Very good friend of mine bought a 42' Bertram. Older boat with Cummins 903 diesels. One hell of a heavy but nice riding boat. Fishes very well, hold's 700 gallons of fuel !!!!!
He tells me what time to be on the dock and how many days we will be gone.
I like not owning a boat.

Jet skis. Way more fun than a boat, cheaper, easier to haul around and store.

Especially the older ones. I picked up 2 early 90s Seadoos a couple years ago for 3 grand. Rock solid 2 cycle engines. Lightweight, easy to work on, and simple. And cheap! One of the best purchases I've made.

Owning a boat is the greatest thing in the world. Nothing better than being on the water.

Jet skis are great too, it's important to have balance. However, the point about them being cheaper is not my experience. Cheaper up front maybe (but certainly not on a per-person capacity basis) but my jetski is markedly more expensive to run and maintain than my 18 foot crownline bowrider.

Valid point - I should of specified that older jet skis are cheap. New jet skis start at $8,000 which is a complete joke. They have way more power than most will ever use, are huge, weigh a lot, and the engine compartment is crammed pack.

But warning: You won't get reverse if you buy an old one!

We had a jet ski and loved it....the wife really wants a floating waterfront condo, so thats whT we are looking at.
We looked at a bunch over the last week. We just checked out a 37 Carver aft cabin...basically a condo or RV and it had diesels!

Hey, even if we don't get one, its been a blast looking.

Grew up with boats..
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1308787933.jpg
(Laddie is my Mother's name)
And as others have pointed out, there are some major $$$ involved anything that you have to dock (unless you have your own) and what it cost (both time & $$$) to properly maintain a boat, but to some, the working & cleaning on the boat is part of the enjoyment.
I love the Marina life style, having lived it a few times, lots of fun & some of the best people live on boats & hang out at Marinas, cook outs on weekends, and nothing beats relaxing, enjoying a good drink with people you like on a boat, plus, sleeping on a boat gives me the most refreshing sleep..

I didn't see where you mentioned a budget. Over 30 feet, things start to get expensive but you get a more versatile/capable boat.

I have a 31' Formula (beam is 11' 3" - very nice roomy feel in and out of the cabin). It has a good sized galley, full shower (nice if you're on the ocean for a few days) sleeps 6 and has a giant aft sitting area. My family loves it but it is expensive to run. I would definitely recommend getting something with twin diesels - they are a bit cheaper to run but the real advantage is that they last a lot longer than gas engines.

Keep your eye on Repo Boats & Luxury Yachts For Sale - Boat Liquidators - Yacht Financing they sometimes have incredible deals. In 2009 I bought a 2 year old 27' Sea-Ray for $25K! I still get offers for double what I paid.

I used to move boats for living, (Bigger ones mostly) You know with Hydraulic Trailers..launch them, retrive them , stick em in peoples back yards.
I think I have a pretty extensive knowledge as to who makes a good one and a bad one...........How ever...in the used market one has to consider prior up keep, was it kept in salt water..ECT.
I do not think you said what size you would like or power or sail ?
In my opinion..In the PWR boat market..if the engines run I conscider everyone of them on "borrowed time" I allmost think buying a boat with blown engines is a better deal if discounted properly......Gas pots that is
Diesel is a different story

A couple of points to consider

#1 a one year "boat club" is a great way to try before you buy - you know get your feet wet

#2 Size matters - Dockage is by the foot. Bottom jobs are by the foot. Dive services are by the foot. The feet and $$ start adding up

#3 Size matters - as in start small - then move up. Driving a 19ft bow rider is a whole lot different than a 28 foot sport fisherman.

#4 Boats are not economical - efficient boats get 2-3 miles per gallon. Seriously. A 30 foot boat gets 1 mile per gallon (avg) a 35 foot boat - gets .5-.8 maybe a gallon per mile if it's a diesel

#5 Diesel mechanics make more per hour

#6 Boat depreciation curves are quite a bit like car depreciation curves. Try and buy one towards the bottom - and you can own a boat for relatively small money. Stay with the classics - or the boats with the higher perceived value and you can typically sell it for what you buy it for (One of the reasons why I have a B28)

I always tell people that owning a boat can make Porsche ownership seem downright cheap.

For the record - my pocket cruiser...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1308852042.jpg

So, we put an offer in on a 1994 Tiara 4000 Express with twin cummins.( 900hrs).

Any info on Tiara would be great. Most of the stuff on the web, is just other boats for sale. And no one wants to admit that their expensive boat isn't great.

The best/worst part is how long this takes. (I am an instant gratification type guy!)....and fuel.

The boat is in Tampa, and we are going to dock it in Daytona. There are 3 ways to get it there:

1. Have it towed (by big rig) (about $1000)
2. Drive it accross florida though Lake Okeechobee (if full enough and the lochs are open). (about 1500 in fuel).
3. Take it down around south florida, near the keys, up past Miami and home. (about $2500 in fuel). Obviously, this is the best option, but it takes the most time and money.

t.

plenty of water in lake okeechobee these days. Good way to get to know your boat.

Nice boat. Get a good survey. Did you negotiate anything like new bottom paint, or any other prep?
Is that the one in St. Pete?
My recommendation for a first voyage would be to take it through the lake.

This was for sale by Galati in St. Pete or Tampa, can't remember which side it was on.

The guy is really trying hard to NOT sell it. I have a survey with Schiffner Marine on Monday and a sea trial tomorrow.

I went with Tiara because of reputation and a lot of reading. The only thing the wife and i gave up with this boat was windows. There are none. Three skylights, but no windows.

I have heard the cummins were good and I am ready to give this a whirl. If this boat doesn't do well on the survey, or sea trial goes bad...then I think we are going to put an offer in on a MUCH smaller boat. A 32' Regal that is in freshwater....but with gas engines....

dhoward,

if you know the boat let me know!

t.

CONGRATS on yer purchase. as a member of the USCG, you have to realize the ONLY way you'll and others will ENJOY your new found wife, is by USING IT..................ALOT!


and the best bang fer buck is SPENDING MUCHO TIME ON IT IN GOOD AND BAD WEATHER!


the quicker you and yer crew can work as a cohesive unit, the better it will be.


assign everyone and i mean EVERYONE A DUTY! go by intelligence and strength, to patience and OCD abilities. yer the capn and you get to figure out everyones strengths and faults.


no mans an island applies big time here. you aint gonna single hand a 40ft monster trust me as the sun comes up.


the most important damn thing YOU need to learn is weather(reading it) and ANCHORING! you must know yer depth, weight of anchors(plural if not 3), yer rode etc. to properly anchor in current,tides(low/high), wind, and obviously have enough anchor line. 300 ft is a good start.

now put the person with the most muscle on anchor duties. sure you may have a windlass, and it can take a poo on you and yer back to manual pulling in or letting out the anchor line. or it gets caught on rocks, or a wreck etc.


next you need to know like the back of yer hand how to HAUL AZZ back to port in the event of a storm. pull into dock properly and safely and get the SOB's mooring lines out and tied properly along with bumper placement along hull sides.


this is real damn important, because its damn tough to race a storm with a pig boat. and yer boats a PIG, just like mine was. it aint a go-fast that can quite possibly beat a storm. so by the time you get to dock, all HELL may be breaking loose and this is where despite yer sphincter being at LEVEL "10" this is where cooler heads prevail, and "slow and steady" is the buzzword when it comes to docking.


the 2 most dangerous aspects of boating are trailering and docking/fueling.


one nasty azz storm here i damn near took off the bow of this POS blow-bote, when he decided at that last second to turn into me as i was docking. the only thing that saved him was I WAS GOING SLOW!


always always stay away from BLOW-BOTES! they are usually crewed by morons w/a wanna be cap'n "jack sparrow" and they havent a clue of the rules of navigation. they will turn into you at the last second and a host of other bonehead moves. remember you are EXACTLY LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN! it will take you a hell of alot of room to SLOW DOWN once on plane, to avoid plowing into one. ask me how i know.


i give all jet skies/blowbotes/fisherman wide wide berth as to avoid their stoo-pidity! and believe as the sun comes up in the east everyday, your wake WILL BE A MAGNET FOR JET SKIES and they will come at you like a JAP LONG LANCE TORPEDO, wanting to jump yer wake! ask me how i know. it gets damn nerve racking! kind of like how B-17 pilots felt when a ME-262 or a ME-263 was coming in at them! more fun than i can stand!


remember to have a USCG-AUX courtesy(FREE) MARINE EXAMINATION DONE! this will pay ya back in spades and uncover crap you didnt have a clue about, that needs to be attended to.


and always always make damn sure yer BILGE PUMPS WORK and are not CLOGGED and you have MANUAL BAILERS for when ya loose all power.


the USCG dolphin helo crews really really like WELL PREPARED BOATERS!


enjoy!

Cool thread. I have been browsing used Cobalts since they were mentioned. I'm nowhere near the ocean and would be happy with a little bow-rider. My wife thinks I have lost it.

Tiara is part of S2 which also makes Pursuit (I have one, a 1995 Pursuit 1950DC) great company - very quality oriented - Tiara makes a wonderful boat - very solid - and they spend money on the interior design that separates them from the competition (and makes them a favorite of the wives)

For the most part out here boaters are respectful to others but you always have some yahoo that has no clue and its usually not while you are moving, its when you are at anchor.

During the 4th, anchored in a fav. bay rafted with my good friend when mid afternoon the throttle boys come screaming thru a stone throw away. The resulting waves cause quit the rub. We have thought maybe bring some logs and throw them out so when they come screaming by, well, they hit the logs.

The beauty of the San Juan Islands is the distance, the views are bonus, even for the powerboater, 2-4 hours can get you almost everywhere in the islands and that is the speed of a sailboat motoring. I burn 4/10s gal per hour diesel at 6kts.

In this trying economy I like the rules on Lake Chelan. In no wake zones if you get caught throttling by you get a 257 buck ticket, easy way to generate some cash for the state and county.

A simple rule when anchoring, when you start dropping that anchor put the boat in reverse, when the anchor hits it will instantly bite and aways use the 7:1 scope, it might be overkill but you will aways sleep good at night.

now this is what you have to look forward to:
YouTube - ‪Blue Angel Boat Traffic July 2011‬‏

WTF is a blow-bote? You mean sailboat? I'm a sailor and am very amused at your statements. In my experience, its the stinkpotters that have no clue re: rules of the road or navigation...hell most of the dumbass powerboaters around here have never looked at a chart and have no clue about tides or currents. I've also noticed that no matter how much open water there is, powerboaters always steer directly at you...its target fixation or something. Agree 100% on the jet-ski comments...

To the OP, congrats, good luck and enjoy. For me boat ownership has not been the $$ pit that people have made it out to be. Of course with wind and the primary means of propulsion, fuel costs are very low (flipside you're happy if you make 4-5 knots).

OH BOY here we go, sailors vs Motorboat guys. I have been a live-aboard/ cruising sailor most of my life, and captained small motor & sailboats, mostly for day charters. For thirty years Hawaii and Alaska. Have seen plenty bone headed moves by both types of vessel operators. the motor boats can cause more havoc with their speed and momentum.

But we all have to try to pay heed to the rules of the road, and on top of that do our best to stay out of trouble, with our surroundings and each other.
Less drinking under way helps!!

Congratulations on your new boat, have fun!!

Stay safe
Richard