anyone here own a boat?

[Nanotech9]

i'm thinking about buying one if i can ever sell the bike and the other car...

my price: $4500ish... maybe a little more. MAYBE. But its winter coming up, so prices should be lower this time of year (or very soon).

what i'm considering is either a Jet Boat (the kind with the motor sticking up, but will still seat like 6ppl), some sort of small cabin cruiser (like under 25ft.) or just something fun. No, NOT for fishing... for toolin' around on the lake, and maybe taking some friends.

something makes me think i would have lots of friend all of a sudden if i had a cool boat... i dont know if thats a desirable thing or not... hummm.

oh, and i dont care if its from the 60's, just that it has a good hull, good motor, and descent hardware/seats etc....

any opinions/suggestions?

[oblongmelon]

Does and Olde Town Canoe count?

[dbax791]

Have you ever had a boat before? Are you planning to waterski?

I own a jet-ski and have friends with boats and my first piece of advice is that you need to go in with the attitude that a boat is going to be a complete money-sink, it is completely impractical, but you know that going in and you don't care :D

Some more warnings...you have to pay for boat insurance ($200-400/yr), trailer tags, they eat gas like its nobody's business (30-40$/trip), and you have to pay ramp fees. Moreover you have to keep them well maintained (200-600+/yr) with tune-ups, battery replacements, plus unscheduled maintenance - serious repairs can be $1000+. I also guarantee 1-2 trips per season where you drive all the way to the lake and have to come right back because it wont start or dies in the water. You may also inadvertantly tear up the prop which is fairly expensive to replace.

With that said, it is a good idea to buy a used boat b/c their value drops like a rock once they hit water. If you are willing to accept the costs and frustrations, then I say go for it. It is a lot of fun! Good luck!

[Nanotech9]

noooooooooo :P

let me give some examples of whats in this weeks boat Trader:

1977 Carver Cruiser, 26' Santa Cruz Cabin, V-8, 235Hp, O.M.C. drive, dual station, fly-bridge, full head w/ shower, full galley, low-hours, clean, no trailer: $6000.
(coment: very cool looking boat, kinda old, but hey, some new parts on it).

1979 Carver 28ft, twin Chevy 305's, dual controls, dock air, shore power, $6000 (on lake, no trailer). (looks like it has the fly-bridge awning)

1973 Tahiti Jet boat, seats 8, stereo, enclosed engine, transom exhaust, power trim, rescent upholstery, new steering cable, $3995
(:eek: Jet Boat :D)

1978 VIP 20' Chevy V8, Mercruiser I/O, very plush int, low hours, 2nd owner, water ready w/ extras, $3995 (its in Kansas, looks like it comes w/ trailer, and awning)

1984 Bayliner Cuddy cabin cruiser, 19' rebuilt Volvo I/O, 20 hours, EC, w/ trailer. $5500


ok, now does anyone know what lake fees are, and or what wet dock (?) fees are / month?

[Nanotech9]

Originally posted by dbax791
Have you ever had a boat before? Are you planning to waterski?

I own a jet-ski and have friends with boats and my first piece of advice is that you need to go in with the attitude that a boat is going to be a complete money-sink, it is completely impractical, but you know that going in and you don't care :D

Some more warnings...you have to pay for boat insurance ($200-400/yr), trailer tags, they eat gas like its nobody's business (30-40$/trip), and you have to pay ramp fees. Moreover you have to keep them well maintained (200-600+/yr) with tune-ups, battery replacements, plus unscheduled maintenance - serious repairs can be $1000+. I also guarantee 1-2 trips per season where you drive all the way to the lake and have to come right back because it wont start or dies in the water. You may also inadvertantly tear up the prop which is fairly expensive to replace.

With that said, it is a good idea to buy a used boat b/c their value drops like a rock once they hit water. If you are willing to accept the costs and frustrations, then I say go for it. It is a lot of fun! Good luck!

just saw your post...
as you can see, all the ones I'm looking at are in the 70's and early 80's... mots of their value has faded (hopefully) and they're at the point where some repair has been done already by the current owner.

What I'm figuring is get the boat this winter, use it next summer, and sell it before labour day ( i think thats when your supposed to sell right?).

No, I've never owned a boat before, and i dont even have a vehicle to pull one over prolly 18 or 20'. I dont plan on trailing a skier, unless i get the hang of it really fast. Maybe a tuber.

The kind of boat i'de like though would be more of a "stay IN the boat, chugg around, maybe park it out a ways, go fer a swim, get back in, eat lunch, etc...". Maybe something i could trust my brother w/ and let him take his new wife out on the lake with some afternoon.

When it comes to stuff like boats, were both pretty responsible, and neither one of us drink, so thats a plus, and we've always been taught to not "horseplay" with water craft.

Thanks for the advie, and hopefully here in oklahoma, the ins. and fees are a little cheaper!

[dbax791]

Oooh - OK, my first impression was that you were looking for a ski boat, but it looks like you want a large cabin cruiser.

Well, in that case, you would have to dock it in a slip. Don't know what the fees are in OK, but I would expect about 60-150/mo. Also you can increase the estimates on both the insurance and the maintenance with a large boat, so make sure to reasearch this first!

Also, make sure you buy that little boat-grill as your first accessory!

One other thing if you are adventurous. I don't think it applies to you since you plan to sell at the end of the season, but I had some friends that bought a large boat and set it up so that they counted it as a second residence for tax purposes. All finance interest was tax deductible.

[Nanotech9]

wow - i wouldnt mind financing an actual house-boat and living on it for a year or two... I've always kinda wanted to do that (just like McGyver!)

[Nanotech9]

*bump*

what about this one:

Boat On Ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1012355318)

[Kim]

Don't forget your winterization/storage fees. Also, I don't remember if it was mentioned, but you have to pay yearly property taxes. (unless this is just a Utah thing??) I agree with whoever said that boats are like a money sink...Here we have to pay 10 bucks each time we use a state park, or we can get a season pass for $50. You should seriously consider skiing or wakeboarding...it's lots of fun, and you'll find you have lots of new friends if you do ;) Good luck finding one in your budget.

[styleee]

Originally posted by Nanotech9

something makes me think i would have lots of friend all of a sudden if i had a cool boat... i dont know if thats a desirable thing or not... hummm.


i'll be your best friend!

seriously, i SO want a boat. and no one i know has one. it makes me so sad. i think i'd rather have a boat then a house. cause boats are so much more fun!

[zenbooty]

My Dad once owned an old Chevy Impala station wagon. Does that count?
How about my brother's old 70's Matador?

[Jihforce]

Ok Nano, one question, are you going to tow your boat with you little bmw? Or are you going to have to fork out some more cash to buy a truck with some torque that can move that boat?

[Jihforce]

Originally posted by styleee


i'll be your best friend!

seriously, i SO want a boat. and no one i know has one. it makes me so sad. i think i'd rather have a boat then a house. cause boats are so much more fun!

So that's what it takes to be styleee's best friend huh? Sheesh...talk about high maintenance. :P

[styleee]

Originally posted by Jihforce


So that's what it takes to be styleee's best friend huh? Sheesh...talk about high maintenance. :P

i'd settle if you had some ocean front property ;)

[Jihforce]

Originally posted by styleee


i'd settle if you had some ocean front property ;)

Would you settle for a 5 min drive to the beach? :P