Hello! New boater looking for some advice

[ilyo]

First off, just wanted to say Hi! I kinda fell upon this forum and have found it very informative!! I have very little boating experience (rented a couple times), but have been very interested for a long time. My buddy and I received a 1990 Grew Cutter Classic 158. It is a 15.5 ft bowrider in pretty good condition. We essentially are looking at only replacing the floor (which I will be creating another post in the restoration forum later).

I have a couple of newbie questions, hoping for help:

1. We can't find the plate ANYWHERE on the boat. Any ideas what power motor we can put on this? We are hoping to be able to pull our kids water skiing. We were thinking 70-75hp.

2. I don't really want to trailer the boat every weekend, is it worth slipping? Is it too small a boat to make slipping worth it?

3. Any additional tips I should know?

Am excited to get this boat ready, find a motor and get wet!! Thanks

 

[rndn]

Re: Hello! New boater looking for some advice

Welcome to the forum!!
There is no boat that is too small to slip, it's always a matter of how much the slip costs versus the towing hassle. There are still hassles with a slip as well as you may need to paint the bottom of the boat, you will need to keep the boat covered to prevent water intrusion, you will need to keep on top of your anti corrosion plates, etc.

 

[arboldt]

Re: Hello! New boater looking for some advice

Sounds like you're off to a good start.

A few considerations...

Is it just that you're not comfortable towing? You'll get used to it.
Are you concerned with a hassle factor of hooking up? It's not really that difficult, and I'd think is better than the hassle factor of covers, automatic bilge pump needs, etc of slipping it.
How busy are the launches? Waiting in line a long time to launch might tip the decision toward slipping it.
How far would you have to trailer it?
How much will the miles per gallon on your tow vehicle drop by trailering it?
What's your tow vehicle like? If towing really impedes handling or comfort (or feels like it does, anyway) you might need to consider a bigger tow vehicle, so slipping might be better option for now.

So figure out how much towing would cost you vs. how much a slip would cost.

Consider other alternatives -- is there a storage area near the water you could park the trailer at? How much does that cost? Is it secure?

Is fuel much more expensive by the water vs your home town or en route? For us, there's often a 20c/gallon difference from our home area to where we use our boat, so I always try to fill it before we leave. Yeah, the extra weight costs a little mileage, but not enough to outweigh the price advantage.

 

[External Combustion]

Re: Hello! New boater looking for some advice

Give the Coast Guard a buzz and they will give you the info on the plate.

I think you will want an engine larger than 75 HP. With you, your buddy and the kids (wives maybe?) the extra horse will be needed.

My MFG 15 foot Gypsie (85 HP 'Rude) is just about minimum for skiing with three on board and one in the water. Of course I am 180 lbs, not a seventy pound kid.

Do a search on skiing on this web. Silvertip and Tashasdaddy has some good information on what it takes to get started skiing.

To pull or not to pull, slip or not to slip........the cost of a slip verses the cost of the tow vehicle, trailer taxes and fuel is simply a matter of writing the costs down and seeing what you have. A further alternative is leaving your boat at the marina on it's own trailer.

If you are new to boating, please get into a safe boating course. Some states now require it (for good reasons). Adequate safety equipment is not an option. Forgeting the legal requirements, you would never forgive yourself if the lack of it caused harm to your kids or someone else.

Teach your children respect for others on the water and they will carry that to all other aspects of their lives.

Have fun. I miss the years my son was younger and on the end of the line in the water.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Hello! New boater looking for some advice

i use to keep a couple of boats in one slip. they have now stopped that. only one boat per slip, at over $200 a month can't do it. have to trailer.

 

[ilyo]

Re: Hello! New boater looking for some advice

Incredible, thanks for all the advice!!

Well, I am leaning towards slipping as there is a close Marina that offers my size boats slip rates at $500 a season. But am also looking at alternatives like storing on it's trailer at the Marina. Being new, I figured it would be easier then lining up and having to launch it each and every time!

Well, I called the manufacturer and they are looking up the spec's on the boat. Hopefully they get back to me with the info I seek.

In the meantime I will post my restoration progress in it's forum. Thanks again

 

[jennis9]

Re: Hello! New boater looking for some advice

We decided to dry store on the trailer this season. Our marina is next door to the ramp and we've been out six times since last thursday! Once you get your rhythm down with the trailer and everyone knows their jobs, it goes smoothly.

Since I just did the research, a few things we asked the marina were;

1. did we have access to electric - so we could keep our trickle charger on so our main battery would be topped at all times

2. what access do we have (24/7 with a passkey for the gate) and what security do they provide (camera)

3. what clubs do they offer at the marina - this was more for getting group rate discounts on towing and insurance (we saved a bundle on the towing...). make sure you have plan B - we have our I/o, but also have a 9.9 as OUR insurance policy that if something happens to our I/o while we are out, we can get back in. We also bought towing insurance - along with our liability. You can rely on the kindness of others - and that may be the case mostly, but then as oops says "murphy shows up" so we know we have options for getting back in - especially if lake erie kicks up suddenly. it may sound like overkill, but the discounts made it a deal we could not pass up.

4. make sure you and the kids take the boaters safety course - in cleve it was $10 per person at the DNR. They will also do a courtesy inspection of the vessel so you know you are in compliance. They cover everything the online course does, but I found as a new boater (my husband has been around boats all of his life, but took the course with me too) it was nice to have live feedback.

5. do they have transient docking? say you come back and you just don't feel like putting the boat on the trailer - you're coming back the next day anyway. You can tie up to the transient space (you pay a fee). when you come back- just hop in and off you go. worth the 20 bucks to us as an option, especially for holidays.

6. we have a dry storage marina here, it's nice option. Your boat is stored in a warehouse on a shelf/slip. you call 40 minutes before you want to take off and park your car, load up and you're off. less wear and tear on your boat regarding corrosion and paint. we may do that next year if we find we are only staying on the lake and not going inland as much as we expected. the cost was comparible to a slip.

you can also try to dry store on the trailer, and if you find that you want a slip. get prorated. ask the marina if this is an option. most will say yes.

since we are new to the boating scene as a couple - and he has experience - we have to learn how we like to boat together to enjoy it. so i do the research to learn more and he enjoys hearing what i have found out. this forum is a great resource.

good luck - and please take the safety class. it made a word of difference for my first time out on our boat.