Weldcraft angler 17

[1simplemann]

I'm in the market for a 17-18' used boat to be used on Fort Peck Lake Montana. A big lake that's known it's quality fishing and it's curlers when the wind kicks up. Anyway, I'm getting alot of opinions on what would be good starter boat. Lund, Lowe, Sylvan, Smokercraft etc. The budget is definitely under 20K. I haven't made my decision one way or the other. Today, i had totally different option thrown at me. A 8 yr old 17' Weldcraft Angler w/ 90 hp Yamaha and 10 hp evinrude kicker. It has decent trolling motor and electronics but not the latest and greatest. I was talking to a customer about fishing of course! He said I should look at his boat because it just sits there in his barn. Not a scratch on the boat or the prop. Maybe 5 tanks of gas threw the motor. He's a farmer/rancher who loves to fish just never goes because he doesn't have the time. If he does go, it's usually in his river jet boat or his buddy's lake boat. His boat ends up just sitting in the barn so figures he should sell it. I asked him to give me a number and he came up w/ 15K but I'm sure he would take less if I put cash in his hand. I know nothing of this brand. Good deal? Any opinions?

[btyreprich]

Pretty sure this boat is manufacturers in the Pacific Northwest area of US.
Boats that come from this area use much thicker aluminum than other well known brands like Lund & Alumacraft and are welded versus riveted.
If the current owner only ran 5 tanks of gas through the motors, they must have very low hours. Best bet is to take it for a test run and perhaps have a marine dealer test the motor as well.

[1simplemann]

Originally Posted by btyreprich

Pretty sure this boat is manufacturers in the Pacific Northwest area of US.
Boats that come from this area use much thicker aluminum than other well known brands like Lund & Alumacraft and are welded versus riveted.
If the current owner only ran 5 tanks of gas through the motors, they must have very low hours. Best bet is to take it for a test run and perhaps have a marine dealer test the motor as well.

Your correct, It's made in Boise ID. Welded and a slightly different design than I had in mind but appears to be a solidly made boat that indeed has low hours and is in excellent shape. That's the only reason I'm considering it. There are other options out there for sure but finding a nice used boat in this good of condition from a seller that I know and trust probably won't happen again. 90 hp is slightly less than what I wanted. I wasn't sure if this boat had a Midwest following.

[btyreprich]

Might I suggest contacting your local marine dealer to see what a new motor would cost with the current outboard as a trade in. Of course you'd get more for the outboard selling it yourself, but then you have to get it off the boat, store it, and deal with potential buyers.