Any boat owners in here.

[CarrollCoRaven]

New boats are hard to find right now, thus the high price of buying a used boat. Here is a local boat builder (Maryland). The build a very nice boat but they are not cheap. http://www.judgeyachts.com/

[camdenyard]

New boats are hard to find right now, thus the high price of buying a used boat. Here is a local boat builder (Maryland). The build a very nice boat but they are not cheap. http://www.judgeyachts.com/

The guy I worked for has a Judge 36. Takes it offshore all the time. Solid boat.

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[2bynight]

1. I would not advise someone new to boating to buy a new boat unless they have YEARS of experience. That experience allows you to know exactly what maintenance activities are required and what they cost...and the determine if boating is something that is in your blood. Seeing a bunch of people with beers laughing on a dock is one side of the coin. The other side is yelling expletives changing your transmission filter in a 115 degree bilge while you contort your body in previously unbelieved ways while oil leaks all over you. My point is you gotta love boats and not just boating, or your experiment won't last and you'll lose your shirt. Me? I'd buy a boat between 5-15 years depending on model and cost. You can find a decent boat in the $40-$50K range with the features you mention. It may take a search, but they are out there.

2. Slips are rented based on the size of the boat and location. It feels to me that you are looking for something about 34' - You can get a slip between $1500-3000 per year. Again, location is a huge factor...

3. Marine gas is more expensive than on-the-road fuel, partly because most of it is hi-test. At my yacht club, gas is $3.66 and diesel is $3.14. Fuel burn varies wildly depending on engines. My 46 burns about 28 gal/hr. each at high cruise although I go slower than that. A big block gas in a Sea Ray 34 might be comparable. Also depends how far you go in your travels.

4. Figure 5-10% of purchase price per year. Nope, it's not for the faint of heart.

5. Not long. A couple courses and a half season's practice gets you the basics.

My advice is to spend a year researching boats. Looking at a LOT of different boats. Understanding what each one can and can't do. Learning about the various systems that make them go...engines, electrical, electronics, etc. I posted a link above that is very useful in doing such research. That will prepare you for what's ahead.

Thank you very much for your considered response Cam. All really great points. That bilge story sounds awful! I'm thinking about taking a boating course and then renting a boat, starting small and going larger with experience. Maybe rental experience translates into loving a boat and buying one.

[Vlad the lad]

Thank you very much for your considered response Cam. All really great points. That bilge story sounds awful! I'm thinking about taking a boating course and then renting a boat, starting small and going larger with experience. Maybe rental experience translates into loving a boat and buying one.

Renting is expensive. Like $300-$400 for 1/2 day. And that is for a 20-25 ft boat.
Boat clubs are just as expensive. Usually 3k-4K just to join. And $300-$400/mo. And no guarantee that you get access to boats more than 1-2 times a
Month.

[2bynight]

Renting is expensive. Like $300-$400 for 1/2 day. And that is for a 20-25 ft boat.
Boat clubs are just as expensive. Usually 3k-4K just to join. And $300-$400/mo. And no guarantee that you get access to boats more than 1-2 times a
Month.

I guess the key is buying a boat would easily cost me more than that, right? I'm figuring an outlay of like 40 to 60 k, then winterizing, maintenance, slip fees, etc. The bottom line seems to be boating is a very expensive outing no matter how you cut it. Thinking if I can rent a few times over the course of a season, that would let me know if I should eventually buy one.

[BustOfPallas]

I guess the key is buying a boat would easily cost me more than that, right? I'm figuring an outlay of like 40 to 60 k, then winterizing, maintenance, slip fees, etc. The bottom line seems to be boating is a very expensive outing no matter how you cut it. Thinking if I can rent a few times over the course of a season, that would let me know if I should eventually buy one.

There are club like services apparently where you can reserve a boat but someone else takes care of all that other headache.

You should check that out.

[BustOfPallas]

I don't think I would buy a boat unless I had property on the water and my own slip and boat lift. My brother in law lives in a river house on the east side of Mobile bay/Fairhope area. Except for the occasional extreme flooding that destroys everything beneath his house once a decade or so...... he's got a good set up for taking advantage of boat ownership.

[2bynight]

There are club like services apparently where you can reserve a boat but someone else takes care of all that other headache.

You should check that out.

That's a good idea - likely expensive but cheaper than buying.

[2bynight]

I don't think I would buy a boat unless I had property on the water and my own slip and boat lift. My brother in law lives in a river house on the west side of Mobile bay/Fairhope area. Except for the occasional extreme flooding that destroys everything beneath his house once a decade or so...... he's got a good set up for taking advantage of boat ownership.

No doubt that is the best possible setup. Wake up in the morning and just drive your boat away from your house. I've seen the homes on the Intracoastal with beautiful boats next to them. Always thought that would be a great way to live.