25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

[Fordiesel69]

Trying to get an understanding of folks that own a 25' single engine, do you mostly sit at the dock and party, or go out anchor up then party, or actually boat under power? I am looking to step up to a bigger boat, but absolutly cannot justify paying a small fortune to sit at a stinky fishy dock and roast while the smaller boats are out having fun.

 

[Steve Mahler]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

odd question-no one is forced to hang at the dock.....regardless of the size of the boat.

a 25' boat can be just as sporty fun as a 20'.

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

What I am getting at, is fuel cost and enjoyment = the ratio between the two.

I see 30'+ boats maybe leave the dock once a month, what fun is that? I guess fuel is too high for them.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

The gas does burn quickly. I figure about 1.5-mpg -I run 3500RPM at 30mph.
We run about 20 miles round trip to the local sand bar hang out and spend most of the day standing in chest deep water consuming adult beverages.3 times a weekend
I try not to have to run back in to pick up late arrivals so we'll hang out closer in while waiting.
The only time I spend time in the slip is cleaning & maint-. it is not my idea of fun. Now some of our marina friends have large house boats & decks to hang out on.
It is sad to see a lot of boats that never/ or rarely move though.

 

[180shabah]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

Depending on the exact boat you end up with, overall fuel usage could be about the same. Higher burn rate at cruise, but no skis and tubes can offset that in a hurry.

We are considering a similar jump in size - probably go big cuddy rather than small cruiser, but my current boat is only 18' and can get close to 5mpg cruise. Anybody want a very nice Mariah

 

[J. Howard]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

I do a lot of both. On the weekends, I am almost always out on the water cruising around, tubing, people-watching through the various harbors, cruising through the river and looking at the city, etc. I will also head to the boat on weekend nights quite often and just hang out with friends at the dock if we don't feel like taking the boat(s) out. I don't consider our dock to be a "stinky fish dock" as we all really enjoy it out there. We have a lot of really fun people on our dock and we grill out, throw the frisbee for the dog(s) to swim in the water, listen to concerts, and just enjoy ourselves.

I agree that it doesn't really matter what size your boat is to answer the above question; it's just a matter of preference and what you enjoy. If you're worried that moving to a larger boat will cause you to cut back on what you enjoy most because of fuel costs, then that sounds like a very valid concern for your scenario. I can say that I get a ton of enjoyment out of my boat without burning through a ton of fuel, but I suppose it's all relative. I definitely don't run WOT all day long buzzing around the lake, but that's not all that fun to me anyway. I will do that now and then to enjoy the high speeds, but I have a lot of fun floating on the lake with friends too, and that doesn't cost any gas.

 

[Bluepike]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

Boats and boating are both a compromise. I spent most of my life as a trailer boater. When it came time to get my present boat, I decided to look at it from a different angle. I really enjoy my time out on the water but having a larger boat actually afforded me to be able to spend more time on the water.

When you are talking about 25 foot boats, you are in the pocket cruiser range. Now we are talking about having a fridge and air conditioning in the cabin for those muggy nights and spending the night on board. Nothing better then getting up in the morning, making a pot of coffee and watching the sun come up from the cockpit of your boat. Then go out fishing.

It sounds like you didn't get a boat to just sit at the dock, neither did I. But that being said, It is nice to get out on the lake after spending the night onboard in relative comfort.

 

[JoLin]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

I cruise some, I raft up with friends, I make day trips to Fire Island. I use the boat the same way I used my 21' outboard when I owned that. I don't 'hang' at the dock. You boat wherever and however you want to.

For the record, my current rig seems to use about the same amount of fuel that my 21' Pro-Line with 175 Johnson did. I've only owned it since last year, but I figure about 2 mpg. The big difference in stepping up is in the amount of 'stuff' on the boat that now needs my time and attention. I have all the systems of a small house that I need to inspect, repair and maintain. Not complaining- I like the boat, the accommodations and the ability to stay out for a night or two... but there's more overhead than there used to be.

On the other hand. the wife and I are planning a cruise with a small convoy of Power Squadron friends at the end of July- east along the south shore of Long Island, through the lock at the Shinnecock canal and into Peconic Bay, ending up at Greenport on the the north fork of LI, where we'll dock at a resort-type marina, and sleep aboard for 4 nights before heading back. We wouldn't be doing that in the Pro-Line.

Have fun and good luck!

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

Anybody want a very nice Mariah

If that's an adult beverage I'll try one !!!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

Sis & Bro in Law have a 29' twin Yammy 225 4strokes, they fish almost every weekend, more at one of the resturants and stay aboard Sat Nite. Then fish Sunday, and to the ramp and trailer.

 

[Philster]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

I visit all my friends who sit at the dock in their cruisers.

I use my boat more than they do, but not because of engine size and economy as much as the cruisers are more about hanging out.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

We always ran our boat on nice weekends when we lived in Mich. there are a lot of people who just use their boat as a cottage and enjoy it that way.
Everyone has their own preferance of what enjoyment is.

 

[bcons]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

A couple yrs ago I switched lake boats, from a 19' Supra wakeboard boat to a 25' cruiser. I brn the same amount of gas normally. I get MUCH more use out of the bigger boat. Toilet, fridge, cabin, more seating/room, BBQ, etc....
I still take my kids tubing & Kneeboarding etc. Just also enjoy drifting, or anchoring off a sand bar or boaters only beach.

 

[DianneB]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

I quite new to boating and it took some experience to find out I am a bit of a wharf rat - I love living aboard and watching the commotion on the docks, visiting with other boaters, going for coffee (and not having any yard work and a minimum of housekeeping). It is better than having a cabin at the lake!

I am a tourist on the lake, usually found floating along at 5 Knots watching the scenery and in my 21' Sylvan bow-rider that only cost me 1.2 (Imp.) gallons per hour.

I have just "traded up" to a 24' Lone Star cabin cruiser - better suited to my preferred use - but it hasn't gotten wet yet. If my fuel consumption is even double the Sylvan at 5 Knots, I will be happy and my mooring is only $150/year more than the Sylvan.

 

[180Fisherman]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

Just to play devil's advocate here, I'll be the one in the 18' center console meeting up with you guys anywhere you want to go and I guarnatee you I'll be having just as much fun as any of ya'. Not that I'll be burning any less gas though. My little 4-banger OB drinks like a fish.

 

[cpubud]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

you wont find me sitting at any marina . too much fun to be had out and about, tubing, on the hook swimming, rafted up with friends. we do it all with our cruiser. And there is nothing better than watching the sun rise over calm water with nothing but nature noises in the background. love it.

 

[180Fisherman]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

Depending on the exact boat you end up with, overall fuel usage could be about the same. Higher burn rate at cruise, but no skis and tubes can offset that in a hurry.

We are considering a similar jump in size - probably go big cuddy rather than small cruiser, but my current boat is only 18' and can get close to 5mpg cruise. Anybody want a very nice Mariah

Mariah's are nice boats and they are not bashful when it comes to loading them up with horsepower. I have two friends that each have the 21' bowrider and they are getting low 70s mph out of them with big fuel injected 454s and bravoIII drives. Sweet interiors and killer sound systems on those things too.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

So far, the boat has been in for a month or so. I have been considered a dock rat, simply due to very little time, and a few odds and ends to take care of. Should be doing a sunset cruise tonight or tomorrow though, to check out the wiring that we redid.

There is a bit more work with a larger boat, but you allow yourself to stay out for longer periods of time and be more comfortable.

 

[dave11]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

My big boat is only 23 ft. If I was just going to sit at the dock, I'd stay at home. If I'm on my boat, I'm going somewhere.

 

[legoman67]

Re: 25' owners, do you sit at dock, or boat mostly?

i work at a local marina, and have for the last 4 years, there are boats from 15-65ft that are annually moored. The actual hours of use is probably the same for the most part between difference sizes, its the frequency of uses that varies.

For example many of the 15-25' boats are people who like go to fishing, they use their boats 2-3 times a week on average, for about 2-3 hours a day.......

the 30-40' go out maybe once or twice a month, they are usually gone 2-3 days, sometimes longer...

40-50' go out maybe once every 2 months, usually for a week or more

50+ go out about once a year, but usually are gone for 1-2 sometimes even 3 months.

We have a 64' nordhaven that sat for about 6 months, the owner just signed that he would be gone until September 2011...


There are also many people who just like being out on the water, and they hang out and socialize on the docks, or they are cleaning/upgrading/repairing things.

there are also boats that i have never seen move in my entire 4 years of working there....