Boat Buying Tips from Huntsville Marine!
Looking for some good information on buying a new bowrider, pontoon boats or a fishing boat? Huntsville Maine has been honoured to provide family boating experiences since 1962. Good day and thanks for spending some time on our site and doing research for your next boat purchase. My name is Tom Welsh and I am the General Manager of Huntsville Marine.  I am involved in the day to day operations of the marina as well as handling a significant portion of our retail boat division.  Additional detailed insider boat information on boat purchasing can be found at Boater's Chat. Researching your next boat purchase through Boater's Chat you will be able to view much of my personal views on retail boat buying as well as the philosphy we offer to new boat purchasers. By the way, yes we are prejudiced to the boat lines we carry and promote...we carry these lines for a particular reason ( Why huntsville Marine). Due to our location in Muskoka and reputation we have the ability to select the boat lines we represent. All of our boat lines are top eight in fiberglass industry category rating or top three in aluminum.Â
Â
Purchasers doing their due diligence should also read our Tne Green Boater Fuel Saving Tips resources included in this section.
Huntsville Marine also offers our exclusive blog Boater's Chat with additional in depth boat purchasing and serviceing information. If you want the inside scoop just add you information on the blogs top right hand corner for automatic updates. Â
Boat Manufacturer Rankings!Â
Yes there is a unpublished list for boat retailers with regards to boat quality ranking! I have had the pleasure to attended and present boat accessories and new boats including bowriders, cruisers, fishing boats and pontoon boats at a substantial number of boat shows and manufacturer events. It is my decision at this facility which boat lines we provide to Muskoka and Ontario boaters. Here are my criteria for Huntsville Marine to represent a boat line and to promote same to our valued customers.Â
1. Quality, Quality and More Quality Each Time and All The Time. I do not like warranty and warranty problems cause unnecessary time for both of us to get rectified. Boaters do not want their boat layed up for warranty repairs on sunny days....very low warranty rates particularly with such items as gel coat cracking other fiberglass hull issues and interior vinyl problems.
2.Outstanding Customer Waranty and Support.   If we need to warranty repair, it must be no hassle policy for our customer. The boat builder must provide our customers with a very strong and long term warranty period. The company must have the personnel and parts to back up their expressed warranty. We will constantly monitor the amout of warranty required for a boat line and if we deem this level unacceptable...they will be gone (Why Huntsville Marine).Â
3. Best Family Bowrider Boats in the 16 to 25 Foot Category.  Huntsville Marine specializes in these boat sizes as they are the right size for most inland waters. Models must be up to date in styling with boater friendly features plus offer superior value for the dollar versus competitive models that our customer or prospect would consider.  Consistent buyer quality must be equal to or greater than what this boat builder offers on their larger boats in their model lineup. A purchase of an 18' bowrider to one of our customers is just as important to that family as to some other family purchasing as 30' cruisier.Â
4. The Boat Manufacturer Must be a Top 8 Market Recognized Company. This is very important as this presents our customers the opportunity to purchase superior value boats that consistently hold their value over time due to high preceived long term construction quality. Companies that have attained this level have proven historical build quality with superior boating features, value and high boat owner customer satisfaction levels.
5. High Visual Appeal. If the product does not look good no matter how well it is built, boat buyers will not want to purchase it. One must realize that each of us have different tastes and visual likes, our information is historical built over 25 years on real information from our customers. Â
The Top Eight Fiberglass Bowrider Boats
Presented immediately below is our top eight fiberglass runabout manufacturers list. This list or ranking is independent of my criteria for representation by Huntsville Marine. This is a list that most marine operators removing their represented boat linage out of the equation would agree on.  The raking is not in any order for the top eight just shows who would most likely belong. Members of the list are:
Stingray Powerboats                                              Grady White                        Cobalt                                                                    Monterey Boats
Regal                                                                     Searay
Chaparrel                                                               Campion
Why do we not carry some of these lines? Model mix would be one reason. Regal starts at 19 feet so this is a problem here plus their 19 foot boat is not the same as their larger models and low speed planning is an issue. The value versus cost relationship for Cobalt does not woek for me...really only one dealer....no competition...pricing way too high!.  Campion Boats are Canadian made and rival the quality, fit and finish of Cobalt at thousands less! Searay can make a great boat...but some of their small boats come out of the Bayliner plant ( Bayray) with just an upgraded interior. Chaparrel has some nice stuff but this company can have some very high pricing and different lower construction techniques in the small bowrider segment. Monterey Boats was started by the Marshal family out of Chaparrel boats over 25 years ago.  With Monterey we get the high level of quality we want with a privately owned financially stable company.  Chaparrel is a publically traded company which must maintain certain profit levels to maintain stock pricing. In other word value of the stock enters into product decisions. Stingray is another privately owned boat company in business for over 25 years and privately owned by the Fink family. Al Fink is an engineer and his hobby is drag racing. Stingray is very much dialed into hull design and effeciency. Stingray is also the 2010 J. D. Power award winner for customer satisfaction and is really tuned into this. Campion is a truely Canadain designed and built boat company out of Kelowna BC. Campion is very hgih qulaity with the use of Kevlar in the hulls like Cobalt with in gel graphics (no tape or decals).Â
I have added a section farther down which after requests is representative of where many of the more well known boat manufactures rank in general opinion.
2009 J. D. Power Award Winner for Customer Satisfaction
Stingray PowerboatsÂ
The Top Welded Aluminum Boat
CrestlinerÂ
The Top Rated Pontoon Boats
Manitou Pontoon Boats, Crest Pontoons, Harris Pontoons, Bennington, Berkshire
The Top Riveted Aluminum Boats
Lund                                                                                                     Princecraft
The Top Fiberglass Fishing Boat High End Price
RangerÂ
Best Value Rated Fiberglass BoatÂ
Stratos Boats
Top Non-Custom Boat Trailer
Shorland'r         E Z Loader     Karavan
More Information to Get the Purchase Right!
For the first time boat buyer, there can be a few pitfalls to avoid. Listed below are common misconceptions about boats and boat buying for both fiberglass and aluminum runabouts. Purchasers should also look at our fuel saving tips on a separate page in this section.
Boat Sizing: To operate safely and effectively, the boat must reflect the water conditions normal for that water body in combination with the average number and weight of persons to be carried in the boat. Do not confuse the number of seats with equal number of passengers allowed. Generally speaking, a 16' boat has a maximum capacity of 5 persons. 18' boats are 7 persons and 20' have a maximum capacity of 8. Check the manufacturer's restriction plate and yes kids do count. The length and weight of the boat must provide the safe comfortable ride required as determined by average wave conditions. A 16' bow rider with a 50 horsepower motor for water sports is not a good investment for 7 persons on a lake that averages 2' waves.
Horsepower: There is no substitution for horsepower! Many manufacturers present pricing showing small horsepower motors for an attractive price. A boat experiences 5 times more frictional resistance than a car. Stay at or near the manufacturer's recommended maximum horsepower for proper performance, reduced fuel consumption and improved engine life. An engine with MPI or fuel injection will reduce fuel consumption and make for easier starting. Take the boat you are interested in for an actual water test before you buy.
Construction: Read the manufacturer's information about hull construction and ask questions. If there is not a detailed construction discussion, look at another line. While comfortable seating is important, safe seating is more important and the overall construction and engine configuration are even more important. All fiberglass boat are not equal in construction technology, quality of materials or hull design. We will be including a section on Boat Hull Construction Technique...Does it Have the Right Stuff? to discuss this in detail. In aluminum boats, welded technology is superior to the old rivet method.
Are All Aluminum Boats the Same: In a word.....NO! There is the immediately rcognized difference of welded or riveted. Rivet construction comes out of 50's and 60's and has not chaged since. The manuafacturer takes tow pieces of aluminum places some form of casket or sealant between the two pieces drills a hle bunch of holes then two workers pound the rivets together. I have toured the Lund plant and the noise level in unbelievable from this process. The degree of shaping with riveted hull has not changed over the last couple of decads. Aluminum welding has been available for quite some time and for example Crestliner started with welded boats and still welds their boats for over 20 years. Welding allows for complex shaping of the hull which will provide for superior ride in rough water conditions. With welding, holes for rivets are not made in the hull and this fact alone porvides sustantially less areas for potential leakage. Welded hulls provide less flex in the overall structure which again provides superior ride due to the increased strength.  Most boat buyers do not ask but their is differnent types as well as thickness of aluminum used in construction. Type utilized is more important than thickness and do not discount internal support.   Â
The Dealership, Location and How long in Business?
An established long term dealership representing a particular line for a considerable period offers you more value. How long has the salesperson been in the business at this dealership and are they on commission? These are legitimate questions that should be asked. At Huntsville Marine our sales staff and service personnel are not on commission or any bonus arrangement. They do not have to sell you a boat today or this week in order to pay their bills. If a boat reatailer has one fiberglass line only then that is what they must present to you and make this fit your needs. Boat lines while they may present models across a wide range still tend to specialize in a particular size or group such as cruisers. For example Stingray specializes in smaller family runabouts boats as they do not offer any model larger than 25'. The sales process should be stickly about you and what you need. Four Winns is unusual as their lineup encompasses 17' 4" to over 40' with the same attention to detail throughout.   (Why Huntsville Marine)
Are You Buying Quality, Price or Strictly Look?
Perhaps one of the most frequent mistakes. Have you every purchased something only based on price to find out a short time later...its poor quality.  Have you ever or known of someone who has purchased a Bayliner or Tahoe or a Tracker and find out later that they have no resale value, way to many warranty issues and that many dealerships will not take them in on trade. Why is that or better still are they misrepresenting the quality of the product to you? Did anyone explain that non traditional hand layup has been tried unsuccessfully a number of times? Is there a warranty issue with Vec hulls with regards to osmosis?  Anyone explain to you what an osmotic barrier coat is? For additional information see our section on Boat Hull Contruction Does it Have the Right Stuff?
Boat Ranking Continued...Where Do The Others Rank?
I have taken the majority of the other boat manufactures and placed them in three rankings based on the same criteria as was used above. In order to represent one of the top eight lines normally you will in Ontario be located on the water, have historcial presence, a very high customer satisfaction level and be a finaincial secure business. Without purchasing an existing marina, it may take considerable time (years) for a marina to be able to secure a top eight boat manufacturer.  You should also be aware that boat manufacturers compete to secure the top tier level dealers where they can place their products in the be position for growth and high levels of customer service.
Tier Two ...Middle of the Pack
Larson (Vec Construction)                                                    Glasstron ( New Ownership)
Doral   ( Hwy 400 Location now closed)                             Rinker
Caravel (presently being restarted)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Four Winns ( New Ownership)
Larson and Glasstron have been essentially the same boat coming out the same plant using VEC cosntruction for a number of years. Glasstron with the Genmar bankruptcy last year has been purchased by Platinum Equity and is now separate in distinction in the 2011 model year being built in an unused Four Winns plant. The Glasstron boat line will be repositined according to avaialble information in the 2011 model year to compete as a value purchase with reduced content and construction versus Four Winns. Glasstron for 2011 will no longer be a VEC hull and will be priced below Four Winns at some point in the near future which will negatively impact resale value.  There is still some old 2010 Glasstron VEc construction available but I would stay clear of this as you will be heavily discounted if you ever wish to trade or sell this product.  Larson is now grouped with Stratos and Triumph under Irwin Jacobs the previous owner of Genmar which collasped in 2009. Larson will continue to be a VEC type construction even with the poor market acceptance. Rinker is connected to Crownline and the Godfrey Pontoon Boat Company and with the situation in the US especially with regards to Crownline needs some clarification for boat purchasers. Â
Tier Three...Down the List even Farther
Bayliner                                                                                          Â
Bayliner takes the world boating...that use to be their slogan. Lots of stories here lots of them sold. Alot of disappointment would be okay if people were told what they were actually buying and what they are not getting. If your number one criteria is price...you most fo the time get what you pay for.
Bottom of the Pile
Tracker                                                                                   Tahoe
Both these boat builders are built to compete with Bayliner and other low level aluminum boat builders in the United States. They are marketed as something else here in Canada.   It is my personnel opinion that Tahoe and Tracker have done more harm to the boating business than any other boating company. I have been told that in Feb. 2011 most of the boat sales staff has bee dismissed across the Tracker/Tahoe system. General floor personnel are now expected to take your order based on the ticket price...additional information for the buyer...well there will be none!
Â
Huntsville Mairne will be displying boats from Stingray, Monterye and Crest Pontoons at the Toronto International Boat Show starting Jan. 8th 2011.
For additional research information you may email tomwelsh@vianet.ca or click on Boater's Chat.Â
