All that being said, if I were a novice and going to buy a boat, I would buy a pontoon boat. One that could get out onto the water and cruise around that you can fish or swim from.
I have a 21' Pontoon on Lake Travis. When I was looking at buying a boat a few years ago it came down to a couple of factors: What am I using it for? - Are you going to ski, wakeboard, tube and such or are you a guy who likes to cruise the lake pick a spot, jump in the water and drink a beer guy. From what you're looking at in the pictures, it looks like you're more of a water sport guy. If you are using it to fish, you might want to pick something that has a live well and chairs to fish out of. We have 2 jetskis right now, so going fast and such wasn't a big deal to me. I wanted a boat that you could pick out cove and be more as a base to float around and hang and jump on the jetskis when I wanted to. Since I have 2 small kids I wanted something with room for them to walk around. If you want to look cool on the lake and invite hot chicks in bikini's on your boat (who doens't?) then you might look into a Wakeboard boat, but they get pricey and, but hold thier value really well. Motor type - In/Outboard, or just outboard - From the boats you're looking at in the pictures, those are the inboard/outboards. The two most popular for those are Volvo and Mercury. I think the Volvo Penta is a better engine, but for the amount of time most spend on boats the Mercruiser is adaquate. Since you have slip and keeping it there, you're going to have to winterize the engine. Also if you look into outboards, which are easier to upkeep, but don't react as well with Ethenol in gasoline, look for a newer 4 stroke. They are much easier to upkeep and have a water seperator to keep it clean. They are also very quiet as opposed to the older 2 strokes Brands- The two you showed are decent boats. For run-abouts, you might also look at Chaparral, Monterey, Rinker, VIP. I would stay away from Tahoe boats..I hear they are poorly made. Cost- Since you are looking used, you can find decent deal on people who rarely used the boat and looking to get out of the payment. I wanted the new boat warranty and a low cost to entry, which is why I chose a pontoon. Not sure what you're looking to spend
i believe it was my second cousin's brother in-law's auto-erotic asphyxiation spotter who said "the two best days of a boat owner's life - the day he buys it and the day he sells it".
Somebody on this board once told me the two best days of a boat owners life is the day he buys the boat and the day he sells the boat. I forget who.
i found out my cousin bought a big ass boat 4 years ago. i don't recall him ever using it. then again, he's one of those "i own this and you dont, and i'm better than you" type of people. so, it might have just been for show.
I bought my boat used -- if I could do it over again, I would've bought it brand new. Ran into a few problems that weren't easily discernible when you're buying a used boat. My advice: if you're getting a boat, buy it brand new -- there should be a lot less problems. The difference between a boat and jet skis is vast though -- I would much rather have a boat. EDIT: I bought a wakeboard boat, which looks like the ones you're looking at. I'd probably recommend what bobrek suggest -- a pontoon boat. You can still pull tubes and water skis (depending on type of pontoon boat), while also being able to entertain guest comfortably on the water and fish should the need arise. Fishing off a wakeboard boat wasn't the easiest thing in the world.
We bought a boat used last year and used it 2-3 times a week over the summer here in Austin. We taught the whole family how to wakeboard and let us spend a lot more time enjoying the outdoors than just sitting in the house watching TV. My brother and I went in half on it and we bought it for $5400. It always starts right up and runs great so we haven't had any repair costs yet. Even if the boat was stolen today, I would feel that I got $2700 worth out of it last summer alone. It's just a 17ft I/O Larson and not one of the big fancy wakeboard boats so it doesn't really take that much to get out on the water. My wife didn't want a boat at first but she's been really happy that I talked her into it. She actually is ready for us to get a bigger boat. :grin:
My cousin's husband and her bought one of these yachts (forget the length but not too big) for like $280K or around there that has the works including twin engines, top deck, cabin with kitchen/living area and two bedrooms/single bathroom, entertainment system, etc. . I can go out on Lake Lewisville on that pretty much whenever I want if I call ahead. But, I'm just not that enamoured with boats like that. It's something to do I guess but yachts like that, besides total eye candy, really serve no purpose to me (aside from partying on it which is usually the result any time we go out on it). You can't ski behind it and it's not really a fishing boat (albeit you could but would rather just use a bass boat). A lot of money spent just to cruise around a lake on occassion. I would not get one even if I were rich. Half the time...he just goes out there to sleep on it on a weekend night and it doesn't even move from the slip. Granted, it's something to do and maintain and clean the spider poop off of. But, it's just not something that fascinates me in any way, shape, or form. It's a fluff status item imo. It's kind of cool to drop anchor in the middle of a lake to get away from it all, imo, but not for that price. I think part of his reason for having one is just to get away from the wife as he knows she won't want to come most of the time. lol. To each his own.
