Talk to me about boats

[phorsenuf]

So we are living in Clearwater FL. now and I see so many people out on their boats having fun.
Up north we had a little 14' we took out on occasion on the lakes. The ocean is a whole nother story.
I'm starting to think it would be nice to have another boat here to cruise or fish in the Bay or just offshore.
What size boat and motor would be best?

 

[dakcp2001]

My dad used to always say the two best days of your life are

1 when you buy a new boat!!!
and then
2. When you finally get rid of the darn thing


Do you have the option to rent or borrow one when you need it? There is a lot of maintenance and costs and repairs that make ownership a pita.

 

[Pumbaa_]

With the current crisis in the gulf, I would wait to see how that playsout before I bought a boat

When you are ready, talk to dealers, brokers, boat owners. What type of boating do you want? Fishing, waterskiing, driving around

Boating is expensive. Will you trailer your boat or get a slip in a marina. Don't forget insurance!

So many things to consider. They are fun but a major money pit!

 

[mkel34]

Do you have the skills of a welder, electrician, plumber, and automotive technician? If so go for it, if not find a friend with a boat. A boat is a whole in the water that you throw money in. This is coming from a fan of boats.

 

[phorsenuf]

Yes, yes, I'm well aware how costly boats are.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

So we are living in Clearwater FL. now and I see so many people out on their boats having fun.
Up north we had a little 14' we took out on occasion on the lakes. The ocean is a whole nother story.
I'm starting to think it would be nice to have another boat here to cruise or fish in the Bay or just offshore.
What size boat and motor would be best?

Here is boat trader.com. They are about 150,000+ for a good size ocean boat. I mean you are really looking at 200,000.
http://www.boattrader.com/browse/make/ocean/florida/Page-1/PerPage-100http://www.boattrader.com/browse/make/ocean/?cmp=Google

I guess the question you have to ask yourself is what size would you feel comfortable getting out there to cruise?

We have a 24ft Crownline deckboat that we take out on the lakes.

I would say, I would have to have 40ft and up. Even then I would rather have a 50.

I would take a lot of charters out to see what you are comfortable in.

I have never cruised the ocean so I really can't say.

 

[phorsenuf]

Here is boat trader.com. They are about 150,000+ for a good size ocean boat. I mean you are really looking at 200,000.
http://www.boattrader.com/browse/make/ocean/florida/Page-1/PerPage-100http://www.boattrader.com/browse/make/ocean/?cmp=Google

I guess the question you have to ask yourself is what size would you feel comfortable getting out there to cruise?

We have a 24ft Crownline deckboat that we take out on the lakes.

I would say, I would have to have 40ft and up. Even then I would rather have a 50.

I would take a lot of charters out to see what you are comfortable in.

I have never cruised the ocean so I really can't say.

I should clarify. I'm not looking to cruise cruise. I just mean bee-bopping around in the Bay, maybe do a little fishing. I wouldn't venture very far out into the ocean.

 

[brerrabbit]

I have lived on the Gulf Coast my whole life and owned a boat for over thirty years. What it really is going to depend on in the area you are in is what you plan on doing with it. I fish so that immediately narrows down my choices. More specifically I Bay fish which narrows down things even more. So when I chose my boat I wanted a center console v hull that could take some chop on the water but could still get to certain shallow water areas. I bought a 17 ft center console v hull with a 90 HP Johnson. We can still pull a tube with it and have fun, and water ski but if the person is to big it strains a little. By default it is not a creature comfort boat because seating is limited and there is no carpet so I can hose it down after fishing trips. I also limited the size so it could fit in my garage. That way I don't have the added expense of paying to store it and it is very easy to prepare for outings because I can charge the batteries and load the boat in the garage without having to retrieve it from storage and prepare it the day before. I find that the more convient it is to use, the more I use it.

My advice talk to other boaters in the area, determine what you will do with it, consider storage and ease of use, and then proceed from there. When I took all that into consideration my choice was pretty easy.

 

[DrCavin]

Boat = Bust Out Another Thousand

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Boat = Bust Out Another Thousand

OP can you rent boats somewhere? I would do that before I bought a boat.

 

[Monte Cristo]

I have lived on the Gulf Coast my whole life and owned a boat for over thirty years. What it really is going to depend on in the area you are in is what you plan on doing with it. I fish so that immediately narrows down my choices. More specifically I Bay fish which narrows down things even more. So when I chose my boat I wanted a center console v hull that could take some chop on the water but could still get to certain shallow water areas. I bought a 17 ft center console v hull with a 90 HP Johnson. We can still pull a tube with it and have fun, and water ski but if the person is to big it strains a little. By default it is not a creature comfort boat because seating is limited and there is no carpet so I can hose it down after fishing trips. I also limited the size so it could fit in my garage. That way I don't have the added expense of paying to store it and it is very easy to prepare for outings because I can charge the batteries and load the boat in the garage without having to retrieve it from storage and prepare it the day before. I find that the more convient it is to use, the more I use it.

My advice talk to other boaters in the area, determine what you will do with it, consider storage and ease of use, and then proceed from there. When I took all that into consideration my choice was pretty easy.

Great advice. We have a 28 foot Chaparral which is great for what we want...cruise, spend time lounging, and going to Block Island and Martha's Vineyard. I would never fish out of it, it's just not set up for it.

Make sure when you do decide what you want to take it out often and get really comfortable handling it. You don't want to be in some rough weather and not be comfortable with how to handle the boat.

I personally think the old 2 happiest days on the boat line is a bit cliche. I love every day we go out on the boat...having problems with boats goes along with ownership. Our boat is a 2004 and I just had to replace the water heater this season. It wasn't winterized properly so it froze up and cracked. Better that then the engine! Always something...

You say you already know the expenses that go along with boating so that's good. Now take the yearly amount you think you'd spend on maintenence and double it. That should cover you.