Non boat-owners..can you imagine buying a boat?

i am on the fence. i like them..not sure i want one.

i would want a bigger truck, and boat storage for me is an issue. paying for off-site storage is a non-starter for me.

but damn..the room, the ability to fish the entire lake for the most part is awesome. with my kayak, where i launch is where i am committed to. moving to a new spot far away is a time suck. there are a few more economical models out there that would get it done for me. Vexus, emails me daily. hahhaha..

 

The two happiest days in a boat owner’s life are when they buy the boat and when they sell the boat!

 

Boat owners/potential owners have to accept that very rarely will they ever break even or come out on top. Owning and maintaining a boat, motor, and trailer costs money that doesn’t usually translate into increased resale value. All that being said, I’d love a boat and will definitely be buying one when the time is right, but with the understanding it will cost me a certain amount of money per year to own it operate it and have fun with it

 

BOAT is an acronym for Bust Out Another Thousand.

Known as a hole in the water to throw $$$ into.


Nope. No desire to own a boat.

Check around, some places will rent boats. You could satisfy your boat lust with a rental for a few hours without the hassle of maintenance, license, towing, storage, "boat" friends.........

 

My dad has a 17-foot 2004 Larson inboard/outboard he’s looking to get rid of!

 

Lemme just

@BartMaster1234

 

Maybe start with a small fishing boat like this one to see how much you use it?

 

I’ve owned 5 of them. Loved every one of them from power to sail to electric. Even owned a 1956 Chris Craft. Next one will be a ocean boat. The thing with owning boats is being able to do the work yourself if it arises. No formal training on it but I take my time and there are plenty of resources out there to learn. I started with small engines like lawn mower and have worked my way up gradually to bigger ones. I’ve usually bought mine looking rough and fixed them up. Yeah it costs some money to fix them up but I’ve made a profit when I sold just about every one of them.

 

This.

 

Square stern canoe and a robust trolling motor.

You can't do bass tourney coverage with that, but far more than with a yak

 

Mmmmmmm......1956 Chris Craft.

I lust after one of those.......any wood model. Not a fiberglass

 

Non boat-owners..can you imagine buying a boat?


No

 

I love boats. I would NEVER own one. Ever! They are money pits that will drive you to drinking. My dad had a pontoon boat for a bunch of years. He couldn't use it much as he aged, but that thing cost money in repairs, maintenance, and storage. I doubt he ever recouped a fraction of what he spent; in re-sale or enjoyment. The thing had low hours on it and crap kept breaking. My favorite story to relate is the time that some ducks decided to make the boat a home while at the marina. My dad made grand plans to get rid of them. They had crapped all over the boat and coated the rest in feathers. He was all ready to play Duck Hunter when the marina owner informed him that he couldn't do anything to them because they were a protected species. I wish I was joking. My dad ended up having to pay $500 to have some dude come and capture them humanely and relocate them.

If you're dead set on getting a boat, get something small like an Aluma-Craft. My friend has one and it's been fairly headache free.

If you're dead-set on a bigger boat, check out boat-sharing programs like Care Free Boatclub and the like. They take a lot of the sting out of boat ownership.

 

Wife insisted we buy a boat for the family cabin. Costs money every damn time we go up there. Can’t stand the fuckin thing. I’m much happier with the kayaks.

 

I'm sure the ducks were "relocated".
To dude's freezer.

 

My theory: Better to know someone with a boat, than own one yourself. Find your closest mate, and convince him/her they need to buy a boat. Enjoy! XD

 

I have owned 3 small outboard motor boats in the past. Not one of them was even remotely close to a money pit. If you don't do seasonal maintenance on your motor(s)
then yes you are gonna have issues. Also if you are using your boat more than 5 times a year, hell yes its worth the money. If not then rent one..
Just my 2 cents

 

If you’re fishing smaller, inland bodies of water, it’s hard to beat a small aluminum boat. Something in the 14 to 16 foot length with a 15 to 30 horse tiller drive. Any smaller, like 10 to 12 foot, you run out of space unless you’re fishing on your own. Next to a canoe or kayak, there’s no better way to explore shallows and rocky shorelines, or navigate through small creeks than a tinner. I have a bigger boat, but if I’m going out on my own, or for fishing with one other person, I’ll take my 60’s era Princecraft with 80’s vintage 15hp two stroke Johnson outboard every time. Bonus is it’s light enough that I’m able to load it in the box of my truck, my full size truck, on my own, and take it down bush roads to more remote lakes. If I was to buy new today, the Polar Kraft boats really grab my attention. Sturdy, with high sides, and a really nice deep Vee hull.

https://www.polarkraft.com/Polar-Kraft-Boat.php?product_line=28&action=view_product_line&country=

 

God have mercy on your soul if you decide to buy a boat.

Unless you do ALL the work, and I mean ALL the work yourself - you will easily find yourself declaring bankruptcy.

I bought a 1977 Bayliner Cascade 17.5’ for $1,000 non-running, but I had confirmation it ran in August. It just needed a new fuel pump but then I found more problems. 42 year old spark plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor, hoses, etc. There was barely any oil in the engine. The engine blower didn’t work. The navigation lights don’t work. Hell, the trim works when it feels like it.

I’m just happy the floor and gas tank were changed in 1997. The floor has soft spots in it, it’ll need to be replaced again eventually but I can get away with it now. Transom is solid. Stringers, who knows.

Before I could even take it to the lake, all the trailer wiring was done for. None of the lights worked. Had to redo all the electrical.

Oh and then once I got it running it had overheating issues. But once I fixed the overheating issues - whoops! It has stalling issues! Had to have the carburetors rebuilt for $500.

The first time I took it out I got stuck in the mud in the San Francisco Bay. I called the Coast Guard and they sent me to a tow company that estimated $1,600 to tow me a mere 2 miles. Luckily I made it out.

Oh did I mention it leaks? A lot? If my bilge pump failed, I would sink within 20 minutes.

Don’t buy a boat. Have a friend who has one.



Luckily I have an inboard outboard with an engine from a 240 series Volvo station wagon. Easy to find parts for.



I replaced the one captain’s seat with two pillow top power seats from a 1979 Cadillac El Dorado Biarritz.

 

What sort of boat are you looking at? Obviously a 14 foot Aluminum job with a 10 horse engine is going to be a lot more economical to own & maintain than a 25 foot coastal cruiser.