The Boat Fanatic Thread

[Brew 3,049]

15 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Y’all talking about high performance pontoons and the only image I have in my head of a pontoon is the Bass Buggy my grandfather had.  High performance it was not.

As much shit as they get on here and other boards, my pontoon is probably used more than everything else combined. It’s the first boat that goes out and the last one that gets pulled back in. It was even more that way when the kids were younger. They just wanted to park it in the middle and jump off of it all day. 

[troph 25,198]

Just now, CHIEF said:

Mrs. CHIEF would have told me to slow the fuck down, would be sucking the Manhattan out've her glass.

CHIEF

You ain’t as country as you think. Haha.

[CHIEF 5,223]

3 minutes ago, troph said:

You ain’t as country as you think. Haha.

Yeah, but she calls it her "Voka and Dite", but I know what it really is. She makes a mean one. Her friend Kelly would be holding her lit cigerettes tween her toes. Hollerin', 'damn, this motherfucker is fast enough to blow my titties all the way over my shoulders." She is purdy big busted.

CHIEF

[troph 25,198]

11 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

This is better.

Get that shit out of here. 

[Handcruser 2,815]

An outboard express would still give you some versatility on a little more shallow water activities than an inboard version. It should draft similar to the same size center console I would think in that you could easily back down to 2.5-3 foot deep at the sandbar and anchor. It’s a good crossover between a CC and a sportfish I would think in that you can run off shore, have a small cabin, and still hit the sandbars potentially if water depth allows it. You lose the ability to sight fish which is 95% of what I fish, so I know absolutely zero about the models.
In the size range you are looking at, there is a lot of good information on the hull truth. You have to wade through a lot of crap, but there are some knowledgeable posters there.

That GW 330 express is what I had in mind when I started talking about cuddy cabins. I really like that boat.

[Handcruser 2,815]

That Keywest Dual Console is pretty interesting, as is the Mastercraft csx 220.  I've seen a recommendation for the dual console a few times above, but is there really that much of a difference between a dual console and bowrider/runabout or deck boat for someone like us that doesn't need saltwater fishing? From a google search and reading, it would seem the runabout or deck boat would be just as good.
Is the real issue that a lower end boat manufacturer is just going to have bad reliability, and if so why not just buy a more reliable, better deck boat or runabout?

Do you expect to never take your boat to the coast?

[conVINCEd 21,477]

18 minutes ago, troph said:

Get that shit out of here. 

My apologies.  I didn’t even notice what I think offended you in the 5 seconds I spent doing a google image search for hot crazy chart.

[troph 25,198]

The rest of the chart is true by the way. 

[conVINCEd 21,477]

Just now, troph said:

The rest of the chart is true by the way. 

Which is why I posted it.  

[Brew 3,049]

23 minutes ago, Handcruser said:

 

Do you expect to never take your boat to the coast?

 

You could easily run that DC at the coast on normal days. It’s probably not the best idea to run 60 miles out in it, but I’ve seen much worse.

[troph 25,198]

30 minutes ago, Handcruser said:

That GW 330 express is what I had in mind when I started talking about cuddy cabins. I really like that boat.

There was a time where that and a small Cabo express were what I wanted more than any other boat.

[Handcruser 2,815]

You could easily run that DC at the coast on normal days. It’s probably not the best idea to run 60 miles out in it, but I’ve seen much worse.

Agreed

[CHIEF 5,223]

28 minutes ago, Brew said:

You could easily run that DC at the coast on normal days. It’s probably not the best idea to run 60 miles out in it, but I’ve seen much worse.

Those are great boats. Reasonable in calm seas.

CHIEF

[CHIEF 5,223]

ConVINCed,

I would check out this boat immediately, and see if you couldn't maybe pick up the slip:

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2002/grady-white-330-express-3710962/

CHIEF

Edited February 19, 2021 by CHIEF

[conVINCEd 21,477]

11 minutes ago, CHIEF said:

ConVINCed,

I would check out this boat immediately, and see if you couldn't maybe pick up the slip:

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2002/grady-white-330-express-3710962/

CHIEF

There are a number of dominoes that need to fall before I can make a decision on a boat.  Just doing research and trying to educate myself right now, as we are not moving until this summer.

[Landomatic 3,813]

Aaaaaaaand I just realized I've spent the last two hours looking at pontoons and fishing boats.  Talk about rabbit holes.  What the hell is wrong with me?  Screw you people.  Screw all of you!

[Landomatic 3,813]

14 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

Ha, I was complaining to my wife about the struggle of figuring this out and how now they have higher speed pontoon boats, as per Chief's note, and now she's all over that idea, envisioning a bunch of room to hang out with friends and drink and swim.

Might not be all bad.  Once I started really narrowing, a lot of it came down to a pretty basic allocation of space vs intended use ratio for us.  And once I was honest about that, it got pretty simple.  Two clear examples off the top of my head...Cruisers Yachts makes 2 great boats that were in the conversation for us.

First one was a 39 Express Coupe.  Deck space is spectacularly designed.  Outdoor space being important, it really did check a lot of boxes.  But it just didn’t have enough cabin space.

Next one was a 42 Cantius.  Really thought having 2 separate staterooms would be amazing, but when we really thought about it, we know that honestly the number of times we’d need that would be so rare, we couldn’t justify it.

So, I think you probably need to really ask yourself what percentage of time you think you’ll ski/fish/just hang out with friends and drink and swim.  Then prioritize those from there.  If you really think it’ll be ⅓ each, you might be fucked.  But I doubt it is when you’re really honest about it.

One thing that would be a a deal killer for me on most pontoons would be the lack of an enclosed head.  Most womenz don’t like that one bit.

[Landomatic 3,813]

9 hours ago, Handcruser said:

That GW 330 express is what I had in mind when I started talking about cuddy cabins. I really like that boat.

I really like this boat too.  Looks like it would check a lot of boxes if I was on the coast, into fishing but not super into fishing, and wanted a day boat we could also do some hanging out with friends champagne dinner sunset cruises on.

[conVINCEd 21,477]

1 minute ago, Landomatic said:

I really like this boat too.  Looks like it would check a lot of boxes if I was on the coast, into fishing but not super into fishing, and wanted a day boat we could also do some hanging out with friends champagne dinner sunset cruises on.

When you put it like that...

[Landomatic 3,813]

8 hours ago, CHIEF said:

ConVINCed,

I would check out this boat immediately, and see if you couldn't maybe pick up the slip:

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2002/grady-white-330-express-3710962/

CHIEF

Dude, he's got like a $300K budget.  Let him overextend himself and spend $400K.  It's the 'merican way.

I kid, I kid.  The accountant in me wouldn't buy a 2002.  I'd want to be sure I was getting a hell of a deal on it (maybe that one is).  That'll be a cash boat in a year and take another depreciation hit, or at least get a lot harder to sell...once you realize after a year that you wanted something bigger/newer.

[troph 25,198]

Budget for Charleston is three hundo?

 

[Landomatic 3,813]

16 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

When you put it like that...

Actually, upon closer look, I think I'd want a little more cockpit seating to accommodate more of the hanging out with friends champagne dinner sunset cruises part.  Looks like 370 it is...

https://www.gradywhite.com/models/express-cabins/express-370/

[conVINCEd 21,477]

6 minutes ago, troph said:

Budget for Charleston is three hundo?

 

No, it is not.

[Landomatic 3,813]

4 minutes ago, troph said:

Budget for Charleston is three hundo?

Hahaha, no I was just busting his balls and I keep upping his budget for him every time I mention it.  Because that's what always seems to happen to me and misery loves company.

[troph 25,198]

Smart move. I’ll keep saying older boat lower budget try the hobby out, don’t worry about scratches, budget some for repairs, break the bank later when you realize it’s one of the few things that makes you happy. First boat is exploratory. Yeah you’ll take a bath on it but better to take (just making numbers up to illustrate) a $20k bath on a $80k boat than $50k on a $250k boat. Plus cost of capital etc.  You will scratch it and you’ll likely want a different one in a few years anyway.  I’m super analytical and always think I’ve got a good beat on what I want, but desires change and 3 years later I was ready for a different type of boat (of course with a whisper in my ear), which is to say, you might be easy, she might not care today but if she likes it on your first boat she may have more to say for a second one, so plan your escape route out of your first when you buy it, best way is don’t go all in on boat #1, go all in on boat number #3.

[Brew 3,049]

6 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

Hahaha, no I was just busting his balls and I keep upping his budget for him every time I mention it.  Because that's what always seems to happen to me and misery loves company.

The problem with the concept of a budget is that all the sites allow you to search by dollar range. Then I start expanding that dollar range figuring I could negotiate down. Then I start wondering what awesome boats are just outside of that range and so it expands further. Next thing you know you’re budget has doubled and you can’t go back because you’re giving up too much to go back.

I’ve given up on budget and just identify a few models I want and then search them constantly until I can find the one that fits closest.

[Landomatic 3,813]

4 minutes ago, Brew said:

The problem with the concept of a budget is that all the sites allow you to search by dollar range. Then I start expanding that dollar range figuring I could negotiate down. Then I start wondering what awesome boats are just outside of that range and so it expands further. Next thing you know you’re budget has doubled and you can’t go back because you’re giving up too much to go back.

No truer words ^

[Brew 3,049]

Just now, troph said:

Smart move. I’ll keep saying older boat lower budget try the hobby out, don’t worry about scratches, budget some for repairs, break the bank later when you realize it’s one of the few things that makes you happy. First boat is exploratory. Yeah you’ll take a bath on it but better to take (just making numbers up to illustrate) a $20k bath on a $80k boat than $50k on a $250k boat. Plus cost of capital etc.  You will scratch it and you’ll likely want a different one in a few years anyway.  I’m super analytical and always think I’ve got a good beat on what I want, but desires change and 3 years later I was ready for a different type of boat (of course with a whisper in my ear), which is to say, you might be easy, she might not care today but if she likes it on your first boat she may have more to say for a second one, so plan your escape route out of your first when you buy it, best way is don’t go all in on boat #1, go all in on boat number #3.

Agreed. Until you get out on the water, you never know what you’re going to end up doing. You’re also going to bounce off a dock or two and screw something up putting it on a trailer and it hurts a lot worse when the numbers are higher.

The most stressful time I’ve ever had as a boat owner was when I bought a couple year old Nautique right after we had our second child. It was more money than I probably needed to be spending at that time and this was back when they were still reasonable. All they wanted to do was eat Cheetos and drink koolaid and jump off the sun deck. After about a year of having it, we got caught out in a bad storm that popped up and I bounced it off the dock trying to get the kids back in. It went up for sale that weekend and I went back to an older boat I didn’t have to worry about. You have to find what fits your life circumstances.

[CHIEF 5,223]

29 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

Dude, he's got like a $300K budget.  Let him overextend himself and spend $400K.  It's the 'merican way.

I kid, I kid.  The accountant in me wouldn't buy a 2002.  I'd want to be sure I was getting a hell of a deal on it (maybe that one is).  That'll be a cash boat in a year and take another depreciation hit, or at least get a lot harder to sell...once you realize after a year that you wanted something bigger/newer.

True, but that GW 330 has been repowered, and has pretty much bottomed out in depreciation. Great way to try out the sport, and the boat, and if he likes it, he can keep it. If he doesn't he can pretty much sell it for what he paid for it.

CHIEF

[troph 25,198]

3 minutes ago, Brew said:

The problem with the concept of a budget is that all the sites allow you to search by dollar range. Then I start expanding that dollar range figuring I could negotiate down. Then I start wondering what awesome boats are just outside of that range and so it expands further. Next thing you know you’re budget has doubled and you can’t go back because you’re giving up too much to go back.

I’ve given up on budget and just identify a few models I want and then search them constantly until I can find the one that fits closest.

No truer words. I do think we end up in a live aboard sea vessel within 10 years.  And I have a loose budget that’s on the high end now 3x where it started.  And it got there based on what amenities and specs I want and the manufacturers that I think are quality, not what I can afford.  I’ll find another way to adjust to the cost but yeah it happened the same way. I now have a hard rule, that top line search parameter will not, cannot go up further. 

[troph 25,198]

7 minutes ago, CHIEF said:

True, but that GW 330 has been repowered, and has pretty much bottomed out in depreciation. Great way to try out the sport, and the boat, and if he likes it, he can keep it. If he doesn't he can pretty much sell it for what he paid for it.

CHIEF

I was trying to say this earlier - older boat by a solid manufacturer and GW is a great maker - it’s hull, motor, electronics (esp if salt water) and upholstery. The rest is assumed to be worn, scratched, faded, etc.  that GW if it’s repowered and the hull is in good shape is 80% there in terms of a proven boat worth buying.  Electronics can be upgraded we would all do that anyway for the fun of it. More radar please, better fish finder please, ooooh, look at that digital instrument panel, yes please. Now you have a nearly brand new boat where it counts.

[Cajun 11,772]

23 hours ago, Brew said:

I can honestly say I’ve never seen a Chris Craft on the water that I know of. At home the lakes and rivers are dominated by Cobalts in the I/O market as well as older varieties of the different manufacturers for people that are just trying to get on the water. Wake boats and high dollar pontoons own my market followed by high dollar fishing setups. At the beach, it’s all over the board but again where my place is at in SWFL it is dominated by bay boats, offshore center consoles, and DC’s. You aren’t running to blue water or cruising a lot, so it is a lot more fishing setups rather than cruising setups.

I remember about 2 years ago when my cousin (manager of Boat Town) was all excited because they became an official Chris Craft dealer.  Sometime the following Spring, while settling up w/the mechanic there for some work they did on my Nautique I asked said cousin, "So, how's the Chris Craft business?  Keepin' you busy?"

He replied, "We haven't even sold one".

True story.

[Cajun 11,772]

38 minutes ago, Brew said:

The problem with the concept of a budget is that all the sites allow you to search by dollar range. Then I start expanding that dollar range figuring I could negotiate down. Then I start wondering what awesome boats are just outside of that range and so it expands further. Next thing you know you’re budget has doubled and you can’t go back because you’re giving up too much to go back.

I’ve given up on budget and just identify a few models I want and then search them constantly until I can find the one that fits closest.

Listen to this muthafucka.

[FizzleFish 137]

1 hour ago, Landomatic said:

Might not be all bad.  Once I started really narrowing, a lot of it came down to a pretty basic allocation of space vs intended use ratio for us.  And once I was honest about that, it got pretty simple.  Two clear examples off the top of my head...Cruisers Yachts makes 2 great boats that were in the conversation for us.

First one was a 39 Express Coupe.  Deck space is spectacularly designed.  Outdoor space being important, it really did check a lot of boxes.  But it just didn’t have enough cabin space.

Next one was a 42 Cantius.  Really thought having 2 separate staterooms would be amazing, but when we really thought about it, we know that honestly the number of times we’d need that would be so rare, we couldn’t justify it.

So, I think you probably need to really ask yourself what percentage of time you think you’ll ski/fish/just hang out with friends and drink and swim.  Then prioritize those from there.  If you really think it’ll be ⅓ each, you might be fucked.  But I doubt it is when you’re really honest about it.

One thing that would be a a deal killer for me on most pontoons would be the lack of an enclosed head.  Most womenz don’t like that one bit.

When I see a cruiser yacht in a slip, I’m like that’s a phat ass. I’ve never looked at the specs but that brand appears to be a lot wider than others in the same length. 

[Landomatic 3,813]

56 minutes ago, FizzleFish said:

When I see a cruiser yacht in a slip, I’m like that’s a phat ass. I’ve never looked at the specs but that brand appears to be a lot wider than others in the same length. 

Yeah, I like my boats like I like my women.  Blonde hair and big tits.  Er, wait...what?

[Handcruser 2,815]

Here is the thing with rigs repowered 6 years ago: they don’t have the joystick crontrols and they’ll need to be repowered in 5 years probably.

Buy something that needs to be repowered and get all the latest electronics and joystick controls.

Docking was always the issue going to a bigger boat. Now with the new controls docking a 37 Is as easy as a 27. And you don’t have to treat it like a Sherman from WW2.

[Handcruser 2,815]

Here is the thing with rigs repowered 6 years ago: they don’t have the joystick crontrols and they’ll need to be repowered in 5 years probably.

Buy something that needs to be repowered and get all the latest electronics and joystick controls.

Docking was always the issue going to a bigger boat. Now with the new controls docking a 37 Is as easy as a 27. And you don’t have to treat it like a Sherman from WW2.

[CHIEF 5,223]

A well maintained Yamaha will go 20 years, after that parts are unavailable. I have a 2000 hour 2005 4Stroke that has only had oil changes and new water pump impellers every couple of years. I'll probably buy about 5 water pump impellers in 2024 and drive it another 10 years. I have a 1996 Yamaha that has been in saltwater mostly, so far the only thing it's needed was a carb job from sitting too long.

CHIEF

Edited February 19, 2021 by CHIEF

[fattyflattie 4,640]

The joysticks are nice but docking a boat with more than 1 drive isn’t that difficult. Thrusters make it nicer, of course.  But people have been docking shit for a very long time without any of it.  Kind of like how women (presumably) used to be able to reverse a vehicle without a 12” screen.  To me it’s akin to the knob you can back up a trailer with in the new Fords (which operates exactly like a steering wheel, depending on where you position your hand).  I’d hate to learn to do all this shit with a joystick and then have a 40’ express I can’t dock when it inevitably goes out before, after all, it is a boat. 

Edited February 19, 2021 by fattyflattie

[conVINCEd 21,477]

What’s the cost to add a joystick on a repower?

[fattyflattie 4,640]

6 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

What’s the cost to add a joystick on a repower?

Here’s a thread on Mercs version. For the boats you are looking at and the East coast, that is a good site with a wealth of knowledge wrapped up with some bullshit. Won’t take long to differentiate between the two. 
 

https://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/543572-mercury-marine-skyhook-option.html

 

[Cajun 11,772]

2 hours ago, Handcruser said:

And you don’t have to treat it like a Sherman from WW2.

 

[Brew 3,049]

1 hour ago, CHIEF said:

A well maintained Yamaha will go 20 years, after that parts are unavailable. I have a 2000 hour 2005 4Stroke that has only had oil changes and new water pump impellers every couple of years. I'll probably buy about 5 water pump impellers in 2024 and drive it another 10 years. I have a 1996 Yamaha that has been in saltwater mostly, so far the only thing it's needed was a carb job from sitting too long.

CHIEF

It’s all about use. Most any brand that is run in freshwater on a lake/river and serviced regularly is fine for a long time. Run it in saltwater, run it hard (running 60 miles back in at mid/high RPM’s), etc and you’re cutting that timeline significantly. I would not run a high HP outboard on a big boat that long.

[Cajun 11,772]

49 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

What’s the cost to add a joystick on a repower?

Dozens of dollars.

[justhookit 4,206]

Back 10 years ago before I decided to go bigger I spent WAY too much time researching 30-38ish express style boats. The choices are unlimited.

From what I’ve seen of the Boston Whaler’s with cabins  I’d steer clear. The Grady is a better option. My first choice in that category would be a SeaVee but they are really hard to find. Contender also makes a few really good models with cabins. Carolina Classic is a great hull if you wanted inboards. Friend of mine had a Pursuit that was a really good boat. 
 

Edit - and forget about the joystick unless it’s already on the boat. It’s not worth it and boats with twin or triple engines are really easy to maneuver if you get someone good to teach you.

Edited February 19, 2021 by justhookit

[Handcruser 2,815]

Back 10 years ago before I decided to go bigger I spent WAY too much time researching 30-38ish express style boats. The choices are unlimited.

From what I’ve seen of the Boston Whaler’s with cabins  I’d steer clear. The Grady is a better option. My first choice in that category would be a SeaVee but they are really hard to find. Contender also makes a few really good models with cabins. Carolina Classic is a great hull if you wanted inboards. Friend of mine had a Pursuit that was a really good boat. 
 
Edit - and forget about the joystick unless it’s already on the boat. It’s not worth it and boats with twin or triple engines are really easy to maneuver if you get someone good to teach you.

I would really like to have that joystick option.

[Brew 3,049]

22 minutes ago, justhookit said:

Back 10 years ago before I decided to go bigger I spent WAY too much time researching 30-38ish express style boats. The choices are unlimited.

From what I’ve seen of the Boston Whaler’s with cabins  I’d steer clear. The Grady is a better option. My first choice in that category would be a SeaVee but they are really hard to find. Contender also makes a few really good models with cabins. Carolina Classic is a great hull if you wanted inboards. Friend of mine had a Pursuit that was a really good boat. 
 

Edit - and forget about the joystick unless it’s already on the boat. It’s not worth it and boats with twin or triple engines are really easy to maneuver if you get someone good to teach you.

If you go the inboard route, it opens up a lot of possibilities but limits you on a lot of things. I would take an Albemarle Express (formerly Carolina Classics I think) over most of the rest of the options out there if I was looking for a blue water boat. I’ve seriously looked at their 27 DC but I just need to buy a bay boat and be done with it.

[conVINCEd 21,477]

1 hour ago, Brew said:

If you go the inboard route, it opens up a lot of possibilities but limits you on a lot of things. I would take an Albemarle Express (formerly Carolina Classics I think) over most of the rest of the options out there if I was looking for a blue water boat. I’ve seriously looked at their 27 DC but I just need to buy a bay boat and be done with it.

Opens up what and limits what?

[Pescado_Rojo 19,583]

53 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Opens up what and limits what?

Opens up range, reliability, more creature comforts, inboards (especially diesel) raise fish better...probably more things Justhookit and others can articulate.

Limits draft, trailerability, maintenance costs, etc. (Though now that most center consoles over 32 ft have at least 3 outboards, I don't know if the maintenance costs are all that much different. 

Edited February 19, 2021 by Pescado_Rojo

[Pescado_Rojo 19,583]

Somebody talk me out of this thing before it leads to my divorce...