Overwhelmed: I want to buy my first boat

A boat with twin outboards will allow more space within the hull for your family. Talk to your friends/family who already have boats about what they think might be best for your family. Don't worry about your teenager that much; s/he will be out of the house before you know it! Choose a boat which your wife [th] will enjoy.

I don't know what you've read/heard about Rinker's, but I know several people who have them and rave about the boat! Make sure there is a good dealer in the area for service and you'll do fine!

Also a lot of your questions can be answered in a boating safety course by other boaters......
 
You are already ahead of the game by coming here. On top of that, we only charge 15% of the money you save for our beer fund by listening to us. <G>
 
Two years ago I was "overwhelmed", wanting to buy my first boat. Today I'm a happy boater, even more so, I'm addicted to boating!... and I hope you will soon be too!

BTW, don't rule out buying new. I went that way and as long as you get a good price and not pay close to the MSRP, you may not regret it. We bought for 30% off the MSRP for example. All boats have issues and twice now I've made a nice list of them, gone back for service and been taken care of under the warranty. Buying used sounds nice, but if you get a big problem it can turn out to be expensive really quick. With a new boat most problems won't cost you a penny to fix them, and you can learn basic maintenance and troubleshooting before everything starts breaking. So if you're not particularly handy or experienced with boats (my case when I bought), going new is a good idea IMO.

Plus the head has not been used. :D

BTW, I wouldn't go with anything under 30' for your size family. I think a slip will be a must to get a big enough boat where you can all overnight.
 
so if i end up buying a bigger boat and spending more money, then beer is on you?? I love this forum!!
 
When our boys were teenagers I don't think they spent a single night in the cabin. They "camped" on the flybridge. The girls slept on the converted dinette and we had the stateroom. It was a 35' boat, but many smaller boats offer similar accommodations. Even a Sea Ray 240 Sundancer could do most of what you describe.

Of course the best way to enjoy boating is to make friends with someone who already has the boat and likes your kids. Even if you pick up the tab for all the gas and beer, you'll be dollars ahead!

Seriously,

1. Boat shows are an education in options. Take the opportunity.
2. Buy used but have the boat surveyed by a competent (many aren't, so ask around) surveyor.
3. Take a safety course and a seamanship course (you don't need a boat for this). Then hire or bribe a captain to help familiarize you with your boat when you get it.
4. Don't hog all the work for you and your spouse. Let the kids be part of the team. Give them a sense of ownership.
5. The sooner you pony up for a slip the more you will use your boat.
6. Remember that the purchase price of the boat is only the tip of the iceberg. Gas to tow it there, meals in route, fuel for the boat, annual maintenance costs, insurance, property taxes, marina fees, bottom scraping, etc. all combine to be a large part of the overall expense. Allow for that so that you are financially comfortable and your stress level will be much better.

I can't think of a better way to raise kids than on the water. IMHO you're heading in the right direction. Good luck!
 
I just bought my first boat and I also have a 4runner. There's no way your going to drag around a 26 ft boat with that small of a vehicle. My boat is a 2000 Four Winns Horizon 180 with the 5.0 in it and my runner does not like towing it much at all. It's fine because I only live 5 minutes from the lake but there's no way I'd try to do hard travel with her. I really don't think that for a first boat you should be going "BIG". I'd stick with something small till you get experienced. This is my first boat, but I grew up around boating and there's still a big difference and a lot to learn for myself.
 
I purchased a 25' SeaRay Sundancer this past winter and have been trailering it with my Suburban. I am just below max capacity as far as weight goes fully loaded, but it pulls it fine. I have to admit after launching it twice, I am looking into getting a slip. There is a stress factor getting in the water and out of the water. I have 3 kids under 7 and coordinating with my wife to get the boat loaded with gear and kids and then reversing the process on the way out is the stressfull part. The launching and recovery is not horrible, but with boats waiting at a busy ramp, it can be difficult. If I had a 2 hour ride home after getting everything loaded back on the trailer, I would get a slip.

MJK
 
quote:
Originally posted by STEELA

$11/ft? I'll take it!!!!!

Click to expand...


Steela if you like that... How about 7/ft + 30.00/mo shore services?

Across the harbour it's 13/ft but it's rack stored and one call does it all.

Wholby, one more factor to add is it may be 2hrs to the coast (by car) but with towing a cruiser it's going to add a good half hour to an hour to the trip.

Also, in case anyone wonders... if you try to pull a boat/trailer out of the water that is at or right above your towing capacity don't do it during low tide!!!!!

2235.00 USD to replace pump and rebuild transmission on an all wheel drive expedition.
 
My point is much like "King5899". You can take all the classes you want, but only experience is going to teach you what you really need to know. There's nothing like having people waiting on you to teach you how to launch a boat. That's usually when you forgett something important. "Did you put the drain plug in?"
 
You cant spend too much time sitting around on boats, walking the decks and finding out if the boat fits. Either do it now or start shopping for your next boat right after you realize you made a mistake. Bigger may be easier to handle and all boats shrink within three months of purchase.
You do need to set a price range and figure where you will use it, bay,coastal, lakes, fast or slow long distance or just day trips etc. All boats are a compromise and the houseboat is great for a lake or river family fun house while a sport fisherman is great for three guys to rough it for a weekend of fishing. Good news is there are lots of boats available but I suggest you only consider one where the owner was personally diligent in mechanical maintenance. “Professionally maintained” may be meaningless but an anal previous owner is always a free gift. You may pay a little more but will benefit from his knowledge and work.
 
I 2nd the Rinker. I have friends with those boats & have heard nothing but good things. Nice boats IMO

Budget is going to be one of the biggest weighing factors here. What are you looking to spend?

A comfortable stay overnight with a family of 5. Hmmm.. that's going to be a double edged sword. I would suggest looking at cruiser's that have climate control along with a generator. A forward sleeping cabin along with a aft cabin. Again back to the double edged sword. To get what I just suggested is going to put you in the 30' + class, which will make it difficult to trailer & will almost force you to have your vessel in a slip. Now if you sacrifice length for something you can pull from home, you might not be happy & end up upgrading after a short amount of time and costing your self money.

Been there done that :)
 
I have a Regal 2465 cabin crusier. It is about 27 feet, 5100lbs dry. It has the v-berth bed, a mid-berth queen and the possibility of making the topside backseats in to another small full sized bed. I do have a family of five as well (3, 5 and 13) and I cannot imagine spending a night, never mind a weekend out there on the boat with all of them. A few things to consider if you are going to be away from a marina for a while, there are a few things to keep in mind. The capacity of the holding tank, water tank(s) and if you get a small cabin cruiser you will most likely not have a generator. This means that you will be relying on your house battery(s) while you are away from a marina. That is okay if need it for a minimal amount of lights and maybe have the radio on for a little while. If you get in to keeping a refrigerator running, TV, DVD player, etc then you will need a hell of a battery bank to do that. Keep in mind too that you will not have AC in a smaller cruiser and that AC = absolute need for a generator. You also need room for coolers for food and a way to cook the food (most appliances in the boat require either a generator or a LOT of battery juice).

I love my family, but in my boat things would get way too tight for comfort for anything more than a day.

I have a 2005 Dodge Ram, 4x4 with a Hemi. I have towed my boat about 50 miles and it is not very fun. It is do-able, but not very fun. I have no fear of towing anything. It is not the most fun boat to get on and secure to the trailer. I also have no fear of putting a boat on a trailer, it is just hard to winch it up.

I hope this helps.
 
I missed the family of 5 comment. That will be tough.
 
My boat came with one of those silly alcohol burning stoves. Worthless! I immediately brought a Mr Stove butane burning stove onboard. Between that and the Magma Marine Kettle BBQ, I'm all set for a weekend on the hook.
 
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