Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | What type of boat do you prefer? I owned a 2000 Alumacraft Navigator 165 with a 50 4 stroke Merc for 7 years. I consider myself a pretty serious fisherman, fish lakes from a few hundred to 15,000 acres, and took it to LOTW last summer. I felt the boat served me well, and moving to a Tuffy 1760 was an upgrade rather than a necessity.
I just sold my Navigator for $7,900 so well within your price range. If you looked hard you might find the newer version of the boat (2005 I think) where they made them wider. A good 16-17' Alumacraft, Crestliner, Lund, etc. should suit you well.
Fiberglass boats are great too, just be careful of rot in the vintage you'll be looking at for $10K.
I would recommend getting a 4 stroke or one of the newer DFI type motors. They are way ahead of old two stroke technology and I think you'll be glad you went with something a little more modern in the motor department.
Tucker |