Introductory Bass Boat Package

[Legend Boats]

The Toronto International Boat Show sounds like something you absolutely need to go check out!!!

http://www.torontoboatshow.com/

Kyle Legend Boats

[sabmgb]

I think LINE and ONE have pretty much covered everything. DEER, is on the money with the livewell. I ordered my boat so got the options I thought I needed, but guess what, I should have taken the option for the second livewell up front. Go out with a few buddies and see how fast a livewell fills up on a good day.

[Bob McKenzie]

I bought my triton 2003 TR186 in 2012 in Penn state, paid $12,400 US and paid taxes at the border on the way back. It was super easy and the best part it had less than 10 hours of use, this thing was practically new, no scratches, chips, garage kept, etc. I looked on bass boat central and made arrangement through email. I see a lot of crap on kijiji and a lot of good from far, take someone who knows a lot about boats, motors, or take it to a marina and have a pre-purchase inspection. I hired a marine surveyor for $400 US, best peace of mind I ever spent.

[trimmer21]

Thanks, Bandwagon! I will check out that resource.

If you're going to look south of the border,be careful for "flood" boats that are selling cheap. Most were submerged and the electronics are fried. Buddy next door bought one from some guy in Boston and it's been nothing but trouble. Take a real hard look,first.

[Bob McKenzie]

That's why hiring a marine surveyor would be a good idea in any case. They check the hull using a moisture meter inside and out, he could tell the difference between a garage kept boat, a boat stored outdoors, a boat left in the water, etc. They check the serial numbers and can tell you insurance claims, ownership for the boat, motor and trailer, this was an option on my report and I had to provide these ahead of time from the seller. Pennsylvania is a title state so the owner will be listed on the bill of sale, if the bank owns it, that's who you will be making the cheque out to and the bill of sale should be notarized. In my case the owner was the seller and his bill of sale was notarized which is why I had to pay taxes on $13000 as opposed to the $12,400 I haggled him down to.

The first thing I noticed when we pulled the cowl off the motor was painted spark plugs, as in the original spark plugs. I asked why they had not been changed and he said he hadn't used the boat enough to justify changing them. The marine surveyor bore scoped the motor confirming cross hatching which disappears from the cylinder walls between 10 to 30 hours. He noted oil in the cylinders from storing the motor for long periods, the owner would fog the motor once or twice a year because he wasn't using it, he was a gear head so he knew better. This resulted in a hard start the first time with lots of smoke. it had to be jumped due to the batteries being original, marine surveyor brought the jumper just incase. on the way to the test lake I had asked the seller to put some fresh gas in, he had pumped out the majority a couple years before. once we got it going it ran like a scolded ape. with 3 people aboard we hit 58mph and on the second run I hit 61mph, the owner looked like he was holding on for dear life. When I slowed down to turn back around I had asked him if he was o.k. and he had never run the boat over 50mph cause it scared him, I new at that point I was taking it home with me.

Unless I knew the seller personally I wouldn't take there electronics, mine had the factory original black and whites so I planned on ripping them out whether they came with the boat or not.

[Trophy-Seeker]

A great big "THANK YOU!" to all of you for your insightful and helpful tips.

I ended up getting into a 2018 Nitro Z19 Sport (yes, with 2 live wells), as it is the best of both worlds (fishing and water sports) that I could enjoy with the family. I am looking forward to delivery in the next 6 weeks and VERY MUCH looking forward to the bass opener!

Thanks again, everyone.

[sabmgb]

Nice, now the wait, that will be the hardest part.

[Trophy-Seeker]

Nice, now the wait, that will be the hardest part.

Hahahaha! You said it, sabmgb!

[OUTCAST]

Sweet boat and best of both worlds, enjoy...what motor you put on that ?

[Trophy-Seeker]

Sweet boat and best of both worlds, enjoy...what motor you put on that ?

Thanks, Outcast.

To answer your question: Mercury Pro XS 200HP.