so soon I might be buying a used pickup so that I can do more hunting and fishing and outdoors stuff, and depending on what I have left after, which should be $2-3k , I was thinking of looking for a used flats boat / skiff / whatever they are called. and was wondering if you guys can tell me what brands to look for and which to stay away from, and is there a formula for what size motor should go on the boats? in the past ive owned a 95 seadoo GTX, which was 10ft and with trailer 13ft roughly, I measured out my garage and from door to concrete lip its a tad over 17, so I would safely say a 14-16ft flats boat ? something small and manageable but big enough for me (6'5 350lbs) and maybe one or two people. intended use would be freshwater and occasional intercoastal, so brackish and saltwater, probably port Canaveral area for florida people.

I know in general to stay away from boats with springy floors as that means the wood is starting to deteriorate underneath, and Ive heard some boat companies are completely woodless but not sure which ones.

what items would you look for and what items are unnecessary/fluff

If you only have 17' you will be limited because the motor and trailer tongue add a few feet. You can get a swinging tongue to shorten the trailer a bit. If you can angle the boat in the garage you will have a bit more room too. Still I would think a boat around 15' is probably as big as you'll be able to go with that space. 2-3k limits you to an older boat which is more likely to have wood (not automatically bad though). Maybe a Jon boat or Gheenoe but you are pushing the limits with 3 adults in a boat that size.

Carolina Skiff. No wood in the boat, keep the deck sealed with 3M 5200 sealant if you drill it, their decks are fiberglass and foam blocks. I picked my first up, a CC J16, at the end of September, and I love it. The sky's the limit, you can get kit hulls through ready to float boats, with lots of accessories.



ETA Check out Carolinaskiffowner.com, it's the Arfcom of all things CS.

a friend also told me about keywest boats ? I guess they are all foam / unsinkable ?

They are now, they had some wood in the '90s (the switch to wood free started around '93 depending on the model). You'll probably have to raise your budget for one though.

Look at Ankona boats. As soon as I can figure out where to put one...

This^

also, from your guys knowledge, is it better to buy a boat with an outboard already installed, or come across a good deal on a good hull and trailer that just needs an outboard installed and find a used one to install.

Better to buy one with a motor. If you happen to have a friend that's a mechanic, have him do a cylinder pressure test and make sure it runs. Other than that, it's a crap shoot if you got a good engine. Besides, you would have to find someone install an engine after you find one. It's a pain in the ass, trust me.

$2-3K ? Prolly have to at least double that. Otherwise you're gonna end up with a dingy or someone else's problems.

Sorry.

Yeah but we're coming up on boat buying season aka winter. So sometimes can strike a deal , I mean we are in florida which is most likely the state with the most boats.

Yeah it can be done. I did it earlier this year. Bought a 1658 Weld-Craft side console with a '05 50HP Johnrude for $3K. I have another $1K in trolling motor, scratcher, total rewire and other misc. stuff. Trailer still needs tires and bunk supports. Watch Craig's list and be ready to go with cash. Good deals don't last.
I looked hard for over 3 months. I was there with a compression gauge and cash 5 hours after it was listed.

Good Luck!

Here ya go. http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/boa/4232700055.html

Move fast. Probably be gone by this afternoon.