He might as well drag it on the highway with a chain...considering he's buying a brand new boat every single 6 years.

Absolutely, I had a buddy that worked at a place that rented boats at the beach in Sarasota, FL. That guy could do what to me seemed amazing with a small boat. I was on the boat when he came in and practically slid the boat into a "parallel parking spot" practically at speed. It was like one of those things you see in a video on youtube where someone pulls a handbrake 180 in a mini into a spot with a couple/few inches in front and behind the car.

I'm sure it's like towing a trailer, you get better with practice.

My college buddy told me a few details about "rules of the road" type stuff. THe one thing that I remember (I think) is "red, right, return". That kind of stuff is vital to your safety.

http://boatsbeachesandbars.com/blog/understanding-boating-rules-red-right-return/

Good timing - I got the boat itch when we were down in the St Pete area on vacation last month (June.) I've been browsing thehulltruth forum and Craigslist as well as boattrader web site just to get an idea of pricing, models, etc. I really want a fishing boat that would also serve as a cruiser/ski boat. Our property is large enough (3.5 acres) we can store it hear and we live within two hours of at least 3 fairly large lakes.

Yep Sea Ray were generally solid boats, not in the same class as Boston Whaler or Grady White but solid. Bayliner were low cost, entry level...

No seasickness here.

I like working on stuff, and am the kind of guy who would practice going in and out of a slip over and over.

But I’m also kind of cheap. (Stay tuned for my next thread about should I buy a new car.)

No! I like your boat!

I had a 32' Chaparral twin gas v8s with outdrives kept in the local marina. I would never do that again. I would go direct or v-drive.

Boat payment was 600/month
Slip was 475/month
Fuel burn at 30kts 15gph per engine with gas at 4.50 per gallon
Monthly bottom cleaning at 120 per
Annual major maintenance and haul-out 1-2K
Bottom paint every 2-3 years 2-3k
Replacement canvas 2500


You've been warned...LOL

However, there were some very amazing times going to the local islands, snorkeling, kayaking, bbq-ing, etc.

Some good advice above. Especially about starting out small, trailerable will simplify and save money in year around ownership.

Check with you local coast guard aux. they usually offer good intro courses. Cover safety, boat handeling, basic piloting, intro to navigation, rules of the road, AIDS to navigation , weather etc.
Completing a course with them will help you feel much better prepared to go boating safely.
This will also be a chance to meet other new boaters and possibly lest to some of the best boating of all, on other peoples boats.

Boating opens a great world of fun, sport, getting closer to nature.

35' to 40' is taking on a lot for a new boater.
Have fun!

Cheers Richard

Some good answers above.

My first question would be what is your intention for the boat? Your two examples indicate floating double wide's. Do you intend to boat or use it as a camper? If it is going to be a camper it doesn't matter how big it is. Very common near me for people to buy old house boats remove the engines and use the space for storage.

1. Realistically what does it cost to buy, moor, maintain and operate a 35-45' used power boat that is of a quality that you might hope to not lose a ton of money over ten years? Or is there no such thing?


There are a lot of variables only research will answer. The cost to buy? That depends on what you are buying, age, material, wood, glass, metal, condition, size, etc, etc. Dockage will also depend on the size of the boat and the slip. Slip rents, hauling splashing, hard storage are generally by the foot and will vary from region to region and marina to marina depending on amenities, location etc. Slip rents will round up. So if you have a 30' boat but the marina only has a 40' slip you will pay for a 40' slip. Then you have electricity for pumps, battery charger, HVAC. Maintenance also depends on the material of the baot and the gage. A new fiberglass boat will have less maintenance then a five year old fiberglass boat that is run thirty miles off shore every weekend. Steel and aluminum boats are susceptible to electrolysis so their hulls have a different maintenance routine and cost. Wood is another. A 35' boat or smaller could be rack stored so maintenance would be less. It would be stored indoors out of the elements. You call when you want to use it the drop it in you boat, bring it back hand them the keys, they wash it and put it away until next weekend. Operating costs vary depending on size, number of engines, type of boat go fast or trawler. It's a hard question to answer until you do it.

Very, very few boats that will maintain value. Rybovich, some Merritt's, a Potter Seacraft, some Grady's, Hinkley, maybe a Hatteras 53' are the few I can think of. All of the mass produced boats like a Sea Ray, Four Winns, Formula will lose value. The better it is maintained the easier it will be to sell but not necessarily the more you will get.

2. Also realistically, how do you become competent and safe at operating said boat? Assume you're starting from zero. Like most things the only way to become competent is to do it. The more you do it the better you will become. I will differ from some of the replies above to start small. In my experience and opinion bigger boats are easier to operate than little boats. Of course when things go wrong they wrong bigger and it usually costs more.

Had boats all my life until recently. 10k yr to maintain / operate a boat of that size. Slip fees vary widely by location and amenities. Boat mechanics make car mechanics look like honest cheapskates.
The only new wisdom I can offer is that boats like to be used. Ones that sit are usually inop when you do decide to go out.


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is this for river use, or do you plan to go out into the Pacific?

And don't forget about the joy of filling 100-200 gallons or more of fuel to feed the beast . Very easy to consume in just two days on the water .

I’d like to eventually (experience dependent) be going into the ocean.

Which is partly why I’m asking about larger boats. Columbia bar has a reputation and not a lot of bailouts on the coast there.

This is a great thread. I am also considering getting into motorboating. A lot of good advice. It seems that the consensus is start with something small, advice is 35 feet and larger simply too big for a first boat. Does this advice still apply to the larger boats that have a docking joystick? It seems that the Docking joystick artificially enhances the ability of the boater. Love this thread


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This part of the Pacific is not pacific. The Oregon coast is known for having so much wave action that the intertidal ecology differs from other areas (so dominated by disturbance (wave action), that no species can "take over" - jane Lubchenco did that work then ran NOAA).

You might want to keep track of the death rate for awhile before crossing the bar...

OTOH, people do it ...

Boating is a passion like any other, do not go into it thinking of the investment and return side - the equation will not work out.

Find and join a yacht club, they'll all have associate memberships, most have training programs, all have bulletin boards and stuff for sale constantly so you can get an idea of what you like and may go look for.
Look at a lot of boats. If you get to the decision to buy, hire a reputable (accredited) broker, and
Get introduced to a surveyor.
Check out boating forums - The Hull Truth. Sams Marine (Hatteras owners), etc.

Boats are all different, figure out what you like. Buy the best one you can find, avoid anything that is a fixer upper. The newest best boat will REQUIRE attention and exact twice what you think it will to get caught up again.

We own a 44 year old 58' Hatteras. It is in amazing shape, I do 95% of my own work and am usually disappointed when I have to hire a 'specialist'. Like air cooled 911's, it helps if you can turn wrenches and draw the line when you have too.

I won't argue with much of what others have said here, its a personal decision. We live on ours in the summer, use it all year otherwise. When my wife retires next December we'll expand our ranging, Alaska is on our mind.

Few things gratify me more that operating our boat well, it is the largest machine I've ever had to manage, and I hope to have it until I... well you know.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1594510962.jpg

We had a 58YF when I was growing up. That's what I learned on.

I just bought a boat a couple of weeks ago, it’s my first powerboat. I did have a small sailboat around 10-15 years ago.

As to cost, it’s expensive, and I’ve only had the boat for. A few weeks, I’m scheduled to have some routine maintenance done and I’m looking at around $1000:per engine.

And I’ve bought. A house on a canal which leads to the gulf. So a big premium for waterfront, and I’m having a new dock and lift put in.

I sure hope I like boating.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1594516359.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1594516359.jpg

The saying goes with boats: the happiest day is when you buy it. The happiest day is the day you sell it.