I live in a lakeside community and I'm tired of looking out at the lake. I want to be in it cruising around and playing but there is a problem, I don't know anything about boats. I see boats here and there for sale but I really don't know what to look for when deciding if it's worth the price or if it's just a piece of junk that may or may not float. Anybody here have any experience with boats that can give me a few tips on what to look for?
I thought about jet skies but while I really want it for fun, I also want to chill, relax, get a little sun and some fishing.
I've owned five boats in my life.........nothing huge, smallest being a 15' whaler with a 70HP evinrude, and the biggest being 22' bay boat with a 150 Yamaha. Renting a boat is very expensive...........but not NEARLY as expensive as buying and maintaining one.
this pretty much sums it up. how often do you really think you're gonna use it? if it sits there 360 out of 365 days a year, is it really worth it?
That's pretty close to what a friend told me. She said, "You want to know what it's like to own a boat? Drive down the freeway with your windows down and start throwing money out." Lol is it really that bad? I really don't know how often I might use it. I would like to think it would be quite bit but.....I don't know.
I've reported everyone who suggested jetskis. I hope you all get banned. If you are on or near water then having a boat is awesome. Like everything the more you put into it the more you get out. Does your community have a marina or slip? That makes all the difference in the world. If you aren't sure sure don't sink $30-60 grand into a boat. Sail boat, ski boat, fishing boat, cabin cruiser, pontoon, deck boat,'runabout, center console, what kind of boat do you want? You might as well have asked, I live by a road, what kind of car should I buy.
my dad told me the 2 best days in a mans life, is the day he buys a boat, and the day he sells that same boat.
I have a slip but there is also a couple of marinas within 5-10 minutes from me. Some of the boats I've been looking at are similar to these http://www.ablboats.com/90360 http://www.ablboats.com/89696
since you admit to knowing little about boats, you probably know little about the true costs of owning one. not to discourage you, especially if boating and fishing is what really you want to do, but this is a good blog post i think you should read. http://livingstingy.blogspot.com/2010/01/why-i-sold-my-boat.html
If you have a slip use it. Nothing like being able to walk out your door and go for a midnight cruise or a quick afternoon swim. The first boat you posted is an all purpose runabout boat. It probably seats 6 comfortably (plus a kid or 2) The second boat is a nice deck boat. It's much larger and better for a large group. It's big enough to anchor some place and walk around on. Notice the difference in price. I'd suggest checking out your neighbors boats, go to a boat store to window shop and have a sales guy show you the differences (don't buy new) or even better go to a boat show and see them all under 1 roof.
This is correct - very expensive and turrble resale value. Eveybody I know who has one regrets the purchase because the use/cost ratio is scary.
