Hi all,

New member here. Finally have the money and permission from the "boss" to buy a bass boat. I have owned a couple of boats in the past but nothing dedicated to fishing. So I am a bit overwhelmed by the prospect. Having spent the last 3 months seriously browsing the internet for boat I am still in a bit of a quandry about how to judge a really good deal.

When I am purchasing a car I really take my time and do my research. I have a pretty good idea of what a vehicle is worth as I walk onto a sales lot. I would like to approach the purchase of a boat the same way. Trouble is all I have to go on at the moment is relative pricing of boats on the internet. I'm just not comfortable with that.

I have approx $5k to buy a boat. I might be able to spend more in 6-8 months but I am reluctant to wait and even more reluctant to spend that much until I am comfortable I will invest that much time into the sport. So I have decided to go ahead and buy a used boat with what I have and see how it works out. It may be enough boat so that I don't need anything newer, fancier or more expensive

First I have tried to take the prices that I have observed and try to come up with a general list of preferences.

It is my impression that aluminum boats run a bit cheaper. Which means I could buy a bit of a newer model if I went with aluminum. However, it is also my impression that aluminum boats are lighter and shorter in beam. Being 6'7" and 300 lbs I think a light, narrow boat might not be the best for me. So a heavier fiberglass boat with the wider beam might be more stable when I need to stand up and move around.

It will mostly be me fishing solo so I don't need a huge boat. However, for the same reason as stated above, a 15' boat could be less stable than what I would be comfortable with. So I have tentatively set my goal for a 16-18' boat.

I have no need to be screaming down the lake at 70mph. So I don't see the need in a 200hp and above monster. However, if I went with a 16'-18' fiberglass boat shouldn't it be at least 100 hp? My tentative specs are for a 100-150hp motor.

If possible I'd rather not buy anything 20 years old. That just seems to me to be way too old. In looking at boats available it seem I should be able to find something in the 90-95 time frame that meet my other specs.
So my research tells me that I am looking for a 1990-1995 16'-18' fiberglass bass boat with a 100-150hp engine.

Does this sound practical? What should I be looking for? How can I go about picking a boat that will meet my percieved needs and still be a solid reliable fishing platform? What are the absolute essentials that I should look for in a properly equipped bass/fishing boat? How do I determine what is a good value? Can I satisfy my specs with the money I have available?

Any and all advice and comments would be appreciated.