for USCG recall information. I think one
is the USCG website itself and the other may be BOAT/US. But, unless
you know what you're looking at, you can come to some unneccesarily
harsh conclusions based on recall lists. A lot of the recalls are
pretty minor and very easily corrected- while a small number of them
are extremely serious.