$30000 on a second hand boat will get you a lot more than a quinny. (unless you like pressed ally tinny's that crack at the welds)

there is a lot to be looked in to in the buying of a boat.

research research research

I would have a look at second hand boats as well just for your research as to whats out there, boatsonline is really good.  If you can find one with a genuine reason for sale then its well worth checking out if you aren't in too much of a hurry.  Are you set on ally or have you considered fibreglass?  Also, what type of car do you have to tow it and do you plan to take it on trips etc?   For the price you are paying I would try and get into a 5m boat if possible, it will give you that extra room and is still pretty easy to use and handle.

Hi Joycey, I have just upgraded and I have a boat you may be interested in. It was my first boat too.  It is a Rebel Boat (I have attached website link.)

http://www.rebelboats.bigpondhosting.com/

It's 2003 5.3m plate Ali with 90hp optimax with stainless steel prop.

Trailer is also great as it has easy loading rollers.

Great V berth where the kids can chill out, when it all gets too much

The price I am hoping for is in your range, and would consider any reasonable offers.

I don't know how to attach photos to this post, so if you are interested could you PM me with your email address, and I will send you some photos.

Cheers,

Ken

First boat, keep it simple, ali is good as it is forgiving when ypu make a mistake (run agroung, wack into piers, drop it on the deck at the ramp....etc). Also cheaper to run, but ride harsher.

Quinnie's not a  bad boat but marketing hype is better than the boat i think. I have heard of em cracking at welds......

Be careful of old second hand boats, but you will get more for 30k than a  50 hp quinnie for sure.

plenty of boats for sale so look around

wippass' boat may be an option and at least you can get a decend test drive and he can show you the ropes.

i'm not sure why so many people dont consider bow riders, especially with family and cruising........

look at some trailcraft ones for an idea.

quintrex are WAY overpriced, it has over 50% of the market and one doesn't buy a boat because it has the interior of a car......? the millenium hull is good but it comes at the prices of thin/soft/weak sheet metal......and by the sounds you wont be out in rough stuff as fishing is not primarily your first buying option so go plate for strenght longevity and ease of maintenance.

best bet is to get into some boats, get out on the water and expereince the boat. plenty of people buy boats thinking they will enjoy them but soom realise it's not for them.

one good thing (amoung many) is the fact that memebers here will help/guide you and i'm sure if a chance arises they will give you a run in their boat. unfortunately i live 3200km away or you would be welcome to sit in mine......

don't be shy in asking questions either

before buying, take it out for a test. There are quite a few boats that have been reviewed and you will find em online or in mags like F and B.

Thanks for all the useful info.

It has been on my mind to consider a second hand boat, but I was a little concerned about ending up with a boat with problems. After what's been said, I can see the advantages.

I believe you can pay to get someone to check over a second hand boat's condition before you buy - is that correct ?

Any tips for buying 2nd hand ?

Would you recommend buying second hand from a dealership or private sale.

If I was to go second hand what size / sort of boat should I be looking at in my price range of $20-30,000. I would ideally like a boat that is a size that I could manage as a beginner but not outgrow too quickly and would allow me to progress to offshore fishing. As before I would want it also for family cruising.

I have a Nissan Xtrail that can tow upto 2000 kg.

I will be looking to buy in about 6 months, so no big rush, and probably go ali.

Thanks again for the all the advice, really useful.

Just my 2 cents as a first time boat owner.

I bought a 15 foot Ali boat with a 50hp 2 stroke Mariner engine. Plenty of go in it but i wish i had of got a slightly bigger engine, atleast a 60 or the boats max size of a 75. That little bit of extra power so i could sit on lower revs would be a big bonus.

Im sooooo glad i bought an ali boat first up. I grounded her at a really bad boat ramp (the crap one next to the grain terminal in the Cockburn Sound) and i reckon i might have done some damage to glass but the Aliminium didn't even scratch so i was certain i made the right choice of ali after that. Haven't done anything like it since, that was the second time i retrieved the boat.

15 foot is a good size, easy to handle on your own or with your missus like me most of the time but who wouldn't want a bigger boat. If you think you will have another good set of hands when launching and retrieving then go as big as you can. But then again form what you said you intend to use the boat for maybe a 15 footer would be perfect.

Cheers

 and don't be scared about private sales. BUT, do your homework! If you don't know anyone with a boat then go down to the local ramp and get chatting with boat owners who have something like you think you'd like. Most guys will help with info. Boat yards will also give you plenty of advice but just make sure you are for real. Nobody like wasting time especially sales guys. That's not to say that you have to know exactly what you want. Given the advice you receive you may refine your idea of your chosen boat.

Think about things like: Do you need shelter from the sun for missus/kids, can you launch/retrieve in the freo doctor?.

From what you've said you plan to do I'd say 15 foot or bit bigger. If you want a cabin then just think about the windage and the extra control you need when approaching the jetty. Do on-water trials and not on a day when it's dead calm. You need some cop on the water to see how it will ride, does the water just get thrown up everywhere and put the boat in a tight turn at high speed to see if the prop cavitates.

For the $ you are ready to spend you will find plenty out there so don't just find the right boat.Make sure the whole rig is what you want. No point getting spending all your $ on a good boat and the trailer is useless or needs huge repairs. But if you can do some of that rectification work yourself then there's the trade-off.

One last thing - I was told that there's plenty more boats for sale after winter and that's when I bought second hand, privately.

PM me if you wish.

Definately worth having a chat to Andrew at Commodore Marine as part of your research. Their boats are a quality product and they definately have boats in your price range that will get you the right balance between fishing / family fun. I know they have a 15ft which is available in an open boat / centre or side console model. Talk to Andrew though as there are 17ft & 19ft options that may well still be within your price range. Might want to look at a runabout or that sort of style to provide a bit more protection if you are out wide.

Check out the website first but if you have a chat it will help you get a better idea of what is out there as far as glass boats are concerned.

Cheers,

Buschy

If you are after ally Check out Trailcraft they are tough, WA built and the represent good value for money. For the price you  have you should be able to pick somethin in the 5-5.5m range second hand or 4.5-5m new.  

As others have said spend the time and do the research there are some great mags out- F&B and Jeff Websters buiyng a second hand trailer boat  just to name a few.   the other thing is see if you can get out as a deckie with some of the more experienced guys. They will teach you heaps and give you a few tips that will sure to make your life easier!

I wouldn't go near commodore marine after the service recieved by a good mate of mine. Maybe it was a once off but it has put me off big time.

Any way  good luck with the search, its half the fun of getting a boat!

Ben

Doing my skippers training, I found the most frightening thing was that there wasn't a brake pedal. In fact with my first boat, there was no steering either at low engine revs. It was 5.2 m a cuddy cabin. The cuddy cabin I found to be quite useless, nobody went in there and it took up deck room. Also remember any superstructure will catch the wind and can be a nuisense when comming in to dock and there is a bit of a breeze. The deck area being a bit on the small size when 2-3 persons fishing. Remember it isnt just the persons but fishing gear, eskies etc.

I sold that boat and brought the Baron I have now. Completly different boat to berth, steering even with no revs. Just pointing out that the traits of one boat can be so different with another. The first boat I could handle on my own, my present boat only 600mm longer is heavier and while I can launch and retrieve on my own, its when things start to get out of shape that the deckie is needed.

So size wise I would be looking at 5.5.m or bigger with 3-4 persons. The bigger the boat the better, with small boats everyone needs to be very organised, and moving about must be quite something. One of the problems I have to put up with is the anchor. It is a real back breaker to get to the forward anchor well. So a "Walk through" windscreen would be a saviour.

The secondhand boat maket would be a buyers market at the moment, the economy and all that.

 Joycey,

I recantly bought a Quicksilver Dominator 510 (5.1m) to fit the same requirement as yours. For use inshore with the family but also be able to head offshore sometimes too. Could be something worth considering as I picked mine up for $26k with a 60hp 4 stroke Merc that had only done 7 hours (basically new). I think brand new there were about 30k.

At 5.1 they're easy to handle and I can launch and retrieve by myself if needed, very light to winch up too. Also have a cabin for the kids but it's not too high and still fits inside my garage! 

Anymore info just ask. Just another option to consider. 

I would do a lot of research and try to get on a fair few different boats before deceiding and parting with your hard earned.

You are more than welcome on my tub to see what that is like if that woud help you.

Even after having had in the past a fair few boats, my initial choice last year was a 4.8mtr runnabout, 3 mnds later I am floating arround in a 6.5mtr cabin cruiser.  

Your views on what you want will change when you are finding out about the many different boats available.

Good luck.

Just looking on boatsonline today (have a look at what comes up all the time!), and I saw this;

http://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/trailer-boats/caribbean/93207

1. It is slighty out of your price range but you never know how motivated the seller is, you can always ask.

2. Glass vs Ali, I know you are looking at Ali but personally I think with the glass boats down here you can't go wrong, you seem to be concerned with the ride of the boats you are looking at. Glass will eliminate this. With a little care and tutoring from someone knowledgeable you can easily learn how to not damage your boat docking and loading on and off the trailer. Obviously starting in the river in calm water is a good way to start, you will get more confident in no time.

3. The motor on this boat is a two stroke and you are going to use a lot more fuel than a four, but this is also offset by the simplicity of the motor and cheaper servicing costs. The fuel does come to bite you in the arse if you are travelling long distances and using the boat very regularly.

4. This boat is bigger than the range that you are looking. Speaking from experience I would say the first few boats you buy are usually a little too small for your needs, the size boats you are looking at will be fairly cramped (for fishing) with three people on them. This boat is a resonable size and will easily be big enough to cruise up and down the river with family and kids in tow. You will always lose a bit of cash up grading as well.

5. The hunger to get offshore. If you are anything like most of us once you have your first taste of deep sea fishing you will be keen to get more done and travel wider. The larger glass boat will give you a great range and when the weather turns sour you will get home safely.

6. My final point is safety, not sure how old your family is or if they would be fishing with you but I think the slightly bigger boats give a little more safety factor if the weather turns sour. the kids would also probaby like to chill out in the cab on a hot day too.

Anyway thats my two cents worth... Probably gone a little off track but I love those classic glass hulls that are heavy and safe, Don't get me wrong all you Ali lovers they definatley have there place, I just don't like having to go to the Physio every week

BTW way more than welcome to come out on my boat one day and have a spin.

http://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/trailer-boats/trailcraft-570-freestyle/89885

Found this boat for sale, looks like a good deal