Brand-new boater looking for advice

[rwelty]

Our family wants to buy our first boat, and have a couple (thousand!) basic questions. We're not planning on doing any "overnighting" with this boat, just day-trips and mostly just a couple/few hours on the water at a time. We also think that after a couple years, we'll want to upgrade into something larger, use for overnight stays, etc.; therefore, we don't want to spend a lot on this first one.

1. We can't decide whether we want a bowrider to maximize the # of people we can take with us, or whether we should get something with a little cuddy cabin so that we can have at least a small head onboard. Any thoughts on this?

2. Is there an online resource where I can compare the various brands we're considering?

3. New vs. used? I'm not familiar with engines/mechanicals at all, so a used boat kind of scares me, but obviously they are less expensive. Given that we want to re-sell it or just not take too big a hit on it in a couple years, which is best?

Thanks!

 

[Boatist]

Re: Brand-new boater looking for advice

Welcome to the board you will find a lot of people willing to help here.

Type of boat is mostly personal preference. Sounds like your and inland boater. All boats will have a plate that either says max number of people or max weight. People and gear. The fact that the bow is open does not mean you can carry more people. It may be no more than the closed bow. However one of the factors is how many seats are on the boat.

Open bow is good form people who want to pull into a beach and off load especially if do not have a lot of experience. Open bow usually has seats in front of the windshield and some may want to ride there but it will be cold as nothing to block the wind like a windsheild. Also can be wet when it choppy or foggy. It also the roughest place to ride and the most dangerous. If you should bounce out there or fall overboard very likely will be hit by the boat and prop.
Open bow is can be cheaper and usually do not have as much area to store gear that might blow into the water like a jacket. The more people you have also the the more power you will need to get up on plane.

I think the best place to compare boats is at a boat show. You can check all the web sites but really need to see the boat to really tell how much space it has. I like to have a place to put everything away nothing on the floor where someone can trip over it.

Depends on where you are boating but many lakes will have floating out houses set up for the rest rooms. These are also a good place to practice comming up to the dock. Usually not busy and no one waiting for your to move.

If you buy used you either need to take someone experienced with you or ask if can have a dealer check it over before you buy. Motors can be a problem but so can roten stringer that support the hull. If buying used from a dealer fine out the details of any warranty. How they will handel any problem if you find a problem. Get it in writing.

If you go for a test ride on any boat take an experenced boater with you.

I would suggest you and your crew take a US Coast Guard Boating Skills and Seamanship class. They are cheap usually only have to buy the training manual and a couple bucks for a homework book for each member. They are fun and you will learn alot about rules of the road, what navigation Buoys mean, all the saftey Gear, boat handleing, How to tie and untie knots and lots more. Boating can be the fun for the whole family but a mistake can destroy someone life.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Brand-new boater looking for advice

Please do take a boating safety course.
Like stated, one small mistake can be fatal.
Welcome to iboats and the wonderful world of boating.
Take your time and decide what is the best boat for you and your family at this time.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Brand-new boater looking for advice

Buying a boat

1st you need to decide what you want to use it for, fishing, cruising, or water sports.

2nd how many people adults, children you want on board of the average outing.

3rd outboard, inboard-outboard, or inboard power plant.

4th Budget, what you want to pay, and what you are willing to pay, when you find
Exactly what you want.

You can hire a marine surveyor, to inspect the boat, or you can do it yourself.

You are mainly looking for soft spots in the deck, transom, cracks, all signs of a rotten, under frame.

The motor should be clean, no spots where the paint is discolored, or pealing from heat, having run hot. Compression should be atleast 100psi, and within 10% of each other,
Spark on all cylinders, good pee stream, check lower unit for water in oil.

The overall condition of the boat will tell you a lot, as to how it has been maintained.

A 30 year old boat motor combo, may be in better condition, than a 3 year old.


there is a lot of good info here: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=138594

for a first boat the outboards are much easier, and cheaper to maintain.

 

[tmh]

Re: Brand-new boater looking for advice

Well, I am a 100% believer in buying used because you can get used boats that are very close to new condition. As a FIRST boat, i'd even look at a more used boat that isn't too expensive. That way, you can make the new boater type mistakes (bang the dock, scrape up the bottom, etc. without feeling awful about it!

If you have kids and they have friends, get the bowrider. My crew and their pals always ride up there! A 19' bowrider may be a good fit. Cabin boats are great but for other uses. Small cuddies usually just become a big storage area.

Inboard (I/O, Sterndrive) or Outboard? You'll hear absolutely convincing arguements for each! Somewhat depends on your use though. Don't worry too much about the mechanics being too confusing, they are what they are and a 10 year old boat in great condition isn't much different mechanically than a new one.

Many here often recommend you avoid certain types of sterndrives (OMC) or outboards (Force) on used boats as they are out of production and harder to find service for. Otherwise, look around, try to figure out what size you want, etc. Brands matter some but having a boat that fits your needs matters more.

 

[rwelty]

Re: Brand-new boater looking for advice

Many thanks for the quick and informative replies; great advice, all of it! I've been driving friends'/families' boats for many years, just haven't owned our own yet. That said, we'll definitely take a safety course. Seen too many idiots, and love my kids too much, to not be safe.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Brand-new boater looking for advice

One more thing on the Saftey classes. I have taken 5 classes over the years. You will learn the most from the first Class.

Both the US Coast Guard and the US Power Squadrons have short and long classes. If at all possible take the 13 week class, one night a week. The shorter 9 week class tries to cover all the same stuff but just do not have time to really do it.

All the classes can get you a discount on your insurance so after you get a price ask if they give a discount for completing the class.

 

[ebry710]

Re: Brand-new boater looking for advice

Our family wants to buy our first boat, and have a couple (thousand!) basic questions. We're not planning on doing any "overnighting" with this boat, just day-trips and mostly just a couple/few hours on the water at a time. We also think that after a couple years, we'll want to upgrade into something larger, use for overnight stays, etc.; therefore, we don't want to spend a lot on this first one.

3. New vs. used?

If you are new in boating buy used. Then once you owned one for a while, then decide if new is for you. Some of us at iboats love used (classic) and others new.

I think a great place to compare boats is at the dock or at the location you plan to use it. Ask questions of the owners. Rarely will a boat owner be bashful about talking about his/her boat.

Sometimes to know someone who has a boat similar to the one your planning to buy, gives you more confidence in your choice. This forum has a place for people with same boat type to compare.

Determine use. Cruising your yacht all day sounds great until you go to fill it up with petro and you realize that a sailboat might be your cup of tea.

 

[2kwik4u]

Re: Brand-new boater looking for advice

I concur with buying used.

I've been around boats my whole life, however when the fiance and I wanted to get a boat last year i quickly found out she had never been around them at all growing up. SO, in order to determine if she was the boating type or not we purchased a small 18'6" boat with a small powerplant for a very reasonable price. It's a '98 open bow in excellent condition, and we only spent ~$8,500 on it. To get the same thing brand new is almost always going to be twice that price if not more.

After a year of boating we are looking at moving up to a larger boat as soon as the budget allows. We've learned alot in the last year, and will still probably wait until ~2010 to get a bigger one. We have some more learning to do before we get into another boat. Fiance picked up the lifestyle like she had been a boater her whole life, and we've already discussed that moving forward we'll drive beater cars, and skip eating out at lunch to make sure we have enough money to go boating on the weekends!

Welcome to the site! Sit back, grab a frosty beverage of your choosing, and get to reading. There's more info here than you can read in a year!