How many here have a boat?

[kowski]

Started with a 16' 1960 something Sea Ray with a 75 Johnson. Then a 22' 1973 Sea Ray Cuddy 165 hp I/O. Good on gas. Then a 1990 21' Sea Ray 250 hp I/O run about. Trailered all of these to the ramps. Bought them used so the depreciation was minimal. Last was our 24' Catalina pontoon with a 65 hp outboard. All of that was on the Great Lakes in Michigan. Now we are in Florida and I'm keeping an eye out for another pontoon. Wife thinks the $16-3 hour ride down the Withlacoochee River per person at our favorite restaurant is fine. : They were all a lot of fun in the sun though.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

And I agree, Budman's pilothouse looks big-time! That has some serious range!

don't let the pilothouse fool ya. nice boat but that's a coastal cruiser probably with a planing, not displacement, hull. my guess is 300 mile range at cruising speed of 18 knots.

 

[TargaDave]

Targa Dave -- Looks great. Are you down in North Carolina?

Yep. OBX = Outerbanks. We're soundside on the Albemarle up around Kill Devil Hills. From April to Oct the local sailing club runs Wed evening triangle races just outside the harbor on the sound. We can either join in or spectate from the deck. Used to race in a Hobie fleet many moons ago and I really miss it.

Name for the 38 footer? I'm partial to "Empty Pockets" (one of the great names on this site)

Carolina skiffs are great basic no-frills boats. Ours is a "Sea Chaser" bay boat they make, not a true flat bottom skiff.

 

[Budman]

Budman, that is one very awesome pilothouse.

[/quote]

Thankya kindly! We like her. Her name is Ocean Breeze and we are getting anxious to launch in May.

 

[Budman]

don't let the pilothouse fool ya. nice boat but that's a coastal cruiser probably with a planing, not displacement, hull. my guess is 300 mile range at cruising speed of 18 knots.

Our pilothouse has a semi-displacement hull, with 440 gallon fuel tanks. 370 cummins diesels. Our range is approx. what you have indicated. But at 1000 rpm we will get approx. 900 miles (as rated, we have not tried that distance/speed out yet).

 

[Enuff2Eat]

don't get a boat unless you are really rich period. otherwise, you will be like poor people with bmw or mercedes. you will eat marcoroni and cheese, break your back waxing, cleaning, and spend most of the time parking it instead of using it.


enuff

 

[Budman]

don't get a boat unless you are really rich period. otherwise, you will be like poor people with bmw or mercedes. you will eat marcoroni and cheese, break your back waxing, cleaning, and spend most of the time parking it instead of using it.


enuff

Hey, Hey, Hey, that's my mac n cheese you're making fun of!

But you do make a good point...if you do not have the means, then you should not buy a boat!

 

[dessert]

My most enjoyable hobby is fishing. I also have always owned a boat. I could own a fish market with what I have spent fishing but it's a lifestyle choice that I am lucky to be able to afford. Have never regretted owning a boat. In fact when I retire I might purchase a second one, just for saltwater fishing.
You can't justify the ownership but then again if you want a boat, then purchase a good used one and always remember to LBYM.

 

[Marshac]

My dad bought a 32' macgregor sailboat, and i'm scared to death of it.... I helped him fix it up, got the rust stains off the hull, and we went sailing. He's a semi-experienced sailor, although this was the first voyage in his 'new' boat. The day was going well... sunny with a decent breeze. Then the wind came. No, this wasn't like the wind in forrest gump, but just a strong breeze which kicked up some decent white caps. No biggie... just take in some sail. Right? This is where my newfound fear stems from..... the roller furling jib wouldn't roll.... it would unroll, but wouldn't roll back up. Now we're in the middle of puget sound surrounded by whitecaps with WAY too much sail out. Ok, so we turn into the safety position... except now the jib is violently flogging. Awesome. My brother (a programmer) tried to "hug" the jib in order to contain the sail, but he's only 5'10" which left about 30' to flog in the wind. I moved him out of the way and manually rolled up the jib, but I had to sit there on the bow (lest the jib unfurl again) with only a small railing keeping me out of the sound until we got back to the dock. I have never been so happy to be back on dry land. To this day i'm credited with 'saving the day', but I haven't been out on that boat since. Instead I ride my yamaha waverunner....

 

[REWahoo]

I posted on another thread that I'm selling my boat. If the buyer shows up and his cashier's check is good, my cost of ownership over the past six years will look like this:

$9,800 - Purchase price (used)
350 - Repairs & maintenance
720 - Insurance
280 - License & registration
(6,500)- Sales price
$4,650 - Cost of 6 years use (excluding fuel and boat launch fees)

$775 per year is relatively inexpensive for a 'big boy toy". I had a great time with it, but it's time for it to go.

 

[MMM]

I've got a Seahunt 186 escape w/115 yamaha. Great for short trips out the inlet and around the bay. For now I'm in NJ. 45minutes by boat from door to Atlantic City. Goody for me!

MMM

 

[youbet]

350 - Repairs & maintenance

Just so others don't think this is typical, your $60/yr for repairs and maintenance would be extremely low. That would barely cover supplies for winterizing. And all work would have to be done by yourself. So, yes, if you get lucky and have zero repairs on a used boat over six years, your cost could be this low. But, I'd use your $350 as an estimate for each year as a more typical number.

 

[BUM]

Still coming to terms with boats. I own 3 empty boat slips. I kinda like it that way.

 

[justin]

Just bought a boat last night. $40 for a 4-person inflatable boat. Got out on the lake by myself last night after work. Hard to paddle solo. May need to get a paddling buddy, or oars, or a kayak paddle, or a different boat!

 

[FinanceDude]

Just bought a boat last night. $40 for a 4-person inflatable boat. Got out on the lake by myself last night after work. Hard to paddle solo. May need to get a paddling buddy, or oars, or a kayak paddle, or a different boat!

That's not a boat, it's a "dinghy".............

 

[yakers]

. May need to get a paddling buddy, or oars, or a kayak paddle, or a different boat!

You may need all of those. Get a kayak. A four person inflatable is only good for easy whitewater or a diving platform at the local lake. Hard to make go in one direction. Do not go out with your wife and expect to get somewhere. Double kayaks without rudders are called 'divorce boats' and I can only imagine that trying to direct an inflatable raft is worse (except for going down a river).

 

[justin]

You may need all of those. Get a kayak. A four person inflatable is only good for easy whitewater or a diving platform at the local lake. Hard to make go in one direction. Do not go out with your wife and expect to get somewhere. Double kayaks without rudders are called 'divorce boats' and I can only imagine that trying to direct an inflatable raft is worse (except for going down a river).

We have been out in jon boats at the local city lake plenty of times and had no problem. In what way would this inflatable be different from a jon boat? Lack of keel?

I usually have significantly more powerful power/forward strokes than DW, so I have a little downtime for corrective strokes like J stroke or rudder strokes.

I managed to get the inflatable going so-so with 1 forward stroke, then a couple rudder strokes.

I wanted to get this inflatable so the family can go out on the lake we live on. Other suggestions for a family-sized paddle/oar operated boat that can be carried/dragged 50-100 feet to waters edge?

 

[yakers]

The problem would be the lack of a keel or skeg and the lack of a rudder. really good canoe paddlers may be able to keep some forward progress with j strokes and compensating paddle technique but I find it tiring to paddle four times on one side to one on the other to keep going straight when a rudder solves that. The big problem with inflatables is they can get really blown around, usually too much freeboard and surface area for flatwater use. For two and even three a kayak or any number of boats work. There are good inflatable and folding kayaks which you assemble at the water edge. I have a large folding double kayak which has often taken three people out. Past 2 or 3 it gets harder to get a large functional inflatable or folding boat. I know of some Russian models. For hard boats there are more options but they can get heavy and expensive but add more seaworthyness.
Now if you are just taking your inflatable raft (I have one, not used in a long time) out to the lake to play, its great. But if you actually plan to paddle accross a lake and carry food and camping gear then just plan to do the crossing before afternoon winds come up or make sure the winds are behind you or you may not get to your destination. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[FinanceDude]

We have been out in jon boats at the local city lake plenty of times and had no problem. In what way would this inflatable be different from a jon boat? Lack of keel?

I usually have significantly more powerful power/forward strokes than DW, so I have a little downtime for corrective strokes like J stroke or rudder strokes.

I managed to get the inflatable going so-so with 1 forward stroke, then a couple rudder strokes.

I wanted to get this inflatable so the family can go out on the lake we live on. Other suggestions for a family-sized paddle/oar operated boat that can be carried/dragged 50-100 feet to waters edge?

Wouldn't a good ole rowboat chained to a tree work? All you have to carry is oars............

 

[justin]

The boat is mostly just for screwing around on the lake and 'sploring. The lake is pretty small - approx 1500' long and 250-300' wide. The wind typically blows straight towards my house if at all, so I can always get back home. Or I can beach the raft and then carry it back up the shore. Looks like I'm already back in the market for a "better boat"

 

[AFloat]

We live aboard a 46’ Nordhavn trawler and plan to cruise from Seattle to Alaska and then down to Mexico and beyond in the next 5 years. Not the cheapest thing we can do but for us it’s what we want. We have spent the last year selling the house and clearing out all of land side baggage so all we own is on the boat and in a small storage locker. The freedom is fantastic.

If you are serious about living and cruising on a boat, do it. Damn the cost. You can spend as little or as much as you want.

“There's nothing half so much worth doing as messing about in boats."

 

[yakers]

Wow, big boat! Trade you my 5 kayaks and camping gear

I dream about full time boating but it would take a big lotto ticket or selling the California house to get a big boat. Maybe wife & I should crew around, do trawlers need crew or is it only sail boats?

 

[d]

i've had two sailboats ... both wonderful ... and always more expensive that can be anticipated. knowing that before hand, the expense did not diminish the experience. but "things" happened, and i no longer had the time to spend sailing ... now that i have the time back, i no longer have the required strength.

 

[Portland]

I have a 22ft Grey Seal , and couldn't be happier.
I have her on a swing mooring that costs me $50 a year , and I can easily trailer her home , if I want to work on cleaning the hull .
Otherwise , she trailers very well behind our 4x4 camper , so we can go whever we want , sailing , or trailering , then sailing.
The fuel tank holds about 20 litres , so every now and then I'll take her for a long run under engine power , just so I can put a little fresh diesel in , apart from that , its all plain sailing !.
Regards Rob Johnson.

 

[Portland]

Here are a couple of photos of my boat Huon Seal.
Regards Rob Johnson