I want a boat...and have no clue where to start.

[Fergie]

Okay, I'm looking to buy a boat here in a few years, and want to start my research and knowledge base now, so I can make an educated decision.

I'm looking for something in the 50-80k range, new or used, that isnt too showy, but has some power to it, and is versatile, so sorta like and XJ.

I want to be able to make a trip from say, Annapolis, MD up to Maine or to NYC or out to one of the other islands, or even to FL.

What should I be looking at as far as type and brand of boat? I'd like to stay away from sailboats for now, but move on to them once I am more experienced.

Thanks.

Fergie

 

[BruteXJ]

You know what they say about the two happiest days of owning a boat....



The day you buy it,



































....and the day you sell it.

Just a word of warning.
Buy two or three kayaks instead.

 

[Root Moose]

Okay, I'm looking to buy a boat here in a few years, and want to start my research and knowledge base now, so I can make an educated decision.

I'm looking for something in the 50-80k range, new or used, that isnt too showy, but has some power to it, and is versatile, so sorta like and XJ.

I want to be able to make a trip from say, Annapolis, MD up to Maine or to NYC or out to one of the other islands, or even to FL.

What should I be looking at as far as type and brand of boat? I'd like to stay away from sailboats for now, but move on to them once I am more experienced.

Thanks.

Fergie

So were you thinking about a cabin cruiser kinda of boat or something more like a power boat with a below deck cabin?

I've always thought that a converted lobster boat would be pretty cool. Got that retro look and very functional for ocean going. Depending on size can sleep six or more.

The old Chriscrafts are very cool if you like retro too.

Lately I've been thinking about a sport and fish style bass boat. Pretty much rights off ocean going but I'd rarely get to do that anyway being land locked in Ontario. A sport and fish can be used for family cruising or water sking and bass fishing or in my case as a floating photo blind. Shallow draft means it can get into the shallow stuff without getting grounded (to a point of course).

Just some ideas. I went into wanting a boat blind as well, haven't bought (yet) but at least now I know what to look for. The adverts are pretty overwhelming until you narrow it down. They aren't well categorized the way car and truck stuff is.

HTH

 

[Captain Ron]

Stay away from older Chris Craft's, and all wood hulled vessels... trust me, you don't have the time or money.

In that price range, I'd be looking at Grand Banks.

I'd also start sailing first, powerboaters just never seem to get it

--ron

PS: Seriously, it's easier than you think to learn to sail. Go straight to the nearest yacht club, and tell the desk "I am rail meat". Your phone will be ringing off the hook...

 

[RichP]

I've looked around, I tend towards salt water and fishing but like the high speed capability. Guy I know up on cape cod has a 30ft Grady white, twin 200 outboards and that boat flies and it's in your price range
Seafox makes some nice stuff too, Consider that the boat and the power packs are two different items, not like a car where you get one or two choices of motor. There are some scary options out there. Personal preference is outboards, easier to work on and replace. Boston whaler and Donzi, their ZF series is nice, has a cabin and head.
If their is a wife involved then cabin, enclosed head and comfort come into play big time. I passed up a good deal on an 18ft grady white with twin 80 yamahas on it, 3 years old with trailer for $8,000, had less then 30 hours on it, guy bought it and died and the wife just wanted to get rid of it.
As for best place, I'd have to say virginia to florida, people like to get rid of them every year or two so they can get the newest and bestest . Seen 2 year old boston whaler rampages going for a 1/3 of what they cost new but usually they don't always come with a trailer, alot of people reuse theirs.
'A boat is nothing but a big hole in the water that you dump money into'
Back in 80 I came within a hairs breadth of buying a 50ft Morgan down in St Petersburg Fl. It was $50k and georgous, black with teak, payments were within my means and all I needed was a good airport to work out of. Then I started adding up the dockage, water, sewage, electric, insurance, cleaning the hull 2x a year and that took it waaaaay over the edge. Bought a house instead.
Good luck, I figure glenn and capt ron will pipe in soon on this one. I think Bones was into boating too at one time.

 

[Fergie]

Yeah, this whole boat thing will be awhile, so I've got plenty of time to look around.

We'll be in MD within the year, so I'd like to go out with some folks on their boats, just to get a feel for everything.

Those Banks look nice, but look BIG!

I guess I just need to see one up close and take a trip on one to see how all of it is.

Fergie

 

[Kejtar]

Seriously, it's easier than you think to learn to sail. Go straight to the nearest yacht club, and tell the desk "I am rail meat". Your phone will be ringing off the hook...

Yeah, I am going to second the sailing bit. If you're looking for a place to start, checkout local colleges and universities and see if they're offering any courses. You will get to see if you like it and whether sailing is for you.

 

[Glenn B]

As a former Marine Mechanic, I will offer that you stay very, very far away from Blow Boats (sail boats). The only thing worse than a blow boat, is a blow boat owner.

In that price range, if you are looking for comfort you may wand a displacemet hull boat. A Nordic Tug would be nice.

Anything in that price range that gets up on step will cost you dearly in fuel.

But as Ron says, stay away from wood. I will add stay away from wood (teak) trim too..... unless you want to spend a lot of time doing the trim.

Displacement with a diesel is good. You can get a lot of boat and room. Avoid the Bayliners and all of those cheap "chop gun" crappy boats. Not worth it.

BTW... I live on an island, and no longer own any boats... if that tells ya anything. I make a buck or two running others boats from time to time... and that is great. But owning a boat is like owning a hole in the water that you just keep tossing money in to.

Stay away from older Chris Craft's, and all wood hulled vessels... trust me, you don't have the time or money.

In that price range, I'd be looking at Grand Banks.

I'd also start sailing first, powerboaters just never seem to get it

--ron

PS: Seriously, it's easier than you think to learn to sail. Go straight to the nearest yacht club, and tell the desk "I am rail meat". Your phone will be ringing off the hook...

 

[Lawn Cher']

I'm no expert, but I've been a boater since I was 16. I've been slowly upsizing and have found that a well cared for used boat is a better value than buying new. Granted, my experience has only been with trailerable outboard powered fishing boats, but lately I've been pondering something with interior comfort, diesel power and cruising range.

I would suggest you start small rather than jumping into big boat ownership.

 

[Fergie]

Good point Mark.

I was looking at SeaDoo and comparable boats online yesterday, maybe something in the 5-8 range first.

Fergie

 

[Lawn Cher']

Good point Mark.

I was looking at SeaDoo and comparable boats online yesterday, maybe something in the 5-8 range first.

Fergie

Seadoo? A jetboat? You've gotta be kidding me... They are like the riced out Honda Civic of the boating world.

 

[Fergie]

Seadoo? A jetboat? You've gotta be kidding me... They are like the riced out Honda Civic of the boating world.

As I said...I have no clue where to start.

 

[Captain Ron]

Yeah, I am going to second the sailing bit. If you're looking for a place to start, checkout local colleges and universities and see if they're offering any courses. You will get to see if you like it and whether sailing is for you.

I like the YC approach better. It's free, and they feed you. And if you get into weekday evening racing (called beercan racing) you get free beer. Like to see you get that at Orange Coast College.

As a former Marine Mechanic, I will offer that you stay very, very far away from Blow Boats (sail boats). The only thing worse than a blow boat, is a blow boat owner.

Now, Now. I've never engaged in that debate. I have a soft spot in my heart for stinkpotters... Someones gotta do race committee, set racing marks, etc...

Seadoo? A jetboat? You've gotta be kidding me... They are like the riced out Honda Civic of the boating world.

More like Clorox bottles with a water pump. Sheesh.

Thank god they are practically banned in most ocean venues.

--ron

 

[OverlandZJ]

Check out "Cruiser" brand boats, nice boat for the money.

Get yourself a 20-21 footer with a small cuddy, learn the ways around it then start looking for the 30'+ cruisers.

I grew up around boats,and worked in a Marina for a time, it can be an expensive hobby...more so than Jeep. :laugh3:

 

[SoNjJeep]

my family had a 27 foot Grady White Sailfish walkaround with full outriggers for years and years with twin 300 outboards... could cruise comfortably at 40+, had a small cuddy cabin with a small dinette and a head, god how i miss that boat.... it was trailerable as well

 

[RichP]

my family had a 27 foot Grady White Sailfish walkaround with full outriggers for years and years with twin 300 outboards... could cruise comfortably at 40+, had a small cuddy cabin with a small dinette and a head, god how i miss that boat.... it was trailerable as well

If you can call 27ft trailerable that is be a toss up as to which costs more, the boat or the truck to tow it there and back, it's like towing a garage almost only longer . I still recommend an 18-20ft to start, two engines is standard on a salt water goer outboard just for safety so if you loose one you can still get back to port, not a major issue on lakes and stuff where there are alot of people around. The Gradys are well made and are built to handle some pretty hard water and still float. Again I'd start used and if the power plants have more than a few hundred hours on them get it inspected by a reputable boat shop and ask for maintenance records. The gradys, whalers, seafoxes generally keep their trade in value too, the reason they are resonable around here used is the sheer number of them [like XJ's they were expensive when they first came out, now there are a ton of them out there for good prices]. Have no clue what the market it like in landlocked states that are 500+ miles from the nearest salt water. Estate sales are good places to find them too, as are believe it or not, Yard Sales, at least up on the cape.

 

[01XJLIMITED]

Like anything, quality construction and components go a long way toward resale value. Gasoline or Diesel? There are negatives and positives to both. Ease of maintenance is critical for time and money reasons. Do you plan on doing mechanical work yourself? If not, you could go broke chasing down diesel problems. However, diesel is the only way to go for larger power boats (36 and up) simply because of the power and torque available. Reaching and replacing parts like belts and filters, cleaning strainers, bilge pumps, zincs etc. is much easier if you don't have to be a contortionist to get to them. Be sure you can get the oil out of an engine without spilling it all over the bilge. Can you get to the transmissions and shaft logs, or is it a dreaded v-drive configuration? Is there an engine hatch, or do you have to tear apart the salon to get to the engines? I personally will never buy any boat with a color other than white or near white. Colors fade. A closed water cooling system (heat exchangers) should outlast a raw water cooling system easily - salt water eats boats. I agree that teak and other materials may look nice but are time consuming to maintain. I replaced all exterior teak with Starboard (marine composite material) and I get lots of compliments about it. For the trips you're talking about, you want comfort and safety so you can run in heavy seas or weather if you need to, and eventually you will need to. Running offshore with single power or under powered boats can be foolhardy. Make sure you can carry enough fuel for the trips you plan. Know how much you consume while running. Lots of battery power and correct switch configuration to charge/save battery power is critical. How about electronics? Radar, gps chartplotter, fish finder, VHF etc etc. I would reccomend having all of the above at least. Definitely a cranking stereo as well. Visibility? Can you see over the bow when you power up? I have a flybridge, so I have all the visibility I need. What about when you are tied up at the doc? Refrigerator? Air Conditioning? Microwave? Yes, all of the above. I lived quite comfortably on my boat last year from May to September. How skilled is your crew? Will you be able to get into and out of your slip by yourself? In the dark?

As anyone around boats knows, they are expensive and time consuming to maintain properly. Do yourself a favor and narrow down the selection of what you are looking for (make and model) then look at everyone of those models before you buy. You will see everything from bristol condition to floating death traps, and everything in between. Pictures are one thing, but seeing a boat in person is the only way to assess it's condition. The well cared for boats stand head and shoulders against the mistreated scows, and you can tell immediately. Second thing, before you buy, hire a qualified marine surveyor. They are worth the money. Look into SAMS to find one. Get the engines surveyed as well. Diesels can get a little expensive if you start doing oil analysis, but why spend 80K if you don't know what your getting? Most important, take the sucker on a sea trial! There is no point buying a boat if you don't like the way it runs or handles.

Good luck. If it's your first boat, buy the one that you think you would buy the second time around, that way, you save money in the long run. If you find yourself saying, "I wish I had inboards, or I wish I had a generator, and so on, get it the first time out. You won't regret it. A good boat broker will be able to provide a ton of information, plus they can tell you what other boats of the same model have sold for recently.

Find a guy that just bought a new big boat, then buy his old boat! He definitely wants to dump it since he as to maintain two boats now!

Remember what BOAT stands for - Break Out Another Thousand!

 

[Bent]

I've been wanting to go this route, in my spare time that is.

retirement

 

[Captain Ron]

I've been wanting to go this route, in my spare time that is.

retirement

Bruce Roberts? I know some may say classics... but I say unliveable crab crushers.

Don't do it Tim. I can give you a thousand reasons, retirement or not.

Most of the people out cruising that are intensely dissatisfied with their boats are of the hombuilt category. Own or crew for at least 10 years before even thinking of building. A 5 year stint in a yard would help too...

If you must, I'll give you Dennis Choates number. Get a bare hull and deck from him and finish it yourself.

--ron

 

[Bent]

Bruce Roberts? I know some may say classics... but I say unliveable crab crushers.

Don't do it Tim. I can give you a thousand reasons, retirement or not.

If you must, I'll give you Dennis Choates number. Get a bare hull and deck from him and finish it yourself.

--ron

Bruce was just a link to express hand building the craft. Wooden hull 'cause we get along and it's one thing I've not had a chance to build, yet. Actually sail the thing? :dunno: That's not the point, only that it sails well.

...hombuilt category...

I'm offended! Besides that, it's all about the plans. As an apprentice it was explained to me early on, "You can't make chicken salad out of chicken $h!t".

It's not the kill but the thrill of the chase.

TIM