Hey good friends! Tell me it’s a great idea to buy a boat!!

[Warison]

Yea!!! Doesn’t a boat sound fun. Tell me how much I would love one. I’ve done about zero research into this.

I have a truck that could tow a small speed boat. Would want to take it to Monroe and lake James/pokagon.

Tell me what kind of dream (nightmare) I’d be getting into.

TIA

 

[Hank Reardon]

The only thing I know about boat ownership is that the two greatest days of a boat owner's life are (1) the day they buy their boat, and (2) the day they sell their boat.

 

[kkott]

Yea!!! Doesn’t a boat sound fun. Tell me how much I would love one. I’ve done about zero research into this.

I have a truck that could tow a small speed boat. Would want to take it to Monroe and lake James/pokagon.

Tell me what kind of dream (nightmare) I’d be getting into.

TIA

Hell yeah, I hope all my friends get boats! You're gonna love it. We are friends right? Let's fish!

 

[Inigo Montoya]

Looks like a blast!

(XLSMcQSEG)

 

[dbmhoosier]

I always hear that they are giant money pits. Why not just get a jon boat and a trolling motor that way you never spend a lot on maintenance and if you regret it you didn't spend much.

 

[BigMobe]

Looks like a blast!

(XLSMcQSEG)

URINAL BAY at Lake James

 

[cryano]

Id rent one a time or two for a weekend first...


My buddy always says ‘The 3F’s...if it flys floats or fux...you’re better off renting it!’

 

[IUAPEX]

Yea!!! Doesn’t a boat sound fun. Tell me how much I would love one. I’ve done about zero research into this.

I have a truck that could tow a small speed boat. Would want to take it to Monroe and lake James/pokagon.

Tell me what kind of dream (nightmare) I’d be getting into.

TIA

Grew up going to James ... here is my take. As long as you see no issues with cost of maintenance, insurance and have the time to use it enough then they are awesome.

The drain happens when you can’t get the windows to use, but still dealing with the costs and maintenance issues.

If you are going speed boat ... get an in-board, nautiques are awesome (but pricey) for all of the water sports. If you take care of them no reason they can’t last you 20+ years.

Find a good shop that can winterize and pay the money to shrink wrap them each year up there ... unless you can garage it.

If the money is tight ... it will frustrate you, but if the money part works and you have a solid boat and can pay to keep it up they are a blast.

 

[Capitol Hoosier]

I had a SeaRay 230 bowrider for 11 seasons. It was awesome. But once my kids and nieces and nephews got older and had things to do on the weekends, it started becoming a pain to try to find people to go out and enjoy a day on the water. And it's definitely a money pit. But I wouldn't have traded those experiences for anything. So if you have young kids and social friends...total plus. You'll get years of enjoyment out of it. I didn't fish, but I guess if you're really into fishing, that would be worth it, too. But I will say I was very happy to sell it once I felt it was time. Now...I do wonder if I might get one again in retirement (if I'm on the water someplace). I could see enjoying it then, too. But these fractional boat ownership and membership deals might be the way to go now.

 

[Eppy99]

The only thing I know about boat ownership is that the two greatest days of a boat owner's life are (1) the day they buy their boat, and (2) the day they sell their boat.

Can’t be worse than owning a pool right? Now that’s a money pit.

 

[SqueakyClean]

Grew up in California and would go out about every other weekend boating during the summer months. We lived 20 minutes from a lake and would pretty much dedicate an entire day to waterskiing, picnicking, and swimming. Absolute blast and worth the money. When we moved to the midwest, we still got out about once a month, but the season was much shorter and may not have been as worth it, but we still had some great times. We were fortunate to have a good storage garage for the boat and dad was handy enough to winterize it himself. Now that my parents are older and retired, they are back in California and take the boat out and go up to San Francisco for a night on the town and go see about half of the Giants home games.

I would highly recommend following the advice from the poster above. Rent a boat a few times to get the idea as to whether it is worth it or not. Also, do some research as to what kind of boat best meets your needs. If you are a fishing / camping type, you are going to want a different kind of boat than if you are the waterskiing / tubing type.

Last piece of advice: Be aware that there are significant boating operation rules / laws. Similar to riding a bicycle on the roads, sadly, 80% of these laws are pretty much ignored, but you can be boarded / fined / imprisoned by the police if your in gross violation of those rules / laws. Depending on what lake / waterway you are on, there are varying degrees of risk of being pulled over, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a class to get the basics down about 1) What safety equipment your should have on the boat (many of which is required by law), 2) Rules of boating (what are you allowed to do, what are you not allowed to do) and 3) General operation (how to load / unload your boat from the trailer, how not to rip up your prop in shallow water, how to back up, etc.)

 

[Circlejoe]

Can’t be worse than owning a pool right? Now that’s a money pit.

Love my pool. We probably spend $1,000 - $1,500 annually for maintenance. I'll head home from the office in a couple of hours, fix a cocktail, and spend an hour in the pool with some nice tunes playing. Great way to come down from work. On weekends, the pool is especially nice after a round of golf. Especially on weeks like this when the temperature is 110.

 

[evvcabinetman]

Bought a 19’ open bow runabout that was 8-10 years old - used it for more than a decade - sold it for $2,000 less than I paid and never had any repair bills beyond normal maintenance. Great investment in family time for us. Key is to never - under any circumstances - buy a new boat.

 

[Hank Reardon]

Can’t be worse than owning a pool right? Now that’s a money pit.

Yeah. We owned a home with an in ground pool once. Honestly, it wasn't that bad for a few summers, until...there was some ground shift and there developed some cracks in the gunite. Not really outwardy visible, but enough to cause leakage. We struggled for one season keeping it filled (had to keep a slow trickle of water going to it) but $250 monthy water bills was too much to absorb. It was either several thousand to fix it, or several thousand to take it out. We were planning to move in a year or two so we opted to take it out, figuring it'd be easier to sell without the pool.

I did love the pool, but...yeah.

 

[13thman]

Yea!!! Doesn’t a boat sound fun. Tell me how much I would love one. I’ve done about zero research into this.

I have a truck that could tow a small speed boat. Would want to take it to Monroe and lake James/pokagon.

Tell me what kind of dream (nightmare) I’d be getting into.

TIA

I love motorboating.

 

[iubud]

Yea!!! Doesn’t a boat sound fun. Tell me how much I would love one. I’ve done about zero research into this.

I have a truck that could tow a small speed boat. Would want to take it to Monroe and lake James/pokagon.

Tell me what kind of dream (nightmare) I’d be getting into.

TIA

The biggest arguments my parents got into were, my mom giving guidance to dad backing up to boat trailer. She was always too slow to tell him to stop. The other arguments happened at the boat ramp.

I decided to get a pool instead of a boat. Luckily/ a good friend has a boat. All the benefits of owning a boat without all the hassle. You can be that friend .

 

[iubud]

Love my pool. We probably spend $1,000 - $1,500 annually for maintenance. I'll head home from the office in a couple of hours, fix a cocktail, and spend an hour in the pool with some nice tunes playing. Great way to come down from work. On weekends, the pool is especially nice after a round of golf. Especially on weeks like this when the temperature is 110.

My summer Saturday routine is to do yard work in the morning and be in the pool the rest of the day. My son usually comes over and we have a beer or two. I love Saturday!

We went back and forth on buying a boat or putting in an inground pool when our kids were young. With sports and other activities, we decided a boat would sit unused while a pool could be used every day.

We have rented pontoon boats a few times on vacation. I got my fix of boat ownership.

 

[Liberty_Hoosier]

Screw a pool... had in ground once and hated it...

As far as a boat... many things to consider... do you have kids? Will you get a slip? How consuming are your weekends? I can see the Brookville Dam from my house... my buddy just bought a pontoon and him and his wife I assume arent having kids. Its great for them. Right now it doesnt make sense for us right now with 2 little ones. Getting ready to head to Dale Hollow w 5 couples with his pontoon. Renting 75 foot houseboat.

 

[cryano]

On year 2 of a 28 ft 54 in above ground pool...
Probably less than $5k in it total...


Youngest loves to play in it - oldest loves to lay out and cool off w it...
I get to enjoy cleaning it 1-2 times a week...w a cooler on the poolside deck...

Plus they have a reason to have their friends over now..
Someone is in it almost every day - its best money Ive ever spent...
Get home from a 7:00 softball game - jump in to cool off relax...

I wish Id got the above ground pool 8-10 years ago for my oldest to enjoy like my youngest

 

[MTBRider]

We got our boat when my 3 kids were age's 4-6. Kept it for almost 8 years and re-sold it for $1k less than we we paid for it. Used it at least every other weekend and often times both Saturday and Sunday...was also always fun to take a random "Tuesday" off and head to the otherwise deserted lake and play. Great memories that you couldn't pay me enough to give up. Sold the boat once the kids were heavier into travel sports (I hate those) and everyone was going different directions. I'm having a pool put into our new house as I type this (literally looking at a $50K hole in my back yard) and hoping that it gives us a lot of those same memories as our kids get older and possibly even when/if grandchildren come along.

A few things that worked for us on the boat front.
1. Buy a model (pay attention to the motor) that has a history of reliability. I did this and had a friend that knew boats well really go over it and we never had maintenance issues. Our line of motor had also been around for a while and was proven...which also would have made most repairs very cheap.
2. Make sure you've got a relatively close/convenient place to get to. It was nice just loading up on a whim and being on the water in 20 minutes. Short pull back home and good to go.
3. Know what you want to do with it and get the right type of boat. If you really want to fish...get a fishing boat. Don't think a random open bow will be fine, you'll end up regretting it. While I've never had one, don't totally put off a pontoon/tritoon. Those have gotten really nice and are versatile.
4. Unless you're really well off, I would skip a new boat...to say they're marked up would be an understatement (I once was offered a new cabin cruiser that had been priced at $90k for $55k out the door). With that said, just used a buddies $150k+ new Nautique a couple of weeks ago and it was amazing.
5. When in doubt, buy bigger. I could be wrong on this one, but ours was a 21' boat and I thought would be more than enough boat and it was the first couple of years. Once kids get bigger, more people liked going with us etc, I was always starting to look at bigger and bigger boats.

Have fun with whatever you choose...and post pics of some of the lake "scenery" you come across. That was also a very pleasant bonus to our weekends out!

 

[sluggo69]

Cap is bi?

 

[13thman]

We got our boat when my 3 kids were age's 4-6. Kept it for almost 8 years and re-sold it for $1k less than we we paid for it. Used it at least every other weekend and often times both Saturday and Sunday...was also always fun to take a random "Tuesday" off and head to the otherwise deserted lake and play. Great memories that you couldn't pay me enough to give up. Sold the boat once the kids were heavier into travel sports (I hate those) and everyone was going different directions. I'm having a pool put into our new house as I type this (literally looking at a $50K hole in my back yard) and hoping that it gives us a lot of those same memories as our kids get older and possibly even when/if grandchildren come along.

A few things that worked for us on the boat front.
1. Buy a model (pay attention to the motor) that has a history of reliability. I did this and had a friend that knew boats well really go over it and we never had maintenance issues. Our line of motor had also been around for a while and was proven...which also would have made most repairs very cheap.
2. Make sure you've got a relatively close/convenient place to get to. It was nice just loading up on a whim and being on the water in 20 minutes. Short pull back home and good to go.
3. Know what you want to do with it and get the right type of boat. If you really want to fish...get a fishing boat. Don't think a random open bow will be fine, you'll end up regretting it. While I've never had one, don't totally put off a pontoon/tritoon. Those have gotten really nice and are versatile.
4. Unless you're really well off, I would skip a new boat...to say they're marked up would be an understatement (I once was offered a new cabin cruiser that had been priced at $90k for $55k out the door). With that said, just used a buddies $150k+ new Nautique a couple of weeks ago and it was amazing.
5. When in doubt, buy bigger. I could be wrong on this one, but ours was a 21' boat and I thought would be more than enough boat and it was the first couple of years. Once kids get bigger, more people liked going with us etc, I was always starting to look at bigger and bigger boats.

Have fun with whatever you choose...and post pics of some of the lake "scenery" you come across. That was also a very pleasant bonus to our weekends out!

Alot of truth to that. You never know when an occasion may arise where "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

 

[Hoops Cat]

I had a SeaRay 230 bowrider for 11 seasons. It was awesome. But once my kids and nieces and nephews got older and had things to do on the weekends, it started becoming a pain to try to find people to go out and enjoy a day on the water. And it's definitely a money pit. But I wouldn't have traded those experiences for anything. So if you have young kids and social friends...total plus. You'll get years of enjoyment out of it. I didn't fish, but I guess if you're really into fishing, that would be worth it, too. But I will say I was very happy to sell it once I felt it was time. Now...I do wonder if I might get one again in retirement (if I'm on the water someplace). I could see enjoying it then, too. But these fractional boat ownership and membership deals might be the way to go now.

You had a boat?

I thought only Nick Strom was a boater.

 

[twenty02]

I wouldn't buy a boat unless you live on the lake and/or plan to rent a slip for it.


It's way too inconvenient otherwise, in my opinion.

 

[T.M.P.]

You had a boat?

I thought only Nick Strom was a boater.

Ralphie was a sailor....

 

[kkott]

Cap is bi?

As I want to remember it he was perfectly straight with 2 wonderful kids, a golden retriever and a doting wife.

Then he met McNutt...

 

[Standard Issue]

Looks like a blast!

(XLSMcQSEG)

Is that a petri dish under a high power microscope?

 

[birdforbogey]

 

[PhishPhan682]

Ralphie was a sailor....

RIP Raplh

 

[largemouth]

boat = break out another thousand!

 

[outside shooter]

Love my pool. We probably spend $1,000 - $1,500 annually for maintenance...Great way to come down from work.

I can't imagine going through this pandemic without the diversion of our pool, We warmed it up with the heater back in March and someone will be using it every day until Thanksgiving, if not later. Then it's hot-tubbing Dec-March.

I guess if I was up North and had a 3 month pool season, I would hate the hassle. But in FL it is a joy to have a saltwater-chlorinated pool.

 

[sglowrider]

What not jet skis instead? Infinitely more fun.

 

[Capitol Hoosier]

You had a boat?

I thought only Nick Strom was a boater.

Yep! Mostly just cruised on the Potomac. We'd go up to DC a lot...and there was an area south that we'd go for tubing, swimming, hanging out, etc. Sometimes we'd dock at restaurants along the water. Other times we'd bring our food. Honestly it was some great times, especially while the kids were growing up. I miss it at times...other times I don't. But any time I can be near water or on the water...that's when I'm most at ease and free of stress!

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

Yep! Mostly just cruised on the Potomac. We'd go up to DC a lot...and there was an area south that we'd go for tubing, swimming, hanging out, etc. Sometimes we'd dock at restaurants along the water. Other times we'd bring our food. Honestly it was some great times, especially while the kids were growing up. I miss it at times...other times I don't. But any time I can be near water or on the water...that's when I'm most at ease and free of stress!

Very comforting

 

[sglowrider]

Yep! Mostly just cruised on the Potomac. We'd go up to DC a lot...and there was an area south that we'd go for tubing, swimming, hanging out, etc. Sometimes we'd dock at restaurants along the water. Other times we'd bring our food. Honestly it was some great times, especially while the kids were growing up. I miss it at times...other times I don't. But any time I can be near water or on the water...that's when I'm most at ease and free of stress!

U need to move to a tiny island then. I see the sea almost every day and certainly every time I do a longish bike ride. When I am finally able to move up north, I have the sea in my back yard. If you guys want to make the effort to fly out here, you are always welcome.

 

[outside shooter]

If you guys want to make the effort to fly out here, you are always welcome.

It's probably going to be a while before us people living in a shithole country can travel freely abroad.

 

[sglowrider]

It's probably going to be a while before us people living in a shithole country can travel freely abroad.

Tbf. I can't even move yet either. They are negotiating the travel corridor between the two countries.

I think there are three countries that will accept Americans. Mexico, Tanzania and another.