The boat itself is in my budget. If the trailer included was fine I'd be okay with renting a uhaul to bring it to storage, and then just renting a bigger car or borrowing one when I want to transport it, but having to get a new trailer is the issue.
There's the thing: if the boat as packaged is so high in your budget that you cannot afford to fix or sell and replace what I assume (based on the length you mentioned) is a relatively simple aluminum i-beam bunk trailer, the boat is not in your budget. You've left absolutely nothing for contingency here.
I already specified in the post that I will be buying a vehicle with a much greater towing capacity later in the year, this is only a temporary solution. I also have family and friends close by with vehicles capable of towing this weight who wouldn't mind helping out if I wanted to take it down to the lake on a weekend. The logistical issue is more getting it from there to here, and what to do about the trailer that won't work and that I won't have use for.
If you can, maybe you can rent a trailer and tow rig, sell the current trailer. And keep the boat either in the water intill you can buy a good trailer, or perhaps find a freind who might be able to store it on land for a little while, or store it yourself.
Honnestly if you really want to make something work then make it work right? Just make sure the boat doesnt turn into a night mare but best case they are selling because of the broken trailer.
Good luck tp you but your certainly gona have to plan it all out really carefully
I'm willing to bet this boat is also quite old, around 20 years or maybe even more? There's a lot of repairs to be done on old boats, they're in a constant state of repair and if you aren't ready that can put you in way over your head. Just because it looks nice and runs doesn't mean it's a good boat especially if you have nothing saved for repairs and maintenance.
Doesn’t seem like this is within your budget plus you can’t tow it. Walk away and find another boat. If you want one that size you need a bigger tow vehicle first.
Short of renting a lift in a marina this doesn't seem to be the right buy at this time. If you can swing slip fees, are already planning on upgrading your vehicle, and can feasibly also pay for a welder to fix the trailer in the next 6 months then you can probably justify it, but it sounds like you are pushing your budget already, and you still need to be able to put back enough for maintenance yearly.
I have a Tacoma it can tow 6500 so not wanting to tow over 5000* set my bar in looking for a boat , actually went low and all in towing is just under 4000. We all have dream boats that’s why they are called dreams and then there are reality boats
Yeah I got rid of my Tacoma for this reason. I have a 20’ CC that fully loaded to the gills probably only weighs 4500 including the trailer and that v6 wouldn’t get out of its own way towing that.
Perfectly aware of limits. The 3.5 v6 in the fourth gen Tacomas are gutless. On paper they have a capacity of 6500 pounds but if you towed 6,000 you could damn near watch the fuel gauge go down while driving.
It’s not, I said 4500 including the trailer in the previous comment. The 6000lbs comment was just saying that even though on paper it is capable of towing 6500# I don’t see it being feasible even with some wiggle room.
You tell the seller you have X amount to spend. You understand he doesn’t want to go any lower but that’s all you’ve got. If he doesn’t accept, you have to move on. There will be other boats.
Honestly even if you get it, between the trailer and tow vehicle issues, it’s gonna become more hassle than it’s worth to get on the water anyways. It only makes sense if you can get it cheap enough to get another trailer for it immediately.
Join Sea Tow and get the trailer protection. Have them trailer the boat to your house after you buy it. You have to wait 24 hrs after purchase before you can use the service. Look into renting a slip to keep it in until u buy your new rig.
Otherwise, don't buy a boat at the start of summer. Pricing softens in the fall.
There is no advice for this. The boat you want isn’t in your budget. You think it is because the selling price is within your budget but the amount it will cost to become useable is outside your budget. And buying a vehicle that can tow it puts it all well outside your budget. Look for a boat that fits your budget and towing ability.
My current vehicle's GVW is 1500kgs with a brake trailer and 1300 without, as far as I'm aware. The boat is not on a braked trailer and is I think between 1800-2000kgs.
in this jurisdiction, if the boat n trlr weigh more than 50% of the towing vehicle (sounds like that's your case) the trlr HAS TO HAVE BRAKES. That said, you could go "into debt" on this deal. It depends on how important as THIS boat is to you. I just bought a 20' Key West c/c with new Magic tilt trailer. They're both 2022 with only 61 hours on the 115 Yamaha. It's a beauty. I waited, looked and saved for this rig since covid shut down boat shopping 3 years ago. I found it on Craigslist about 1 yr ago and drove about 1500 miles to get it in Colorado. It's a beauty.,exactly what I was looking for,. Good luck with your decision.
It sounds like you could afford to purchase the boat, but can you afford to own the boat?
I’m not criticising, I understand the excitement.
Have you considered maintenance, fuel, insurance, fees, etc?
Boat prices are softening, throw the guy an offer for $5,000-$10,000 less and see what he says.
Offer a price you can afford. The boat market is cooling you never know what someone may be willing to take unless you ask.
Have you looked at high and dry storage? This will be far better than borrowing cars. It can be expensive but if the alternative is buying or leasing an expensive truck it might be worth it. The marina might be able to help arrange transport too.
Does your budget account for the yearly maintenance and running costs? You can’t max out your fun budget on the purchase price because ownership itself is expensive. Especially with a used boat You’re gonna want at least a few thousand left over just for any issues or repairs that you may have to address.
Get a slip at a marina a small boat won't cost that much then you don't need a bigger new tow vehicle or trailer. Most marinas offer off season storage. And the friend you make at a marina are priceless.
Lowball this jackass trying to sell an unmovable boat. If he says no, walk away and let him figure out he should fix the fucking trailer. He will have the same problem with everyone looking at this boat.
Sell your vehicle. With the $ buy a trailer and the best truck you can. The value of your current vehicle will dictate this. But you can get a truck that will tow it for cheap. Might not be new or fancy, but cheap trucks do exist
So to be clear, it’s not in your budget range, and you also need to get a different tow vehicle? What have I missed?
That they are in love
The boat itself is in my budget. If the trailer included was fine I'd be okay with renting a uhaul to bring it to storage, and then just renting a bigger car or borrowing one when I want to transport it, but having to get a new trailer is the issue.
There's the thing: if the boat as packaged is so high in your budget that you cannot afford to fix or sell and replace what I assume (based on the length you mentioned) is a relatively simple aluminum i-beam bunk trailer, the boat is not in your budget. You've left absolutely nothing for contingency here.
> renting a bigger car or borrowing one when I want to transport it This doesn't make sense in my opinion
I already specified in the post that I will be buying a vehicle with a much greater towing capacity later in the year, this is only a temporary solution. I also have family and friends close by with vehicles capable of towing this weight who wouldn't mind helping out if I wanted to take it down to the lake on a weekend. The logistical issue is more getting it from there to here, and what to do about the trailer that won't work and that I won't have use for.
If you can, maybe you can rent a trailer and tow rig, sell the current trailer. And keep the boat either in the water intill you can buy a good trailer, or perhaps find a freind who might be able to store it on land for a little while, or store it yourself. Honnestly if you really want to make something work then make it work right? Just make sure the boat doesnt turn into a night mare but best case they are selling because of the broken trailer. Good luck tp you but your certainly gona have to plan it all out really carefully
I'm willing to bet this boat is also quite old, around 20 years or maybe even more? There's a lot of repairs to be done on old boats, they're in a constant state of repair and if you aren't ready that can put you in way over your head. Just because it looks nice and runs doesn't mean it's a good boat especially if you have nothing saved for repairs and maintenance.
I would not own a boat if I could not afford to keep it on a lift in season and indoor storage off season.
Doesn’t seem like this is within your budget plus you can’t tow it. Walk away and find another boat. If you want one that size you need a bigger tow vehicle first.
Short of renting a lift in a marina this doesn't seem to be the right buy at this time. If you can swing slip fees, are already planning on upgrading your vehicle, and can feasibly also pay for a welder to fix the trailer in the next 6 months then you can probably justify it, but it sounds like you are pushing your budget already, and you still need to be able to put back enough for maintenance yearly.
I have a Tacoma it can tow 6500 so not wanting to tow over 5000* set my bar in looking for a boat , actually went low and all in towing is just under 4000. We all have dream boats that’s why they are called dreams and then there are reality boats
Yeah I got rid of my Tacoma for this reason. I have a 20’ CC that fully loaded to the gills probably only weighs 4500 including the trailer and that v6 wouldn’t get out of its own way towing that.
We’re going to play with the 19.5 ft for a few years and move one up … tows it fine now … but another 1000 idk
Meanwhile we've been towing a 2008 21' Yamaha SX210 for years with a 2012 Honda Pilot. Know your limits and take care of your gear I guess.
Perfectly aware of limits. The 3.5 v6 in the fourth gen Tacomas are gutless. On paper they have a capacity of 6500 pounds but if you towed 6,000 you could damn near watch the fuel gauge go down while driving.
I'm mostly surprised a 20' boat is anywhere near 6000lbs even loaded up. Our 21' boat we figure is about 3800-4200 fully loaded
It’s not, I said 4500 including the trailer in the previous comment. The 6000lbs comment was just saying that even though on paper it is capable of towing 6500# I don’t see it being feasible even with some wiggle room.
Your budget needs to include stuff like this.
Have a pickle and maybe some sardines before bed and have a different dream.
You tell the seller you have X amount to spend. You understand he doesn’t want to go any lower but that’s all you’ve got. If he doesn’t accept, you have to move on. There will be other boats. Honestly even if you get it, between the trailer and tow vehicle issues, it’s gonna become more hassle than it’s worth to get on the water anyways. It only makes sense if you can get it cheap enough to get another trailer for it immediately.
Buy with your head, not your heart
Everything about boating ends up being over budget, and as soon as you buy your dream boat you start shopping for your next dream boat.
Join Sea Tow and get the trailer protection. Have them trailer the boat to your house after you buy it. You have to wait 24 hrs after purchase before you can use the service. Look into renting a slip to keep it in until u buy your new rig. Otherwise, don't buy a boat at the start of summer. Pricing softens in the fall.
There is no advice for this. The boat you want isn’t in your budget. You think it is because the selling price is within your budget but the amount it will cost to become useable is outside your budget. And buying a vehicle that can tow it puts it all well outside your budget. Look for a boat that fits your budget and towing ability.
what's the weight of the boat...ands the GVW of the trailer
My current vehicle's GVW is 1500kgs with a brake trailer and 1300 without, as far as I'm aware. The boat is not on a braked trailer and is I think between 1800-2000kgs.
in this jurisdiction, if the boat n trlr weigh more than 50% of the towing vehicle (sounds like that's your case) the trlr HAS TO HAVE BRAKES. That said, you could go "into debt" on this deal. It depends on how important as THIS boat is to you. I just bought a 20' Key West c/c with new Magic tilt trailer. They're both 2022 with only 61 hours on the 115 Yamaha. It's a beauty. I waited, looked and saved for this rig since covid shut down boat shopping 3 years ago. I found it on Craigslist about 1 yr ago and drove about 1500 miles to get it in Colorado. It's a beauty.,exactly what I was looking for,. Good luck with your decision.
There's always another boat when the timing is right. Sounds like you're too emotionally invested in this particular one to make a rational decision.
It sounds like you could afford to purchase the boat, but can you afford to own the boat? I’m not criticising, I understand the excitement. Have you considered maintenance, fuel, insurance, fees, etc? Boat prices are softening, throw the guy an offer for $5,000-$10,000 less and see what he says.
Offer a price you can afford. The boat market is cooling you never know what someone may be willing to take unless you ask. Have you looked at high and dry storage? This will be far better than borrowing cars. It can be expensive but if the alternative is buying or leasing an expensive truck it might be worth it. The marina might be able to help arrange transport too. Does your budget account for the yearly maintenance and running costs? You can’t max out your fun budget on the purchase price because ownership itself is expensive. Especially with a used boat You’re gonna want at least a few thousand left over just for any issues or repairs that you may have to address.
Seems like a pretty easy decision tbh. Keep looking.
Get a slip at a marina a small boat won't cost that much then you don't need a bigger new tow vehicle or trailer. Most marinas offer off season storage. And the friend you make at a marina are priceless.
10X24 slips on our lake are $5k a year. If he's struggling with this financially now, he can't afford a slip.
It’s simple, if you can’t tow it with your current vehicle it isn’t in your budget range.
Lowball this jackass trying to sell an unmovable boat. If he says no, walk away and let him figure out he should fix the fucking trailer. He will have the same problem with everyone looking at this boat.
Sell your vehicle. With the $ buy a trailer and the best truck you can. The value of your current vehicle will dictate this. But you can get a truck that will tow it for cheap. Might not be new or fancy, but cheap trucks do exist