First Boat - Dream or Folly??

[2Dive4fun]

Here is one of my boats for sale.

http://www.northwestdiver.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1331&stc=1

 

[SeanQ]

Our plan was to buy a little nicer trailer in the spring. However, out of the blue, my wife says to me, why not buy a boat?

Talk about role reversal! Keep your eyes open, be patient and the right boat will find you.

 

[Nemrod]

I think a V6 Ford Ranger has a tow capacity of 5,000 lbs which should be sufficient ofr a 17 foot Whaler or similar. RIBs will be more expensive and hard to find. The Whaler will likely cost quite a bit more than 7,000 dollars and especially if well kept and with a newer engine. We have towed our 19 foot Whaler which is in the 4,000 lb range or so easily with a V8 Tundra Toyota (7,000ish tow package), a Jeep Liberty (5,000 lb tow package) and now with a brand new 06 Tacoma which has a 6,500 lb tow capacity. The Tacoma, oddly, gets almost as good gas mileage towing as the Liberty gets not towing--go figure. As a long time Toyota owner it is hard to beat a Toyota.
As to the boat, we bought our boat new so I could actually use it and not work on it. So far it has been money and maintenance free except for ol, gas, lower unit oil and acessories we have added and continue to add. We have camped on the boat but actually we prefer a hotel room at night.
I think the original poster is not going to do well with only 7,000 dollars. He has had a great time with a travel trailer and maybe that is what he should continue with as a boat, especially a older used boat can be very costly. If he picked up a nice trailer then in time maybe he ould add a nice 14 foot inflatible with a 25 to 35 horse engine. Good luck to the both of you. N

 

[wreckchick]

Boats are great! I love them, I spend as much time as I can on boats! But.... (you knew this was coming) if you really want to know what being a boat owner is like, take a new crisp $100 bill and go to your nearest marina, light it on fire and drop it in the water. If you don't mind the idea of doing that 3-4 times every few months, get the boat, otherwise get another trailer

Good luck with whatever you chose to do!

Rachel

 

[Nemrod]

Sorry for a second post in a row but this thing about spending money and how boats are a hole in the water to which you throw money is perhaps an exaggeration. I have owned several boats, several airplanes, bunches of cars and motorcycles etc and have found boats no different from any other such device. If you buy new cars or boats etc or very well maintained machines they will serve you well for a long time with minimal cost. If you buy the low dollar machine prepare to pay big time, pay now or pay later. What I like to do is buy new stuff, run the miles/time on it until it starts requiring more than regular maintenance (and while I still have good resale value) and then sell it to some fellow who thinks he is getting a good deal and let him do all the work, meanwhile, I just go get me another new one. For cars that is about at 60 to 75 thousand miles and for boats it has been say every decade but I went a few without a boat also so forgive me, I ain't perfect. My point is that a trailer kept boat in your garage bought new or nearly so with warranty will cost a minimum of upkeep. Newer outbaord engines are extremely fuel efficient compared to those from only a few years ago with much reduced environmental impact and noise impact--and they are more reliable too. Quality boats like a Whaler or several others will require very little other than a rinse and wax. Trailers require brakes and new tires, boats need batteries, fuel, oil, gizmos but all in all you could spend lot's more money chasing some stupid ball around a huge grassy area that used to be covered in nice trees---GOLF---yuk! N

 

[matt_unique]

...
More rambling advice that is only MY OPINION and will surely draw fire: Stay AWAY from Bayliners & Force outboards. A force is NOT a Mercury! My preferred boat brands are Sea-Ray, Four Winns, Chaparral, Mako, Boston Whaler, Stingray, hoo boy, this could get long. There are a TON of brands out there that will serve you well. As for outboards I have three favorites: Mercury, Mercury, and um, Mercury. Inboards: Mercruiser or OMC. Some folks have had great luck with the Volvo-Penta's....

Those who tell you to stay away from Bayliners usually know NOTHING about them. Usually the same people who have paid triple the cost for a similar sized boat and need a means to justify it.

All boats ever made have had recalls and people who have had bad experiences with them. Bayliners do not have a higher incidence of any of this. Bayliners are the number 1 selling boats in the U.S. and have TONS of repeat buyers. From personal experience I can only comment on Bayliners year 2000 and newer.

Here are the facts.....there are lots of good brands of boats and engines. Sea Ray for example is considered the top of the class in terms of cruisers. They are the most expensive, have beautiful trim, great reputation, excellent resale, etc. Grady White is considered the top of the class in terms of center console utility type boats. Most expensive, great reputation, unsinkable, excellent resale, etc. They are best described as utility boats though - no comforts such as those you would find with any cruiser brand.

Bayliners are as reliable as any other brand you can buy. They use the exact same engines as all the other brands (Mercury), same outdrives (Alpha and Bravo's), use the same systems such as bildge pumps, their stringers do not get any more or less wet than any other cruiser brand, etc., etc. They are not sold or touted as the boats with the most expensive trim. If you want a teak galley with marble countertops - this is not the boat for you - you would be a better candidate for Sea Ray. They are not sold or touted as unsinkable boats that could survive a tidal wave if cut in half. Though ironically, the sea conditions that would supposedly "sink" a Bayliner while a Grady White remained afloat would be far beyond the capabilities of any Captain, crew, or gear. With this in mind, is it worth double or triple the price? Bayliners are not heading to port while other brands remain at sea. If you want a reliable boat with a solid hull, engine, and primary systems, Bayliner is an excellent choice.

There are lots of people perpetuating misinformation about the Bayliner brand. A common misperception is that of cost - "they are cheaper so they must be of lesser quality". Nonsense - they are cheaper primarily because of the economy of scale realized in production. They buy materials, engines, etc. in bulk and they pass on that cost savings to the consumer. Bayliner cruisers are not made with the finest trim materials such as teak and marble as I referenced previously. Using other materials for this purpose helps keep the cost down as well.

I have owned my 19' cuddy cabin since it was brand new in 2000. I use it primarily for diving (typically carry 3 divers w/ doubles, deco bottles, etc) and about once a month I weekend on it at an island. I have the Mercury 3.0L 135HP I/O with the Alpha 1 outdrive. My boat has proven to be a tank. I have always loaded heavy and ran it in some decent seas out to 22 miles offshore. I plan to move up to a larger cruiser in 2 years and it will definitely be a Bayliner. I had no bias when I was shopping for a new boat back in 2000. I researched several brands and kicked the tires in them all so to speak. I was in the market specifically for a 19' boat and the space engineering, cost, and primary components (engine, etc.) represented the best bang for the buck.

I have found this to be the case for the larger models as well. The most telling example of Bayliner quality is the number of repeat buyers. Bayliner has an owners club online (baylinerownersclub.org) and tons of excellent resources including marine technicians who have owned several Bayliners. I suggest you do some research there to learn more about a model/year you may be interested in. You will get straight information - good or bad. All members are consumers who expect a reliable boat. Like with many boats, there are models and engines that you may want to avoid. Force engines are a prime example.

To the original question - you would be hard pressed to fulfill your dream with $7G. No matter what boat/brand you decide to buy, get a marine survey. In my area these are $350 a pop.

--Matt

 

[CON8IV]

Those who tell you to stay away from Bayliners usually know NOTHING about them. Usually the same people who have paid triple the cost for a similar sized boat and need a means to justify it.

From personal experience I can only comment on Bayliners year 2000 and newer

As I say, I used to WORK for a boat shop here as a mechanic/fabricator. This was in the mid 90's. The Bayliners of that era and just a bit before usually ALWAYS had ruined seats/upholstry. The materials they were using, at least then, were absolute garbage. And, yeah, my Four Winns still had the original seats/upholstry at 19 yrs old when I sold it and looked very good.

Bayliners are as reliable as any other brand you can buy. They use the exact same engines as all the other brands (Mercury), same outdrives (Alpha and Bravo's), use the same systems such as bildge pumps, their stringers do not get any more or less wet than any other cruiser brand, etc., etc. They are not sold or touted as the boats with the most expensive trim. If you want a teak galley with marble countertops - this is not the boat for you - you would be a better candidate for Sea Ray

The hull is probably as reliable, as are the other systems you mention. Note the first boat on my list of preferrd boats is in fact Sea-Ray. If you have a Bayliner with a Merc, great! You just need to take extra good care, preferrably indoor storage, of the "interior components" if it's vintage is late 80's to 90's.

There are lots of people perpetuating misinformation about the Bayliner brand. A common misperception is that of cost - "they are cheaper so they must be of lesser quality". Nonsense - they are cheaper primarily because of the economy of scale realized in production. They buy materials, engines, etc. in bulk and they pass on that cost savings to the consumer. Bayliner cruisers are not made with the finest trim materials such as teak and marble as I referenced previously. Using other materials for this purpose helps keep the cost down as well.

They are cheaper because they use cheaper components in some cases. Go to a boat show and compare side by side. To be fair, I have not been to a show in a few years, so have not seen the absolute latest models.

I have owned my 19' cuddy cabin since it was brand new in 2000. I use it primarily for diving (typically carry 3 divers w/ doubles, deco bottles, etc) and about once a month I weekend on it at an island. I have the Mercury 3.0L 135HP I/O with the Alpha 1 outdrive. My boat has proven to be a tank.

Ok, again it was back in the 90's that I was in the employ of the boat shop. And Bayliner has improved their quality control and overall quality as can be seen and felt in the NEWER ones. In order for Rick to stay within budget, he probably needs to look at boats made, well um, in the early 90's. MAN! I wish we could get away with motors that size here at altitude. You need way more power up here than at sea level, especially with a 2-cycle outboard, which of course equates to $$$ spent at the gas pump.

Force engines are a prime example.

We agree!

To the original question - you would be hard pressed to fulfill your dream with $7G. No matter what boat/brand you decide to buy, get a marine survey. In my area these are $350 a pop.

Again, Matt, we agree on this. I'm glad to hear your boat has been awesome for you. Heck, you have convinced me to give them a look when I buy a new boat which will likely be in a couple years. The price is about the same for a survey here.

 

[lamont]

The debate on bayliners got me looking at them. You can find some 24' boats in the $7k price range on craiglist like this one, which rick might be interested in:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/boa/101262795.html

The 19' ones run even cheaper.

I'm extremely hard on cars, and I'd probably be extremely hard on a boat too. As long as the engine and hull are solid, I'd actually consider it a bonus if it came with pre-ruined upholstery and seats.

 

[FOUNDATIONER]

The two happiest days in a boat owner's life are:
The day he buys his boat.
The day he sells his boat.

Stick with a camper.

 

[CON8IV]

I'm extremely hard on cars, and I'd probably be extremely hard on a boat too. As long as the engine and hull are solid, I'd actually consider it a bonus if it came with pre-ruined upholstery and seats.

Haha, well everyone's got a different viewpoint.

Maybe I'd be less apt to climb the walls when someone comes on board with muck-covered lake shoes and steps right squarely on the closest seat, then wipes them on the deck or carpet:cussing: