Hey there.. looking at getting my first boat!

[farrelltravis]

@jjdurrant did you see this:

https://jetboaters.net/threads/2007-seadoo-challenger-180se.2807/

Over budget, but just letting you know.

 

[Bilmon]

I am thinking the same.. Thoughts on this one?

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/boa/4603899446.html

My daughter &son in law have this exact boat, they bought it new and have beat the crap out of it ever since .It has held up fairly well but is on 2nd engine [ over heated and seized ]The 240 efi was upgraded by 02 ,looks like a different motor.The Sugarsand Calais would have this later generation motor,same one I have and I,m a little faster and get much better economy then they do though our boat weight the same. SugarSand used hand laid glass and the few I,ve seen ,mine included,have excellent hulls superior to the SeaDoo. Not as impressed with upholstery however,at least in mine.

 

[Bruce]

There is a nice AR210 for sale on Facebook. I sent a link to this thread to the seller.

 

[jjdurrant]

Love that Challenger but it's 2-3k out of my budget.. I'll reach out tho the ar210 owner.

 

[jjdurrant]

Spent ALL day looking at boats.. drove around 7 hours.. lol I think at looked at six or seven. First I quickly came to realize how the same year and model boat can have such a huge price fluctuation! You can really tell those that are a premium were really taking care of.. Unfortunately ALL the local jet boats are crap and just beat to hell.

I now have my eye on a I/O.. am I still welcome here?

This one was my favorite.. it's PERFECT. Original owner and seller estimates only about 30-40 hours on it. I have two "concerns" though.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/boa/4574553478.html

1. He won't budge from $11k. Given the condition I really don't blame him.. but he's about $1k over NADA.

2. It does have the smaller 3.0. Is there really that big a difference between that and the larger V6? I am guessing yes I am just wondering if I will regret it. He said it's fantastic on gas though!

 

[Bruce]

You will still be welcome here, even if you buy a Bayliner. But seriously it's a Bayliner and it is not lining the bottom of the bay yet. I suggest researching Bayliner's reputation before buying.

JetBoats typically have large low to the water swim deck that you would miss with most I/Os. Dual engines are nice to have. And the lack of props makes the stern of our boats much safer.

 

[JC6275]

@Bruce , isn't this pretty much identical to what you used to have, @jjdurrant , sorry I couldn't get over to check it out but I really think of the ones you have sent links to, this has got to be the best bang for the buck. JMO I know it's a haul for you but in my opinion it would definitely be worth the drive to see it in person.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/boa/4563086848.html

 

[Bruce]

@JC6275, @jjdurrant, that is a LX210 like I had but with a tower! You should go see it!

 

[jonw9]

JJ,
I am going to do my best to not sound like a jerk, but here goes.

Do you even know what you want, or do you just have the urge to buy a boat right now. You started with a small Yamaha, moved on, then went to a smaller I/O. Which by the way the listing is removed.

You are in MPLS, and have what, a month, maybe 6 weeks most left, then you are paying for storage and winterizing.

If it were me right now, I would wait. Save my pennies, and look for what you want. It will show up I. The next few months. People will want the newest and unload end of season.

There will be nothing worse than dropping your stack on a bilge liner only to be disappointed.

 

[JC6275]

JJ,
I am going to do my best to not sound like a jerk, but here goes.

Do you even know what you want, or do you just have the urge to buy a boat right now. You started with a small Yamaha, moved on, then went to a smaller I/O. Which by the way the listing is removed.

You are in MPLS, and have what, a month, maybe 6 weeks most left, then you are paying for storage and winterizing.

If it were me right now, I would wait. Save my pennies, and look for what you want. It will show up I. The next few months. People will want the newest and unload end of season.

There will be nothing worse than dropping your stack on a bilge liner only to be disappointed.

WAY TO GO @jonw9 !!!!! Way to scare off new members!!! LOL!!! I think he just really wants a boat! Rite now!! I'm sure we can all relate to how he feels I know I was the same way the first time I was in the market. It was very hard to just wait till the off season. That seemed like forever! Hopefully if he doesn't wait he will be happy with what he ends up buying. Either way I'm just glad he asked for our thoughts and advice, you can never have too much info.

 

[Bruce]

I hope @jjdurrant is out trying out boats until he finds what he wants. Shopping and test driving is a lot of fun.

 

[jonw9]

Certainly it was not my intent to scare OP away.

I just didn't want him to rush into something available when/if he realy wants a jet. We have found numerous nearby options already, so something will turn up.

That being said, if he stated that he really likes to fish, and loves to ski, and bout the I/O that is fantastic as well.

 

[jjdurrant]

Ha.. not scared and valid points. I was undecided. I just wanted to explore all my options. I drove around 7 hours yesterday looking at boats. Most were crap and the price reflected. But I did find out this AM, paid cash, and hit the lake! I just couldn't find a jet local that wasn't beat to hell.

2006 Bayliner 185 Sport.

What a blast! The rpm and gauges don't appear to be working right. Seems common. But that's irritating given I paid top dollar and reached out the seller.

Getting the trim right was tricky. I ended up taking a piece of the skeg off. See below. Doh. I think the piece has been fixed before. I recall what looked like a crack in that exact area when I inspected. Also broke a trailer light. Can you tell it was my first time out?? Haha.

 

[JC6275]

Congratulations on the purchase, glad you had fun. I can't speak to the guages I know it seems to be pretty common on most boats. The skeg can be fixed. And the light as well. We have all had those incidents before..

 

[jjdurrant]

Some more pics

 

[jjdurrant]

Other things I learned today.. disconnect wiring before putting trailer in water.. haha.. trim up when towing, trim down when taking off and trim up for max speed.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Congrats! Have a blast while the sun shines up thar in da arctic!

 

[JC6275]

Looks nice, very clean...

 

[jjdurrant]

Thanks.. hoping to get it out a few times a week until season is up!

 

[itsdgm]

Congrats on buying your new boat. Hopefully you can get out a lot before the seasons over.