In the market - where do I begin?!

[dterw]

As a kid and young adult I had power boats, canoes etc. I have also sailed aboard small and large sailing vessels and cats. After YEARS of nagging I convinced my husband we should own a boat. Sadly I have been out of it for so long, and he has zero boating experience. Things sure have changed! However, we have decided to go the powerboat rather than sailboat route.

We want a boat 24' or larger that we can use primarily on Puget Sound. We have no desire to trailer it anywhere. We would want to fish, swim and just hang out, bop around the San Juans and stuff, and we have 2 big dogs too. We would like a cabin with heat, a galley and commode. No skiing or tubing, we're too danged old for that.

I'm looking for resources or checklists that will help steer us through the various options, without depending on a sales person LOL. We'll be going to the Seattle boat show this weekend but somehow I think it won't narrow down the field. Can anyone recommend web sites - or is there a "Boats for Dummies" out there somewhere?

[Bread]

my 2cents,

Can not hurt to look at Boston Whalers, Grady Whites, EdgeWater, Parkers

3 good sites

The http://www.greatgrady.com/ is a very good site
and : http://continuouswave.com/whaler/

also google "The Hull Truth"

[ahernandez]

Editor-in-Chief Randy Vance actually does have a for "dummies" book! Check out Power Boating for Dummies here!

Hope that helps!

-- Arlyn H., Boating's managing editor

[ahernandez]

Whoops! Sorry about that...try here for the link to amazon.

[trsexton]

I spend most of my time on the Puget Sound, I bought a 17 ft Bell Boy off of craigslist dirt cheap. I have found it to really to small even for fishing. Look at prices on Craigslist and you will see that they are just about giving them away. I am looking at probably doubling the size of my boat. Good luck if you need help let me know

[wgills502]

Wow. Your story sounds like my own. In fact I have a book in publication about it.

We're from CT and do most of our boating on Long Island and Block Island Sounds. We had boated for years in a smaller 17 foot bowrider when the kids were younger, tubing, waterskiing, fishing. My wife and I had been spending summers at the Rhode Island beaches at $150/per night when we decided to buy a bigger boat, something in the 25 to 29 foot range. It was October and we were running out of boating season so we scrambled to find a boat and marina before it became too late in the season fearing that if we didn't do something soon, the urge, dream would fade and we'd never do it.

We started with the boat dealers near home then along the shoreline, grabbing boating catalogues, taking notes, exploring websites like boattrader.com, ultimately finding the ideal boat for us in a marina about 45 minutes away.

Like you, we didn't want to trailer anymore and opted for the powerboat so we could get to our destinations a little more quickly. We found a slip in Mystic, CT and love it there.

The boat was like a little house, a floating cottage with all the amenities of home; stove, microwave, TV, hot running water, small bathroom with a shower, converatable snack table, storage, bed (v-berth). Very comfy.

We can get to Block Island and across the sound easily save 6 foot seas, spending our time most often in anchorages for days at a time lounging, swimming, dinking, gunkholing, exploring, shopping, dining, reading, going to the beach, whatever we feel like doing on any given day. We love boating this way and it's brought my wife together in doing something we truly enjoy to the utmost together.

Good luck with your mission in finding the ideal boat for you.

If I can help in anyway, let me know. Your post really hits home.

BTW, there really is a book known as "Boating for Dummies", but I doubt you need anything that basic. Our first year "moving up" was filled with a lot of new experiences, some good, some bad, some beautiful, some ugly, and we learned as we went, but all worth it in the end.

[Kevin Falvey]

dterw

Ran some of these. Volvo Penta uses then at their test center. Its a good place to start.

http://www.eaglecraft.bc.ca/


G'Luck
Kevin

[doorctyboater]

We have had very similar experiences as well. We are from Wisconsin and do a lot of our boating on Lake Michigan – up off of Door County. For years we have had a 18 foot StingRay. We bought her used (on a whim from a neighbor) and she has served us so well over the years – for tubing and waterskiing for the children. My husband and I spent months looking for something a big larger now that the kids are gone. We wound up finding and doing a lot of research on Craigslist. I was so surprised at the number of boat listings on there. You have to be careful though because there is some misleading information too. Dealers advertise “used boats” to get you in the see their new ones. We did wind up finding our 24 ft StingRay that way – right here just north of Milwaukee. To top it off, one of the people we met via Craigslist recommended boat
insurance from a Wisconsin based company and we were pleasantly surprised with the cost savings. So, needless to say, between finding the boat and the insurance, my husband and I have become big Craigslist fans now.

[planetboats.com]

I would suggest you first decide excactly what you want to use the boat for, then excactly the types of water you will be using it in. By water I mean bay, offshore, inshore etc. Will you be a rough water boater, or stay at home on the choppy days. These fatures can make the difference in thousands of dollars in a boat with the same features. Rough water heavier built boats tend to cost more as we all know. It is the difference of buying a Rampage, or a Bayliner Trophy in a fishing boat. Both can be nice boats with all you need and get the job done, but one is specifically better for rough seas and choppy conditions. Hopefully you get my point there... There are many nice low end not so retail names out there that make great boats!

Additionally, I feel that some boats are as well just frankly over-priced for what you get in comparision to other makes and like kind models. Price a 290 Sea Ray against a Bayliner Ciera same in length and you spend more money. Yes, Sea Ray is a nicer and better boat so they say, but is it your boat verses a Bayliner Ciera. Frankly, I do not like Sea Ray boats at all, but that should reflect in your choice. Point is they both get the same job done with like kind features. Sea Ray is long over due for a redesign if you ask me.

Marinas, well that is a whole different conversation in itself. I have managed the two largest Marinas on the lower chesapeake bay, in water and dry rack. Lots to share on that topic, as well what to look for and be aware of in a facility.

I have 30 years in the business and would be happy to consult with you on your topic. Feel free to contact me directly at captain@planetboats.com.

Kindly,

Captain Dave

[thomasc1222]

We live in Oriental North Carolina

We like going down the Intracoastal Waterway and going to Cape Loookout or Shackleford Banks where the island offers private white sandy beaches and the wild horses have roamed the island for centuries.

We also like offshore fishing so we'll head down the ICW and go offshore about 25 to 50 miles out and bring home a fresh catch of Tuna or what ever is running at the time.

Also, we are only about 25 nautical miles from Ocracoke Island, so we'll set sail across the Pamlico Sound and drop anchor in Ocracoke to spend a weekend or a few days of fun there.

There are so many boating destinations here that whatever you like to do on the water is an easy trip, whether it's only a day trip or for weeks at a time, there are so many places to go and have fun on the water.

If you want to be a part of the fun here on the water, go to:
www.carolinawaterfrontonline.com