It's all a matter of money. A lot of good running nice looking boats can be had for 3-4000. But for. Around 1500-2000 will get you a decent looking project that is useable.

If your looking still, try to get something that's full stringer, aluminum tanks, and a berk or jacuzzi wj pump.

could i find a Rogers for a decent price? or just cause that is a rogers will it jack up the price?

thanks guys! i guess the idea of a project is a bit intimidating to start with. but i've always heard in the long run its very self fulfilling

just think of it as a pit that you throw money into and it lights on fire.   

regardless of what hull you choose, make sure you bring someone with you that knows what to look for.  stringers, floor, wiring, motor, pump, trailer, etc.  dont think of it as "this boat only costs $1k!" think of it as "its going to take me $5k to get onto the water"  little things add up quickly.  ive built 2 boats now and yes a project IS fulfilling and i love working on them... but sometimes the deals arent there or used parts are not the way to go and yes you'll have to spend a couple hundred bucks on say, a new oil pan. 

there are PLENTY of good deals out there to be had.  it just depends how deep your pockets are, your skill-set (or the ability to LEARN to do some of this stuff), and your timeframe.  Obviously at 17 the last thing you want is a 5 year from the ground up restoration project.  you wanna get out on the lake and get some scantily clad hunnies on your float.  look for boats with gelcoat and upholstery in GREAT condition.  ill be honest, IF you do get into boating, your first boat is more a learning experience than anything. 

cheap, fast, reliable.  pick 2. 

In all honesty your better off saving money and building funds. Then when the right deal comes along you can jump on it and still have some cash left to put into it. I'd recommend staying away from anything that's not complete. Buy something that's all there so you don't have to hunt for a motor, pump, tanks and so on.

Not trying to be a jerk here but I'm just thinking about the mistakes I made at 17 and so I just gotta say that if you can't afford to have insurance on this boat, then you can't yet afford a boat.   "Mistakes" cost waaay more than insurance.

I agree completely with this.

But here's one of those project deals I was talking about, been on cl for a while and could easily be talked down 500-700

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/boa/3971069203.html

lost paper work, but registered 2013.  why wouldnt he just go to the dmv and request a replacement title?  because something is fishy with it, thats why.

A simple call to the DMV and police department is all it takes to make sure it's not stolen and to make sure he is the registered owner. I do it every time before I go look at something with no papers