I may get out of the motorcycle sport all together in the next year or so. If I do, I want to get into something that involves the whole family. I've thought about an RV or a boat. When I say boat, I don't mean one of those eleventy thousand dollar ones, but a nice used 6-10 passenger fiberglass fresh water ski boat, with some occasional fishing. (more ski than fishing) I wouldn't want to spend over $10k. Is maintenance a bitch / expensive? How many hours is an engine good for before it needs some maintenance, and ~ how much is the maintenance? Again, just a nice used boat to ease into the hobby. And I did a search, but couldn't find anything.
The boat cost thing isn't necessarily accurate. Maintenance is the overriding factor in this. Moreso than anything else with an engine. But if you put the work into maintenance, it will save you trouble later. My inlaws had boasts for several years with honestly no problems. Chapparal, if I remember correctly.
The stress thread had me thinking... With my job and always working, when I do have time off, I'd like to get the family together that doesn't include my daughter with her face in her phone, and my son wanting to watch Netflix. Something outdoors that we can all enjoy. And last summer we went out to Lake Whitney for the day on a friend's boat. My wife said she hadn't seen me relaxed like that in a long while.
I follow you on the stress and family time... I've got two good buddies with boats; one pays for a slip, the other trailers. Every time they talk about their boats, all they carry on about is another expense or having to work on them. I'm not saying they're a bad thing if that's what you're into - they just don't seem to be all that leisurely when you own one.
Pay for fuel for friends boats. Its a bit less convenient but way cheaper. The only toy that uses up more $ than boats are airplanes.
I know nothing about boats, other than they create a hole in the water you throw money into. So, I have a question.... Will your 10k buy a boat that has a head? If not, ask your family, where/how will they go potty. My buddy talked to me about partnering on a boat, one without a head. He has experience in this, I don't. I asked, where do we go, when we gotta go. "Over the side" Well, yeah, but what about where the wimmenz go? "Over the side" Was a deal breaker for the wife.
I was in the Coast Guard and when we would go out on small boats people would piss on the back deck and the water would wash it away. It is not very sexy watching women piss on the back deck...
That's a nice looking entry level boat. The ad doesn't mention the hours on the motor and not all boats have hour meters. I'll tell you, six adults would be darn near overloading that little boat. The 3.0 engine is very dependable but a bit underpowered. What kind of water would you boat on? Lakes I assume? You just want to putt around?
Yes, local lakes. And it would mainly be me, the wife and my two kids (10 & 4). If I was concerned with fitting more adults on board, I would get a pontoon.
A boater has 2 happy days as a boat owner. 1st happy day is the day he buys it. 2nd happy day is the day he sells it.
I've been around boats since I was born. Dad was Power Squadron and I was Coast Guard. Personally, I think these stories about boats being money pits are hogwash. If you have owned a motorcycle then you know typical maintenance keeps everything running smoothly. My dad had big Chris Craft wood boats and I owned smaller fish/ski type. Sure, if you go the wood boat route you will have more to work on but you aren't looking that way. At our station we had 2 boats with Mercury's and 3 with Evinrude/Johnsons. Our mechanics said buy Mercury if you want more speed but a bit more maintenance and buy Evinrude/Johnson if you want total reliability but a tad less speed. I had a 115 Evinrude on my boat and in 10 years I had to do nothing to it. Ran perfect. Unfortunetly I have no experience with the Honda/Yamaha motors but from what I've heard they work great. One big thing to keep in mind......how into boating is your family really going to be? I bought mine for similar reasons but after a few times the family just wasn't into it. OK by me, I had plenty of friends that wanted to go out. Just keep in mind that it might eventually be your toy.
I bought a 2003 Chaparral 180 SS (18' Bowrider) with a Merc 4.3 last year. Best thing we have ever done for the family. I hit an unmarked rock cluster and screwed up the lower unit. I bought a new unit and installed myself. I had no clue what I was doing but I watched some U tube videos to help me. It was easy. I wouldnt get anything smaller that a 4.3 engine......We paid $9200 for ours if I remember right. I can tell you if its clean and priced like that you better be ready to jump on it cause there gone in a flash. We looked for a long time and my wife finally realized there is no "lets think about it" if you want the one at a good deal. Give me a call if you have any questions. I will help the best I can. I did my own winterization for the first time and it was a breeze.
Similar story here, my dad always had at least one boat. I think the outboards were less work than a motorcycle, wasn't much to do on those. Run them out of fuel at the end of the day and keep the batteries charged. I've been eyeballing boats myself lately.
Kurt knows the trick......I would unplug the fuel line on mine and let it run out of gas while somebody was getting the trailer. At the beginning of the season I had a set of cups for the outboard and bought a can of Evinrude Spray-Tune. Just spray that into the carbs while the engine was running and it would be ready for a summer's worth of boating. That was all of the maintenance that I ever had to do. Most inboards are just as simple, I just always seemed to get an outboard.
