Talk To Me About Boats

[mikethompson]

Lots of good responses thanks guys! If there is one thing this forum is good for, it's helping guys spend their money.

The two best days in a boat owners life are the day he buys it and the day he sells it.

I have heard that!

I could go on and on but with my 30+ years of boating experience I'm choosing an outboard every time

Funny you should say that. I was looking at a 1980-something with an inboard engine with Chrysler markings all over it. That just scared me away from inboard.

Enjoy it for what it is

Just trying to make some memories for the kids. We rented a boat once and they loved it.

Mike, how old are your kids? I know they're young.

Almost 8 and 6. We tried canoeing a few times. It got a little hairy trying to get them to sit still haha!

 

[carlomarx]

I think it comes down to how often will you use it and can it be docked at a nearby lake? Trailering the boat adds more layers of expense and hassle and the trailer requires maintenance. If it is practical to own a boat I think the kids will love it especially as they get older. Are you a fisherman?

 

[mikethompson]

I think it comes down to how often will you use it and can it be docked at a nearby lake? Trailering the boat adds more layers of expense and hassle and the trailer requires maintenance. If it is practical to own a boat I think the kids will love it especially as they get older. Are you a fisherman?

The boat launch is at a local marina which is about 5 minutes away. I will have to check into boat launch fees.

 

[alan73]

I bought a pontoon with a good friend and neighbor. Our kids are the same age and we hang out a lot together … I love boating in the summer . I’m generalizing but boat people are some of the most fun people

 

[alan73]

If you get a boat young kids really really like Maui mats or lily pads as they are called . My kids now 11 and 9 can spend hours on the mat and jumping off the boat onto the mat … or Tubing always a hit with the kids

 

[monty55]

To the OP...
I've been around boats most of my life, and they can be a lot of fun, they can be a money pit, and they can be dangerous. But there's nothing like being on the water at dusk or dawn when it's glassy smooth and the cool freshness of a large body of water fills your senses.

Avoid a wooden boat unless you have a lot of money and time for maintenance.
As long as the boat has a sound hull and is on a sound trailer, then the motor will be the area of concern you should really pay attention to.

I can tell you from 50yrs of experience on the water with many boats of my family and friends that have them... if you see a boat with a Chrysler motor on it, run away as fast as you can. It would be a critical mistake to doubt this advice.

I highly recommend Mercury motors. If you can afford it buy a new 4 stroke outboard and you will have many many days of enjoyment on the water without the problems associated with older motors. 4 strokes are cleaner and quiter than 2 strokes. If you buy an old used motor, of any brand, you should be prepared to do a rebuild on it sooner than later.

If you have to screw around with the motor on the water every outing it won't be long till it's no fun at all and becomes a money pit. If you end up selling the boat, a newer motor will increase it's value and ability to sale.

If this is your first time to own and operate a boat, you should familiarize yourself with the "rules of the road" for navigating safely on water. Make sure all your lights are working and you have a good life vest for everyone on board. People are injured and killed every summer on boats. Usually due to human error. Don't skip this. Just because there's no stripes painted on the lake doesn't mean there's not a right and wrong way to steer and navigate around other boats safely.

Lastly, when it comes to a boat and motor, you get what you pay for. In 2022 I don't think $2000 is going to buy you a boat and motor that will be problem free unless they are selling it for less than it's worth.

But that's just my take. Good luck brother, and happy sailing!

 

[Sonorisis]

Several people have observed that there is an inverse relationship between the size of a boat and the amount it gets used. This is not a witty aphorism, but an empirical observation.

Less is more.

 

[alan73]

My annual costs for a $6000 pontoon are :
900 for marina dock spot in WI - 4 months
400 for winter storage
100 for Chemical cleaning of pontoons
100 or so engine/gas flush end of season
29 for insurance
50 or so a year for registration

If not keeping boat at marina, Boat launch fees are 5-10 dollars . some weekends you sitting in line for a half an hour or more to get boat out.

I personally love having the boat on the water ready to go . The marina/dock fees are worth it to me , makes spontaneous boat trips easy. Used boat 26 times first season (thank you Covid lockdown), 15 second season , and maybe 10 this year

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

My folks had a place on a lake (later in life and then their full time retirement home) and my dad kept a boat and we got a lot of enjoyment out of it with our kids (no lake home when I was growing up, lol, I spent my summers planting/ cultivating/walking beans/teaching swimming lessons/mowing yards). For years I kept a fishing boat and a hoist at his dock and did a fair amount of panfish, walleye and bass fishing, but once my kids left the nest and it became obvious my folks wouldn't be living there much longer, I sold it. I probably should have sold it a few years earlier - the last two years I owned it it was on the water exactly two times each season - the day the guy that stored my boat dropped it off, and the day he picked it up in October, haha.

I'd been taking trips to Canada for many years and caught plenty of fish up there, and still do a little from shore in various spots - but, it was a lot more fun for me with my young girls whether at a pond or in the boat.

Like anything else, it's a $$$/fun equation and if you think it will be fun you ought to at least find out!

 

[scloyd]

I bought a pontoon with a good friend and neighbor. Our kids are the same age and we hang out a lot together … I love boating in the summer . I’m generalizing but boat people are some of the most fun people View attachment 165173View attachment 165174

As mentioned in a prior post, my parents bought a pontoon and kept it at a marina in Fox Lake (Chain of Lakes, N. Illinois) and it was a lot of fun. Very costly, especially for Dad. Great memories too.

I had a friend who had a cabin in northern Wisconsin, Townsend, and we would have "guys only" weekends up there. There's something special about hanging out with your buddies on a boat and then pulling up to a lakeside restaurant/bar for a burger and a beer. I haven't been on about in at least a dozen years. After reading this thread...now I want a boat.

 

[instymp]

Occasionally I feel like the cat in this meme;

View attachment 164934

I live on a lake, have many lakes within driving distance, and I think my kids would get a kick out of it. On the other hand, I've heard that 'boat' stands for "bust out another thousand". I'd be looking at getting something like this for a few grand.

View attachment 164935

Has anyone gone the boat route and loved it? Hated it?

Cool boat.

 

[JamesJPettit]

I grew up around really small boats. Sure, I got aboard larger boats, sailboats, ferry boats, lake mail boats, etc. But what we owned were small. My dad built a nifty "pram" sail boat with a bright blue hull and a bright red sail, and we spent years sailing and rowing it. In my own right, I owned a handsomely designed Old Town Penobscot canoe for years, and enjoyed paddling the lakes and rivers in N.C. So I love boats and boating. The downside is, even small boats need regular attention and maintenance.

For years, I had a garage that stored the canoe easily, but later moved to a house where it had to be stored outside, and pine resin on the hull became a problem. My dad's little sailboat finally got stoved by careless parking of a car in the garage. (I'm glad to say, it wasn't me.)

Living on or near a lake or other body of water is ideal, to factor out travel time, especially if the boat can be securely stored on the water for easy quick use. I've never had that luxury. Larger boats require serious discretionary spending, so it is not only a matter of budget, but of family agreement on wanting to go boating and enjoying the experience.

So my suggestion would be, start with something modest, see how the boat fits into your schedule and family life, and keep an eye on opportunities to sell the boat if it becomes little used or too much of a burden. I finally sold my canoe for a church auction. I was glad to have owned it, and it was a relief to sell it for a good cause.

I really like your suggestions: "start with something modest, see how the boat fits into your schedule and family life, and keep an eye on opportunities to sell the boat."

 

[shanez]

Here's my boat:

 

[Flatfish]

Buy a cat they said.
Really fast they said.

This was me the weekend before last.

 

[Python 357]

The saying is, theres two best days in a boaters life: When he buys a boat and when he sells the boat.....

 

[daveinlax]

The saying is, theres two best days in a boaters life: When he buys a boat and when he sells the boat.....

Bring
Out
Another
Thousand

 

[Ebarber]

I've been contemplating a boat also for a few years. We have a few lakes around here in Ohio. My wife and I also go up to Maine every summer for a couple of weeks. We've been going for around 25 years. We've pretty much seen everything from the road on the coast and I think it might be really neat to have a boat up there. I would like to harbor hop and be able to stay on it instead of getting a room.

Waterfront rooms are getting expensive also and I think a boat would probably be a good way to wake up on the water with new scenery every morning. I think it would be a whole new experience for us up there. It's getting to be kinda of a hassle reserving rooms up there too.

We used to just go looking around until we felt like turning in then look for a hotel. It was fun and spontaneous but you can't do that anymore. The last couple of times we tried to do that we almost ended up having to sleep in our car.
I really miss not having to plan our trip and just do as we pleased. I think a boat would let us do that again.

I'm just trying to figure out something trailerable but large enough so we aren't cramped.

I've been looking at the Boston Whaler 285 Conquest pilot house. The beam is manageable at 9.5'.
I have a one ton dully so it would pull about anything I could want.

 

[scloyd]

Boston Whaler 285 Conquest pilot house

That's a boat! I vote that you buy it. You only live once.

 

[scloyd]

Are boats readily available at dealerships or is it similar to the car market? I recently had to order a new 2022 Toyota Tacoma truck, expected delivery date is 6-8 months. The only Tacoma I could find locally was $4000 over sticker, so I passed on it. I can wait.

Is the boat market the same? What about used boats? Over priced like cars?

 

[sandollars]

I have a house on a lake and spend my summers there. I have a pontoon boat because the lake is full of fish and a pontoon boat is a stable fishing platform for dunking or angling. The lake is at 9000 feet above sea level so the water is too cold for tubing or water skiing so my little 120HP is more than adequate. I have had great luck with Honda engines.

Annual costs are $400 for the slip for the season and any maintenance needed which so far has been about 400 per year. Well worth it in my case. I pull it out every year and take it to my winter home, storing it under cover at the house.

All that being said, they best way to enjoy a boat is still to have close friends who own a boat…. Puffy. I am the “friend”. LOL!