Somebody please bring me back to reality...

[Steve91T]

Let me start out by saying, you can't hurt my feelings...ok maybe a little.


I've been thinking about getting a 30ish foot boat lately.

Before I go any further, I'll try to provide as much infortmation as I can without this thing being 3 pages long. Here goes.

My first boat was when I was broke and 25. It was a 1976 Slickcraft 17' closed how ski boat. Pulled it out of a salvage yard, gave way too much money for it, peeps on this forum said to throw it away and cut my losses. I replaced a couple of risers and that old 302 ran like a top. The rest of the boat was rotting away, but still looked awesome. It was baby blue, cream, and brown. I got so many compliments on that thing. A couple of years later I sold it for what I bought it for and about 8 years later, the dude I sold it to called me asking if I wanted to buy it back. It was still running and more importantly, floating. I passed. Pretty cool I thought thought.

My next boat was a 19 foot 01 Larson bowrider with the 4.3 Volvo Penta. Great boat. Ran it for a season and sold it for what I bought it for. Didn't put anything other than gas into it.

Now we come to my current boat. It's a 1995 Mariah Z202 Shabah with the 5.7 Merc. It's a bow rider and again, I haven't had to do much to it other than change the oil and make a new radio and switch panel. I haven't even changed the plugs or wires. I've had it for 5 years now, so I'll be doing some preventative maintenance this winter.

Anyway, couple of pictures of my baby.









It costs me roughly $1k/year to have her. I keep her under a cover on the trailer. It's cheap. And its 20 minutes round trip to go to the storage lot and bring her home. Then I'll clean her up, stock her, and hit the gas station on the way to the lake, which is 10 minutes away. We've timed it, from the time we leave the driveway to the time we are on the lake, 20 minutes. It's a great boat, never selling.

So, after all that, here's why I'm here. The. Big. Boat. I like old stuff. My daily is a 98 BMW M3 with 210k miles. My truck is a 99 F250 Powerstroke with 235k miles. I enjoy working on them. But I also really appreciate reliability. I enjoy working on stuff at my own will. I hate breaking down.

What I've been really thinking about lately is something like this:


https://charlotte.craigslist.org/bod/5667622537.html


All wood, I know, run.

But it's cheap, has two V8's (although I'd prefer diesels) and it's floating. That's a good sign. But what I like about it is it needs a ton of cosmetic work inside. My wife and I love to remodel houses. We don't do it for a living but when we move into a house, we go to town. We learn how to do what we want and do it ourselves. If it's really over our heads, we contract it out. I know that house remodeling skills don't really translate to boat remodeling skills though. But we like the idea of remodeling the inside of a large boat.

We live Charlotte NC and boat on Lake Norman, which is pretty big. What we usually do is put the boat in the water and boat about 10 minutes away and throw anchor in a cove and swim or beach the boat on an island with friends. I think it would so awesome to be able to spend the night on the lake. Basically spend the weekend out there. What's cool about this lake is it extends way north. It would take an entire afternoon just to get up there. My hopes is it would be like taking a vacation, like some do with RV's. We'd love to throw anchor in the lake somewhere, fire up the grill and enjoy the beautiful lake.

Since I already have an F250 diesel, I'd like to have something that I could tow myself. From what I've read, permits are a *****, but I'd only be taking it once a year to the coast. Boating around the Bahamas would be pretty cool.


After all that, here is why I'm here. The actual cost and usability. A slip will cost between $300-$400/month for a 30-40' boat. I like the idea of an old wood boat, but I know every one of you are going to tell me to go fiberglass. A trailer will cost $65/month to store. So that being said:

What costs can I expect to have with a boat this size?
I think cruise speed is somewhere in the 12-15kt range, what about fuel flow?
Is insurance base off value or does the size play a roll?
I like the look of long low boats, not tall sport fisherman types. Any boat that you'd recommend considering?
I like'd like a decent outdoor area in addition to a decent inside. I want to be able to hang out on the bow and also have almost like a deck on the stern.

And because I know someone is going to ask, I'm 35, married with a 2.5 year old. I didn't have my wife neutered so who knows if we'll have more. So far my daughter can't get enough of the boat.

So sorry for the book. Basically I'm looking for opinions on what it's really like to own a large boat including costs and real word PITA moments that made you wish you didn't have it. I'm also looking for opinions on if it's actually a realistic dream. Can we take a boat this size to the Bahamas? Is it safe?


Any and all comments are welcome. The boat I listed is not one I'm interested, just using it as an example of something that caught my eye.

Thanks guys!

 

[s.hadley81]

I don't have any input on owning a boat that large as I have not but just wanna to say that Mariah is a real nice looking boat and I've always had a soft spot for those big old Chris crafts they are pretty! Best of luck on what ever you decide.

 

[SeaDooSam]

I don't know from experience but I imagine having to trailer and take a 30 foot boat in and out of the water at the ramp will become a hassle.

 

[Scott Danforth]

the old Chris Craft is a great looking boat. It will not be a speedy boat with twin 327's however it will get you where you want to go. the inboard transmissions will be nearly bullet proof with proper maintneance. the onan motor on the genny is the one component that may give you fits. great motor if you can get parts for it.

how is the hull? I suggest a survey.

Boats cost money. larger boats cost larger money.

since you mentioned your F250 more than once, my guess is you like the Chris Craft, however want something towable. towable = 26' and smaller in an express cruiser. as you get bigger than 26', the beam gets bigger and your into permits. or move to go-fast boats which get long, however keep a narrow beam for towing.

 

[Steve91T]

I don't have any input on owning a boat that large as I have not but just wanna to say that Mariah is a real nice looking boat and I've always had a soft spot for those big old Chris crafts they are pretty! Best of luck on what ever you decide.

Thank you!

 

[Steve91T]

the old Chris Craft is a great looking boat. It will not be a speedy boat with twin 327's however it will get you where you want to go. the inboard transmissions will be nearly bullet proof with proper maintneance. the onan motor on the genny is the one component that may give you fits. great motor if you can get parts for it.

how is the hull? I suggest a survey.

Boats cost money. larger boats cost larger money.

since you mentioned your F250 more than once, my guess is you like the Chris Craft, however want something towable. towable = 26' and smaller in an express cruiser. as you get bigger than 26', the beam gets bigger and your into permits. or move to go-fast boats which get long, however keep a narrow beam for towing.

Thanks for the info. I would definitely get a survey before buying.

If I did get a large boat, I would keep it on the lake at a slip for between $300 and $400 a month. The only reason I'd like the ability to trailer is because I'd like the ability to drag it to the coast and boat to the Bahamas if I wanted. Ive read that permits are a pain, but I wouldn't be doing it often. I'm just not sure if a vessel, like the one above, would be safe on open waters.

 

[On Holiday]

You will need much more than a F250 to tow a 30 foot boat.

 

[wrvond]

Wow! If the boat you are actually interested in is better than that Chris, you must have found an awesome one! I'm tempted to go for that one myself!
Slip fees are outrageous, aren't they? Not only are you paying a premium for "storage", but they make maintenance more difficult and subject your boat to a hostile environment. Convenience is the only upside to a slip that I can see. I'd much rather trailer and launch my boat, regardless of size. My problem is the launch ramp for the river two blocks from my home has a 90 degree turn in the access road going under a stone railroad bridge. Too long or too tall and I'm literally stuck. As it is, my F250 is a crew cab so it's around 20 feet long all by itself!
I'd say that a trip to the Bahamas in a boat like that is doable. It'd require some planning and preparation (to include open water experience), but eminently doable. So trailering would be your biggest hassle. Other than the 36 inch LOA (!) the seller of the Chris Craft doesn't list the beam, which really is the most critical measurement for towing in your case. I have a couple travel trailers that I tow around the country with my F250, believe me, a 36 foot long camper or boat is no big deal. If the beam is less than 11 feet, I'd say you're golden. I'm looking at buying a 2002 Sea Ray Sundancer 270 with a 9' 8" beam to trailer around. Wider than the 8' 10" standard beam that doesn't require wide load permits but narrower than the newer 10' 2" beamed units which, by the way, come in LOAs in excess of 30 feet.
Bottom line, if this purchase isn't going to take food out of the mouths of your family and you have the support of your bride, I say go for it! It's a great opportunity for making memories for your daughter, too.
The Great Loop is a popular excursion. There are several youtube videos on the subject. I watched one video where a couple took their two young boys with them (home schooled). The main thought I had was how lucky those two boys were. I so wish I had been in a position to do something like that with my son back then.

 

[airdvr1227]

Here in Ohio (Lake Erie Western Basin) I pay ~$5,000 per year for a 40' slip with water and electric, haul out, winterize, shrink wrap and outside storage. The season here is relatively short ~May - September. Some days in October. I'd imagine your season will be a bit longer. Dockage might be a bit more expensive. As previously stated towing without getting permits will limit the size to around 27'. I don't own a trailer. Consequently all service work is done by the marina service department. They do good work but are on the high side of expensive.

Fuel? Have your credit card ready. Mine has two 75 gallon tanks. My twin 5.7L Mercruiser I/O's drink fuel like that's their job.

Insurance isn't bad bundled with home and auto.

Flybridge boats are taller than an express cruiser but will have more space at the stern for lounging/fishing etc.

Upside is we weekend on the boat/at the dock. It's like a mini-vacation every weekend. Marina has a restaurant, bar, pool, fuel and pump out.

I previously owned a 23' Chris Craft Concept. I miss being able to jump in and go. Cruises with a larger boat require more advance work and a deckhand or two.

I think you might want to consider waiting for your kids to get a bit older before transitioning to a larger boat. My kids have great memories of swimming and tubing in the smaller local lakes. They'll be none of that with a larger vessel.

 

[Steve91T]

Wow! If the boat you are actually interested in is better than that Chris, you must have found an awesome one! I'm tempted to go for that one myself!
Slip fees are outrageous, aren't they? Not only are you paying a premium for "storage", but they make maintenance more difficult and subject your boat to a hostile environment. Convenience is the only upside to a slip that I can see. I'd much rather trailer and launch my boat, regardless of size. My problem is the launch ramp for the river two blocks from my home has a 90 degree turn in the access road going under a stone railroad bridge. Too long or too tall and I'm literally stuck. As it is, my F250 is a crew cab so it's around 20 feet long all by itself!
I'd say that a trip to the Bahamas in a boat like that is doable. It'd require some planning and preparation (to include open water experience), but eminently doable. So trailering would be your biggest hassle. Other than the 36 inch LOA (!) the seller of the Chris Craft doesn't list the beam, which really is the most critical measurement for towing in your case. I have a couple travel trailers that I tow around the country with my F250, believe me, a 36 foot long camper or boat is no big deal. If the beam is less than 11 feet, I'd say you're golden. I'm looking at buying a 2002 Sea Ray Sundancer 270 with a 9' 8" beam to trailer around. Wider than the 8' 10" standard beam that doesn't require wide load permits but narrower than the newer 10' 2" beamed units which, by the way, come in LOAs in excess of 30 feet.
Bottom line, if this purchase isn't going to take food out of the mouths of your family and you have the support of your bride, I say go for it! It's a great opportunity for making memories for your daughter, too.
The Great Loop is a popular excursion. There are several youtube videos on the subject. I watched one video where a couple took their two young boys with them (home schooled). The main thought I had was how lucky those two boys were. I so wish I had been in a position to do something like that with my son back then.

I just found the YouTube videos you were talking about. So cool. If I could give my daughter half the experience they gave their boys, I'd be pretty happy.

I know my F250 with the 7.3 and a 6 speed manual will tow the boat. But I would want to do it every time we wanted to take the boat out. But like I said, I'd want to be able to tow the boat to the coast, maybe Charlestown and drop it off. The cost I'd save moving it myself would probably more than pay for a trailer. I think.

I hate that I'd have to pay that much for a slip, but there really isn't another option. I keep our 20' on a trailer just for that reason, but it's super easy to launch and recover.

Anyone have any idea what about what fuel flow would be with something like that? That's one expense that I know would be really high and that might be the deal breaker for me.

 

[Steve91T]

Here in Ohio (Lake Erie Western Basin) I pay ~$5,000 per year for a 40' slip with water and electric, haul out, winterize, shrink wrap and outside storage. The season here is relatively short ~May - September. Some days in October. I'd imagine your season will be a bit longer. Dockage might be a bit more expensive. As previously stated towing without getting permits will limit the size to around 27'. I don't own a trailer. Consequently all service work is done by the marina service department. They do good work but are on the high side of expensive.

Fuel? Have your credit card ready. Mine has two 75 gallon tanks. My twin 5.7L Mercruiser I/O's drink fuel like that's their job.

Insurance isn't bad bundled with home and auto.

Flybridge boats are taller than an express cruiser but will have more space at the stern for lounging/fishing etc.

Upside is we weekend on the boat/at the dock. It's like a mini-vacation every weekend. Marina has a restaurant, bar, pool, fuel and pump out.

I previously owned a 23' Chris Craft Concept. I miss being able to jump in and go. Cruises with a larger boat require more advance work and a deckhand or two.

I think you might want to consider waiting for your kids to get a bit older before transitioning to a larger boat. My kids have great memories of swimming and tubing in the smaller local lakes. They'll be none of that with a larger vessel.

Our boating season is long. March to November or even December.

My Mariah only costs me less than $1000 a year to own, so we would keep it. I know owning two boats sounds pretty crazy, but the thing it's worth much but is in great shape. So that would still be our fun boat to go tubing and skiing on.

 

[transamconvert]

Ok I'll try to bring you to some reality. There's no way you're going to tow that thing hundreds of miles and launch it in the ocean. I have the same truck, and while it will definitely move it that boat is way too heavy to safely and legally tow on a highway, not even considering that it will be overwidth and possibly over height once it's on the trailer which will need to be tall to clear the running gear. You might be able to move it a couple of miles to its winter storage spot but that's it.

So you need to decide if you want something that's really trailerable to take these long trips or something bigger to enjoy at your home lake. I would advise the latter as you will get more use out of it.

I'm sure you can figure out the cost of slipping and storage. Don't neglect shrink wrapping. Fuel use you might be surprised. If you keep it slow, off plane, even a big boat doesn't do too badly. The bigger the boat the faster this speed is, for a 36' you could still make 7-8 kts putting.

I don't know what it takes to maintain a wood boat, you'll want to do some serious research on that. My recommendation would be aluminum - check out Marinette. They're old, relatively cheap and the aluminum construction is lightweight for better fuel use and dead simple to maintain.

 

[JoLin]

Ok I'll try to bring you to some reality. There's no way you're going to tow that thing hundreds of miles and launch it in the ocean. I have the same truck, and while it will definitely move it that boat is way too heavy to safely and legally tow on a highway, not even considering that it will be overwidth and possibly over height once it's on the trailer which will need to be tall to clear the running gear. You might be able to move it a couple of miles to its winter storage spot but that's it.

Looked it up. 36' CC Cavalier - 12' beam and 13,000 lbs dry weight. In at least some states, you'll need the overwidth permit, plus leading and trailing vehicles. That length and weight hooked to a 3/4 ton pickup for a long distance haul? Fuggedaboutit.

My .02

 

[Steve91T]

My truck tows my boat like its nothing along with my car on a uhaul. That's probably close to 6k fully loaded. But I understand what you're saying.

Honestly, 99% of its use would be on the lake. But like I said, it'd be really cool to be able to drop it off on the coast and boat to the Bahamas or keys.

Any idea what it would cost to have it shipped about 200 miles away? It will cost me $800/yr for storage of I did own a trailer. So not owning one will save me that much every year.

 

[Steve91T]

Found it. Looks like it's much cheaper than I though. $3.50/mile. So from here to Charleston would cost only $800.

 

[transamconvert]

That's a good price. Don't forget the return trip. You'll also likely need to pay a marina with a travel lift on each end, most commercial boat shippers have trailers that aren't set up to do a ramp launch/retrieve.

I actually think that's a cool layout for a lake and you'd probably enjoy it. Definitely keep the smaller boat. You can even tie it off to the side of the big boat and bring it along to use as a runabout/ferry or toy puller while you're out.

A big boat has lots of systems. This can pile the maintenance cost up. In the last year I've changed my macerator twice, a new raw water pump, a new washdown pump, a new horn, stereo, new raw water for the generator, new shower pump, etc. I still have a big list for this winter too. You'll also need to consider that all the hoses and thru hulls might be in sad shape and ready for replacement. It really never ends, so just be prepared for that. Best advice is make sure there's good access to all the systems because you will be spending time there. I would also pay special attention to wiring and fuel tanks on something that old.

 

[Steve91T]

That's a good price. Don't forget the return trip. You'll also likely need to pay a marina with a travel lift on each end, most commercial boat shippers have trailers that aren't set up to do a ramp launch/retrieve.

I actually think that's a cool layout for a lake and you'd probably enjoy it. Definitely keep the smaller boat. You can even tie it off to the side of the big boat and bring it along to use as a runabout/ferry or toy puller while you're out.

A big boat has lots of systems. This can pile the maintenance cost up. In the last year I've changed my macerator twice, a new raw water pump, a new washdown pump, a new horn, stereo, new raw water for the generator, new shower pump, etc. I still have a big list for this winter too. You'll also need to consider that all the hoses and thru hulls might be in sad shape and ready for replacement. It really never ends, so just be prepared for that. Best advice is make sure there's good access to all the systems because you will be spending time there. I would also pay special attention to wiring and fuel tanks on something that old.

It's a really great lake. It's a party lake and a lot of money is on it. A lot of NASCAR drivers have houses out here. What kind stinks is the lake is so crazy during the weekends that we almost never go out. Weekdays only. Otherwise it's so rough just going fast enough to stay on plane is painful.

But I hear the northern part of the lake, which we've never been, is really nice.

Here's the lake.



You can see where we live. 10 minute drive to the south east corner. Only during the fall after most have already winterized, during the week, will we go to a restaurant where 77 passes over the eastern part of the lake near Davidson. It takes a solid 30 minutes to get there cruising at 30-32 mph. To give you an idea, drive to statesville on the highway at 80 takes 30 minutes. It's a big lake for sure. That's why I'm considering something really kind of stupid big for a lake. Man it'd be so fun to spend some weekends out there. See the yellow highway on the north west part of the river? That's I40. That's where the damn is. We'd be able to boat all they way up there. That's a long ways.

So what's funny is my wife is looking up boats as we speak. She's all in. But the more she looks, the bigger the boats get. She keeps going back to the old Chris Crafts, she likes them better. But what we're finding is some of the newer boats have much better lay outs, from what we can tell from pics. So maybe a newer (like early 90's or late 80's) will give us more usability for the size boat.

I'd really like twin diesels. But a pair of 327's would be fine.


Great advice about all the small crap. Pumps and what not. I don't mind replacing them, but the ability to get to them is something I'll keep an eye out for.

 

[Scott Danforth]

with a dry weight of 13k, add a trailer, gear, etc. and that 36 foot chris craft beauty will be tipping the scales close to 17k on the hitch. well over what your 250 is rated to tow.

I say get the chris craft, set up a deal with your local marina and use the mariah as your towed boat.

 

[Steve91T]

Damnit, after a whole day wasted of both my wife and I looking at boats, we keep going back to that Chris Craft I posted just as an example. We just love it.

 

[wrvond]

Damnit, after a whole day wasted of both my wife and I looking at boats, we keep going back to that Chris Craft I posted just as an example. We just love it.

Do me a favor and buy it. I'm showing it to my wife now...