May have jumped the gun buying this boat

[choppywaters]

Just like the title says, may have jumped the gun buying our boat. So far its been fun but honestly it gets pretty boring after driving around for an hour. My Daughter loves it only to swim but we can do that from the beach, my Son seems as though he could care less if he goes or not, the Wife enjoys it but she gets sick if its too hot out and me personally, well it almost seems more like a chore to get it ready and trailer it down and launch. Plus I get kind of bored just driving or beaching it every time. No one else likes to fish but my 6 year old Daughter and you know you can barely fish with someone her age. I should have just bought my kayak for fishing and a tandom for the Wife and kids. What to do now? I bought it for a good price but have also put a lot of time and money into it. I guess what I'm asking is do you think a 1992 20ft Stingray CC worth 8k? Its super clean, 371 hours on it and has tons of extras (brand new 2 person tube, 2 new anchors and 200ft of line, and about 700 bucks in additional stuff. Thanks for listening to me vent.

 

[spdracr39]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

Try to find which parts of boating each rider likes and try to include that in each trip. If your wife gets hot get a large bimini for shade. We like to drive and take pictures so we try to go to new places fairly often. It is a chore to get it all ready then to put everything away but by making each trip appeal in someway to everyone because it helps bring the family together and is worth all the work. If you just can't find anything to make them happy keep the boat and get rid of.... Just kidding. Boating is like everything else its not for everyone. Sometimes you have to cut your losses and move on. Good Luck to you I hope it all works out.

 

[dswi]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

It all has to do with your perspective...
Once heard a story of a fishing trip between a dad and a son....
Dad's thoughts***We wasted a whole day and didn't catch anything...
Son's thoughts***My dad just spent a whole day with me!!!

Great family time IMHO.

 

[busted-bayliner]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

Just like the title says, may have jumped the gun buying our boat. So far its been fun but honestly it gets pretty boring after driving around for an hour. My Daughter loves it only to swim but we can do that from the beach, my Son seems as though he could care less if he goes or not, the Wife enjoys it but she gets sick if its too hot out and me personally, well it almost seems more like a chore to get it ready and trailer it down and launch. Plus I get kind of bored just driving or beaching it every time. No one else likes to fish but my 6 year old Daughter and you know you can barley fish with someone her age. I should have just bought my kayak for fishing and a random for the Wife and kids. What to do now? I bought it for a good price but have also put a lot of time and money into it. I guess what I'm asking is do you think a 1992 20ft Stingray CC worth 8k? Its super clean, 371 hours on it and has tons of extras (brand new 2 person tube, 2 new anchors and 200ft of line, and about 700 bucks in additional stuff. Thanks for listening to me vent.

sounds like u need a few buddys to go out with ya in between family time. do some fishing look at some eye candy have a few beers

 

[JimS123]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

We're a boating family....Grandpa, Dad, Son and Grandsons. That's what we do. The family is always together - 4 generations of boat owners. We don't gamble, the kids don't do video games, nobody ever got into trouble and we seldom watch TV (except Grandpa who doesn't get around much any more). We're all professionally employed homeowners and boat owners and each generation is proud of the next, and visa versa. All the Moms go along as well, and are happy to be together.

I have to laugh in amazement at the "kids" where I work. All 30-something and their weekend fun entails some thing called diablo 3. None of them have any inkling of a tan, I might add....LOL.

Yours sounds like a hopeless case...pardon my candid response. Sell the boat, buy the kids more video games, buy yourself a big TV to watch the game and send the wife shopping.

Boating has to be a family thing or it isnt anything at all.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

Rekindle the dreams prior to buying, then act on them. Negative thoughts are banned!!! Guaranteed your family will remember your/their SHT a lot longer than the same old stuff.

 

[bajaunderground]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

After reading your post, I wasn't sure how to respond or if I should at all...

Boats = a lot of work to take care of properly. If the family is not enthralled by boating by yourselves, find friends that enjoy going and invite them along...the kids will enjoy tubing/swimming/hanging with their friends, the wife's can cavort and have foo-foo drinks (umbrellas optional) the men can drink beer, cuss, swim with the kids and take turns trying wake boarding, skiing and/or tubing.

We go regularly with a large group of friends and for the most part we are the only one's with a boat (regularly anyway). The kids do the above, the women do the above and the men do way worse than above! We (men and women) take turns going out with our respective groups and have a little fun letting loose. Once the girls return, then the boys take turns seeing how fast we can go while trying to skip each other of the waves with the tube.

I for one cannot imagine not boating?! We went out last Friday, just family, anchored in a cove and swam/sunbathed all day...went again Sunday, but beached instead as we took one of our dogs.

I can tell you from experience having grown up on boats...the memories last a lifetime and set the stage for what your kids will do with their kids...In the words of George Zimmer (owner of Men's Warehouse), "I guarantee it"

 

[samagy16]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

What area do you boat in that gets so boring after an hour? I can't imagine EVER getting bored when going out on the boat and my wife and daughter absolutely love it.

Do you have decent tunes on the boat? Jamming out while at the sandbar while having some cold liquids watching my daughter have an endless amount of fun, firing up the bbq, throwing the football and frisbee etc has become my absolute passion in life. Boating has absolutely been wonderful for my family and I can't fathom it not doing the same for others.

I am very blessed with the waters that I have surrounding me in South florida (keys, biscayne bay, Ft lauderdale, ft. myers etc) though and I think that makes a difference but I also think its what you make of it.

BTW, to me that boat you listed for that price seems a tad bit too high. Down here in S Florida you would have a tough time selling that boat.

Good luck!

 

[theteacher]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

Is your boat worth $8K ? Probably only to you.
I have a 1998 220CX (22 foot cuddy) with a 350 magnum, 300 hp, Bravo 1 outdrive and not even 100 hours yet, it runs perfect and I mean perfect, phenomenal condition, dual axle trailer with rollers, NOT bunks, with brakes, and I doubt I could get over $10,000.00 for mine. But it's worth more than that to me.
Just sayin' !

 

[rivermouse]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

Maybe its not the boat thats boring but WHAT YOU ARE DOING...maybe a little excitement ....Take the wife to the mall,and the kids to the movies and then YOU go find some fun . Hey If you pay you need to play....maybe take up drinking . Dont forget .."bright sun means brown buns"

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

Where are you boating? Maybe you need a change of venue... Or a change of boatmates, as suggested. If my family wasn't into it, I would still be out on the river, just with different people.

As for selling the boat, in the absence of additional info and pictures, I would say $5000-6000ish sounds fair for a '92 20 foot cuddy in good shape.

 

[truckermatt]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

I really feel for you. Though I dont have kids yet, soon though, My finace and I love to go boating, I dont think we would have the great relationship we do if we both didnt enjoy boating. We hope to add kids to the equation and introduce them to the water early and hope they enjoy it.

But you said that you didnt like boating 100%, Yeah, its hard work for no thank-you's, but I still enjoy it. It might be time to find something else to do, dont spend countless $$ on a boat nobody enjoys

 

[jrisebo]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

Just like the title says, may have jumped the gun buying our boat. So far its been fun but honestly it gets pretty boring after driving around for an hour. My Daughter loves it only to swim but we can do that from the beach, my Son seems as though he could care less if he goes or not, the Wife enjoys it but she gets sick if its too hot out and me personally, well it almost seems more like a chore to get it ready and trailer it down and launch. Plus I get kind of bored just driving or beaching it every time. No one else likes to fish but my 6 year old Daughter and you know you can barely fish with someone her age. I should have just bought my kayak for fishing and a tandom for the Wife and kids. What to do now? I bought it for a good price but have also put a lot of time and money into it. I guess what I'm asking is do you think a 1992 20ft Stingray CC worth 8k? Its super clean, 371 hours on it and has tons of extras (brand new 2 person tube, 2 new anchors and 200ft of line, and about 700 bucks in additional stuff. Thanks for listening to me vent.

Take a trip with the boat to a different lake, not sure where your at, but find a cabin or condo on the water you can rent, spend some time on the lake, then at night go see a movie, or some other destination. Boating is for relaxing and not really doing anything, other than working on your boat, lol.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

If I boat where I live, not much to do but go fishing, or mindlessly drive the boat for a few hours north or south. nothing spectacular along the shore line here.

however Door County is only 60 miles away. there are restaurants on the water, islands with boats anchored everywhere, sandy beaches, etc. Pile a bunch of people together in 2 or 3 boats, and your family will have a blast. bring a frisbee, grill for the beach, etc. and have a picnic on a remote beach.

Once your family is bitten by the boating bug, it becomes a whole new experience.

I also second grabbing some buds and spending a weekend boating, fishing, etc.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

Invest in a bimini top so your wife can sit in the shade.

Take up trolling, it's a great way to cruise the lake and fish too. The gentle breeze from trolling and the shade from the bimini is almost like air conditioning on a hot summer day.

 

[markheck1]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

I fell ya man, how old is the son and maybe he'd like to drive? even sitting on your lap....
maybe he'd like to learn about boating if you let him do some of it. teach him to help launch, tie off ropes, use the anchor, etc....
He have any interest in learning to Ski?

Also maybe a change of venue, exploring Kinzua or Shenango might be fun,

maybe having a friend along for the kids some times,
or even have someone watch the kids and see if another couple that you do other things with wants to go watch the sunset on the lake or something.....

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

It sounds like you jumped into a certain style of boating (trailering to a lake) that isn't fun for you.

Like any recreation, it's what you make it, and it's not for everyone. I find golf boring. I would also find it boring to go to the same lake and ride back and forth, but some people love it. And being one who can't sit still, the idea of just sitting sunning and listening to music there is torture, but some people love it (I also can't sit in a beach chair for more than 18 minutes).

One thing that gets the children involved is to have a boat they can operate. Do you let them drive? Do you do everything, and boss them around? Do you spend more time prepping and cleaning than boating? If so, i know they'd rather come with me! So maybe you need to change your operations.

So maybe you need a different boat.

Maybe you need a different venue. I'm fortunate to be on the coast, where I can run from what is like a lake all the way to the ocean; urban settings, beach, marsh and nature, all around. I like a destination, such as a structure, or restaurant. And of course there's all kinds of fishing.

I know that with trailering you are stuck where you go and usually stay a long time due to the time investment. We enjoy short hops, or I take a crew of young 'uns tubing while others hang out (or let them go while I stay ashore) then take some others sight seeing, then come back change crews and go fish. I know I'm lucky to have that set-up but maybe you can find something similar, like a park or campground (even for a day trip.) That way your crew with four diverse interests aren't captive to each other.

Let the children take friends. Do a trip for your daughter to take 4 friends then next time your son. Do whatever they want, not what you want.

And as for changes, not recommending anything drastic about the whiney wifey, but maybe she's enjoy a day at home with peace and quiet while you take the children out.

Maybe boating isn't something you can just jump in to cold; I don't know anything different, but my mom grew up boating and my dad didn't; he learned to like it but she had it in her blood. I think it makes a difference for a lot of people.

 

[Maclin]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

Jumped the gun on boating maybe, that is fixable. And you could have done worse on a boat for sure. You did the right research on the equipment, now just hang in and "fix" the boating activity perceptions.



Here is a true story and why I said you could have done way worse...

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=558192

 

[laserbrn]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

I fish. That's why I boat. I do look at "pleasure boaters" and think to myself "What the hell are they doing?". I can't believe that people manage to draw excitement from cruising around the lake all day. Burnin up gas, cruisin' around in there shiny boats.

But then I went to a different lake for 5 days last year. I went to fish, but this lake actually had me pleasure boating for a few hours. I pulled tubes with the fam bam and my friends that came and we had great fun camping/bbqing. We did the motorhome rental thing and had a great freakin' time. Granted, I did do some fishing, I gained a little perspective into why people enjoy it.

When I got home I went back to my local lake and it seems stupid again. A lot of the fun is going to be derived from WHERE you are boating. My local lake doesn't have a lot of beaching areas, there's not BBQ's and EZ'up's and lots of nicely tanned girlies and the #1 problem with the local joint? No alcohol allowed and heavily patrolled by sherrif's. BORING and pointleess to go there.

 

[gtochris]

Re: May have jumped the gun buying this boat

I have to laugh in amazement at the "kids" where I work. All 30-something and their weekend fun entails some thing called diablo 3. None of them have any inkling of a tan, I might add....LOL.
QUOTE]

I'm a 28-something and so many times I roll into work on a monday, look around and realize: I had an AWESOME weekend on the boat, I bet few have had the fun we did/ stories