Bought a boat! Seadoo 205 Utopia
 

2002 Seadoo Utopia 205 (21') 240hp 2stroke

Went and looked at a boat this weekend up in Palm Harbor. Owners were amazingly nice and took us out on Lake Tarpon for a test run and a beer.

I couldn't even negotiate with the guy as his price was $3k below book and he threw in ski, jackets, tubes, etc.

The boat has amazing pull and tops out at around 60mph. Its a jet propelled drive so it stops like it has brakes and can slide like a wave runner. And I dont have to worry about manatees!

I was hesitant about the jet stuff but my boat guru friend said that the maintenance is nill. Much preferred to the in/out board.

Pics to come!

Terry, you mind telling (ballpark) what something like that goes for? My brother-in-law is looking at jet-skis/boats, and trying to get a handle on used prices.

Good for you Terry - That's a good boat for your area - Be careful on anything other than the intercoastal - those things will get airborn in a good chop!

Yamaha makes a full size bow-rider (21foot?), that's powered by two 1100 cc jet ski motors. 320 total hp...no prop what-so-ever. I have one of those motors in my Waverunner (160 hp) and it's been a bulletproof rocket for 3 years of heavy use. Might want to suggest that your brother-in-law checks them out.

Good going Terry! You'll enjoy that little rig, they're a hoot to "drift". (And at least it does not have the name on the side of the hull)....Have fun!

An now the stage has been set for the "second happiest day" in your life of owning a boat :)! Have fun, be save, and learn your boat...it'll probably change your perspective of Florida (if you haven't spent a lot of time on one already)!

Thats what they say.

We have had a boat club membership for a few years so I've been around.

i have two seadoo gtx's and a speedster boat,. awesome products.

I had lived in Jax for a couple of years before I discovered the city "from a sailboat/motorboat"...that totally changed my perspective! I still haven't encountered the "second happiest day" yet, as I've owned mine almost 20 years :)

I've got a Bayliner Jazz with a Mercury inboard and a Jet Drive. I like it alot.

My buddy has one of those, he loves it except for the gas mileage. There's a reason they have 40 gallon tanks, they need it.
Between the two stroke engine and the jet drive it is gonig to suck the gas.
Other than that they are a blast. Very low draft, reliable, and very easy to spin.

BTW spinning them is fun as long as your wife is ready for it. Otherwise she will get pissed and wet, and you won't get any.

Yep, about the same mileage as an average out board 2-5 mpg. Between that and my dodge I might as well buy stock in Exxon.

My neighbor just boat a 25' Proline Center Console and has been making trips 50 miles out to a certain reef to fish. $240 a trip not including oil.

Look at the bright side, premium gas is getting cheaper every day and good 2 stroke TCW-III two stroke oil is under $20 a gallon ;)

I have two waverunners, we can go through 25 gallons in 3 or 4 hours riding part time. When it's that much fun the actual cost doesn't matter. You can worry about the $$ between trips.

I've done VERY little fishing that far south in Fl on the gulf side, but from what I recall, why :)? There seems to be such an abundance and wide variety close in. What is he going after?

I'm not much of a fisherman myself, which is sinful down here. The only fishing I really enjoy is back bay fishing for red fish, bone fish, snook, etc. Its similar to bass fishing. Trolling for Dolphin is fun too but we do not get many on this coast.

He goes out for Grouper which frequent the man made reefs out there. The government sank 20 train box cars about 50 miles out which have become a play ground for big fish.

Probably grouper and amberjack this time of year.

Bass fishing is what I enjoy the most :)! Several of us did a campground (motorhome)/fishing trip on Pine Island a few years ago...the fishing was great, but our weekend was smack in the middle of the fall "noseeum season"...how do you natives deal with those bas**rds :(

I took my brother in law out last month and his 16 year old son. We caught between 4-10 sharks a day - a couple of biggies - and between 10-20 spanish mackeral - as well as the odd trout and cobia. Neither of them had caught anything that big before and were pretty stoked up - But yes, noseeums are bad - thankfully not bad around the area that I live.

That's what I loved about that area in my limited experience, you don't know what you're going to catch, but you're sure gonna catch something :). I realize the noseeums are only "bad" for a couple of weeks or so, but that's what I remember most about our weekend trip :(

Skin So Soft (lanolin content) and noseeums nobotheryou.