Buying my first boat

#1
S

sofflavol

il kick u in the vols
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#1
Any boaters on here with input would be much appreciated. Getting ready to be in the market for my first boat. I live in South Florida and fish a ton in the Everglades, less than an hour from Lake Okeechobee and love to go to the gulf coast and fish the flats and mangroves ones or twice a year for Reds and Trout.

Most around here have the carpet style bass boats but i was looking recently at xpress and Crestliner C.C bay style boats. Seeing as how you can use them in diff types of water and even do a little duck hunting out of them. Im not apposed to buying used and have been targeting Aluminum just from the price ranges and weight of a fiberglass hull.

Suggestions / personal experiences welcome!
 
#2
#2
Not a boat owner but sounds like a bay boat would allow you to do more than a bass boat
 
#3
#3
I'll pass along two things about boats if you've never owned one.
1. The happiest two days of a boat owner are the day he buys it and the day he sells it.
2. The term boating bucks/dollars. Bring Out Another Thousand.

Boats are a labor of love, find something you want and enjoy it. You have to work on them all of the time and spend a lot of money to enjoy them. The more you can do yourself the less boat dollars it will cost you.
 
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#4
#4
VolStrom said:
I'll pass along two things about boats if you've never owned one.
1. The happiest two days of a boat owner are the day he buys it and the day he sells it.
2. The term boating bucks/dollars. Bring Out Another Thousand.

Boats are a labor of love, find something you want and enjoy it. You have to work on them all of the time and spend a lot of money to enjoy them. The more you can do yourself the less boat dollars it will cost you.
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Understood completely, pops had a small bass boat and then upgraded to a cabin cruiser on the intercoastal and ended up selling that too. that's why I'm not shying away from buying a used boat. But I would say if you take care of your boat (clean,cover) and it also helps that brother in law works on outboard motors too. Knowing the "risks" im ready to make a purchase . Especially before children arrive in my life!
 
#5
#5
VolStrom said:
I'll pass along two things about boats if you've never owned one.
1. The happiest two days of a boat owner are the day he buys it and the day he sells it.
2. The term boating bucks/dollars. Bring Out Another Thousand.

Boats are a labor of love, find something you want and enjoy it. You have to work on them all of the time and spend a lot of money to enjoy them. The more you can do yourself the less boat dollars it will cost you.
Click to expand...

Was going to say the same thing. A boat will dollar you to death.
 
#7
#7
From someone that's in the marine industry I can tell you that boats can be a ton of family fun. Don't let these naysayers discourage you. Having grown up on the water is can tell you that my fondest memories are the time that my childhood and adult families spent boating and all the things surrounding it.
 
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#8
#8
I think this instructional video will tell you everything you need to know about boats.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/o8T095mFdW8[/youtube]
 
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#10
#10
VolStrom said:
I'll pass along two things about boats if you've never owned one.
1. The happiest two days of a boat owner are the day he buys it and the day he sells it.
2. The term boating bucks/dollars. Bring Out Another Thousand.

Boats are a labor of love, find something you want and enjoy it. You have to work on them all of the time and spend a lot of money to enjoy them. The more you can do yourself the less boat dollars it will cost you.
Click to expand...

I guess I'm the exception to the rule. Love my boat(s) and have had really good luck when it comes to maintenance and repairs. I spend a day or two going over everything and dewinterizing in the spring and again in the fall.
 
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#11
#11
I have had a 19 foot open bow for about 15 years and have never regretted it. I will say two things though 1) I can never really justify the expense. We are so busy we never seem to use it enough to justify having it. 2) that doesn't matter to me because we have a lot of fun when we do use it and its one of the few places I go where I really get away from the stresses and pressures of real life and focus 100% on my family.
 
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#12
#12
sofflavol said:
Any boaters on here with input would be much appreciated. Getting ready to be in the market for my first boat. I live in South Florida and fish a ton in the Everglades, less than an hour from Lake Okeechobee and love to go to the gulf coast and fish the flats and mangroves ones or twice a year for Reds and Trout.

Most around here have the carpet style bass boats but i was looking recently at xpress and Crestliner C.C bay style boats. Seeing as how you can use them in diff types of water and even do a little duck hunting out of them. Im not apposed to buying used and have been targeting Aluminum just from the price ranges and weight of a fiberglass hull.

Suggestions / personal experiences welcome!
Click to expand...

It's better to have a slip vs trailerig
 
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#15
#15
cali_vol said:
I have had a 19 foot open bow for about 15 years and have never regretted it. I will say two things though 1) I can never really justify the expense. We are so busy we never seem to use it enough to justify having it. 2) that doesn't matter to me because we have a lot of fun when we do use it and its one of the few places I go where I really get away from the stresses and pressures of real life and focus 100% on my family.
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Yep, look forward all week to getting out on the lake.
 
#16
#16
Biopsyman said:
It's better to have a slip vs trailerig
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True but there are factors to that also. Slips can be expensive, on Old Hickory a covered slip runs at a minimum $10 per foot per month plus electricity. We have a ramp less than a mile from the house so traileriing makes more sense for us.
 
#17
#17
hog88 said:
True but there are factors to that also. Slips can be expensive, on Old Hickory a covered slip runs at a minimum $10 per foot per month plus electricity. We have a ramp less than a mile from the house so traileriing makes more sense for us.
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You boat on old hickory?
 
#24
#24
Orange_Vol1321 said:
Was going to say the same thing. A boat will dollar you to death.
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Dad was fond of the saying "a boat is a whole in the water surrounded by wood into which you pour money."

Not a naysayer, just quoting an old funny from my Dad.

Good luck and hope it you enjoy it!
 
#25
#25
InVOLuntary said:
Not familiar with that one. Blue turtle Bay is nice. Their restaurant, Sam's is pretty decent.
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Shady Cove is on the opposite end of the lake from there, it's up by Bledsoe Creek State Park. We go up to Sams 3-4 times a year, do a run up to Anchor High every now and then but mostly we'll go to Gallatin Marina for dinner when on the lake.
 
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