Boat shopping

[dmcummins]

I just bought a house on a canal with Gulf access. So I need a boat.

I’m thinking center console in the 28-32’ range. I’m wanting to spend less than a 100k, preferably 75k or less, just depends on the boat, I do want something nice, but would prefer better quality over new and shiny.

I’ll use the boat to go fishing primarily, with accationally taking the kids and grandkids out to the beach.

I have a few friends pushing the walk around, or express type boats, but my wife is never going to spend the night on the boat. So I’m thinking it takes up to much room, and it adds weight.

So far I’m looking at Pursuit, Grady White, and Intrepids. Along with a few others.

It will probably be a couple of month getting the new lift and dock built. And of coarse were suppose to stay at home, so no looking at the moment.

So any opinions? Things to look out for? Are boat prices going to drop in the next few months? Is my budget out of line?

[MRM]

Start here https://www.thehulltruth.com/ and shop here https://www.thehulltruth.com/boats-sale-wanted-17/ For real local knowledge follow their Florida regional forum at https://www.thehulltruth.com/florida-georgia-32/ There are active threads on each of your questions.

What you are doing now is exactly my goal in the near future. Someday I would love to pick your brain on your experience.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I can’t comment on your style of boat, we do inland lake boating in bow rider style boats. But this is boat #3, all bought used, so I can comment on boat shopping overall. At least in places where it gets cold, fall through spring is the best time to buy. Fall is probably the absolute best because you can catch people who don’t want to pay for winterizing and winter storage and get a great deal. Over the winter some of the boats drop off of the market because people have already paid to have them winterized, and the logistics of test driving get more difficult. That’s a long way of saying that now is a great time to be shopping, particularly considering that people might be offloading toys right now. Look in the usual places like EBay, Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, Yachts.com, and Boattrader.com. Don’t be afraid to travel, and if you aren’t confident in your inspection ability pay for a boat survey to be done. Good luck, boating is the best family activity! My boat would be the absolute last thing I sold.

[tevake]

You might want to look at power cats, I see a number of brands on the market that look pretty good. Well designed, they offer stability, shallow draft, less drag so do well with smaller engines, considerably less fuel consumption, handle rough water well, lots of deck area for a given size. I see some used listings at reasonably prices.

You would need to plan on a different hoist setup, so nows the time to look into the cats.

Cheers Richard

[KFC911]

One of my FL buddies had a 20-22' center console...perfect for playing/fishing the St. Johns river and going just a few miles out in the Atlantic. We fished the gulf once out of Pine Island too. 28-32' is a BIG azz boat....did a lot of sailing on a 30'er too over the years. Have fun searching !

[Chocaholic]

Yamaha now makes a center console with two 180hp jet engines. We have the bow rider version. Very reliable, easy to maintain, no prop or Outdrive and no winterizing. Might be worth a look.

[Chocaholic]

And my favorite part:

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Yamaha now makes a center console with two 180hp jet engines. We have the bow rider version. Very reliable, easy to maintain, no prop or Outdrive and no winterizing. Might be worth a look.

Good friends that we boat with have an AR230, it’s a great boat with the best swim platform in the business. Super low maintenance too.

[wilnj]

I'm not a boater and I don't know what your experience level is but taking cues from my Father in Law's mistakes, I think 28-32 is too big a boat assuming your a first timer. I'd also caution against anything other than a center console or bow rider/ski type boat due to the windage.

Similarly, he retired, built a house with a dock and bay access. He bought a boat on a recommendation from a friend. It was a 24' Bayline Ciera Sedan with head, galley and bunks. I/O with V8. Only had seating for 4 and a hard top.

It looked like this.



He never had an enjoyable day on the water. The boat didn't carry all the kids/grand kids comfortably, it was difficult to maneuver at the dock in any appreciable wind and he never got comfortable enough to do overnights to make use of the cabin.

When he decided to sell, he took a big hit because, well it was a Bayliner.

If I were to counsel my FIL with hindsight and assuming you have the means, I would get the best Grady-White or comparable center console, second hand, 22' or less that you can afford. Once you're sure that the boating life is for you and you get comfortable handling the boat, you can reassess your needs and go from there.

If you take good care of it, with a high-quality, in demand boat like the G-W you shouldn't take a big loss when you decide to either move up in size or get out of boating.

[nota]

quality varies a lot by who owned the name when the boat was built

many builders start a corp build good boats and get a quality reputation
then sell the biz to others who are more profit driven and cut corners so quality drops

don aronow race boat builder [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Aronow ] did that
about 1/2 dozen different names donzi magnum Cigarette most known of them
boats build when don owned the corp were far better build then the boats built after he sold out

power cats are the best current designs but research the builder/owner not just the boat

[JeremyD]

Been boating all my life - currently on boat number 11 or 12 - couple of recommendations here - number one - there are lake boats and there are ocean boats. Lake boats tend to have flatter bottoms (less deadrise) for efficiency - but don't handle waves as well. The brands you mentioned are all pretty high level - more the mercedes porsche of the boating world - had a Pursuit three boats ago that was one of my favorites.

If you are in search of seating/dual purpose - I'd probably look at one of the bigger dual consoles. Grady and Pursuit make nice versions - you'll have to go used for under $100 in that length. I'd also recommend you looking at the World Cat - they make a 23 -28 that are exceptional boats with a ton of room - they handle short chop (like you get on the West Coast) much better than the same size of monohull.

One of the things that are often overlooked is one you go over 26 feet on length - the insurance goes from a Boat policy (that can usually be added to your homeowners) to a "Yacht Policy" that's typically stand alone - and is usually about 3 times what a smaller boat policy is. you can PM me if you need additional information

I currently have a center console 22 ft - the center consoles are great for Florida - lots of room for fishing and island hopping -

[Jim deCordova]

30" is a lot of boat especially for a first timer. I would recommend a Parker 2501 center console, or a Mako in the same size. Make sure you get at least 120 to 150 gallon gas tank so you have legs to go out fishing. And of course a good set of electronics. Make sure you get cover from the sun, lots of different options. Plenty of room for Gkids. Parkers have a great ride and are known as a dry boat in bouncy seas.

[JeremyD]

something like this might be my next boat https://www.boattrader.com/boat/2013-jupiter-26-fs-7359177/

[berettafan]

Center console for a fishing boat.

24' is a sweet spot for ocean handling without an absolute need to go twins.

Talk to your neighbors and go out with them as much as possible before committing to a particular boat.

do NOT buy new.

I ran a 23' Parker SE for several years out of Maryland. Plenty of ocean time BUT i only do the ocean when it's 1-2' or less. LOVED that boat but it is not a booze cruise type of thing. It was a dedicated fishing machine. Very high quality build and fun to run.

I like your initial list and would add Edgewater, Everglades and Southport at the upper end of quality and Sea Hunt as an intermediate brand.

You gotta drive some though. After years of driving my low deadrise Parker SE i drove a buddies Grady 24' and hated the way it handled.

[911boost]

Damn that thing looks sweet Jeremy.

[dad911]

[Seahawk]

World Cat?

Who knew.

What a ride: https://worldcat.com/advantages/testimonials/

Great thread. Bigger is not always better. That, and make sure you have shade for the grand kids. After the first 20 minutes, that is all they are going to care about.

Good luck!

[onewhippedpuppy]

I would also add that it’s worth paying more for a quality brand, or dropping down a few years. There is a huge spread in construction quality between boat manufacturers. We started with a Tahoe that was a cheap POS, then moved to a Monterrey which was much nicer but still mid-level, and are now in a Regal that’s probably upper-mid. Big difference with each step upwards.

We also went from a 17’ to a 23’ to a 27’. 23’ was the sweet spot for ease of driving but didn’t have enough space and beat us up on windy days. The 27’ was a definite adjustment but was a fantastic upgrade.

[dmcummins]

Thanks everyone, a lot to consider. This isn’t actually my first boat, I’ve had a few small fishing boats in the past and a 27’ sailboat.

I’m not in to much of a hurry, I’ve got a ton to do on the house and it will probably take a couple of months to get the dock installed. And with the stay at home orders I’m really not out looking.

[Sebscst]

What type of fishing do you plan on doing, inshore or offshore. The size you are looking for leads me to think more offshore unless you get one of the larger bayboats. It looks like your in the Naples, Marco are which is a long haul to the offshore grounds. For safety get twins. Also don’t get fooled by all the bling some of the manufacturers offer on their models. Most of those boats are junk. I’ve tournament fished on a professional level (everything paid by sponsors) and have help test and design new models. The gulf isn’t much for swells but more of a chop when it gets bumpy so test drive models in real conditions. Any manufacturer that doesn’t let you do this is because their boat will beat you to death and know they won’t be able to sell it. Anyway my top three list of which I’ve owned is.

1. Yellowfin
2. Sea Vee
3 there is nothing else