Buying a Used Pontoon

[shootandfish1]

When shopping for a used car-one that is 1-2 yrs old, has around 20,000 miles is often considered a good value. The re-sale value of the car has dropped a bunch and there is still lots of service left in the vehicle. There also a decent amount of warrantly left which lessens the risk for the buyer.

How does this compare when looking at boats? age? hours? What one consider an average amount of hours per year of age for modest use? Heavy use?

What do most folks consider a "sweet spot" for buying boats-way cheaper than new,yet lots of life left?

Would you consider buying a used boat from a dealer over a private sale? Pros? Cons?

At the other end-What point -age? hours? would you consider that a motor is getting a little worn and you not going to pay a lot because of the fear of extensive repairs-too much risk?

Remember that I know nothing about marine engines and will have to rely on the dealer having honest and competent techs. I'm leaning to a used boat on a dealers lot for this reason.

Lets here your thoughts.

Thanks-Fred

[onthelaketwo]

I would like to extend the previous question, which is very good.

How crazy is it to purchase a used pontoon from dealer in middle of winter? Or in otherwords without a test drive?

[mike]

If I were buying a used pontoon, I would look at the deck material, engine hours, condition of logs... Most of the toons I looked at were overpriced junk! The motors were trashed, the decks were rotting and the furniture was sun faded. Keep looking until you find that "jewel", you will know it when you see it! It may take some time but be patient and look on craigslist for the popular citys (vegas, havasu, pheonix if on the west coast) and check the online classifieds of newspapers. You will probably get a better deal in the fall/winter but you should always get it on the water before you buy! You would NEVER buy a car without driving it would you? I dont think many warrantys in pontoons transfer to a second owner but I could be mistaken?

[dockholiday]

Seems like the first two years a new boat looses most of it's value, similar to cars. Bought my first new boat last year, was only able to put about 10hrs on it but it is still an 08 and a year old boat. A one to two year old boat would be perfect if you can find it equipped the way you want. Lot of flash in the pan buyers on new boats, seems like they buy one use it 5 or 6 times the first year and a few the second year. The boatrader is a good place to get an idea of prices and to find one someone want to get rid of. Guess the best way to find a good deal would be a repo or a motivated seller that just doesn't get much use out of their boat. Ran across this link in my bookmarks, might be some info there.
http://pontoonboatsite.com/

[lakerunner]

Another thing is people buy boats without any idea how to maintain one. Also those who buy and hardly ever use it. It sits in the yard uncovered, never cleaned the gas is 5 years old and it is disaster waiting to happen to some smuck that buys it. I would look for a used boat that you can see is well used but also well maintained. the hours may be high but it can still have a lot of life left.
My last toon was 10 years old when we bought a new one. I sold it to a friend and they have had 3 fun years out of it. Our furniture was worn out so they returned to factory (Sundancer) and had new floor, carpet, and furniture for 1/3 of a brand new boat.

Just be sure and check everything before you lay the money down.

[shootandfish1]

stupid ? - What is a hour? I have assumed that a 1 hour means the motor was run 1 hour regardless of rpm's - Correct ?

Does the newer engines record the 'hours'? or other than the owners or dealers word, is there any way of documenting the 'hours'?

Maintenance records would be evidence on how well the owner took care of his/her engine.

What I'm gathering is that the bottom line is - how well does an engine runs on the water is going to be the critical factor.

I'm still trying to get a feel for what a typical hours per years old would be or is there such a thing.

I really need to study the boattrader site and ebay for asking prices. Picking up a 'blue book' for boats is also on my todo list.

To look at any significant selection of boats, I have 3 areas, all are over an hours drive from me-looking around-kicking the tires type of thing is going to be very time consuming. Trying to eliminate wasted trips and time by only calling about and looking at pontoons that I am truly interested in and serious in buying.


Fred

[dockholiday]

The hours are a factor, but wouldn't dwell on it too much unless they seem excessively high, case in point I was working on the old toon cleaning etc. while listening to the radio and just turned the radio off forgot the ignition switch (can't remember if it was acc. one click to the left or one click to the right in start mode). I didn't get back to the cleaning for about 3 days later and noticed I had put a little over twenty hours on the boats hour meter. Just wanted to pass that story along also if you find one with extremely low hours it may be suspect since you can get a new hour meter gage pretty easilys. Guess, I would say 50 to 80 hrs would be average for a year, but then again I have heard people say they put 25hrs on their toon in a week.
Not sure what area you are in but have a relative that is a dealer http://www.tnsmarine.com/ he has some of the lowest prices in the southeast on Benleys and also buys repos at auctions if you are looking for one a few years old. Bought a tritoon with a 150 opti last year and I love it. So different than my old toon a 2 log with a 90hp merc.

[onthelaketwo]

Don't forget to check out www.NADA.com if your looking for blue book prices

[shootandfish1]

Thanks for the feedback -Fred

[kencissy]

hey fred.....i bought a used 24' lowes, with a 70 evinrude from a private owner. it was decent, but i fried the motor, thinking the vro pump was working correctly, oil injection unit, oil level was going down, i guess not fast enough....haha!!
then while looking around, found a dealer in the area that i really liked and trusted...gut feeling....and ended up trading the lowes in on a 25' crest with a 115 merc on it. it had 97 hours on the hour meter!!....forgot to say, it is a 2003....lowes was a 1995....purchased in 2007....thought it seemed like low hours, thought i'd put on several more than that....i've had it end of 07 and all of 08....now has 170 hours....hours don't seem to roll on as fast as i thought they would, what with stopping and swimming, riding pwc, just chillin', etc....ran out of gas the first outing, dealer launched a bass boat and brought me 5 gals!!!!....replaced the sending unit, adjusted throttle lever....wouldn't stay wot....excellant dealer!!!
as for the crest....2 log, 2 stroke motor, cruise model....don't fish much....changing room, i may just be lucky.....don't know....BUT......the toon and the motor have performed flawlessly since i got it!!!!!....i get 24 mph...gps....can pull tubes with ease....uses a bunch more gas while pulling anything!!!!.....our family just loves it and getting out on the river whenever we can.......be careful what ya buy, look at the obvious things, log condition, seat condition, floor condition, motor, prop, steering, trailer, 2 stroke vs. 4 stroke, bimini condition, just give everything a good once over....go with your gut feeling.... and enjoy the summer on the water with family and friends!!!!! we liked our lowes, but we love our crest!!
remember: anything ya get used, may need a little tlc or repair.....anything new may need warranty work...you just never know!!! i think you'd be pretty safe with anything 5 years old or newer, considering how well most are manufactured and reliability is really good.
you'll love a pontoon boat....ease of use, versitility, ride, .... enjoy !!!!!! ken

[mikeherb]

We bought our toon from a car dealer who had bought the toon at auction. It it a 2004 with a 2003 90 HP motor and was essentially brand new when we bought it. The boat was originally bought from a dealer in Cincinnati and repoed within a few months of purchase. These owners also backed the boat into something while it was on the trailer. Can you say, "You have no business buying a boat and you don't know what the hell you're doing, but real boaters thank you for creating a secondary market for us to buy great boats?"

Anyway, the damage was fixed except for a dent in the port side toon in the back below the water line. Something I can easily live with but reduced the value of the boat. We paid $12,900 for this boat with essentially no hours on it. NADA was 18,500 with a 50 HP motor. BTW, we found the boat on ebay. When I took the cover off the motor the first time it looked like it had just came out of the packing crate.

Keep in mind too that most people selling a boat are asking way too much for them and a lot more than they are willing to take. I know this as I have sold a few boats in my time and the price becomes very negotiable when you have a buyer that is willing to haul the thing out of your driveway.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[OldePharte]

Don't forget to check out http://www.NADA.com if your looking for blue book prices

Since I am selling my deckboat, I checked the NADA for both the boat and motor. Then while snooping around the Boat/US site, I found that they also do used boat pricing. The difference about $4,000. They came in at $11,000 and NADA averaged $7,000. Quite a difference for a 16 year boat.

[shootandfish1]

Thanks to all- The ice storm hit us pretty good-Lots of tree limbs down. We were lucky, no major damage and we did not lose power. Most people we know have no electric.

I have been researching what brand pontoon dealers are in various towns in my area, 1-2 hr. drive and their inventories, both new and used.

Suntracker seems to be the most prevalent. I am seeing lots of new 2008 models listed in addition to the 2009 models. Hummm. Wonder if 08 models would be discounted in order to move out the older inventory?

Also, I have spotted some used boats, mainly Suntracker. Will save specifics for a later thread.


Fred

[FloterBoter]

looked at mine under a cover in a dark barn and bought it from my neighbor.
that is not the way to buy a boat.
ended up with engine issues that i eventually fixed myself.


based on my bad approach, i recommend you go for a test run, including a cold start.
i think i'd want to take the boat out for a few hours myself.

if you are really good mechanically, then look all the systems over yourself.
if not, pay a mechanic to do it. that's how i buy used cars. would never
do it any other way now.





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[Texoma Toon]

I would like to extend the previous question, which is very good.

How crazy is it to purchase a used pontoon from dealer in middle of winter? Or in otherwords without a test drive?

Sorry, but you should NEVER buy any boat without at least a test drive!!! Unless you have already driven an identical boat and have been around boats alot. Even then, the same boat may have quirks you arn't comfortable with. I have seen people buy boats with too little power and not be happy with them after a couple of trips and I have seen folks buy boats with more power than than they can safely handle and are lucky they don't kill themselves or some one else.
Things to consider when you buy your first boat.
1. Go out to the lake you are going to boat on. Is it a big lake with big waves or a small crusing only lake? Buy a map of the lake. Are there lots of stumps in the lake? Do you see other boats similar to the one you want?
2. What are your expectations? Crusing, sking/wakeboarding, camping, fishing all of the above? Buy a boat that fits your lifestyle on the water. Ask yourself, How much time will you spend doing any of these after the first year?
3. If the boat you are looking at is used, have a marine engine mechanic look at it and check it out. It may cost you a $100.00 but a blown engine can cost you $5000.00 or more.
4. Finally, the first time or two out, DO NOT take the whole gang!! YOU need to get use to launching, driving and loading your new boat. If possible, take a buddy that knows something about how to do all of that. Then the first time you take the gang out it will be a much more enjoyable trip.

This all may seem like common sense but you will be surprised at he the number of times you see people at the launch ramp with their new toy and struggle just getting it off the trailer.