Question for the boat owners

[KFhunter]

I think I'd be looking at a glass boat, open center cabin or console depending on size, full walk around. 

Something with comfort, speed and range,  and you can get out of the spray and sun. 


rough idea of what it takes to outfit a boat, look at all the 'stuff' on this boat.   
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/boa/d/dana-point-must-see-mako-236-turnkey/7241146425.html

I'd get something like that link, but outboard.   I'm sick of inboard engines. 

[Stein]

20' is the dead zone for boats in my opinion.  18' is the upper end of one class because you can fit it in a garage, tow it on a single axle easily with a 1/2 ton and push it with a 90-115 usually limited by conditions rather than motor for speed.  It's easily launched solo and you don't need a deep launch which means you have a huge choice in launches and tides that work.  You can also run it in pretty shallow areas.

20' doesn't really get you much other than additional cost for the boat, another axle on the trailer, four bearings, two tires, trailer brakes, more weight and less fuel economy.  The advantage on the water is pretty minimal for the cost.

When you get to 24, you have a bunch more capabilities, again bumping up to something that is harder to tow, harder to store and probably with twin motors, so double the maintenance cost and upping the fuel bill significantly.

With my 18 footer, it costs me $50 every time I go fishing, that covers launch and fuel only.  I spend way too much on fishing gear every year as well as stuff like ice, various things that break, and so on.  I average about 15 trips a year, so $750 give or take.

I wouldn't be surprised if larger boats were $75-100 every time you take them out.  If you need to pay to store them, I would call around, but $300 a month for dry storage is on the lower end.  Where you store it will be a huge component of the annual cost if you can't keep it for free at your house.  If storage is free, fuel will obviously be the #1 cost.

I probably pay about $200 a year in engine maintenance on a main and kicker, but I don't follow the manufacturer's schedule as it gets new engine and lower unit oil as well as spark plugs every year in addition to the other stuff.

Used is a great way to go when there are reasonable priced boats on the market.  When I bought mine, used boats that had plenty of love marks were only $3k less than new when I found a great deal on a boat a dealer wanted to move.  Used glass boats are always more of a gamble as you can't tell what's under the floor or in the transom. With aluminum, worst case is you have some wet foam on smaller ones, bigger ones without flotation are pretty easy to inspect the hull and transom.

So, my best guess is $750 for launch and fuel, $200 insurance, $200 maintenance, $50 flares/signals and maybe $200 for unexpected fixes and stuff wearing out.

Not including the cost of the boat, I'm spending $1,400 a year which in my opinion is a pretty low cost for the amount of adventure our family has.

If you have to pay for a slip, just that is going to almost triple my all in cost. 

It's not for the faint of heart, but nothing beats a good day on the water.

[RB]

20' is the dead zone for boats in my opinion.  18' is the upper end of one class because you can fit it in a garage, tow it on a single axle easily with a 1/2 ton and push it with a 90-115 usually limited by conditions rather than motor for speed.  It's easily launched solo and you don't need a deep launch which means you have a huge choice in launches and tides that work.  You can also run it in pretty shallow areas.

20' doesn't really get you much other than additional cost for the boat, another axle on the trailer, four bearings, two tires, trailer brakes, more weight and less fuel economy.  The advantage on the water is pretty minimal for the cost.

When you get to 24, you have a bunch more capabilities, again bumping up to something that is harder to tow, harder to store and probably with twin motors, so double the maintenance cost and upping the fuel bill significantly.

With my 18 footer, it costs me $50 every time I go fishing, that covers launch and fuel only.  I spend way too much on fishing gear every year as well as stuff like ice, various things that break, and so on.  I average about 15 trips a year, so $750 give or take.

I wouldn't be surprised if larger boats were $75-100 every time you take them out.  If you need to pay to store them, I would call around, but $300 a month for dry storage is on the lower end.  Where you store it will be a huge component of the annual cost if you can't keep it for free at your house.  If storage is free, fuel will obviously be the #1 cost.

I probably pay about $200 a year in engine maintenance on a main and kicker, but I don't follow the manufacturer's schedule as it gets new engine and lower unit oil as well as spark plugs every year in addition to the other stuff.

Used is a great way to go when there are reasonable priced boats on the market.  When I bought mine, used boats that had plenty of love marks were only $3k less than new when I found a great deal on a boat a dealer wanted to move.  Used glass boats are always more of a gamble as you can't tell what's under the floor or in the transom. With aluminum, worst case is you have some wet foam on smaller ones, bigger ones without flotation are pretty easy to inspect the hull and transom.

So, my best guess is $750 for launch and fuel, $200 insurance, $200 maintenance, $50 flares/signals and maybe $200 for unexpected fixes and stuff wearing out.

Not including the cost of the boat, I'm spending $1,400 a year which in my opinion is a pretty low cost for the amount of adventure our family has.

If you have to pay for a slip, just that is going to almost triple my all in cost. 

It's not for the faint of heart, but nothing beats a good day on the water.

 

[Hillbilly Zen]

A guy buying a twin 300 Grady doesn't ask these questions 🤔

Lol

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Haha!  Fair point! 

[Hillbilly Zen]

+2 on what Stein says.  I have a flat(ish) bottom Glass 22 with twin 40’s that costs me about the same to run.  It pounds in a chop, handles like a cork, but i take it up Chelan all winter and can get in and out of 18 inches of water and stay warm doing it.  Deep Vee will run more comfortably in salt but will need a bigger tow rig and cost far more to run.  I like the shallow water capabilities and ability to tow with an F150.  The light fuel burn is great but i’m never in a hurry and that may be more a factor than the size of the motors in my case.  I dont fish seriously from the boat, its set up for other things.  couple rod holders and thats it.  If I was going offshore in California and fishing was my only planned use for the boat I would seriously consider getting a regular deal going with a top notch charter boat.  You will get into the best fishing grounds with experienced captains, have top notch gear, and save thousands a year!  It’s an expensive way to fish if you dont Also just love messing around in boats. 

I dont do anything to winterize my boat other than draining the freshwater and filling with rv antifreeze.  The outboards drain themselves and are used all winter.  Kept it in Manson last winter and covered the cockpit with a tarp and kicked the snow off after every storm.   Running uplake surrounded by snowcapped peaks in February with not another boat for miles, that is what owning a boat is about to me.

[Blacklab]

Love that pic😂😂😂😂

Basic maintenance just like a car. If you’re going to run it in the salt then you need some salt away really good flushing afterwards. Oil changes upper and lower unit plus water separator fuel filter less than 100 bucks a year. Replacing plugs and batteries can get spendy. Not much difference in a car or a truck

[Night goat]

what do you want to really know?

im a boat mechanic by trade

i charge 120$/hour at the shop and 60$/hr on the side when im doing my own thing

i am also a boat owner, i own a sailboat because of how badly power boats can nickel and dime you to death

the only good boat engine is an industrial grade diesel engine in a purpose built boat.

everything else is a throw-away consumer grade item.

my friends 42 foot sailboat cost him roughly 12,000$ a year for moorage and maintenance.

there are products on the market like Salt-away and Barnical buster that can make diy easier, but, mechanical know-how is a must, as willingness to learn.

 if you make a mistake and buy a raw water cooled engine, you will get a few trips in the salt before things go TU. cooling systems are easy to maintain but expensive to fix. mixing elbows, heat exchangers, bellows, and other hardware can quickly rack up a bill in the thousands. a trip to the mechanic can easilly become 3500-5000$ depending on what went wrong. no excuse to not have a fresh water/closed cooling system.

a new long block Mecruiser 350 and drive is under 10,000$ less install if thats any indication on the long term durability

even outboards like the larger hondas and yamahas and mercury have issues, one of them being the fact that the entire crankshaft assembley sits on one bearing, they are car engine put from a horizontal arrangement to a vertical one with gravity taking over.

you are almost better getting something under warranty these days

they can be affordable if you learn how to do things the right way, but, a giant pain if you rely on a shop