The Boat Fanatic Thread

[G650 14421]

2 hours ago, tbone_ said:

First annual maintenance bill. Ouch!

You're official now

[Horns99 172]

Austin can’t have a boat show anymore apparently

[PvilleStang 2974]

They've traded it in for the first annual homeless tent show.

[Cajun 11771]

The rumors of Canyon Lake disappearing have been somewhat exaggerated.  Sunrise this morning.  Apple TV screensaver stuff ----

 

[huge 3825]

On 1/31/2024 at 7:20 PM, Horns99 said:

Austin can’t have a boat show anymore apparently

At the one in Houston I learned that I can buy a 33 foot Cobalt tow boat for $694k.

That seems like a lot.

[tbone_ 14410]

That’s a big tow boat

[PvilleStang 2974]

11 hours ago, huge said:

At the one in Houston I learned that I can buy a 33 foot Cobalt tow boat for $694k.

That seems like a lot.

That thing better float, fly, and fu__ for that price.

[Handcruser 2814]

New nautique 25 is 440k.

Fucking insane.

[Goofyboy 3428]

New nautique 25 is 440k.

Fucking insane.

That’s terrible. When I helped start the wakeboarding group in Houston back in 2001 - we were on mostly used Ski boats with sacks and a tower. The nicest boat was a 2004 (I think) SANTE that my buddy got a deal on. Most were $30k Malibu’s or Master Crafts.

I couldn’t imagine paying that for a boat. It would make being on the river more fun, as I would be terrified of hitting a tree and sinking it.

[huge 3825]

There was also a 25' Tige for $394k.  Master Craft only got up to $299k.  Losers.

[Incredulity 11861]

The pricing of new inboards is insane.

One thing I will say though is the size of the new inboard boats has gotten unbelievable.   I have an older model(which was a large size for its time) and I had it at the dealer a couple years ago getting a steering cable replaced and the side by side with new models was comical.  Based on dry weights, even though they are "only" 2-3 feet longer, the size of the new boats is nearly double.

[Incredulity 11861]

Also at a show a couple years ago I was looking at the prices and payments.

I don't remember the exact numbers, but I shook my head at the loan payments.  As I recall the structures were 20 year loans and over $1000/month in payments.  That was during the days of free money.  Not sure how they are selling any boats at 7%.  Maybe they aren't.

Real happy with my paid for model.  Especially for as much as we can use it at this point in my life.

[NoRagrets 1136]

44 minutes ago, Incredulity said:

Also at a show a couple years ago I was looking at the prices and payments.

I don't remember the exact numbers, but I shook my head at the loan payments.  As I recall the structures were 20 year loans and over $1000/month in payments.  That was during the days of free money.  Not sure how they are selling any boats at 7%.  Maybe they aren't.

Real happy with my paid for model.  Especially for as much as we can use it at this point in my life.

I was thinking the same thing. I think we made it out to the lake about 4 times last year. Used the boat every time. Jet ski maybe twice. 

[Pescado_Rojo 19558]

1 hour ago, Incredulity said:

Also at a show a couple years ago I was looking at the prices and payments.

I don't remember the exact numbers, but I shook my head at the loan payments.  As I recall the structures were 20 year loans and over $1000/month in payments.  That was during the days of free money.  Not sure how they are selling any boats at 7%.  Maybe they aren't.

Real happy with my paid for model.  Especially for as much as we can use it at this point in my life.

Every time I get the new fishing boat itch I do the math on a loan and go out to the garage and hug my paid off 1999 model. 

[tbone_ 14410]

Team no boat loan

[Cajun 11771]

Pay in full or find another thing.   That's my policy.

I used to not have a policy and now I've got that one

/Ron White

[fattyflattie 4640]

Wrote a check for mine, and that was the best thing I ever did in regards to boating.  Do I get upset when she collects some dust due to work/kids/life, of course.  Can’t imagine a $1000 note each month and it just sitting.   With the way prices have gone, I’ll be bolting on a shiny new 450 onto old glass. That said, she’s been cared for with an open checkbook so still looks and runs new-ish, sort of.    Man I need to get on the water. 

[troph 25089]

Our fully loaded axis went for $100k when we bought it and back then we thought it was both pricey and a steal compared to the Malibu version at $150-170k. Now at $300k … or more for the brand names? Looks like we will take care of ours until we don’t want that style of boat any longer. 
 

also makes paying the sailing club payment much easier to handle. $700/month gives me pretty flexible access to a 35 foot dual helm sailboat. 

Edited February 8 by troph

[Armybrat 41320]

I don’t miss my Glastron V-156 though.

 

 

[PvilleStang 2974]

17 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

I don’t miss my Glastron V-156 though.

 

 

Here I figured on of your first boats was a life raft on the Titanic...

[Incredulity 11861]

32 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

Here I figured on of your first boats was a life raft on the Titanic...

you misspelled,  "hollowed out tree canoe on the Euphrates"

[tbone_ 14410]

I don’t miss my Glastron V-156 though.

 
 

Yea but that was the shit back in the day

[Brew 3049]

On 2/6/2024 at 8:18 PM, huge said:

At the one in Houston I learned that I can buy a 33 foot Cobalt tow boat for $694k.

That seems like a lot.

To be fair, anything over 29 feet in the Cobalt line is an express cruiser rather than a tow boat and even the ones under that aren’t what I would call tow boats. A 10 foot wide, 33 foot boat with a cabin definitely doesn’t qualify.

As far as the pricing, any dumbass paying $400k for a Tige gets what they deserve and probably isn’t doing a whole lot of towing anyways. I bought a brand new SANTE 210 off the lot for $110k 3 years ago and ended up hating being out on it. I spent more time worrying about something happening to it and less time actually enjoying it, so it lasted about a year before I sold it. The electronic everything was nice, but I couldn’t figure out half of it. The best part was the day I got home with it, I pulled up to the ramp and couldn’t find the key. I called the sales guy late afternoon on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend trying to find it and he was like, it’s push button like it was just some common sense thing. Enter 0000 and hit start. I much preferred the prior $20k-$40k models that I didn’t have to worry about and I could work on myself.

[Incredulity 11861]

As I stated above I don't get to use the boat as much as I used to, but it popped into my head that there has to be some BAD, BAD things that happen to newbies who buy some of the gargantuan inboards they make now.   Controlling a boat of the size of those things around docks and ramps is no joke.  It was tragic comedy back in the day.

Probably stating the obvious.

[tbone_ 14410]

I’ve def had a huge learning curve on mine. And I stay sober and try really hard to pay attention, which is def more than I can say for some other boaters I’ve watched.

[utee94 16066]

I've driven I/Os my whole life and I can pretty much put them anywhere on a dime.

When we got our current X45 it was a huge and lengthy lesson in humility, learning how to maneuver that large inboard.

And as y'all have mentioned, that "large" boat is pretty small compared to modern towboats.  It's crazy.

 

 

[Goofyboy 3428]

Being part of a wakeboard group was a saving grace when it came to people knowing inboards. Only met a few over the years (when I rode a lot) that had no clue what they were doing.

We watched a guy take his brand new XStar (when the pickle forks first came around) out to hit the Trinity. He didn’t ask anyone how to get to the river. Hauled ass away from the ramp and parked his boat on a massive underwater tree.

[BearSchlong 8231]

That very proud owner put his brand-new Turner on top of a metal-tipped submerged bridge piling on its inaugural trip. Ouch.

[fattyflattie 4640]

5 hours ago, BearSchlong said:

That very proud owner put his brand-new Turner on top of a metal-tipped submerged bridge piling on its inaugural trip. Ouch.

Ugh. I had forgotten about those. Popped such a graceful mold then stuck that fucking console on it.  When they first came out I remember them only being like 20k less than the real thing. Didn’t think the last 20 on a 140k rig would matter that much, and they would fold quickly. Guess not. 

[Pescado_Rojo 19558]

9 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

Ugh. I had forgotten about those. Popped such a graceful mold then stuck that fucking console on it.  When they first came out I remember them only being like 20k less than the real thing. Didn’t think the last 20 on a 140k rig would matter that much, and they would fold quickly. Guess not. 

The console is bad, but that leaning post/seat thing is awful. 

[troph 25089]

wakesurf boat talk not going away... they suck to manage in tight corners unless you want to go backward to the starboard side but you can get used to them. But for $300K that mother fucker is going to have 4 thrusters making docking a breeze.

I agree with brew, no effing way I want a $300K surf boat, I'd hate feeling like I couldn't use it.  our axis is gently used, but it's been used. we have some bumps and bruises here and there. and I don't care, it will resell well but when we sell it there will be no doubt left it is a well loved, well used ... used boat.

[Atxracer 798]

On 2/8/2024 at 2:52 PM, Goofyboy said:

Being part of a wakeboard group was a saving grace when it came to people knowing inboards.

 Before that was created, me and the dude in the yellow 2004 SAN I think you were taking about earlier killed my boat (2000 SAN) in all the ways imaginable.   We mainly did upper San jac at that time and then clear creek.  I can’t count the props and shafts I bent, ripped a rudder clean off one time and then managed to suck something up and blow a motor.  Houston rivers/creeks were awesome.!

[Goofyboy 3428]

He had Ghetto Fab before. Same guy. Had to quit riding and bought a Vette.

[Atxracer 798]

16 hours ago, Goofyboy said:

He had Ghetto Fab before. Same guy. Had to quit riding and bought a Vette.

Hah.  Haven’t thought about that boat in forever.  You should have seen its predecessor.  15 ft tri hull outboard with a Home Depot pylon and a trash can for ballast.  College was great!

[Incredulity 11861]

Lol, that’s hilarious.  We disintegrated the transmission on a MC PS 190 by massively overloading with sacks and people.  Great way to get some close up time with the ladies during college.  Problem was scrapping enough money together to fund the beer and fuel bills.  

Edited February 11 by Incredulity

[Cajun 11771]

On 2/8/2024 at 7:55 AM, PvilleStang said:

Here I figured on of your first boats was a life raft on the Titanic...

Mayflower.

[troph 25089]

Morning sail, 20 knots gusts to 30 knots. Reefed quite a bit. Cold (high 30s low 40s). But a really great day. Hauled ass at times. Knocked the rust off. Talked through high wind situations. Navigated well, avoided accidental jibes. Chicken jibed once that was a nice little trick, had some nice runs. Dialed it in. Got more comfortable with heeling. Solid day. 
 

Edited February 17 by troph

[Atxracer 798]

7 hours ago, troph said:

Morning sail, 20 knots gusts to 30 knots. Reefed quite a bit. Cold (high 30s low 40s). But a really great day. Hauled ass at times. Knocked the rust off. Talked through high wind situations. Navigated well, avoided accidental jibes. Chicken jibed once that was a nice little trick, had some nice runs. Dialed it in. Got more comfortable with heeling. Solid day. 

I have no idea what you just said but it actually sounds fun.  

[G650 14421]

7 hours ago, troph said:

Morning sail, 20 knots gusts to 30 knots. Reefed quite a bit. Cold (high 30s low 40s). But a really great day. Hauled ass at times. Knocked the rust off. Talked through high wind situations. Navigated well, avoided accidental jibes. Chicken jibed once that was a nice little trick, had some nice runs. Dialed it in. Got more comfortable with heeling. Solid day. 
 

What did you sail today troph?

 

Heading to Ft Lauderdale Wednesday for KW race, looking forward to some warm weather and getting on the water.

[troph 25089]

11 hours ago, G650 said:

What did you sail today troph?

 

Heading to Ft Lauderdale Wednesday for KW race, looking forward to some warm weather and getting on the water.

35 ft Benny. Sailing club boat. 

[troph 25089]

12 hours ago, Atxracer said:

I have no idea what you just said but it actually sounds fun.  

Accidental jibe (or gybe) is when you cross from one side of direct down wind to the other without planning it. The main sail which is connected to the mast and the metal (or carbon fiber) that is shaped like an “ L “ whips the fuck around and crashes violently from one side to the other as the sails reorient to a change in direction of the wind because of the boat’s position changing. Think of 6 o clock as down wind, so it’s going from 4pm-7pm without preparation.

 

 

A controlled jibe you don’t have this problem because you use your lines (ropes) to secure the boom (the bottom of the “ L “ - typically you bring the boom in tight and inline with the boats direction so the whip from far left to far right can’t happen. But it’s still a notable shift that’s a tad unsettling for passengers when it has to happen especially in high winds.
 

chicken jibe is when you tack through an upwind trajectory to accomplish the same goal. But you basically do a loop around, instead of a small shift.
 

Tacking is when you cross straight upwind from one side to the other. So like 2pm to 10pm on a clock where 12pm is straight up wind. so back to a chicken jibe, if you are at 4pm down wind and you want to be a 7pm down wind, you turn up wind to 2pm and then tack across 12pm and then bear off (turn out of the wind) and head down to that 7pm position. In high wind it’s a more leisurely way to handle it but it is a much longer path to get there and in a race situation you would never do it I imagine. A sunset cruise you would absolutely chicken jibe.

any time you tack or jibe you have to make a sizable move with your sails (notice the sail change from one side of the boat to the other in the clock diagram crossing 12 and 6). If you can stay on “one half of the clock” then the sail moves are incremental and small. There are plenty moves to make but nothing a major as switching the sails from one side to the other which tacking and jibing require. So I don’t think it’s a technical term but I said I had a couple of “nice runs” I just meant where I could relax even in high winds and not have to make a major move. For lake sailing that’s the holy grail, because winds are so variable and lakes are often narrow so to get the wind where you can stay set on sails is awesome. I had one run that lasted 30 mins. It was epic. Ocean sailing that’s way more common - some stokes no major sail move for days.

reefing is when you pull your sails in to give less surface area for the wind to lift or push you - it’s the number one tactic to manage high winds - less sail out.

Heeling is when your boat leans over at an angle. We probably had some moments where we heeled at 15-20 degrees. Enough to pay attention. 

Edited February 18 by troph

[Atxracer 798]

Good info. Thanks. It does sound challenging and rewarding.  Not sure it will ever be my thing but that’s cause I have no patience whatsoever and sitting still and I don’t go well together.  

[troph 25089]

7 minutes ago, Atxracer said:

Good info. Thanks. It does sound challenging and rewarding.  Not sure it will ever be my thing but that’s cause I have no patience whatsoever and sitting still and I don’t go well together.  

It’s way more analogous to car racing than any other kind of boating. Especially if you sail like @G650

Edited February 18 by troph

[troph 25089]

We were at dinner with friends last night and I tried to explain the appeal. In a power boat you override physics and natural laws for the most part and unlike auto racing you don’t really interact with wind or air draft forces that much. It’s just a single axis experience. Turn it on and go. 
 

sailing there are three axis of influence, the laws of nature, physics. Then second, the tools you have to react to the laws of physics - your boat and sails - and third your reaction. Having been in the racing industry and driven at least one bonafide race car and dealt with the impact of air draft and forces of physics, and having been around power boats for going on 20 years now I can definitely say sailing - even leisurely sailing is more akin to car racing than any other kind of boating.

yesterday was a ton of fun but my level of concentration was 100%. In 20-30 knot winds you can fuck up big time. I gave up the helm twice because my head hurt from focusing. That’s not like any other kind of boating. 

Edited February 18 by troph

[troph 25089]

12 hours ago, G650 said:

What did you sail today troph?

 

Heading to Ft Lauderdale Wednesday for KW race, looking forward to some warm weather and getting on the water.

I left the house feeling cold and anxious not confident unsure. I stepped off the boat confident, clear of mind, refreshed, smile on my face. “Conquering” the elements is good for the soul.  I was still cold, even colder but a hot bath feeling like I did something noteworthy was incredible. 

[G650 14421]

6 minutes ago, troph said:

I left the house feeling cold and anxious not confident unsure. I stepped off the boat confident, clear of mind, refreshed, smile on my face. “Conquering” the elements is good for the soul.  I was still cold, even colder but a hot bath feeling like I did something noteworthy was incredible. 

That is badass my friend, I'm pumped for you!

[G650 14421]

28 minutes ago, Atxracer said:

I have no patience whatsoever and sitting still and I don’t go well together

One thing I can say is there is not a lot of sitting still when racing boats. It's a pretty much constant movement to keep weight in the right place to the point of annoyance almost if you weren't focused on winning. One thing I am actually a little ambivalent about is modern raceboats are requiring an athleticism to a degree that is almost becoming disqualifying for a good number of people and I'm not sure that is a good thing.

 

The thing about sailing that I think needs to be experienced to really get is the sheer power of harnessing nature, the wind and the waves. The loads can be extremely high, thousands and even tens of thousands of pounds on lines. Its a lot of technique and knowledge to manage them, you can't just brute force it. The knock on from that is its a lot more intense, going 10 knots in a sailboat is like 20 in a powerboat. Going 20 is like 50 in a powerboat. And when you are going 20, that is in conditions and sea state that is starting to get pretty hairy.

[Atxracer 798]

Yeah, thinking about it, the sitting still comment was probably not accurate. In my mind, I was thinking sailing is chilling and casually cruising through the water.  But, can certainly see there is more to it than that and  it can get hairy dealing with the elements and can definitely respect it takes a lot of experience and skill.  
 

Absolutely the racing seems like a lot of work and could easily produce my favorite drug.  It also seems very expensive and time consuming.  

(Since we are talking about passions/hobbies, just felt like writing this next part to share in case it interests anybody.  Would be interested in reading y’all’s version of this)

For me, I like the smell of hot brakes, fuel burning, a seat with no padding while locked in with a harness so you are part of the car, setting up the car, balancing just beyond the cars grip, diabolical qualifying laps where you get out shaking a little and think “holy shit”, laps where all sections come together, breaking into a new second you haven’t seen before, not letting the predictive lap time fuck you up, pit crew telling you what you need on a lap during qualifying and making it happen, beating the people that trained you, the nervousness when gridding up not knowing what kind of shape things will be in when you return, the way your heart pumps when watching the shoulder/elbow for the flag to drop, the initial roar when everyone steps on it, surviving that first turn, reminding yourself to breathe, drink water and lightly grip the steering wheel, the sound two cars make when they are inches apart leaving a corner and the engines sing in harmony, setting up a pass several turns before you intend to pass, defending a corner, perfectly exiting a corner counter steering and  there was no more track to use on track out and there is probably a little dust behind you, standing on the brakes because you came in too hot but you made it, forcing an error on the person in front of you because you are pressuring them, flashing your lights at the person you are pressuring, seeing the white flag, the sigh of relief when you pass the checkered flag and let off the gas, the feeling during a cool down lap especially if you won or placed, pulling back into pits in one piece, comparing notes and sharing stories with the other racers afterwards especially if there was a close battle.  And, most of all, that 30 minutes to an hour and a half where you can think about nothing else other than what you are doing at that exact second and maybe the next few seconds.  It’s the only thing I have found so far that calms me down and clears my head.  And, this is from an amateur.  Just like golf, the pros are on a different level.  

[troph 25089]

yeah you can cruise at 30 mph in a power boat on a lake or on the open ocean in calm conditions. powered by sails, you start hauling ass it's not sunshine and rainbows, probably not made for the insta reels. we were probably above 10 knots a couple of times yesterday and reefing to avoid going much faster than that and as an advanced novice I'd say it was pushing white knuckles - I would have definitely peed my pants if I was alone in 20 knot winds and 30 knot gusts on lake travis. those speedier moments were in heavy winds, heeling at 20 degrees and having to steer against the weather.

Edited February 18 by troph

[troph 25089]

13 minutes ago, Atxracer said:

 

Absolutely the racing seems like a lot of work and could easily produce my favorite drug.  It also seems very expensive and time consuming.  

(Since we are talking about passions/hobbies, just felt like writing this next part to share in case it interests anybody.  Would be interested in reading y’all’s version of this)

For me, I like the smell of hot brakes, fuel burning, a seat with no padding while locked in with a harness so you are part of the car, setting up the car, balancing just beyond the cars grip, diabolical qualifying laps where you get out shaking a little and think “holy shit”, laps where all sections come together, breaking into a new second you haven’t seen before, not letting the predictive lap time fuck you up, pit crew telling you what you need on a lap during qualifying and making it happen, beating the people that trained you, the nervousness when gridding up not knowing what kind of shape things will be in when you return, the way your heart pumps when watching the shoulder/elbow for the flag to drop, the initial roar when everyone steps on it, surviving that first turn, reminding yourself to breathe, drink water and lightly grip the steering wheel, the sound two cars make when they are inches apart leaving a corner and the engines sing in harmony, setting up a pass several turns before you intend to pass, defending a corner, perfectly exiting a corner counter steering and  there was no more track to use on track out and there is probably a little dust behind you, standing on the brakes because you came in too hot but you made it, forcing an error on the person in front of you because you are pressuring them, flashing your lights at the person you are pressuring, seeing the white flag, the sigh of relief when you pass the checkered flag and let off the gas, the feeling during a cool down lap especially if you won or placed, pulling back into pits in one piece, comparing notes and sharing stories with the other racers afterwards especially if there was a close battle.  And, most of all, that 30 minutes to an hour and a half where you can think about nothing else other than what you are doing at that exact second and maybe the next few seconds.  It’s the only thing I have found so far that calms me down and clears my head.  And, this is from an amateur.  Just like golf, the pros are on a different level.  

shit that's bad ass. I want.  But I'm not sure I'll make it to the racing hobby before I'm unable.  I will say though all of my hobbies (sailing, tennis, fly fishing (apex especially), and scuba) require flow state consciousness to succeed at a high level, tremendous focus requirements, technical knowledge and skill. though varying degrees of adrenaline and feeling of out of control, they all have similarities.

when it comes to sailing, I'm not a racer, but I will go on high adventure trips, I've taken baby steps in the BVIs - captaining a 50 footer myself twice now - but I plan to do at least one if not several liveaboard sailing trips in the pacific, say Hawaii to Tahiti or Cabo to Galapagos and that may not be auto racing or G650's racing, but I guarantee you the adrenaline will be there.

the thing about the sunset cruise sailing on a lake or close to shore - that's not a sport, probably not even a hobby - that's about getting laid, or entertaining people you love. that's a different kind of skill, a different goal all together. some people like to go out to eat, I'd rather take a really nice bottle of wine, some cheese and hoist the sails while my lady looks at me like I'm the best thing that has ever happened to her.  having something like sailing to do both is pretty fucking cool in my book.

Edited February 18 by troph