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More fish killers

10K views 77 replies 16 participants last post by  Bionic Man 
#1 ·
#4 ·
Shopping for a boat is frustrating for sure. I feel that the boating industry is 30 years behind the car industry when it comes to shopping experience, and it may never catch up.
 
#10 ·
#12 ·
It seems someone could make a decent living bringing in fishing boats from other states and selling here.
Do it! It could prolly be considered as a public service, too. ;D

Colorado sure is an interesting boat market. I stopped into Best Marine today. They are booked out 14 weeks to do any service.

Crowley is out 4-5 weeks.
I have been suspecting that most of the boat dealers' business is service, not sales. I don't see how they are selling enough boats to make money.
 
#11 ·
Crowley is a joke. LUND needs another dealership in the Denver or Springs area. They are slow AF and don't get things done right. I had a few discussions with LUND about there "preferred" dealership just this week after I left feedback on their survey about my boat purchase.
 
#14 ·
#22 · (Edited)
That Starcraft has been on sale on and off for months. Too much money for a 1999 tin boat.

The Lund looks well maintained, but that Yamaha is a 2 stroke, not a 4 stroke. I personally wouldn't spend that kind of money on a 15 year old boat.
 
#24 ·
So I did some quick research. The Yamaha is High Pressure Direct Fuel injection, and was considered a major innovation. People loved them, "wish they still made them." Has to have clean fuel though, so keeping the filters maintained is critical. Doesn't look too hard to do, (YouTube videos online, of course) and parts are available through -- Crowley.

Interesting that Crowley seems to be a major player in online sales of marine parts. It's been mentioned here that they don't sell Yamaha but Great Lakes down by Chatfield does.

This boat was purchased from Canyon City but that place is out of business. It must have been a good shop, a lot of people seem to miss it.

Back to the motor, they are said to be very reliable and durable, able to stand up to heavy commercial use. Developed for salt water. Two stroke with oil injection but are relatively quiet and preferred by many who prefer the power to weight ratio.

Seller appears to be asking the NADA "retail" price. I'm guessing he would not get much as a trade in so is selling here on his own to offset price of his new boat, which he is picking up today from out of state.
 
#25 ·
I picked up an impeller for my Yamaha from Crowley Parts earlier this week. It is separate from Crowley Marine - over off 70th & Pecos. They have a TON of parts, several guys working, looks like they do a lot of shipping.

Albow, I do appreciate the info on that HPDI Yamaha. I'm looking at a boat that has one right now......
 
#26 ·
And I'm not sure on the price on that Lund. I am of the opinion that in fishing boats, there has been very little innovation in the hulls of the boats over the years. This boat already has upgraded electronics. So, outside of maybe upgrading to a 4 stroke fishing motor, what else are you really getting on a new boat?
 
#28 ·
I've had a lot of different boats. Bought two new, many used. Not trying to jinx myself, but I can't think of a motor issue. Thousands of hours at this point. But I know a fair amount about boats. I could see it being a bit of a crap shoot buying used if you don't know what you are looking for.

Agreed on the financing part.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Boon, talking about boats is fun, so might as well do that when things here slow. ;D Threads like this one get people talking about what they like and don't like and why or why not. There is a wealth of practical info and experience that comes out. Your post probably just saved somebody a bunch of trouble.

The Lund I bought in the spring is 17 foot. Fine for local waters, but I could see upgrading if the right opportunity came along. Mostly, I just like talking about boats.


-- BTW looks like the 2004, 20 foot Lund we were talking about is gone from Craigslist today so guess seller decided to trade in it, sold it to Bionic Man or ?
 
#32 ·
Not discounting what boon has to say, but.......

If you do even a half hearted search, you can find reasons not to buy just about anything. When speaking of cars (trucks), it could look like every Duramax or Powerstroke is destined to fail because of the Bosch CP4 pump. Or that every EcoBoost is plagued by timing chain failures.

I know that there are reports of Lund's that are Pre '07 with transom rot. And I'm sure that there are some weaknesses of that Yamaha motor. But, the overall reputation of both Lund and Yamaha are about the best in the industry. And I would take each boat/motor on its own merits before I universally said "I'll never buy X".

On a side note, it is amazing how dead this place is getting. What does it get, 2 or 3 posts a day right now?
 
#34 · (Edited)
I don't understand the rationale that a 15 year old engine with hundreds of hours is just as good as a new one... That HPDI was designed to compete with the Optimax. Yamaha no longer makes the HPDI, and Mercury no longer makes the Optimax. Maybe it's just a random concidence... Or may the industry is moving away from 2 strokes for deeper strategic reasons... For me, I would just stick to 4 strokes. There has not been major changes to hull design in the last 15 years, but I would hazard that the rivets and overall structural integrity of the hull is not as sound as on a new or newer boat. And then there are minor cosmetic issues... I am 45, I see my brand new boat as my "until I die" boat. It will be paid off 15 years down the road, or sooner. I don't have to go buy a 15 year old boat, 15 years from now, because it would have been bought already. I prefer new and new technology. If you all prefer old, and old technology, more power to you.

This would have been a much better option for me than the 2004 Lund:
https://westslope.craigslist.org/boa/d/durango-2014-lund-2025-impact-fishing/6972133077.html
10 years newer, and the difference in the asking price is negligible.
 
#35 ·
If you're just getting started trying to get off the bank, you go to Craigslist and see what's out there. This time of year people are literally giving boats away. Some are good. So many to choose from and you have to decide what fits your needs as a fisherman. Hopefully we've been able to help clarify that for some folks.


If you're a serious fisherman and you know it and also have got a job, good credit and maybe a HELOC, you can jump right in there and borrow and spend what you need to to get a new or late model boat. People buy new cars that way all the time. It makes sense -- you can spend your time fishing and not doing repairs. If you are new to boating you're probably not going to do that, (at least not if you are married). ;D If you are mechanically inclined and trying to get by on the cheap you look for older cars and get to know their usual issues and what you can deal with. Same with boats.
 
#43 ·
https://www.boatsafe.com/life-marine-engine/
https://outdoortroop.com/outboard-motor-longevity-guide-how-long-do-they-last/
https://www.outboardmotoroilblog.com/boating/775-the-life-expectancy-of-an-outboard-engine/

I hear there are Toyotas with 1,000,000 miles on them. I would guess there are Fords with that many miles too. Proper maintenance and usage go a long way. I get it, But I am not sure what you are arguing ultimately? 15 years and 600+ hours shouldn't cause a boat to depreciate much? That boat had a retail value of $31K. It makes no sense to me that it would still be worth $28.5K 15 years later... But the Lund Coolaid is apparently very sweet. ;D
 
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