Buying first REAL boat… help??

  • jdmike
    Thompson, ND
    Posts: 17
    April 24, 2013 at 5:51 pm #1281913

    Hey guys,

    I am looking at buying my first real boat so I am looking for some advice! It is a 2000 Ranger 692VS Fisherman will a full walkthrough windshield equipped with a Merc 175EFI and Merc 9.9 kicker. Boat has a Minnkota Maxxum 74 trolling motor with a Lowrance X125 up front and Lowrance LC X-17m w/GPS on the dash. It is loaded up on the typical Ranger Trail tandem axle trailer that has been coated in bed liner. Boat is in immaculate shape and looks to me as if it is brand new; I was shocked how clean it is! Has been owned by a mechanic at a local boat dealer so I trust that is has been well maintained. I fish a lot at Devils/Stump Lake with a few trips to LOW, Mille Lacs, Sakakawea etc. from the research I have done I think this would be a good all-around boat that can handle some big water as well, is this correct? Guy selling is asking $16,500 does this sound like a fair price for this unit?

    Any help is greatly appreciated!

    Thanks,
    Mike

    castle-rock-clown
    Posts: 2596
    April 24, 2013 at 6:06 pm #1165579

    If it checks out it sounds like a great boat at a fair price.

    Jesse Krook
    Y.M.H.
    Posts: 6403
    April 24, 2013 at 7:08 pm #1165603

    Couple things to consider :

    1) Was the boat owned by a hardcore or tournament fisherman. How many hours on the motors and were the motors maintained ?

    2) What type of water was the boat mainly run on ? Big waters or small lakes and rivers ?

    Have you compared the payments and price of the 2000 to a new boat ?

    kurt-turner
    Southeast MN
    Posts: 691
    April 24, 2013 at 9:13 pm #1165638

    That sounds like a great boat for the bodies of water you fish. Buy it knowing there are few to no guarantees with used equipment. Use it often and if something breaks fix it and get back on the water. Best of luck and make sure you share some photos of the catches from that “real” boat… FWIW

    kurt-turner
    Southeast MN
    Posts: 691
    April 24, 2013 at 9:15 pm #1165639

    Always remember what BOAT stands for: break out another thousand

    tomr
    cottage grove, mn
    Posts: 1289
    April 24, 2013 at 11:37 pm #1165678

    I would check how many hours on the engine, if reasonable amount, sounds like a good deal to me. Good luck and enjoy!

    dog2th
    Omaha, NE
    Posts: 362
    April 25, 2013 at 2:51 am #1165701

    Quote:

    If it checks out it sounds like a great boat at a fair price.

    X2

    Take it out for a test drive and spend at least an hour in it before making a decision. If nothing else it will confirm your thoughts of possibly liking this rig. Or not.

    Good luck and I’ll be looking for a 692 on the water.

    jdmike
    Thompson, ND
    Posts: 17
    April 25, 2013 at 1:39 pm #1165772

    Thanks for the reply’s guys! The boat was owned by a mechanic at a local dealership and mainly fished Devils and Stump. He bought it a few years ago with a bad powerhead and rebuilt it so it only has 2 or 3 seasons on it. I would love to take it for a test drive but I don’t think boats work real well on ice! After doing countless hours of research on the wonderful web yesterday and today I think it will be a great fit for me and hope to have in the garage ASAP!

    Thanks again!
    Mike

    castle-rock-clown
    Posts: 2596
    April 25, 2013 at 2:04 pm #1165781

    Personally after researching and looking at lots of boats in that class I jumped on my final choise. Good boats at fair prices go fast especially at this time of year. Yes, do as much research on whatever particular used boat you’re looking at, but in some cases if you dawdle too long somebody beats you to it. Then your faced with starting all over again. Hope your purchase plays out, and enjoy!

    Johnbrad
    Posts: 31
    April 26, 2013 at 7:16 am #1165984

    Looks a good deal but make sure bulk heads are secure. Often bulk heads are secured with a laminate.

    ted-merdan
    Posts: 1036
    April 26, 2013 at 10:34 am #1165996

    Quote:

    Personally after researching and looking at lots of boats in that class I jumped on my final choise. Good boats at fair prices go fast especially at this time of year. Yes, do as much research on whatever particular used boat you’re looking at, but in some cases if you dawdle too long somebody beats you to it. Then your faced with starting all over again. Hope your purchase plays out, and enjoy!

    I would agree 100% with this post and also note that the continued price increase with the new market, the used market is holding it value and in some cases you are seeing used boats increase. That price is roughly what a new 175 hp motor MSRP’s for right now

    I think it’s a fair value for the rig and in my opinion the Ranger will hold its value very well over time.

    Good luck and send some pics if you are a new boat owner soon !!!

    -ted

    jdmike
    Thompson, ND
    Posts: 17
    May 14, 2013 at 3:59 pm #1170709

    Well after a few weeks of the seller making up his mind if he wants to sell it or not I finally picked it up this past Sunday! A buddy and I took it out that same day and fished Maple Lake (Mentor, MN) for the afternoon to make sure everything worked and it ran flawlessly. Very, very happy with the purchase and can’t wait for the rest of the ice to drop to get out and do some real fishing!

    desperado
    Posts: 3010
    May 14, 2013 at 4:05 pm #1170711

    Quote:

    Always remember what BOAT stands for: break out another thousand

    I always thought it was:

    Bring On Another Trial

    … which often lead to …

    Bring On Another Tribulation

    swlund
    Cuba City, WI
    Posts: 395
    May 14, 2013 at 9:08 pm #1170800

    Nice looking rig. You should have many good days in it.

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