Question for the boat owners

[Taco280AI]

Know of someone looking to get a 20+ foot outboard fishing boat for the salt. What kind of costs are there for winterizing, regular maintenance and upkeep, what kind of issues have you had (things breaking or going bad), and how much is your boat really costing?

TIA

[Encore 280]

BOAT = Bail Out Another Thousand plain and simple.

[KFhunter]

Outboards are easy, maintenance isn't gonna hurt you, diy

Outfitting it will hurt, bad. Budget $5k to start on a new boat being very modest, unless you buy a ready to fish package..then budget $5k lol

Storage is also a big factor, but if you got space under a roof, your good, paying to store is a huge $ drain

Putting away boat is key, rinse outboards out with fresh and wash hull, always. 

Lack of maint and cutting corners after you take em out the salt is what kills them.





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[fishngamereaper]

There is no number since some things need to be done once or twice a year and some things are every two to three years.

Fuel stabilizer, ring free, oil changes, lower until oil, impellers, tune up, filter's, trim cylinders, trailer bearings, trailer brakes, tires,.....

At the very low end 400-500 a year general maintenance is easy.

But if someone has to ask how much it costs to own a boat they probably can't afford the boat.

[KFhunter]

Yup

Check lists are your friend, dont be proud lol




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[Hillbilly Zen]

Are you talking a shiny new grady with twin 300’s and running for big fish?  A cabin cruiser set to navigate through fog and pissing rain? Wide open aluminum boat for protected water and fair weather?  A lot of factors go into total cost of ownership.  Can you narrow down the type of fishing and uses?  Crabbing?  Salmon?  Halibut?  Narwhal?  🤪

[KFhunter]

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

Lol

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[Crunchy]

I bought my boat in 2010 for 15k, it was 4 years old. Put another 7k for a kicker, downriggers, gps/fish finder, marine radio, few other small things. For the two motors it cost maybe 120 for yearly maintenance that I do. Have not had to replace anything other than the batteries a couple of years ago.  If you buy smart and take care of your stuff it will last.

[xX Let ER Rip Xx]

It’s never ending! Always something you gotta do for a boat. Bottom line, research it and take care of it and it will last for a long time!


But yes, BOAT...... means break out another thousand.


 

[huntnphool]

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

Lol

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 +1, my buddy’s with 25’ Gradys and 250’s just say “send me the bill”

[Bill W]

20 foot boat and trailer won't fit in a regular sized garage.  Just a heads up.  Make sure you have the space or plan to build/rent it first.   An 18footer with an outboard and a swing tongue just fit in a normal length trailer.  If the boat has a C drive on the back that will make it longer so add that to the planning first.

On flashers.... in my opinion anything other than green,red or "chrome" flashers will sit in the flasher bag.  I speak from experience. 

[screedler]

Outboards are easy, maintenance isn't gonna hurt you, diy

Outfitting it will hurt, bad. Budget $5k to start on a new boat being very modest, unless you buy a ready to fish package..then budget $5k lol

Storage is also a big factor, but if you got space under a roof, your good, paying to store is a huge $ drain

Putting away boat is key, rinse outboards out with fresh and wash hull, always. 

Lack of maint and cutting corners after you take em out the salt is what kills them.

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So I'm no salt boat guy, lake dingy dude here... So I may be out of my 'depth' here but I want to reiterate their last sentence here, "Lack of maint and cutting corners after you take em out is what kills them" this even applies to freshwater.

My dad left behind a pontoon boat that he only used on one small lake during the time he owned it when he passed away, problem is that in his failing health in his last few years he stopped doing the maintenance on it. Funny story with that... My mom had taken out a group of her silver haired lady friends for a cruise one day and the motor failed on them. Her and her sister had to jump in to try and swim/push before some other boater gave them a tow. So, I've got to get my motor overhauled now. Won't run for longer than about 30 seconds without cutting out, fortunately there's a functional old trolling motor that fits on the pontoonus otherwise it would be dead in the water. Doesn't help that I'm an IT geek who doesn't know my way around a gas engine. Figured out how to replace the inline fuel filter, but I think that the motor not having been drained of fluids before winter for a few years is going to bite me in the behind big time on this one. Now I've gotta get the boat mechanic out next year to give it some lovin I think.

On the other hand, the little v-hull I inherited is kickin' fantastically with a trolling motor... Just can't wait for my new deep cycle battery I got to go with the new trolling motor I got for it, will be livin the life at that point going from a 30lb to a 55lb thrust TM. Now if I can learn how to use the fishfinder I'll be a happy man...

And yeah, storage... If you ain't got a boat shed or a neighbor with one that you can barter for rent for (I'm lucky in that way) storing a trailer + boat will cost ya!

[KFhunter]

Splash a little Star Tron in the tank with each fill up

[Taco280AI]

He's brainstorming and really doesn't know what he wants. Will be used down in central/northern CA

[NRA4LIFE]

As said, fuel consumption with outboards on a glass boat is going to be the large factor.  My 250 Yamaha just keeps repeating "FEED ME"!  We keep ours in the Everett Marina and that's a whole new level of dollars.  But with Insurance, registration, fuel and the regular yearly maintenance costs (I do all the basic stuff myself) I would estimate about $3K per year, not including the slip fees.  Fuel is probably half of that or a bit more. This also does not include side trips when we trailer it somewhere like Neah bay or other places.  Those too are a whole new level of dollars.