Summer 2025
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FINDING A USED BOAT
There are great sites like WesternBass.com that have classifieds to sell boats, always do your due diligence when looking for one, and depending on your budget some considerations can be a Pro Boat.
Pro Boats have some added benefits than other used boats. They are typically one-year-old or less and fully-loaded with everything on it that a professional angler needs to complete. Most are in excellent condition as it is the pro’s intention to turn the boat at frequent intervals. Pro Boats can be found at a discount of $20,000 to $30,000, less than the cost of a new boat with the same add-ons installed. Another plus is that tour level boats usually come with excellent next-to-new boat warranties which are transferable. Most manufacturers do a standard three-year warranty. I run a Skeeter with a Yamaha and with Yamaha, you can extend the warranty by purchasing more years as long as there is a certain amount of time left on the original warranty.
BUYING A NEW BOAT
A new-to-you boat is great; but if a new boat is in your budget, that is awesome too! As for me, I love the new car smell, I love the smell of new fiberglass and resin mixed together, the fluffy new carpet, the warranty that covers rub rail from the bow to the rub rail on the stern.
Besides the warranty, there are some other advantages to a new boat purchase.
Interest rates on new boats are typically better than on used boats, so the same monthly payment goes further on a new boat. Additionally, depending on credit, sometimes the down payment can be less for those that qualify for “sign and drive” type offers. There are brokers such as Rec Lending that can help a buyer search for the best rates when buying a bass boat.
New boats can come with or be negotiated to come with free maintenance services, such as the first 20 hour service or maybe even the first 100 service.
When buying new, you can get exactly what you want, such as exterior and interior, outboard choice, horsepower options, electronics, jackplate, or shallow water anchors.
Because of those added bells and whistles, new boats prices can vary widely. Skeeter, for example, ranges from the price-friendly SE at approximately $69,000 to the Skeeter FXR at 499,000 SE. The SE has standard options and doesn’t come with poles, big graphs, hydraulic jackplate, but those can be add-ons in the aftermarket world. The upgrades on the FXR are included.
There are pros and cons for both new and used, but in the end, there is a boat for every budget. •
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