Newbie looking for advise on toon purchase

[NonHyphenAmerican]

Some other things to consider when buying a boat, including pontoons.

Do you plan to tow it?

Do you have a tow vehicle?

Is a trailer included in the purchase price?

Can your wife help with loading/unloading.

Watched a guy last night scream and yell at his wife for not doing everything he wanted her to do when he wanted her to do it as he tried to drive a boat onto a trailer in Kansas Winds. If I ever called my wife any of those names while talking to her, I'd wake up dead, dead broke, and hurting.

(She knows where all the money is, all the guns are, all the knives are, and she don't take crap off nobody.)

All of these are things to consider when purchasing a boat.

Oh, and that used pontoon?

This should give you at least one comparison to your local area.

http://www.shadycreek.com/boat-details.aspx?id=721

[KylefromNJ]

Thanks for all the valuable advice guys.

Yes I do have a 6 cyl. Tacoma with tow package. So no problem with the towing at all. I do need a trailer for the toon, so I tend to look for used toon that includes a trailer.

On local craigslist I regularly see 10-15 yr old toons go for $5k or so with trailer, and 4k w/o, which is why I guess I had the unrealistic expectation of how much a motor cost. They all CLAIM that the motors are in good shape, but now I'm wondering if they are bs'ing. However, they all seem to have a 40-50 hp motor in them (~22ft boat), so that too little hp? I don't care how slow my boat goes by the way, as a newbie I will be driving very slow anyway.

I know I will make my share of newbie mistakes. That's why I try to spend as little as possible on the first boat to minimize my loss, my target amount is about $5-6k. I consider myself handy, and my father in law is a master carpenter. We built our deck, shed from scratch, and renovated my basement together. I also build arcade cabinets as a hobby. So eventually I'd like to build my own toon someday.

I do yell at my wife a lot, but she just yells louder right back. Perfect recipe for a great relationship.

[NonHyphenAmerican]

A 40hp on a 22' is the same as the rental we 'test drove'.

It won't push you fast. And initially, slow isn't a bad idea. Gives you more time to learn errors.

Docking a boat is like driving on ice. Don't be moving any faster than you want to hit the dock, or slide into a ditch.

I'd think that not only initial, but future use should be considered.

For us, the 90hp will be good as storms blow up in Kansas and it'd be nice to scoot to safety at a quicker rate.

Also, we want to be able to pull an inflatable raft for nieces and nephews to ride. The 90hp makes that a bit easier.

As for Craigs List?

Keep always in mind the wise words of wisdom I learned from my Dad, Grandpa, and Boss in College.

If a guy is selling it, it's "Gold". If he's buying it, it's 'trash'.

The guys selling boats on Craigslist, IF they're legitimately selling a boat, are trying to get the best price they can get.

If it's a problem boat, "Buyer Beware" is something they want to be YOUR Problem.

Just my opinion, but you might keep that in mind.

[KylefromNJ]

I agree. that's why I wanted to price out another used motor, if the event that the motor does go bad after I buy. But I do like the idea of bringing a mechanic to check out the motor with me.

However, I do wonder if there's any way to tell how much "mileage" a motor has on it. With a car, you can see the odometer on the car to kind of gauge how much the engine ran. But I assume there is not such thing with a motor? Theoretically a 2005 motor can have been used a lot more than a 1995 motor, depending on the owner right? What is a typical life expectancy for a boat motor?

[NonHyphenAmerican]

What is a typical life expectancy for a boat motor?

Well, My little Honda 7.5hp motor is an 87 model.

It started up on the 2nd pull this spring.

I have it and the 1973 14' Lowe Boat and 73 Trailer for sale as a package deal along with a spare prop, anchors, Minn Kota Trolling Motor.

I've already had some lookers pricing the whole package at $1000.

So age isn't as much an issue as maintenance in my opinion.

And newer fuel injected motors are probably more fuel efficient, as a generalization, than the older carb'd engines.

The deck boat I saw for sale at the lake yesterday with the 99 Honda on it was priced in the range you're looking for and appeared to be a reasonably good deal.

So what you're looking for is out there and if nothing else, you get to have the fun and challenge of looking for it.

[redbeard]

This is an admiral here. I too do not know how to swim. I'm not afraid of the water, but I have a greater respect for it then most people. My brother drowned in a lake swimming when I was 8, therefore never experienced water activities until I married a closest boater. After about 10 years of marriage my husband decided to come out of the closet with his inner boater. Well I already had put in emotion, time, and training I wasn't going to let boating become a tidal wave between us. LOL. He first started with a fishing boat, one of those aluminum suicide tubes that rock back and forth in the waves. Speed boats were never apealling to me, I perfer to be in something that stayed in the water, not fly on top of it. Then came the pontoon. I feel very comfortable on a pontoon, it doesn't rock back and forth when you hit a wave. Your sitting on top of the water, instead of in the water. You always get to see what's in front of you because the boat remains flat. I think your admiral will enjoy a ride on a pontoon over any other, unless you rent a yacht. Also about the life jackets, I've become so comfortable on the pontoon that I only wear a life jacket when the boat is moving.

[NonHyphenAmerican]

Redbeard,
I've been on a rented pontoon on Jackomo.

Nice water there.

And yes, even my mom liked riding a pontoon.

And she was definitely a dry land person.

Glad you and yours are enjoying.

[VacationLand]

However, I do wonder if there's any way to tell how much "mileage" a motor has on it. With a car, you can see the odometer on the car to kind of gauge how much the engine ran. But I assume there is not such thing with a motor? Theoretically a 2005 motor can have been used a lot more than a 1995 motor, depending on the owner right? What is a typical life expectancy for a boat motor?

Most of the ones I looked at new and used had an hour meter somewhere on them. This will tell you how much usage the motor (and boat if it's the original motor) has on it.

I personally have a Yamaha F70 on mine and they get high praise for reliability. Any of the bigger motor manufacturers make a quality product. Just like a car, a well maintained outboard will give many years of life. My father in law had an old 60's runabout with a Mercury 50 on it that I'm pretty sure was original and the wife's cousin has a '63 Starcraft with the original Johnson and it runs like a top.

Like many others have said, if you can't take it for a sea trial, at least insist on hearing the motor run and shift.

Before I bought mine, I almost picked up a 2010 Aqua Patio 20' with a Honda 90 and trailer for $16K The boat had less than 30 hours on it. My brand new last year boat had 45 hours from mid-June to early October! Keep looking, there's some deals to be had out there.

[KylefromNJ]

I'm looking at a listing for a toon, here's another question:

what does it mean when the person says "Steering cable is frozen." is that a serious defect? will it cost much to fix?

Thanks.

[curtiscapk]

less than 200....

http://www.pontoonstuff.com/pontoon-boa ... cable.aspx

[KylefromNJ]

But this would also mean I cannot take the toon out for test drive. I probably will hire a marine mechanic out to look at the motor. But is it common for a 10 yr old log to be leaky? how would one check for it w/o being in water (if even possible)?