What Boat should I be looking at?

[JeremyD]

Buy a used 3-5 year old center console for the Punta Gorda area. Get an outboard - Easier to raise the engine if you get near sandbars - and there are plenty of Sandbars around.

Something like this:
2005 Pathfinder 2000V with a Yamaha 115 4 stroke

or

2009 KEY WEST DUAL CONSOLE 2020DC WHITE SUZUKI 140 HP 4 STROKE

or

2003 EDGEWATER 247CC FISHING BOATS TWIN YAMAHA F115 FOUR STROKES

Stay with a well known brand - and you can unload it if you decide you need other features or a different type of boat.

There is a good site too - The Hull Truth - Boating and Fishing Forum

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by VINMAN

Exactly! lol

The good thing about a boat show is, you can look at a bunch of different setups, that can give you an idea what you want to look for, used.

Don't choose the boat let the boat choose you. Don't be too hasty, enjoy looking around

[dennis in se pa]

Boston Whaler. I have not seen that mentioned. Buy a used one and you will get your money back when you sell it later on. And I like outboards. When they stop working you can swap them out in a day. I am thinking of moving to the Tampa Bay area also in the next year or so. But no more boats for me, other than my canoes.

[VINMAN]

Originally Posted by dmcummins

And how much fuel does a couple of twin outboards use?

Waaaaaayyy too much! There's a reason I have 200 gal fuel tank... Running flat out, I burn about a gallon every 1 mile. Mine are older 2 strokes. The newer 4 stroke EFIs do pretty good on fuel. It also depends on how you use it

Originally Posted by Joel8005

Such a vague and general question................. Sport fish, Trawler / cruiser, go fast boat, bay boat, center consul ect....... These type of posts baffle me, good luck, sure these boys will sort you out......

Yep that was the gist of my post.

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Don't choose the boat let the boat choose you. Don't be too hasty, enjoy looking around

That one of the biggest problems I see with boat purchases. Too many people end up with something they have no business buying and is either way too much to handle, or just way more than the need.

[nota]

another reason for power cats less fuel for the same speed as less hull area in the water

btw after looking at the damaged hulls on the surveyor's site
I would pull a thru hull and look out for non-fiberglass fillers
and avoid searays like the plague and any other boat built like that chit

anybody want a 200mph hull a raysoncraft ski-drag boat that had a 426 supercharged hemi
it ran 150 on alcohol and will do 200 on nitroM
all gear in place water cooled v-drive and shaftlog except the motor/trans even the prop
or I have a M-B diesel 5 turbo with trans [auto] for low fuel use ski boat but slower