To Boat Or Not To Boat

[check]

KiotiKowboy, how many are you, and will you be boating with teenagers or others who want to water ski, tube, wakeboard, etc? And is it a big lake with lots of shoreline to explore? And will you be cruising around with old folks who just like to tool around slowly? And is fishing important to you and yours, and does the lake near you have good fishing? And what is your target $? And finally, if you don't have a waterfront property, that makes a big difference.

Also, how much leisure time do you have to put the boat in the water and take it out each time? And don't forget the time needed to put up the convertible top at the end of the day or when it starts raining.

I, too, have boated for many years, and my needs have changed a LOT over time. We now own a cottage, and have a 22 1/2 ft. triple tube Premiere pontoon boat with a 175 HP Suzuki and a ski bar for water sports (so we can pull a slalom skier at over 30 mph if we wish). With the triple tube and big motor and ski bar, we get the best of both worlds, but let me tell you it was not cheap! Note as well that,, if we had no cottage I would never own such a boat, and we need AT LEAST our Honda Pilot or F150 to tow it.

A big advantage you have is (free) indoor storage, which we do not. This makes ownership a lot easier, and also reduces convertible top time and sun damage from UV rays.

A few thoughts for you, and happy to send along more after I hear more about your situation.

 

[sld]

I've had a boat of some kind since I was 15. Current boat is a fish and ski which I consider a very versatile boat. I love to fish and the family loves to tube so this boat does these 2 things very well.

Getting on and off the trailer is very easy. With your short drive to the ramp don't let this scare you away like it would a pontoon boat.

I bought mine new in 2008 and the only thing it has required for maintenance is a water pump every 3 years (100 bucks) and lower unit oil changed every season (about 20 bucks). New batteries are a given when needed but I can get 4 seasons out of mine easy. Mine is a Mercury Optimax outboard and is very fuel efficient.

With all boat motors being fuel injected for several years now I would not hesitate to buy used. They are all pretty reliable.

Mine has been garaged since new and it still looks great but I know lots of people that leave theirs outside with quality covers. I am too paranoid about hail storms to leave anything outside though.

If you go the used route, try it for a year or two. If you decide to sell it you won't lose much at all, if any.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

KiotiKowboy, how many are you, and will you be boating with teenagers or others who want to water ski, tube, wakeboard, etc? And is it a big lake with lots of shoreline to explore? And will you be crusing around with old folks who just like to tool around slowly? And is fishing important to you and yours, and does the lake near you have good fishing? And what is your target $? And finally, if you don't have a waterfront property, that makes a big difference.

Also, how much leisure time do you have to put the boat in the water and take it out each time?

Normally, it will just be my wife and myself. We could have a few friends along sometimes but that would not be the typical use. I doubt skiing would ever be a factor, although tubing would be a possibility. The lake (Grand Lake) is about 56,000 acres with 1300 miles of shoreline. It was host to the 2013 Bassmaster Tournament. The sad thing .... I hate fish - LOL. As a retirement activity, I could do a little catch & release. For us, the typical day would be just cruising along, a little swimming/floating, lunch via the onboard grill ... just a relaxation day. Money is not a huge factor but I can't see spending more than $30K for this. For now, we are looking closer to $20K. As for launching, we have access to several local free public launch sites. Many years ago, I often launched a 21ft Ventura sailboat ... so ... a bit of a hassle but not a big deal.

 

[Dutch445]

I've had runabouts for years, with my current one a 1994 Cobia, but it has very low hours
and is in great shape. Normally it's just the 2 of us, and it's an evening cruise, we pack
a picnic dinner, maybe a beverage or 2, and most of the time we just anchor and enjoy the
weather and scenery. evenings aren't as crowded as weekends.
we have looked at pontoon boats, and i can see us having one some day. (or a deck boat)
it gets crowded when any family members come out with us, and with 2 more grandkids on the way we
are going to need a bigger boat!
we live within 10 miles of 2 different lakes with launches, so we never have far to go, and
we have the launch and reload down to a science, unlike a lot of other folks, but it can
be entertaining for sure!!!

 

[EddieWalker]

My favorite thing to do on a boat is to either beach it, or through out an anchor and just float. Having my own pond allows me to do this without the expense of a boat. For $125 each at Sam's, I get the best of all worlds!!!



Eddie

 

[dodge man]

The best kind of boat is one a friend owns. I've had a friend years ago that owned a boat and we used it every weekend and every other day that it was possible. He always hauled his out every time and it does take a lot of time to keep it clean. I had a lot of fun on it and he had the expense, but I did chip in a lot of money for gas. I personally would either look at an open bow or a fish and ski, but for just hanging out on the water, pontoons are great. I can say I had a blast on the water and few years ago we rented and house boat. Me and the kids loved it, my wife hated it but she doesn't know how to swim either.

 

[Tonkatoys]

Dropped into the local boat show this afternoon, just for something to do on a lazy day. We no more than made 10 feet when the wife looked at me and said - Let's buy a boat today!

What ever you do, your wife is a keeper.

 

[mikim]

Wife had an uncle -- call him Bud -- that always went fishing with ol buddy Al.....Aunt won't let Bud buy a boat, but it's OK if Al wants to keep his boat here cause he doesn't have a place to keep it.....Bud dies, Aunt calls Al "come get your boat" Al - "uh ...ok...." but doesn't get the boat...Aunt calls again "come get your boat" Al - "well-l-l that's really Bud's boat - not mine"....Aunt- "AL, COME GET YOUR BOAT".

 

[check]

Normally, it will just be my wife and myself. We could have a few friends along sometimes but that would not be the typical use. I doubt skiing would ever be a factor, although tubing would be a possibility. The lake (Grand Lake) is about 56,000 acres with 1300 miles of shoreline. It was host to the 2013 Bassmaster Tournament. The sad thing .... I hate fish - LOL. As a retirement activity, I could do a little catch & release. For us, the typical day would be just cruising along, a little swimming/floating, lunch via the onboard grill ... just a relaxation day. Money is not a huge factor but I can't see spending more than $30K for this. For now, we are looking closer to $20K. As for launching, we have access to several local free public launch sites. Many years ago, I often launched a 21ft Ventura sailboat ... so ... a bit of a hassle but not a big deal.

Sounds like a smaller pontoon boat would maybe work for you, and they are not that difficult to load from the water, IMHO. (Launching is a piece of cake, of course.) An 18 footer with a 60 Suzuki or Yamaha would be nice, but without a 3rd tube and a bigger motor don't expect to get too much more than 15 mph., especially when full of people. If you can find a used 3-tuber with, say, a 90 horse, you can get up on plane nicely and move along at a pretty good clip. And with a 56,000 acre lake, you have a lot of water to cover! (Wow - and I thought our 7,000 acre Kawagama Lake was pretty good sized!)

Another nice thing about pontoon boats is that even the smaller ones are HUGELY roomy, and so longer trips are much more comfortable. (People can have a snooze on the big bench seats, and this happens more often than you might think.) And they are great for fishing - because of the square footage of the deck, people are less likely to get their lines tangled together when still fishing for Bass. Oh, and if you have good luck fishing, you will easily make friends who will take the fish of of your hands. Fish fries at our lake are a real gas!

If you just go tubing of course, your speed does not have to be as high, so the smaller motors will maybe suffice. But if you have tubing maniacs like the kids on our lake, they will want you to "whip" them, and so you need a bit more speed (maybe 20 mph).

Also, I agree that there are lots and lots of used boats out there will low hours, so if you are good at checking them out for abuse and the like, go for it!

Hope this helps!

J.C.

P.S. If you do get a Pontoon boat, beware of the "Old Person's Boat" label bandied about by teenagers who want to be cool and all want to ride around in Wake boats like Mastercrafts. It goes with the territory, I am afraid, even if you have a big motor and a ski bar. (Ask me how I know.)

 

[zzvyb6]

Fish & Ski Bass boat. Low freeboard for easy entrance and exit for us and the dogs, plenty of seating, trailerable ans easy on gas with the new motor options (runs on 2 cylinders below 1800 rpm.

A year ago we trailered to a different lake in Michigan every weekend. Best trips are looking at the homes and homeowners who live on the lakes who are stuck on their lake.