Are there any good sites besides boattrader.com, craigslist.com and westernbass.com for finding used bass boats?

You can check out Bassboatcentral.com I'm always looking on that site for a good deal. If your looking for a Basscat Impactfishing.com has some good deals from time to time. Note most of these boats are out of state.

Those are the best sites for California boats, check fishsniffer.com as well. BassBoatCentral.com is nice but most of the boats are out of state. When you look at craigslist make sure you search the other areas of the state as well. There are lots of good boat deals in the central valley (Modesto, Turlock, Merced, Fresno) as well as San Diego. I look all the time, even though I am not in the market, and lately there has been some screaming deals. What are you looking for?

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have-yous

Hey Sacto John, don't know if you know this one, but a cool trick with craigslist is to search all the listing using google. Go to google, and type in:

site:craigslist.org keyword

Where keyword is whatever you are interested in. It will search listing in all cities that way. So you could search for something like

site:craigslist.org ranger boat 520

can I use that same search to find the cash I would need to buy the boat once I found it? :+

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have-yous

Thanks for the tip on the bassboatcentral.com site. Had not seen that one.

I'm looking for a used Champion, 2006 model year or newer. Specifically a 200 elite or a 198 with a 225 ProXS on it. Would consider a Yamaha. Would consider a 210 or a 206 if the price was right.

Nothing ugly like red or maroon/beige colors. Tandem axel trailer and low hours are a must. Hydraulic jack plate, 36v trolling motor, and side finding fish finders would be nice.

I've seen a few good deals go by in the past few months. I'm looking for just the right boat and haven't seen very many for sale in CA.

I don't know if you have seen the TR20 Triton that is for sale on the bay area craigslist it is probably the best deal that I have seen. I know its not a Champion (I am not a huge Triton Fan) but the price more than makes up for it.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/boa/1381442010.html

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have-yous

That is a nice price.

Triton's that I've rode in have seemed nice but I'm pretty fixated on getting a Champion. I want a big water boat that I don't have to worry about the weather in.

blah, blah :+

Yeah I know. You have a 22 foot ranger.

actually 21.5 and kicks a in rough water. dont overlook Ranger in your search. Drive a few different boats as well.

I agree with Lake, drive and ride in as many boats as you can. I have been in just about every boat made and hands down Rangers are the best in rough water. I fish with a buddy out of his 20 foot Champion more frequently then any other boat and I do not care for its rough water comfort at all. The 520 Rangers I have fished out as well as the Z19 and Z20 all have much better rough water comfort in my opinion. It could have been the drivers, but if I ever have the opportunity I will buy a Ranger. Do not overlook Bass Cat and Stratos either, those boats are #2 and #3 on my list, again it is just personal preference but a prefernce that comes from time in these boats.

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have-yous

Ok, now that we are on the topic, let's talk boats. Am I some big expert? Nope. Just a fisherman who has had a chance to ride in a few and drive a few. Here's what I know along with some opinions. I'm interested to hear yours in return.

Tritons: Rode in a few. Chris Zaldain's and Rod Lee's come to mind. Enjoyed the speed, Rod's was hitting 74 with 3 people in it. Didn't drive either beyond just idling around. Thought they plowed through boat wakes pretty well, but didn't ride in any big water to really see. I like the layout in the Triton OK.

Nitros: Been a long time since I rode in one. Used to prefish with Felix Camacho and rode in his several times. Speared a wave at Clear lake once, broke the windshield. The windshield hit Felix in the head and cut him above the eye. It was not a big Nitro we were in. I thought it was awful when the weather was bad though, and we had that more than once. Got the crap kicked out of us at Pedro once.

Basscat: Borrowed Mark Roger's for 4 days at Clear Lake. Only ran around in some 2' waves, no big water, but thought it handled nicely going across wakes and such. Mark will tell you his boat doesn't get on pad worth a darn when the livewell is full. It took about a minute. Didn't like the layout, storage, etc. Sorry Basscat gang, just not a fan.

Ranger: I've been in a lot of Rangers. All the years fishing with John Lake in his cadillac. Hey it was fun running down swell at Clear Lake with 4 footers passing other people who were getting flushed over and over. John's boat is cool but I don't want one that big.

Cris Vanclef is my other team partner. His Ranger is a 519 hull if I remember right. Cris drives fast. We've been in some fairly crappy weather but nothing huge. I don't like how the boat takes wakes and chop at all. It will slam you good. I do like how tough that boat is. We hit a metal buoy on pad going 35mph at night and the boat was unscathed. I asked Cris about logs on the Delta in the winter. His response was, "Oh yeah I hit those all the time". There's something to be said for that.

I drove Marc Higashi's Z-20 at Casitas and fished out of Henry Shorr's and Mike Goodwin's. Can't remember if Mike had a Z-21 or a Z-20. Can't say I was a fan of those boats.

I've rode in various other regular 520's over the years, Rob Rhiel and some other dude I drew in a Pro/Am a long time back. I like the wide bow on them for fishing. Rob whipped that thing around corners at the Delta at high speed like it was nothing as well. A 520 is the boat I'd be most interested in in the Ranger lineup.

What else. 518, been in a couple of those, Matt Peters and Dan Frasier. Those boats corner like crazy, or maybe that's just because Dan knew how to drive it. I want something bigger than an 18 footer though and I don't really care if I can make the boat slide around turns.

Champion: Cameron Smith has this 196 that we've fished out of quite a few times now. Cam isn't a fast driver but we've run through some chop and waves and that boat ground through the chop like it wasn't there. I'm in to that. I like the high deck in the front for sight fishing and in general. I don't care about being a couple feet off the water at the bow because it gives me more visibility. Cam can put six 8' rods in the locker. I have a lot of 8 foot fishing rods.

The other thing I like is the space around the trolling motor where you can stand right up on the edge of the bow. I like that a lot. I never use a seat fishing and am much more likely to be perched with my toes off the edge of the front of the boat.

When I really started to feel the Champion vibe was when Rod Thigpin and I fished Casitas a few years ago in December and it was blowing a legit 30+ wind. Rod has this old 17' Champion. I was 100% impressed how that boat ran in those waves. For a 17' boat I was blown away. My jon boat would have sank in that stuff and its only 2 feet shorter. In Rod's boat we never got wet. We chatted last week about the 210 Elite him and Todd picked up recently. He said he's loving it.

So that's my slice of the world in terms of boats. Like I said at the beginning, I'm no expert, just a guy who fishes a lot and has rode in a few. After 11 years of fishing from jon boats I'm ready to get in to something that can get on pad and blow across 3 foot chop. From what I've seen so far that's a Champion. Tell me your stories.

Champion is a good choice. I have a 1998 187 with a 175 and for its size can keep on par with the Big Boys. I fish Clear Lake alot and it does real well in the rough stuff. But the most important thing about buying a used boat and dont forget this, no matter how good the deal seems make sure the motor has a warranty. If your looking at spending that much money on a used boat you could be spending that much more money on a new motor. When your buying a used boat your not buying the boat your buying the motor. So just be carefull and Good Luck.

1st off let me say that driver can make all the difference in the world when it comes to the way a boat "appears" to handle rough water. Cam and I have both had our boats a very long time, I bet if we switched boats you would notice a totally different ride. judging a boat with someone else driving isn't really fair to the boat. Its also not like you can call someone and be all "hey its windy can I borrow your boat" Also its important to go with what feels comfortable for you as the driver.

I will add a few comments with a Lake rating, Rating rough water capabilities, top speed/ handling, fishability( rating 1-10) : Keep in mind these are just my opinions.

Triton: This has to be the most difficult boat to learn to drive properly. Even Ranger Pro Staff that have moved to Triton will admit this. Once you learn to drive the boat it is one of the best all round boats for speed and rough water, but not the best in either category.
Lake Rating:
Rough water capabilities- 6
Top speed/ handling- 8
Fishability- 8

Nitro: I have been a Nitro hater for years. The last few years they have really came around. Felix's boat is not even in the same league as the new Nitro. They have the wide flippin type deck you seem to like on the Champ, but even bigger. the boat is very wide, that hurts your top end speed. Being extra wide makes it a good rough water boat and appears to be very dry. Would I own one no, but it is not the same Nitro's I use to rag on.
Lake Rating:
Rough water capabilities- 7
Top speed/ handling- 5
Fishability- 8

Basscat: great top end speed boat and handles great. I don't recall what year and model Mark has. This is a decent rough water boat. I have never cared to much for the layout and narrow front for fishing.
Lake Rating:
Rough water capabilities- 7
Top speed/ handling- 8
Fishability- 5

Ranger: You know I am very biased to Ranger so will not rate or comment. I only will say this is a drivers boat, not as much as a Triton. You really will notice a difference is drivers. Boats have a sweet spot and Rangers can vary with in the same model.

Champion: Solid top end speed and a solid rough water boat. Champs seem to wobble a bit side to side when fishing. Storage isn't the greatest lay out IMO.
Lake Rating:
Rough water capabilities- 8
Top speed/ handling- 7
Fishability- 6

Skeeter: If they could find a way to keep this over powered lightweight boat in the water when its rough, they would have something. Top speed in no chop is decent if the driver can keep it from walking. I actually like the way it fishes and is laid out.

Lake Rating:
Rough water capabilities- 5
Top speed/ handling- 6
Fishability- 8

Remember this is just 1 fishermans opinion. I know we all love the boats we have.

I have only been in a few boats, but a boat to not overlook is Hydra Sport. They don't make bass boats anymore, so you can only find used ones, but they are awesome boats for rough water. My Z-260 handled the 3-4 foot waves at Clear Lake over Labor Day with no problems. Granted I wasn't running 60 mph, but 35 mph in a 16'-4" with those waves is not bad. Just my opinion.

John - thanks for the honest feedback and for taking the time to write it up. I appreciate it.

I'm searching boattrader.com earlier this week and come across a funky little ad at the end of the listings for Z520's. Here's the ad:

2008 Ranger Z520, 2008 Ranger Z520 w/ Yamaha 250 Series 2. Yamaha warranty thru 2014!!! You will not find another 2008 any cheaper with these options: Humminbird 1197c, Humminbird 967c, HotFoot, 8" Bob's Hydraulic Jackplate w/LED readout at the dash, "Blinker" style trim tabs/jackplate tabs at steering wheel, tilt steering wheel, padded front deck, MinnKota 101 36v trolling motor w/lift assist, MinnKota 15 amp 4 bank onboard charger, 4 AGM batteries, livewell pumpouts, LED lighted storage compartments and livewells, KeelGuard, and much more!!!Never had any damage to hull or engine , never been sunk !! Perfect condition . Thanks for looking!! $29000, 6505873846

So I'm interested especially at $29k, but scratching my head a little over the "never been sunk!!" comment. I call the phone number and its disconnected. On a whim, I send an email to the seller via boattrader.com's form.

Two days later I get 18 photos of the boat along with a short message

Rob, the boat is in perfect condition , never had any damage to hull or engines .Here are some additional photos . Please let me know if you are interested and we could make a deal .

The photos look good, the boat is white with gray pinstripes and all the accessories listed are shown in the photos. The photos don't look like Foster City, they look like North Carolina or something. The boat is shown coming out of a carport on a huge grassy field with a long driveway. The email is sent at 3:20am.

So I email back and ask to set up a test drive this weekend. I suggest going and launching out of Big Break. Still slightly skeptical but figuring maybe this is some rich guy wanting to get rid of a boat or something. Last night, I get this email around midnight:

Rob , I am currently at my mother's place in Melbourne and i will stay here for a while ( my father just passed recently and i can't leave my mother alone right now ). If you are serious about getting my boat and you have the funds available I can send you the boat to test and inspect for 5 days with no problem ( i will pay for the shipping fees ) .I have a friend who works for DAS shipping and he can offer me a great deal with them .The boat is already setup to go , i just have to give them the address where to deliver the boat.In case you don't want it after the 5 days of tests and inspections ( which I'm sure it will not happen because is a gorgeous boat and works just perfect ) you will have to send it back ( also on my expense ) there is no problem with that and i will not get mad at you or something like with that .Let me know if you would like to proceed with this and i will start making the arrangements with DAS.

P.S Title , keys , bill of sale , user manual and all the other documents are with the shipping company which will guide you and help you register the boat under your name if you decide to purchase it .They have my signature on the documents and are well instructed what to do .

Regards
Jan

At this point the red flags have multiplied past the point of reason. Nico looked at it a little closer and found that the same person Jan Paskal (fake name for sure) has done this before, see:

http://www.2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?p=2200353

More from Craigslist on this topic:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/about/scams

SCAM!

Rob,
Good eye! I'm guessing that with the next email when you say you are interested is where he asks you for some money up front.

Are you going to take it to the next step just to see what happens?

Nah. While it would be amusing I'm over it.

If you want to read something really funny, go to craigslist, click on best of craigslist, then search for the nigerian scammer post. It will bring you to tears laughing :)