Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $30k

[jimbo_jwc]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

Nobody,

Welcome to iboats!

I'll give you my insight and you can take from it what you wish?! Others on here will express their opinions, but in the end, that's all they are!?

If you have $30K to spend on a boat, might I suggest spending $10-15K on a nice 10year old bowrider? My thought is that you're gonna make a few mistakes, errors while you're learning the in and outs of boat ownership...beaching, landing, launching, maintenance, just to name a few and it'd be a shame to learn on a nice expensive boat! That amount should get you a nice decent, clean used boat that you won't mind if you get a few scratches on her and learn about proper maintenance and care. Now, there are thousand of post on here where people ask "How To Buy a Boat?" I won't waste yours or other readers time in the how to survey a boat...my only recommendation is to get a survey (worth the money!) and could save you thousands...plus then you'll know what exactly you'll be buying?!

As far as a monthly allowance goes, $500.00 seems pretty high? If you boat 30-45 days/year ($6,000 a year/45days= $133 a day) crunch the numbers, gas, maintenance, rental, insurance, etc...I have no idea what slips/storage fees are in Texas?!

There's a few on here that say things that discourage boaters from purchasing because they are under the impression you have to spend a ton of money without regards to a budget in order to have a boat! Are they costly? Yes! Are they maintenance extensive? Yes! does one have to have unlimited funds to enjoy boating? I hope not?!

When buying:
* Get a survey
* Get a factory Service Manual
* If inboard, buy something that's readily still available for maintenance/service (read: Mercury)
* Find a good marine mechanic and don't scrimp on paying for their services if you're not capable of maintaining the boat yourself

If you buy a sound/safe boat to begin with and keep ahead of the maintenance (religiously) then having a boat is more enjoyable and financial viable...even on a budget!

~Brett

Couldn't have given any more wisdom than this reply . I Concur

 

[southkogs]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

This one is for sale near me, and looks about like what I want:

Used 2007 Sea Ray 210 Select, China Spring, Tx - 76633 - BoatTrader.com


265 HP seems a little underpowered for a 21 foot boat, but I don't know.

This is the wellcraft I was looking at:
super clean 1997 wellcraft 20 foot ski boat 5.7 v8

They're asking $9,000. I don't know if the sea ray is 3x better...granted it is 10 years newer than this one.

I'd be lookin' at the Wellcraft myself. I'm kinda' a "cheap" boater, so take my answer with a grain of salt, but that Ray doesn't look $20,000.00 nicer to me. (I'm probably a little more partial to Wellcraft as a boat anyway.)

Wellcraft has good power, and seems to have been well cared for. In used boats it's all about condition and an old boat can be in much better shape than a new boat. Age doesn't bother me too much ... as you can see below.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater water sport

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater water sport

...265 HP seems a little underpowered for a 21 foot boat, but I don't know...

If it is anything like The Current Model, it should break 50 mph without any problems.

 

[Nobody785]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

Question:

Did the back to back seats (two rearward facing seats directly behind the two main seats) go out of style sometime around 10 years ago? I remember our boat in the 90's had those and I loved them. For one, it was nice to be able to watch other people ski. Secondly, I remember sitting on top of the seatback more often than not when the bow was high in the air so I could see where I was going. It seems like that would be difficult to do with the swiveling chairs. Lastly, it was nice to be able to sit somewhere that the wind wasn't hitting you in the face if the two main seats were occupied.

The massive sundecks just seem to take up a lot of room and I don't remember ever wishing that I had a sundeck to lay on - we would just go to the bow if we wanted to lay out.

 

[dan02gt]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

Question:

Did the back to back seats (two rearward facing seats directly behind the two main seats) go out of style sometime around 10 years ago? I remember our boat in the 90's had those and I loved them. For one, it was nice to be able to watch other people ski. Secondly, I remember sitting on top of the seatback more often than not when the bow was high in the air so I could see where I was going. It seems like that would be difficult to do with the swiveling chairs. Lastly, it was nice to be able to sit somewhere that the wind wasn't hitting you in the face if the two main seats were occupied.

The massive sundecks just seem to take up a lot of room and I don't remember ever wishing that I had a sundeck to lay on - we would just go to the bow if we wanted to lay out.

They went out of style sometime in the 90's most new boats don't have them. Most "sport" bucket seats have bolsters though that you can raise up and set on to see over the windshield. The sundeck with the built in swim platform is our favorite thing about our boat and where we spend most of our time when we're not cruising.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

Im not going to read through all of the posts on this thread I will just chime in with some thoughts.

30K is enough for a really nice bow rider, you are even in the new price range. Check out stingray, tahoe and Bayliner for new. I had a stingray that I bought new it was a great boat. Also with new you know what exactly has happened with the boat.

A newer boat (1-2) years old can have issues. People seam to think that boats are as simple as cars and don't take care of them. I have a friend who bought a new boat and ran the thing at 5K RMP everywhere he went on the lake. A few seasons of that and you will have shortened the life of the motor. He also never had the motor aligned after buying the boat so there could be coupler/gimble issues down the road because of it. The boat is 2 years old and has about 50 hours on it now. Looks good on paper thought.

Your Tahoe will tow alomst anything that you are looking at so you are good there.

The boat will cost at least $100 every time you take it out between what you burn using the boat and what you burn pulling the boat to the ramp.

Im not a big fan of boats that have the outdrive sticking out further than the swim platform especially if you are going to have kids on the boat. I have seen people and kids jump off the platform several times only to hit the outdrive on their way in to the lake. Good way to end your day on the lake short.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

This one is for sale near me, and looks about like what I want:

Used 2007 Sea Ray 210 Select, China Spring, Tx - 76633 - BoatTrader.com

265 HP seems a little underpowered for a 21 foot boat, but I don't know.

This is the wellcraft I was looking at:
super clean 1997 wellcraft 20 foot ski boat 5.7 v8

They're asking $9,000. I don't know if the sea ray is 3x better...granted it is 10 years newer than this one.

I like how you're thinking nobody!! I would most certainly look at used boats so you don't take the "new boat" hit on your first boat. Learning the ins and outs of boating is fun, but we all will make a few mistakes here and there. Knowing you are financial able really has already been established, it's just a matter of getting good value from what you do decide to buy. You don't need to spend all your savings as you can see already. I like the Sea Ray, seems it's already rigged for the activities you are interested in. Don't be afraid to travel a bit to buy the right boat either. And for the amount you are looking to spend, a survey and sea test are almost a "MUST". Have fun, it can be really emotional selecting your new toy, try not to be.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

Whatever you do, buy a used boat. I bought the boat in my signature when it was 2 years old with 75 hours on it and I paid half of what the original owner paid for it. Let the original owner be the guy that gets the depreciation hit.

 

[onewhippedpuppy]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

I think the answer to "can I afford a boat" is a resounding hell yes. We bought a 2004 19' Tahoe two years ago as a starter boat, I wanted to insure that my wife and kids enjoyed boating before I invested much money. Despite what some on here say about Tahoe it has been a fantastic boat requiring minimal maintenance, which I think is consistent with most modern bowriders that have been taken care of. I'm fairly anal so I have done a lot of preventative maintenance, the only required service that the boat has needed has been winterizing for under $500. It has a folding tongue trailer so we store it in the garage, a big bonus with a smaller boat. To echo the other advice, buy a nice well kept and nearly new boat vs a brand new one, your $30k should buy you something quite nice. Go look at a bunch of boats, you'll get a feel for nice vs cheap and neglected. Personally I'm a sucker for Cobalts, and am currently shopping for a 22-25' one to replace my Tahoe. If you look at one in person you will notice the difference.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

Those are hard to compare. That wellcraft is in awesome shape for its age. It will be a fun boat. However, that Sea Ray has some excellent features you would come to really love. That looks like a sturdy factory installed tower. That is a huge plus for storage. It also has a dual prop outdrive on it. That is a sweet find. It is hard to compare those two, if you have the money to afford the Ray.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

It also has a dual prop outdrive on it. That is a sweet find.

Do your research on dual prop vs single prop. While the dual prop offers greater performance (hole shot, staying on plain at lower speeds, no stern walking in reverse, better dock side manners, and a bunch more) they do not have prop hubs so any impact will be transferred to the internals of the outdrive and the motor. Also prop replacement for dual props are $900-1200, where the single prop drives cost about $120 to replace with aluminium.

Also 265HP is pretty good. My 21 foot stingray had a 220HP V6 in it and I could still hit low 50s no problem and pull people out of the water on skies and tubes no issue but yes more is better and 265 won't have you complaning at all.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

they do not have prop hubs so any impact will be transferred to the internals of the outdrive and the motor.

My Volvo duoprop props have hubs. The bravo 3 have hubs as well. They are solid hubs instead of rubber hubs. Maybe that is what you meant. They can still move on impacts though.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

My Volvo duoprop props have hubs. The bravo 3 have hubs as well. They are solid hubs instead of rubber hubs. Maybe that is what you meant. They can still move on impacts though.

You sure about that? See Bondo on post #2
http://forums.iboats.com/prop-questions-topics/bravo-iii-prop-question-590978.html

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

Yes, You can afford a boat, you are probably in better shape than 80% of the people on this web site. Unless there is a major problem with the boat you will not spend anywhere near $500 a Month on usage or maintenance.

I've been boating for 53 years and owned 19 different boats and your in great shape... go for it.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

You sure about that? See Bondo on post #2
http://forums.iboats.com/prop-questions-topics/bravo-iii-prop-question-590978.html

Hmm...now I am not sure on the Bravo 3.

 

[steven_p]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

Yes, You can afford a boat, you are probably in better shape than 80% of the people on this web site. Unless there is a major problem with the boat you will not spend anywhere near $500 a Month on usage or maintenance.

I've been boating for 53 years and owned 19 different boats and your in great shape... go for it.

Agree

 

[jafo9]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

from your 1st post you say the primary use will be wakeboarding and skiing. if that is the case, i would strongly recommend looking at a used inboard. MasterCraft 205 97+ (original Xstar hull) and the Nautique original hull for the super air (210 iirc) are good solid places to start. both can be found for well under 30K. even though the learning curve is a bit higher for inboards, my thoughts would be to avoid spending a bunch of money to upgrade an I/O to a towboat (tower, perfectpass, ballast, re-prop) and then realize you really wanted an inboard. i'm not trying to start an I/O vs. inboard war, just addressing your primary use. good luck.

 

[Nobody785]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

oh, I really like this one:

Used 2006 Sea Ray 200 Select, Southlake, Tx - 76092 - BoatTrader.com

The 200 is 500 pounds lighter than the 210, which might be better for my truck. Plus I like that color.

On the inboard issue, I have thought about the mastercrafts and natiquqe's, they do seem more expensive, but maybe I'm wrong. Also, I've been reading that they don't handle as well in choppy water, and some of the lakes around here can get rough sometimes; granted that's not the best time to be out on the water doing the things I like to do. I'll start looking at them though.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

On the inboard issue, I have thought about the mastercrafts and natiquqe's, they do seem more expensive, but maybe I'm wrong. Also, I've been reading that they don't handle as well in choppy water, and some of the lakes around here can get rough sometimes; granted that's not the best time to be out on the water doing the things I like to do. I'll start looking at them though.

I know many people that had them at Lake Tahoe and sold them because they couldn't do anything when it was slightly rough at all.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Can I afford a boat? Looking for a 18-25 foot boat for freshwater watersports, $3

Moomba Mobius wakeboard wakesurfing Doesn't look real sea worthy lol