Should I buy a boat? If So what type and how much shoul di go for. Do you have a certain Type That is Good?

Question

So, I live in Gloucester Ma, and as you probally know that there is a beautiful sight and great harbors to go fishing and boating. But the problem is, that i don't have a boat. Do you have any good ideas or recomendations? Best one gets 10 points

Answer 1

well, thats a very vague question really. thats kind of like saying you just got your license, what car should i buy. i mean boats come in all shapes sizes and colors.a lot depends on a lot of other stuff. how many you taking out with you. do you want day boat, weekender or one you can stay on for a few days. planning, displacement, cat or tri. power, or sail, budget, tow vehicle, i mean the list goes on and on, but, in the interest of always giving, at least semi useful answers, ill give it a vague shot.
im going to assume you have a truck or suitable tow vehicle. fishing, and exploring, the best 'type' of boat would probably be a planning hull design, or cat (catamaran) design. advantage being over displacement, they are faster, and usually easier to haul around. displacement is good for offshore long trips extending a few days. i dont know the area your talking about, so i have no idea about what water conditions your dealing with, or anything like that.
Now, personally, me, im a RIB guy (Rigid Inflatable Boat) these are the most versatile boats on the water. i use mine for fishing, skiing, exploring, offshore adventures, inshore adventures, its even been used once or twice as a rescue craft. so i usually recommend craft of this design to people. currently i am in alabama and it is used on the lakes around here. lakes are not its real home it is designed to be used offshore in heavy seas, but, it performans and operates just as good as any other monohill boat on a lake. its just kind of like having a ferrari on a drag strip. it will run with the best of them, but its not really where its at home.
But, that would be a design i would seriously look into. they arnt the cheapest, but they are probably the best if you want to do an array of boating. usually towable, so you can haul them anywhere, to the coast or wherever. can handle pretty much anything mother nature throws at you, but bare in mind, the operator is the key to that.
common misconception with them is, when it comes to fishing, people have issues about an inflatable collar and fishing gear. well ive never managed to hook the tubes and hole them, and you would have to be pretty clumbsy to do so. most are hypalon material and many have kevlar core material.
however, usually they are day boats, you can get cabin cruisers, but expect to pay a lot more for that. all are open deck. they arnt common in the US yet but in many countries in Europe they are the boat of choice, especially in places like the UK, where most originate from. (mine included)
so a RIb would be my recommendation. size would depend on your circumstances but they range from small 14foot, right up to 20, 25, 30 feet plus. so spoilt for choice.
www.ribmagazine.com is a good source for finding ou more about these boats.

If you decide a RIb is not for you. i would go with a monohull, outboard driven 18foot or so boat. at least until you got more experience behind the helm. when choosing a boat, bare in mind, HP does not always equal speed. so dont be tempted by the 250hp merc. your loking for a nice, deep V, hull, with good seating, a bow rider is nice if the water is calm, (has a seat in the bow, no cover) and usually will run the smoothest, if not always the fastest.

without more specifics cant do much better than that im afraid.

Answer 2

Find a friend who has a boat and learn about it first. I've had 6 boats and love it. Renting boats can be a better alternative in the beginning. Rentals around here go for around 300.00-400.00 a day. If that sounds too expensive, then perhaps actually owning a boat is not for you. Owning a boat costs a lot, and if you figure it out it's probably much more than that to own a boat. They say the best 2 days in a boat owners life are when he buys and when he sells the boat. Good Luck, and take me along fishing!

Answer 3

Well, first off I'll tell you a story.
Bought a new boat 4 months ago, my second boat. I bought an 06 Malibu Wakesetter, total cost with all upgrades 70K Put 10K down and pay $500 a month in payments, insurance is $800 a year. I was able to get it to fit in my garage, so I don't have to pay storage, just have to let the air out of the trailer tires, collapse the tower and I had to knotch the garage opening to get it in. I get the oil changed and the boat serviced every 50 hours at a cost of $220 Then there is the truck to pull it and all of its expenses. When I finally get to the lake I have to pay $15 to launch it, not to mention the state and county stickers to operate legally on the lake. Oh and the gas, it costs me $180 to fill it up and heaven forbid you run out while boating on the lake because the marinas around here are charging $4.69 for gas on the water.
Now for the other thing about boat ownership you'll find more friends then you ever knew! They'll be the first to get on your boat and the first to get off it when your done, and there always last to pay for gas or help clean it up when your done boating. Now you have a large investment in your possesion and you want to keep it in premier shape, your friends well say your a prick and being obsesive with your boat when you tell them not to wear there shoes in your boat because you don't want your seats getting tore up or no smoking because you don't want your seats gettin burned.
Now don't get me wrong I love my boat and have a blast with it most times but its such a large investment no matter how much the boat costed originally you really need to think it through before you jump in.
For a first boat I would recomend a nice used runabout around 17 or 18ft you can fish, pleasure cruise, even ski behind it and you can pick a good used boat up for around 4K or 5K if you enjoy it you can always resell it and get most of your money back and buy a bigger fancier boat more to your liking.
Hope to see you on the water!!!
p.s. This past weekend my girlfriend hit the anchor rope and destroyed my anchor buddy($35) and I had to dive for several minutes to cut the rope off the prop, these things happen and can add up as well. Make sure the boat you get is an inboard/outboard they are easier to operate and manuever, especially in reverse then a direct drive or v-drive, or even a jet boat!

Answer 4

hey bud i would suggest an Aquastar Inflatable Boats
- JS340 Sportboat- this boat is used for recreational and fishing purposes. I would personally take an inflatable because you can role then up and store them in a small space also maintenance is cheap if you treat everything with care. I would suggest an 15 hp engine. i think this is a good boat i personaly race with inflatable and if we run out of space we take out the floor board and then roll it up and finito. i hope this helped

Answer 5

Start out small... maybe a 16-18 footer. Center Con or sport cuddy.. will you trailer or moor it?
You should be able to pick up a good boat that size for around 2 grand.

Answer 6

try out (rent) several types befor you buy so you find the one that suits you best, in my experiance it runs as high as $100 a foot per yr to own a boat ( gas, lic., insurance, morage, or towing milage, trailor maint, boat maint.... the list keeps growing)

Answer 7

You don't indicate what you want to do on the boat, and how many people you'll be taking on it. Need more info.

Answer 8

well...i don't know much about boats...but my uncle has a caravelle speed boat...i think its a 20 footer and its really nice...can fit about 12 adults i think...anyways i like it and so does he

Answer 9

3D Boat Design Software - http://BoatPlans.NaturallyGo.com/?ABD

Answer 10

No.