Hi all,

I am looking at purchasing a boat around the $30k-$40k price range and over 5m in length.

I am not wanting a purely fishing boat but rather a cruiser which I can do some fishing off when I like, a bit of an all rounder.

I would also like to take it to rotto once I have gotten confident on the water hence the 5m and over length. I am relatively new to the boating scene so any advice would be greatly appreciated

Am I expecting to much from the boat in this price range?

Any makes or model I should look into?

What should I look out for in purchasing the boat?

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Sharpie27 said..
Hi all,

I am looking at purchasing a boat around the $30k-$40k price range and over 5m in length.

I am not wanting a purely fishing boat but rather a cruiser which I can do some fishing off when I like, a bit of an all rounder.

I would also like to take it to rotto once I have gotten confident on the water hence the 5m and over length. I am relatively new to the boating scene so any advice would be greatly appreciated

Am I expecting to much from the boat in this price range?

Any makes or model I should look into?

What should I look out for in purchasing the boat?

No holes!

A sports cruiser
something over 7m
40k should get you something decent.

plenty of really good boats in this price range. i would look at a good second hand boat in the 6 to 6.5 metre range. the extra metre provides a lot more boat and opens up more options to use the boat if the weather is not perfect. weight is a factor if you are managing it by yourself or have a small car. quintrex do a range of good light ali hulls between 5.8 to 6.5 metres. the designations change over time but an 18 to 21 foot quintrex hull with the millenium bottom rides ok and is light and easy to handle. many came with a half cabin configuration so can pass for a small cruiser. plenty around between the 20 to 40 k mark depending on age and condition. savage now owned by the same company as quintrex also makes a range of ok riding light ali hulls. personally i find all ali pressed hulls to be a little harsh riding, and the light weight which is a benefit when towing and launching and retreiving is a negative when it comes to comfortable sea handling.

for their length ali boats are as a rule harsher to ride in and bang and bounce around more than glass hulls that are heavier and generally can be designed with a higher dergree of hull deadrise to make for a cleaner and smoother ride. if weight is not a factor and you can tow up to 2.5 tons there are a ramge of excellent fibreglass cruisers available in your price range.

the caribbean reef runner is a 21 foot cabin cruiser that rides well and is an excellent allrounder. you will get a very good early to mid 2000's for your budget. these are a serious hull and a good size for a family or overnighting at rotto. leeder made a range of locally built and excellent riding hulls. the 710 is a large boat, maybe a bit too daunting if you are brand new to boating. these are more a cruiser first, light fishing boat second. these were the west oz equivelant to the whitley cruisemasters, another nice boat though getting old now. the 710 has a very good sea hull, but is set up a a comfortable floating caravan. most had stoves, sinks toilet amd comfortable overnight accommodation. Haines signatures are great hulls and good allrounders the 5.4 is a very good boat as is the 6 metre version and these will come within your budget. Seafarer were also very good hulls.

There are plenty of good american boats that generally are better finished than the local products. that being said, they tend to be very much fair weather cruising oriented and from my personal experience dont as a rule hold up as well as our locally made tougher boats. searay is probably the pick of them with bayliner being a cheaper option.

being in wa there are too many plate ali manufacturers to name. plate ali boats in this price range generally tend to be geared for fishing and are pretty rough and ready. build quality varies as to who constructed them, with plenty of backyarders popping out hulls of questionable integrity.

there is a huge range of boats in your price range and at the moment boat sales appear to be sluggish. some boats are selling for a lot less than asking so dont be afraid to look at boats into the high 40's and low 50's. my best advice is if not purchasing from a yard that gives a warranty or privately, get a professional inspection done by an outfit like boatservices australia or the boat business etc. after youve picked a boat you want to purchase, make sure that offer is subject to a full hull trailer and engine inspection.

popping into the local boatyards, checking out their stock and chewing the fat with their more experienced sales and service people will also help you get a good idea of the options open to you. buying a new boat is always a great adventure, good luck and happy boating.

I had a 21' Haines Signature Sports fisherman. Awsome for fishing off and sleeped aboard both in the river and Rotto many many times -even with a family. My wife and two small kids slept in the cuddy and I rolled a swag out the back. Nice strong fibreglass hull that rode well. I had it out in some big seas (for that size boat) and felt safe and comfortable. Had a 200hp Mercury. Not the overall best for entertaining.
Sold for 30K

Currently have a 32' Mustang. Another Aussie built boat with great riding hull. Plenty off room now for the family (we outgrew the Signature), some nice creature comforts ie shower, toilet, galley, two double beds etc and great for entertaining. Not good at all for fishing off. Mustangs are selling cheaper then they should be at the moment, but even the 28' would probably be out of your budget range. Mine is going on the market soon.
Hoping for 85K

I havent really come across a good compromise myself. I like fishing, but to get the missus over the line on a boat it must be also good for entertaing and comfortable. I really like the look of the 28' Seaquest as a compromise, and if it was more affordable better still the 34'.

Thanks guys

I really appreciate the feedback and it is sure to help when I make my decision.

I will keep you in the loop as I keep looking and possible ask more questions

Looking forward to hitting the water.

I will probably hit the forum for some advice in crossing over to rotto. Have seen on this that it is not as easy as just heading over.

The convey with experience people seems a good idea for the first time.

Hey Sharpie, don't rush in. Do lots of research first, there's quite a bit to buying a boat. It might sound silly to say but there are three parts to it; boat, motor and trailer. They all need to be looked at and valued separately. Getting that right combination can take time. If the trailer hasn't been looked after and needs replacing that's an easy 5 or 6 grand there.

I have a pile of boating magazines with great articles on boat ownership and plenty of trials with ally v's glass, 4st v's 2st etc. You will learn heaps and you are welcome to them if you like.

www.popyachts.com/
Import is the go.Looking at about 8 grand on average to get it across to Perth with logistics. a few taxes insurance and mabe a trailer modification


my recommendation is a smaller boat with a turn key reliability in the motor with a newish trailer rather than a lager bigger one. as service costs if you have no mechanical knowledge is also a consideration. .

What do you have to tow this boat with (load consideration)? will you be towing it up north, beach launching etc? Do you have women and kids?
on average how many people will be with you when you launch?
fuel and running cost ? larger boats loook good but a bigger older motor becomes a liability !

If you taking you bitches out how often will they go out?
!
Are they prepared to roo dog one off the back? or go for a floaters in the pool !Is your misses from rockingham?


How often will you sleep in it?
How many skimpies can fit on the front on a boys only?
How hard will it be to scrub vommit squid guts, and jewfish brains out of the carpet?

you do understand what BOAT stands for sharpie ?

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dusta said..
you do understand what BOAT stands for sharpie ?

Bring Out Another Tengrand?

that is one of them yes

Sameh has made some great points. General rule is, you won't have the right boat until at least your 3rd one.

I have gone through the opposite to Toph. I had a Mustang 32 which was nice a comfy, but the costs of keeping that afloat was huge. Each weekend was highly enjoyable, but cost of running (petrol use due to the size / weight of it) and storage (as it has to sit in the water all the time) was killing the joy.

I have since replaced that with a Haines Signature 610 Cruiser. Very happy with the decision! This smaller boat can fish, cruise and tow toys where the Mustang could only cruise. Sitting on a trailer means A LOT less maintenance. The Variable deadrise hull of the Signature is REALLY good! It rides the swells going to Rotto without banging around. I have had 7 adults & 1 child go over and it was a pleasant, though a bit crowded ride.

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GrumpySmurf said..
Sameh has made some great points. General rule is, you won't have the right boat until at least your 3rd one.

I have gone through the opposite to Toph. I had a Mustang 32 which was nice a comfy, but the costs of keeping that afloat was huge. Each weekend was highly enjoyable, but cost of running (petrol use due to the size / weight of it) and storage (as it has to sit in the water all the time) was killing the joy.

I have since replaced that with a Haines Signature 610 Cruiser. Very happy with the decision! This smaller boat can fish, cruise and tow toys where the Mustang could only cruise. Sitting on a trailer means A LOT less maintenance. The Variable deadrise hull of the Signature is REALLY good! It rides the swells going to Rotto without banging around. I have had 7 adults & 1 child go over and it was a pleasant, though a bit crowded ride.

For what it's worth, I didn't appreciate how good the Signature was until approx 12 months after I had owned the Mustang. That would just about coincide with my first service of V6 Volvos x 2, Bravo legs x 2, antifoul polish and so on.......

Thanks for all the advice guys. A lot to think about

Hey Sharpie
My first boat (after the mandatory tinnie) was a Caribbean Reef Runner. 20 foot, good ocean boat, good river boat, and although I don't fish, it has a good reputation amongst serious fisherpeople.
We slept over at Rotto on it, wife, 2 kids, did donouts in the river, bit of skiing, and hit the surf at the rock...
They also keep their value.
But before I shelled out the bucks, I hired a boat for a weekend to see if the missus was up for it, that I could cope with launch and retrieval and the skippering duties..
Buying a boat has been the best thing I've done in a long time..
We sold the Reefy to upgrade to a flybridge..and haven't looked back.

Hey guys,

I am tossing up whether to get a glass boat or ali.

By the sounds of it all advice is around a glass boat but I only have a 2 tonne towing capacity on the car and am thinking I don't want to upgrade that just yet. I was originally thinking that was a option.

I have seen a quintrex 490 & 530 which look pretty nice for a first boat. It probably wont serve the purpose of going to rotto but for a novice like me I am thinking that it is a decent boat to gain experience on and possibly upgrade in a few years.

Thoughts??

Thanks heaps for the replies.