Any suggestions for a new boat????

[tgell001]

I've had my 18ft stingray bowrider for 4 seasons now and the wife has agreed to upgrade provided we upgrade to a something with a cabin. We live in the chesapeake bay region and it can go from 1-2ft to 3-4ft real quick and a few rough rides home really sold her on the upgrade haha. So I want something that will take reasonably rough seas well. I dont fish at all and I prefer I/O because thats what I'm familiar with working on. These are my wants/needs/limitations

1. I'm limited to ~6,000lbs because of my tow vehicle (i'm willing to fudge a little bit cuz I live close to the ramp).
2. Want something with a top speed ~50mph or more
3. needs to be powerful enough to pull up a wakeboarder
4. would like a full head with a flush toilet
5. budget in the $30,000 +/- a few thousand for a good deal and willing to go 10 years old
6. Freshwater cooled and fuel injected.
7. prefer merc over volvo (my stingray's volvo made me want to steer clear)

I like the styling of the Formula 260SS but the cabin space/head is limited, and i like the amenities of the sea ray 240 but the ones i've found have the 260hp 5.0L and that seems under powered and the styling is kind of weak.

Any suggestions will be great, I've been around boats a lot but only know brands and not what products they make

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Any suggestions for a new boat????

Sounds like you have your "want" list made. It's a great time to buy in the off season. Prices are probably at their lowest right now because people want to avoid storage cost etc.

A great excuse to travel too The NY boat Show is 1-5 Jan 2014 but I think for your budget.....traveling on-line is best. I am very fond of Cobalt boats because of the quality and they don't come cheap. Keep your eye on auctions too.

Good luck with your hunt...... I am sure you will find something

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Any suggestions for a new boat????

Check with a few banks for repo's.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Any suggestions for a new boat????

go walk around the marinas and boat parking lots and you will see that the boat you want is not very popular around here. You are looking for a lake boat for lake boat boating on coastal waters and it is a square peg in a round hole. The boat you want will survive but "not take rough seas well" at all. Basically, you have a boat you can't use very often if you want comfort. Not very wise spending IMO.

But if you are sure that's what you want, there are some donzi/formula/cigarette boaters around here, many up the Eliz river and other large rivers, probably Lynnhaven as well. Talk to William at Pelican's Nest (Little Creek) about a donzi he has. You see a lot of them at the poker runs and Ballard's quad OB is a bad mamajama (you see it from 264 at Broad Creek on the eastern branch).

Do you want a cabin for overnights? Or just to get some shelter? In Norfolk, the "shelter" on a small boats rhymes with "swelter" for a reason.

To get in protected water, you are in shallow water and the i/o is a liability, but that's where you can go 50 mph--not that you will be very popular doing it. Get in open water where it's deep enough and large enough you want bother anyone, and you are like to get into bumpy water. Not always, of course; I'm looking out my window at glass right now.

Also with all the marinas around, a boat that size may do better in a slip. You then are not limited by tow and storage issues, can get a bigger boat that has a better cabin

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Any suggestions for a new boat????

The Forumla Sun Sport line is kind of a mix between the standard Cuddy and the cruisers. So, you could either go a bit bigger in the 'sport boat' style (like to 28 feet) or go with a full cruiser. The thing about cruisers in the smaller size range (26 feet +/-) with single engines is that they can be a handfull in rougher waters, as they tend to fall off plane fairly quickly, and may not meet your wakeboard requirements.

I looked at a Chaparral 27 ft (IIRC) quite a while back, and that boat comes to mind as something that might be a good fit. I think it had a stand-up head and a small aft bunk, but was still more of a sport boat layout, similar to the Formula sport boats. I would also check out what SeaRay had in the 26-28 foot range 'sport boat' over the years. . . Maybe a Regal 24 as well . . .

For Choppy water performance, look for more deadrise in the V-hull. (22-24 degrees, 18-20 degrees would be less of a performer in the chop)

 

[tgell001]

Re: Any suggestions for a new boat????

I'm aware that the walk arounds and those styles take rough water better but my ideal boat is the one tpenfield has... My dad has an 06 330SS and its the best of both worlds but i just can't afford it. The area we boat in rarely sees >4ft out of nowhere inshore where i spend the most time. And, I spend 6-10 days a summer at the lake so i do a little of everything. I'm not a hard core wakeboarder anymore but i do enjoy it a lot and would like to give that up.

Home Cookin, more specifically we put in about 50/50 at willougby and at haven creek. Occasionally we make our way to lynnhaven by way of water but ideally i'd like to be able to go to cape charles to meet my parents for long weekend because they go there all the time out of seaford. We also trailer down to the Northwest river and Chickahominy a few times a year also. Lynnhaven Marina has a 05 245 weekender with a 5.7L for 32K right now. Its a good looking boat but I want to explore my options.

I want the over night capability because we have a awesome concert venue with a marina and a festival called harborfest and I'd like the ability to stay over night at stuff like that plus if i get a wild hair i'd like to take the ICW down to Manteo or even Oacracoke.

Dry storage is not an option, can't afford it really

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Any suggestions for a new boat????

I take mine to Harborfest every year and work the "safety boat" patrol. Hope to see you this year on your new boat! If you want a pier slip, sign up now I reckon. Or are you going to stay on the hook?

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Any suggestions for a new boat????

I'm aware that the walk arounds and those styles take rough water better but my ideal boat is the one tpenfield has... My dad has an 06 330SS and its the best of both worlds but i just can't afford it. The area we boat in rarely sees >4ft out of nowhere inshore where i spend the most time. And, I spend 6-10 days a summer at the lake so i do a little of everything. I'm not a hard core wakeboarder anymore but i do enjoy it a lot and would like to give that up.

some of your requirements are a tough match, particularly the restroom versus the wakeboarding. It kind of puts you in the 28 foot range with twin engines. To fit your budget, you would have to go older in model years and plan to address age issues that may come along with it.

also, check out BUCvalue web site for boat values. Lots of asking prices are higher that what a boat will realistically sell for. Usually the lowest price boat that is in good condition sells . . . The higher priced boats do not.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Any suggestions for a new boat????

I
2. Want something with a top speed ~50mph or more
3. needs to be powerful enough to pull up a wakeboarder

Just keep in mind those two are fundamentally opposite to each other. NO 'wake' boat will do 50 mph. A good wakeboat is a tractor, lots of low end torque to get you out of the hole and give the driver better control to counter act the boarder pulling.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Any suggestions for a new boat????

Like with most boat shoppers, we're looking for more boat than will fit in the waterline or the bottom line.

And what do you do with an overloaded boat? start heaving stuff overboard!

The first to go is "50 mph." Top speed is just not a concern for coastal boaters and since I am one, I don't get why it matters so much to lake boaters--what are you going to do with the time you save by going faster?

The next is "wakeboarding." Water sports work better on smaller boats than big ones, so if that is a regular activity you want to do well, you need a better suited boat. If it's once or twice a summer for a couple of runs, doesn't matter.

 

[tgell001]

Re: Any suggestions for a new boat????

The wakeboarding thing is an after thought honestly, i'm fully aware of what makes the ideal wake boat but i would like to casually partake with my next boat while were at the lake plus the required power to do it is nice to have all around. I will mainly be using this boat go places around the Chesapeake bay so the top speed is a like to have for sure

A little more searching and I found a few that are perfect the Four Winns 265 Sundowner, the sea ray 280 Sun Sport, Crownline 266 ccr for example. Problem is as stated, I'd have to buy 2000-2002 to be able to afford them. Is that too old? I am very handy, i would do all my own mechanic work but at the same time the last thing i want is to be working on it constantly. Which is funny because i'm constantly working on my 2010 stingray for various reason (serpentine belt, fuel pump, and trim hydraulics, and ignition switch all went out this season for example) so maybe its inevitable.

Which brings me to my next question... I'm almost completely ruling out boats that were stored in the water all the time because of the added degradation that occurs from sitting in salt water 24/7. So that being said, a dry stored boat that is maintained.. Whats too old before i'll need to make a major repair like repowering or lower unit replacement?

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Any suggestions for a new boat????

A little more searching and I found a few that are perfect the Four Winns 265 Sundowner, the sea ray 280 Sun Sport, Crownline 266 ccr for example. Problem is as stated, I'd have to buy 2000-2002 to be able to afford them. Is that too old? I am very handy, i would do all my own mechanic work but at the same time the last thing i want is to be working on it constantly. Which is funny because i'm constantly working on my 2010 stingray for various reason (serpentine belt, fuel pump, and trim hydraulics, and ignition switch all went out this season for example) so maybe its inevitable.

Which brings me to my next question... I'm almost completely ruling out boats that were stored in the water all the time because of the added degradation that occurs from sitting in salt water 24/7. So that being said, a dry stored boat that is maintained.. Whats too old before i'll need to make a major repair like repowering or lower unit replacement?

If you are handy, and willing to learn, then an older boat in good condition could be a very viable option. Getting a newer boat does not necessarily translate to more reliable. I would not be afraid of a boat that was kept in salt water as long as it was properly maintained. If it has a closed cooling system, then even better.