What should I look for as a first time boat owner in a bay boat?

Question

Type of hull? Horsepower? Accessories? Electronics? Anything else?

Answer 1

Hate to say it, but what bay?  

I live near the Everglades, where bay boats are extremely in demand.  Still, the designs available are so diverse, you need to be careful.   Some are extremely light, for pole maneuvering.  Others are extremely shallow, or possibly a trolling motor is most importatn for your expected usage.

The best trick I have learned, is to speak to locals, determine what model and length most happy boat owners own.  

Ask them about service and dealerships if that is important to you.  An oil change on a boat can go over $300, even for simple work.  

So, as always, the more you ask, the happier you will be with what you get.  If there are any "not for compromise" issues (for me it was manatee friendly), make sure to stick to your guns, you'll be happier than just settling on a price point.

Make sure the selling dealer includes the "safety kit".  I haven't seen one that won't supply this for the asking, sort of a deal sealer, yet if you pull away without it, you can often discover a $100-$300 dollar price tag for the basic lifejackets, flares, throwable, anchor and such).

Depending on the bay, a high quality GPS is invaluable, especially for most new noat owners.  They are lovely for gettng back in at night, at least you are just looking for other boats, as long as you can reasonably follow a track back in.  I use one with the Fish Finder built right in, I really love that.

If you don't get a dual battery setup, use boatfix.com and set this up right away.

Answer 2

Depends waht you want to do with it. If you lake/small bay fish you will probably never be more than 1000' from the bank. If you ocean fish you will be 3-100 miles out. If ocean fishing you will need, GPS, compass, marine 2 way radio, weather radio, deeper hull, anchor with 200'+ anchor rope, consider a flare gun, inflatable life raft & Sea Tow. last year was my first year to ocean fish in my own boat. the most we went out was 6 miles. I am considering a weather radar unit for it for next year. The most important thing is ***EXPERIENCE*********** watch the weather & seas.

Answer 3

use in salt water, fiberglass hull, anywhere to put a trolling motor (if u want), no rust on hindges, or big knicks in hull

Answer 4

Horsepower depends on how fast and how much fuel you want to use. I think a trim indicator is a good feature not all boats have. Its good to know the position of your out drive.

A depth guage / fish finder is a must, bays have their shallow areas to watch for.