Towing 18ft boat with 91' ex

I am thinking of buying a 18' powerboat. Just for cruising and skiing. Fresh water only.

Two questions:

1- What type of experience do you all have with towing boats? I tow 2 snowmobiles and my ex works just fine. Will a boat be much different?

2- I am looking to buy the boat. Any advice on how to buy a boat? What are some tips to getting the best deal?

Thanks, Jeff

Reply to
Jeff
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an 18' boat won't be all that heavy, or difficult to tow.the biggest impact your tow vehicle may experience is from dipping it's rear in the water. You'll want to make sure that the vent hose is in place, and in good shape for the differential.

I had the hose break off on my 96, and water got into the diff. No biggie, because I found it right away, and fixed the hose, and replaced the oil. but it's something to keep an eye out for.

As far as the boat goes, check it out, good, look in the bilge for signs of rot / leakage at the transom. and INSIST on taking it out on the water as a condition of purchase.

30 minutes on the water can show you how it runs, accelerates, if it leaks ! overheats, etc. also you'll get to test out the power trim, etc and see how the engine runs under load.

don't be afraid to make an offer, and make sure you research the average values of similar boats. You can do this from the papers, comparing similar models, and by going to

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and checking the "book" value of the boat.

Don't get stuck to the value in the book though. they are guidelines, but actual street values will vary from what's listed in the book.

good luck with it !

Reply to
Chief Wiggum

also make sure the trailer is OK, and has big enough tires.

Two questions:

1- What type of experience do you all have with towing boats? I tow 2 snowmobiles and my ex works just fine. Will a boat be much different?

2- I am looking to buy the boat. Any advice on how to buy a boat? What are some tips to getting the best deal?

Thanks, Jeff

Reply to
steve

An often overlooked yet extremely important consideration. How many times I see someone zip in off the highway and make a bee-line for the launch. Everything is hot, hot, hot from blasting down the road at 70 mph and then we plunge it into cold water........

Just food for thought.

-- Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

Reply to
Jim Warman

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