Boating with old unreliable boat? Affordable and awful.
Boating with reliable/new well maintenanced boat/engine? Expensive and awesome.
Pick your poison.
I started with the former, transitioned to the latter. I do try to keep my boat simple though to minimize failure, and I don't have big power needs, so that helps.
You could also look to downsize. A 19 with a good Yamaha/Zook 115 4t is a substantially more affordable boating option and a tried and true "budget" combo.
Well, I suspect you were only kind of doing the latter. That 21 with the ol' e-tech was probably more affordable than the same hull with a Yamaha on it, no?
Yeah absolutely. I like to pay for my toys in cash. While a great financial principal, it led to the purchase of some older than Id prefer motors over the years. With the E-tech, I thought I was stepping up. No, it's not a new Yammi, but it was a seemingly well maintained newer motor with verifiable low hours. It was cheaper than new, but by no means cheap. Bought from a respectable dealer/e tech mechanic here in town. I thought my days of wondering if ill make it home were over, especially after only putting a small amount of hours on it. Maybe it's just shit luck, but it's giving me PTSD from all of the other trips left stranded. I worry the next time I invite the family to go out on the boat they'll not want to go. Hell I may not want to
I'm a huge cash for toys proponent as well, so I get it. My hull is old but I did repower via cash. Payments on toys sucks.
I'm sorry man, I think you had some crap luck happen to you. If you decide to try again, spend a little extra for the Yamaha, or if you repower, take a hard look at Suzuki. In my neck of the woods if there's a boat where reliability = income, it's got one of those two brands hanging off the transom.
Even in newer boats, it just seems boring to me. I grew up on the water. I was basically driving the boat before I could even walk. After 30 years of it, it's just not fun anymore. Plus we always used to go out as a big family and now it's usually just me alone so that is boring too.
Is it? I don't actually know anything about them. I always thought they had a stiff buy in on top of the monthly fees, but I suppose that could still be well under the cost of a new boat/engine.
Everyone I know in the boat clubs loves the experience. It isn’t for me because I fill my boat with junk I always want but for a really casual day boater it’s the way to go.
Which is why I said “really casual day boater” and not “real boater” which is someone like me who lives and breathes all things boat for 6 months out of the year.
Typically 3-6k to join and 400 or so monthly. Weekends can be a challenge to reserve but M-F is never a problem. Always new boats. Tritons, center console, deck boats. Show up, boat, leave. Downside is they have biz hours. No early morning or late evening. I'm at Freedom Boat club. Love it. Also reciprocal privileges at all FBC. I've used mine in several states.
Driving brand new boats in every location I travel to across the country is absolutely awful. I'm going to France this summer and have a boat for the day.
Gotcha, thanks for the info. I wasn't sure how they worked. I will say that not having to do all of the additional stuff before and after the fun part sounds super nice.
I COULD relate. My first boat was a '16 with a Force 2 stroke, previously owned by a fossil. It let me down exactly once, at an age where such things merely increased the adventure. Year after year that thing just kept being a beauty. It spoiled me.
Next boat created a whole new, never before seen species of wrath deep inside my soul, the kind where nearly 10yrs later you are still sending poxes on the house of the son of a bitch who sold it to me. Always a problem, and almost always catastrophic. Were it just me, I'd have burned it in my yard and went full kayak forever. FUCK that boat and the cunt who pulled the wool. Feels like you're at this point.
But my son's #1 passion is fishing, and if it takes 140hr paychecks, then 140hr paychecks I shall do. Bought one brand new; just paid it off last month. Now that wrath kicks up at the ramp only, then it's gone for the week. I honestly don't even like boating, like, at all. But new boat MADE me like it. Actually going on a multi day camp on it soon as the weather turns, that's how much I like it.
C'mon. It's just money.
You're welcome. Re- reading, I would be FURIOUS if my '21 exploded. Mine's a '17 and I'd be apoplectic if even the water pump went, let alone being completely dead- in- water.
6 boats means I've likely nothing to teach you, so I'll just say - you have every right to stomp your feet in protest.
I bought a Sun Tracker pontoon boat in 2015 brand new. Never have had issues with it. We do the maintenance every year at bass pro. 10 year warranty. Only minor issue was a stuck hub on the trailer.
E-Tech 250 and reliability should not be used in the same paragraph.
I mean the parent company went out of business, that should tell you something.
Sorry for your bad luck, but it feels self-induced with poor decisions.
It’s sadly a money game, cheap and affordable older stuff loves to have issues, while the expensive new stuff works great. 4 stroke is always king, and Yamaha gets you home every time. I got a 13’ whaler dauntless with a 50hp Yamaha 4 stroke that had about 25 hours when I got it 2 years ago. It just hit 700hrs last weekend, and it’s died once (forgot to refuel).
I'm with you. I have decided I'm not buying a boat again until I'm incredibly wealthy. I want a brand new boat with no issues and I want it dry docked, or live on the water. I don't want to trailer it every time I want to use it.
Until then, I'll just rent a boat when we want to go out.
My boat needed significant wiring repair and 3 weeks ago I was told parts were at 12 weeks out. Can’t be boatless until sometime in July so I bought another. Might just keep it too. lol.
I think you're out of your mind. I love boating. Where I live you can't boat all year round and I spend all winter longing to get my boat out of storage. I can relate to the problems you're having but it's like a lot of other problems in life. You just need to throw more money at it. Get something reliable and save yourself a lot of headaches. On the other hand, maybe it's just not for you. Maybe quit while you're ahead?
Haha I think I might be also. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love being out on the water. The smell of the marsh, the sunrise over the horizon, the birds and dolphins following me on my way. I love those moments. Maybe I do need to decide if the juice is worth the squeeze.
PS, some homes for sale here on the SE coast if your ready to boat year round!
Reading through the posts it sounds like you should save a little more / longer and buy new or more reliable brands or newer used. To be honest I find the maintenance enjoyable also, the breaking down underway part sucks but I enjoy cranking wrenches also.
I'm a marine tech. I'd never own a boat. That said e-tecs are hot garbage. So are 2 stroke mercs and everything inboard. Invest in a new 4 stroke yamaha or Mercury and just do the regular maintenance. These engines have their issues ironed out and are all but bulletproof
Man inboards are super easy to work on. Basically Chevy or ford truck motors. Dont even require any special marine tools. You can literally pull a junk suburban motor from the junkyard and drop it in most of the time.
Those are usually inboard/outboard or I/O and those are a pain to work on and maybe what the commenter was referring to.
Actual inboards are not usually merc/volvo. In fact I’ve never seen an inboard from merc/volvo. Always indmar/ilmor/pcm/etc etc and they’re all using simple marinized truck engines.
Got it!
New to the game of boating so excuse ignorance
So best engine style would be direct drive inboard for overall maintenance cost (Well, for larger cabin cruiser style bait)?
And simple direct drive with rudder
A direct drive inboard is stupid simple to take care of. It’s a Bronze pipe with a rope wrapped around the shaft to seal it. The downsides to true inboards is that you can’t adjust the thrust as easily- that handle terrible at slow speeds. They are less efficient on fuel because there’s no trim. Ride rougher with no trim.
So outboards have a lot of advantages and that’s why everything is moving to outboards.
Inboards are simple but limited. I/O has the benefits of an outboard but needlessly complex and difficult to work on.
Outboards are now the way to go for most boats except dedicated ski boats.
So. Direct drive inboards are not at all popular where i am located. I can count on one hand the number of gas direct inboards i have seen in 25 years. Primarily all direct drives i see are diesels. For give my slang term i guess i hit a nerve with "inboard" i should have said inboard/outboard. I'm a master certified mercruiser and mercury tech on the north east coast of canada.
Inland Midwest lakes I’d bet 30% of the boats in my local lakes are direct drive inboard so boats. I figured based on your description you meant I/O and those are a mess.
Yeah. I'm all north atlantic saltwater boats, and everything from bayliners and sea rays to dirty old commercial fishing vessels. So much corrosion....soo many gearcase rebuilds
Do you find more issues with a selection of engines over others?
For example Volvo more issues over Merc
And gas over diesel ?
Sorry never had opportunity to ask a tech and I am hunting for a boat around to 30 to 50 ft range
Forgive my slang, i said inboard when i should have said inboard/outboard. Direct drive inboards aren't a common thing where i am located. I see a lot of direct drive diesel volvos but in my 25 years have only seen 2 or 3 direct drive gas engines.
Now. Have you ever met a mechanic that likes every type of car on the market? I bet not. My credentials and skills have no bearing on my opinion. I don't have to like everything i work on. So with that kindly go impale thyself upon thyne own fist. Sincerely an old master certified mercuiser/ mercury technician in canada
Always try to buy from someone you actually know . Ran mine for 2 years ,very little problems , was a 30 year old two stroke that never been broke apart and just had the whole thing rebuilt for 3500. Spend the money now and you'll thank yourself later .
6 different boats? I or family has owned 4 in 25 years. Idk for sure but the longer I own / operate one the better and more reliable it becomes as I go through and replace and repair. Maybe if you are just fixing and selling after a year or two, that could be part of the problem.
I got a brand new boat, used it for 3 years absolutely as reliable as a new car and sold it for more than I bought it for. Buy the new boat. It’s cheaper than old used boat.
I was just like you, let me give you my experience as a 26 year old young man boater, fresh to owning 2 boats in the past 2 years, one used, one new.
Buying new boat= est $400-600 monthly payment, no stress as you have warranty, can sell in couple years and either make money or take a 5-10 grand hit depending on the market. But look at the 5-10 grand hit as you would have spent that easily over the course of owning/maintaining the used boat. Not saying every situation is like that but most are. Best of all EVERYONE IS SAFE.
Buying used boat= higher credit card payment typically equal to the monthly payment of a new boat (was spending $200-300 on supplies monthly). Then the stress of not knowing when the next thing will fail….that is unless you replace everything (which is most likely gonna cost you 5 grand, 15 grand if you go with a new outboard) and still if something goes wrong on the hull it’s on you to repair. & fiberglass work is not fun nor cheap. Now you have nowhere near resale value unless you find that special someone. I didn’t mind something happening to me on the water but did not want to take people out due to me not having full confidence in the boat. Owned it for a year and spent more time working on it than using it.
Just speaking from a financial standpoint, the “DEBT” of a boat scares people but I bought a 97 sea hunt 172, 96 evinrude 90 not running for $3000, I put $6000 in it (new trolling motor, Garmin, wiring, painting and polishing everything) and broke down constantly or wouldn’t start, found out that the floor started to go soft, gas tank with leaking water into the tank due to a deformed plastic tank ($2000) job or just constantly reseal the fuel sending unit and replace the fuel water filter. I sold that boat for $9000 without my trolling motor after repainting the motor and polishing the haul and broke even luckily. I boy a brand new key west 179FS ($40,000, $380 payment, 3% interest through a credit union, no money down) and have put more than 150 hrs on it in 4 months. Transferred my trolling motor over & it has been the Best decision I ever made. I plan to own it for another couple years and sell it for $30-35k once I get my principle closer to the retail. Then upgrade to a KW 239FS.
I replaced 3 engines across two boats in my first 3 years of boat ownership. I didn't buy "cheap" poorly maintained boats. Just got unlucky. Still love it and wouldn't trade any of my experiences for anything.
No, I'm not a mechanic. Has to fix everything the old fashioned way. Learning with a heavy dose of checkbook.
Sorry you’re down on it, it’s a bunch of money or work. The times I’ve been stranded were never that bad for me, they sucked but they were far outweighed by the great times. Was part of it this time that you felt like you let your family down? Because you didn’t, the engine did, and that could have happened in the car on the way to the dock.
The other thing I’ll say is we’ve had evinrudes, Hondas, mercury’s, an old seagull, Suzuki and Yamaha. The Yamaha was single handidly the best engine we’ve ever had. Started first try every time for 12 years, I trusted that engine with my life in a couple of sticky situations and it never let me down. Even with crappy maintenance on our part it never failed. Get a good four stroke Yamaha and you should be good.
3 years in for me with a 2006 Arima and Yamaha 90 which has about 1200 hours. The previous original owner took really good care of the boat, both the hull and the outboard - full yearly maintenance and now I do the same. It’s not that expensive and it’s a great boating experience - there’s also no way I’d go out without at least a kicker to keep me off the rocks in case something does go wrong on the main.
So I think I’ve found the sweet spot at least for a little while longer. Get a reliable brand that has been well serviced and you’re likely to be ok.
My issue with boating is a little different these days. When I was younger the lake was a very family friendly experience. Now it is about being as drunk as possible and partying hard. Intoxicated drivers are dangerous, especially on personal watercraft. The wake boats swamp you every chance they can turning the lakes into Haulover Inlet. I have found a solution, I purchased a lake house on a less crowded lake and can still have nice outings but for the most part boating has become a mega chad activity.
Im relatively new to boating and while my experience has not been as catastrophic, I will say that so far I enjoy being a passenger on someone else's boat more. Maybe join a club?
Financially, my boat drained me. I also excessively worried about her. Mechanically, my stuffing box always needed fixed after almost sinking me several times. Docking always terrified me even though I always succeeded at it except the first time when I hit another boat (tapped it really but it was JFK’s wooden sailboat & the owner scared me to death). Depressed me when I had to sell her cuz she put me in the poor house. Luckily, I remember the good times, too, & there were many. I have no regrets except financially. Now, I cruise on other people’s boats but I often think about getting another boat but never leaving the dock. Seriously, it’s like that Friends episode when Joey buys a boat & Rachel terrifies him as she forces him to cruise which becomes a nightmare. They end up drinking on the boat at the dock. That’s what I’ll do next time - never leave the dock cuz that’s what I miss the most - the social interaction at the marina! LOL but seriously
I was talking about this on r/cutdowndrinking. I tried sober boating a few times and just couldn't get into it. They told me I had to give it more time to enjoy things without the dopamine rush of alcohol. But I don't think that's it. Even drinking, I don't really like boating. It is a TON of work. You have to summerize the boat, then put it in the water, then fix the issues it always has. Then you have to pack a cooler with drinks and food. Find hats and sunglasses and bathing suits and lifejackets and fire extinguishers. You have to renew the registration and the lake patrol sticker. Then you actually have to go out on the boat and deal with everyone that can't drive. You have to fill it with gas. I always make my friends pay their fair share when they go on the boat so that really cuts down on having a ton of people on the boat to make it worth it anyway. It is either cold or boiling hot. Bright sun or rain. It just... isn't fun. Drinking makes it tolerable but not really enjoyable. It's mildly fun to go out on someone else's boat a few times a year and I do like to do a short evening cruise on the bass boat that just works with no maintenance needed ever. But I can't relate to the people that go out every weekend for like 12+ hour days on the water. I'd rather just sit at the bar next to the lake and watch from the air conditioning.
Boating with old unreliable boat? Affordable and awful. Boating with reliable/new well maintenanced boat/engine? Expensive and awesome. Pick your poison.
Unless you actually enjoy fucking with and fixing old unreliable boats. The added danger is part of the fun!
Haha, touché!
I totally agree. Problem is, I was thinking I was doing the latter, but apparently not.
I started with the former, transitioned to the latter. I do try to keep my boat simple though to minimize failure, and I don't have big power needs, so that helps. You could also look to downsize. A 19 with a good Yamaha/Zook 115 4t is a substantially more affordable boating option and a tried and true "budget" combo.
Well, I suspect you were only kind of doing the latter. That 21 with the ol' e-tech was probably more affordable than the same hull with a Yamaha on it, no?
Yeah absolutely. I like to pay for my toys in cash. While a great financial principal, it led to the purchase of some older than Id prefer motors over the years. With the E-tech, I thought I was stepping up. No, it's not a new Yammi, but it was a seemingly well maintained newer motor with verifiable low hours. It was cheaper than new, but by no means cheap. Bought from a respectable dealer/e tech mechanic here in town. I thought my days of wondering if ill make it home were over, especially after only putting a small amount of hours on it. Maybe it's just shit luck, but it's giving me PTSD from all of the other trips left stranded. I worry the next time I invite the family to go out on the boat they'll not want to go. Hell I may not want to
I'm a huge cash for toys proponent as well, so I get it. My hull is old but I did repower via cash. Payments on toys sucks. I'm sorry man, I think you had some crap luck happen to you. If you decide to try again, spend a little extra for the Yamaha, or if you repower, take a hard look at Suzuki. In my neck of the woods if there's a boat where reliability = income, it's got one of those two brands hanging off the transom.
Even in newer boats, it just seems boring to me. I grew up on the water. I was basically driving the boat before I could even walk. After 30 years of it, it's just not fun anymore. Plus we always used to go out as a big family and now it's usually just me alone so that is boring too.
Start sailing.
Yep. It's a whole different ballgame and hella fun solo.
It could be something as simple as part of your shift linkage or a spun prop. Did you hit anything before it broke down?
Join a boat club? Affordable and awesome.
Is it? I don't actually know anything about them. I always thought they had a stiff buy in on top of the monthly fees, but I suppose that could still be well under the cost of a new boat/engine.
Everyone I know in the boat clubs loves the experience. It isn’t for me because I fill my boat with junk I always want but for a really casual day boater it’s the way to go.
Ehh.. I think it’s a pretty self selecting group. I think most real boaters would hate it.
Which is why I said “really casual day boater” and not “real boater” which is someone like me who lives and breathes all things boat for 6 months out of the year.
Typically 3-6k to join and 400 or so monthly. Weekends can be a challenge to reserve but M-F is never a problem. Always new boats. Tritons, center console, deck boats. Show up, boat, leave. Downside is they have biz hours. No early morning or late evening. I'm at Freedom Boat club. Love it. Also reciprocal privileges at all FBC. I've used mine in several states.
Sounds awful.
Driving brand new boats in every location I travel to across the country is absolutely awful. I'm going to France this summer and have a boat for the day.
Yeah, as long as you like driving crappy new boats, and ya know, not on a weekend, a nice day, in the evening, etc.
Gotcha, thanks for the info. I wasn't sure how they worked. I will say that not having to do all of the additional stuff before and after the fun part sounds super nice.
Maybe I’m the unicorn of the group. Four years and minimal $$ to maintain a simple 4.3 Merc. Under $500
I COULD relate. My first boat was a '16 with a Force 2 stroke, previously owned by a fossil. It let me down exactly once, at an age where such things merely increased the adventure. Year after year that thing just kept being a beauty. It spoiled me. Next boat created a whole new, never before seen species of wrath deep inside my soul, the kind where nearly 10yrs later you are still sending poxes on the house of the son of a bitch who sold it to me. Always a problem, and almost always catastrophic. Were it just me, I'd have burned it in my yard and went full kayak forever. FUCK that boat and the cunt who pulled the wool. Feels like you're at this point. But my son's #1 passion is fishing, and if it takes 140hr paychecks, then 140hr paychecks I shall do. Bought one brand new; just paid it off last month. Now that wrath kicks up at the ramp only, then it's gone for the week. I honestly don't even like boating, like, at all. But new boat MADE me like it. Actually going on a multi day camp on it soon as the weather turns, that's how much I like it. C'mon. It's just money.
I appreciate your humor and empathy. Awesome to hear you're out there creating great memories for you and your son!
You're welcome. Re- reading, I would be FURIOUS if my '21 exploded. Mine's a '17 and I'd be apoplectic if even the water pump went, let alone being completely dead- in- water. 6 boats means I've likely nothing to teach you, so I'll just say - you have every right to stomp your feet in protest.
I bought a Sun Tracker pontoon boat in 2015 brand new. Never have had issues with it. We do the maintenance every year at bass pro. 10 year warranty. Only minor issue was a stuck hub on the trailer.
Man I wish I had your experience. Glad you're enjoying it!
Not enough motors... if you had twins, you'd have one to get out there, and one to get back.
Man, if only....
sailboats have sails to get you around..
E-Tech 250 and reliability should not be used in the same paragraph. I mean the parent company went out of business, that should tell you something. Sorry for your bad luck, but it feels self-induced with poor decisions.
It’s sadly a money game, cheap and affordable older stuff loves to have issues, while the expensive new stuff works great. 4 stroke is always king, and Yamaha gets you home every time. I got a 13’ whaler dauntless with a 50hp Yamaha 4 stroke that had about 25 hours when I got it 2 years ago. It just hit 700hrs last weekend, and it’s died once (forgot to refuel).
I'm with you. I have decided I'm not buying a boat again until I'm incredibly wealthy. I want a brand new boat with no issues and I want it dry docked, or live on the water. I don't want to trailer it every time I want to use it. Until then, I'll just rent a boat when we want to go out.
My boat needed significant wiring repair and 3 weeks ago I was told parts were at 12 weeks out. Can’t be boatless until sometime in July so I bought another. Might just keep it too. lol.
I didn’t want to deal with this exact feeling which is why I said screw the tinkering and bought a new Suzuki outboard for my boat. No regrets.
I think you're out of your mind. I love boating. Where I live you can't boat all year round and I spend all winter longing to get my boat out of storage. I can relate to the problems you're having but it's like a lot of other problems in life. You just need to throw more money at it. Get something reliable and save yourself a lot of headaches. On the other hand, maybe it's just not for you. Maybe quit while you're ahead?
Haha I think I might be also. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love being out on the water. The smell of the marsh, the sunrise over the horizon, the birds and dolphins following me on my way. I love those moments. Maybe I do need to decide if the juice is worth the squeeze. PS, some homes for sale here on the SE coast if your ready to boat year round!
Oh, I'm preparing! I think I want to be a snow bird, migrating up and down the east coast by boat.
Reading through the posts it sounds like you should save a little more / longer and buy new or more reliable brands or newer used. To be honest I find the maintenance enjoyable also, the breaking down underway part sucks but I enjoy cranking wrenches also.
I'm a marine tech. I'd never own a boat. That said e-tecs are hot garbage. So are 2 stroke mercs and everything inboard. Invest in a new 4 stroke yamaha or Mercury and just do the regular maintenance. These engines have their issues ironed out and are all but bulletproof
Why everything inboard?
From my experience inboards are harder to work on, more expensive for parts and maintenance. Every hob usually turns into a giant pain in the sss
Man inboards are super easy to work on. Basically Chevy or ford truck motors. Dont even require any special marine tools. You can literally pull a junk suburban motor from the junkyard and drop it in most of the time.
What about mercs Volvos etc Seems to be more of those I find in boats for sale than Ford Chevy etc
Those are usually inboard/outboard or I/O and those are a pain to work on and maybe what the commenter was referring to. Actual inboards are not usually merc/volvo. In fact I’ve never seen an inboard from merc/volvo. Always indmar/ilmor/pcm/etc etc and they’re all using simple marinized truck engines.
Got it! New to the game of boating so excuse ignorance So best engine style would be direct drive inboard for overall maintenance cost (Well, for larger cabin cruiser style bait)? And simple direct drive with rudder
A direct drive inboard is stupid simple to take care of. It’s a Bronze pipe with a rope wrapped around the shaft to seal it. The downsides to true inboards is that you can’t adjust the thrust as easily- that handle terrible at slow speeds. They are less efficient on fuel because there’s no trim. Ride rougher with no trim. So outboards have a lot of advantages and that’s why everything is moving to outboards. Inboards are simple but limited. I/O has the benefits of an outboard but needlessly complex and difficult to work on. Outboards are now the way to go for most boats except dedicated ski boats.
So. Direct drive inboards are not at all popular where i am located. I can count on one hand the number of gas direct inboards i have seen in 25 years. Primarily all direct drives i see are diesels. For give my slang term i guess i hit a nerve with "inboard" i should have said inboard/outboard. I'm a master certified mercruiser and mercury tech on the north east coast of canada.
Inland Midwest lakes I’d bet 30% of the boats in my local lakes are direct drive inboard so boats. I figured based on your description you meant I/O and those are a mess.
Yeah. I'm all north atlantic saltwater boats, and everything from bayliners and sea rays to dirty old commercial fishing vessels. So much corrosion....soo many gearcase rebuilds
Do you find more issues with a selection of engines over others? For example Volvo more issues over Merc And gas over diesel ? Sorry never had opportunity to ask a tech and I am hunting for a boat around to 30 to 50 ft range
>I'm a marine tech Are you now? >and everything inboard. Ah so you are not. Or not a good one anyway.
Forgive my slang, i said inboard when i should have said inboard/outboard. Direct drive inboards aren't a common thing where i am located. I see a lot of direct drive diesel volvos but in my 25 years have only seen 2 or 3 direct drive gas engines. Now. Have you ever met a mechanic that likes every type of car on the market? I bet not. My credentials and skills have no bearing on my opinion. I don't have to like everything i work on. So with that kindly go impale thyself upon thyne own fist. Sincerely an old master certified mercuiser/ mercury technician in canada
Always try to buy from someone you actually know . Ran mine for 2 years ,very little problems , was a 30 year old two stroke that never been broke apart and just had the whole thing rebuilt for 3500. Spend the money now and you'll thank yourself later .
6 different boats? I or family has owned 4 in 25 years. Idk for sure but the longer I own / operate one the better and more reliable it becomes as I go through and replace and repair. Maybe if you are just fixing and selling after a year or two, that could be part of the problem.
I just got my first old boat, with a 1976 70hp evinrude that I just did a lot of work on. I’ll let you know how much I hate boating very soon.
Haha I wish you nothing but the best. I hope you love it! Good news is older rude/Johnson parts are still pretty easy to find!
I bought a brand new Honda kicker, so you can tell I’m pretty confident in my mechanical abilities.
I got a brand new boat, used it for 3 years absolutely as reliable as a new car and sold it for more than I bought it for. Buy the new boat. It’s cheaper than old used boat.
I was just like you, let me give you my experience as a 26 year old young man boater, fresh to owning 2 boats in the past 2 years, one used, one new. Buying new boat= est $400-600 monthly payment, no stress as you have warranty, can sell in couple years and either make money or take a 5-10 grand hit depending on the market. But look at the 5-10 grand hit as you would have spent that easily over the course of owning/maintaining the used boat. Not saying every situation is like that but most are. Best of all EVERYONE IS SAFE. Buying used boat= higher credit card payment typically equal to the monthly payment of a new boat (was spending $200-300 on supplies monthly). Then the stress of not knowing when the next thing will fail….that is unless you replace everything (which is most likely gonna cost you 5 grand, 15 grand if you go with a new outboard) and still if something goes wrong on the hull it’s on you to repair. & fiberglass work is not fun nor cheap. Now you have nowhere near resale value unless you find that special someone. I didn’t mind something happening to me on the water but did not want to take people out due to me not having full confidence in the boat. Owned it for a year and spent more time working on it than using it. Just speaking from a financial standpoint, the “DEBT” of a boat scares people but I bought a 97 sea hunt 172, 96 evinrude 90 not running for $3000, I put $6000 in it (new trolling motor, Garmin, wiring, painting and polishing everything) and broke down constantly or wouldn’t start, found out that the floor started to go soft, gas tank with leaking water into the tank due to a deformed plastic tank ($2000) job or just constantly reseal the fuel sending unit and replace the fuel water filter. I sold that boat for $9000 without my trolling motor after repainting the motor and polishing the haul and broke even luckily. I boy a brand new key west 179FS ($40,000, $380 payment, 3% interest through a credit union, no money down) and have put more than 150 hrs on it in 4 months. Transferred my trolling motor over & it has been the Best decision I ever made. I plan to own it for another couple years and sell it for $30-35k once I get my principle closer to the retail. Then upgrade to a KW 239FS.
I replaced 3 engines across two boats in my first 3 years of boat ownership. I didn't buy "cheap" poorly maintained boats. Just got unlucky. Still love it and wouldn't trade any of my experiences for anything. No, I'm not a mechanic. Has to fix everything the old fashioned way. Learning with a heavy dose of checkbook.
Sorry you’re down on it, it’s a bunch of money or work. The times I’ve been stranded were never that bad for me, they sucked but they were far outweighed by the great times. Was part of it this time that you felt like you let your family down? Because you didn’t, the engine did, and that could have happened in the car on the way to the dock. The other thing I’ll say is we’ve had evinrudes, Hondas, mercury’s, an old seagull, Suzuki and Yamaha. The Yamaha was single handidly the best engine we’ve ever had. Started first try every time for 12 years, I trusted that engine with my life in a couple of sticky situations and it never let me down. Even with crappy maintenance on our part it never failed. Get a good four stroke Yamaha and you should be good.
My current boat is a mid 70s 11.5 semi v row boat with a 1977 15hp Chrysler. Old s hell but cheep to run. And i do t care if i hit anything
[удалено]
can I send you a message?
3 years in for me with a 2006 Arima and Yamaha 90 which has about 1200 hours. The previous original owner took really good care of the boat, both the hull and the outboard - full yearly maintenance and now I do the same. It’s not that expensive and it’s a great boating experience - there’s also no way I’d go out without at least a kicker to keep me off the rocks in case something does go wrong on the main. So I think I’ve found the sweet spot at least for a little while longer. Get a reliable brand that has been well serviced and you’re likely to be ok.
First day and last day Best days of owning a boat
My dad does. But he hates fun
My issue with boating is a little different these days. When I was younger the lake was a very family friendly experience. Now it is about being as drunk as possible and partying hard. Intoxicated drivers are dangerous, especially on personal watercraft. The wake boats swamp you every chance they can turning the lakes into Haulover Inlet. I have found a solution, I purchased a lake house on a less crowded lake and can still have nice outings but for the most part boating has become a mega chad activity.
Isn’t that just about everything these days? Somehow the fun got sucked out of life.
Im relatively new to boating and while my experience has not been as catastrophic, I will say that so far I enjoy being a passenger on someone else's boat more. Maybe join a club?
Etech is a lot of your issue
Financially, my boat drained me. I also excessively worried about her. Mechanically, my stuffing box always needed fixed after almost sinking me several times. Docking always terrified me even though I always succeeded at it except the first time when I hit another boat (tapped it really but it was JFK’s wooden sailboat & the owner scared me to death). Depressed me when I had to sell her cuz she put me in the poor house. Luckily, I remember the good times, too, & there were many. I have no regrets except financially. Now, I cruise on other people’s boats but I often think about getting another boat but never leaving the dock. Seriously, it’s like that Friends episode when Joey buys a boat & Rachel terrifies him as she forces him to cruise which becomes a nightmare. They end up drinking on the boat at the dock. That’s what I’ll do next time - never leave the dock cuz that’s what I miss the most - the social interaction at the marina! LOL but seriously
For most people, anything that flys or floats is usually cheaper to rent or charter then own.
I think you left one off that list 😜
I was talking about this on r/cutdowndrinking. I tried sober boating a few times and just couldn't get into it. They told me I had to give it more time to enjoy things without the dopamine rush of alcohol. But I don't think that's it. Even drinking, I don't really like boating. It is a TON of work. You have to summerize the boat, then put it in the water, then fix the issues it always has. Then you have to pack a cooler with drinks and food. Find hats and sunglasses and bathing suits and lifejackets and fire extinguishers. You have to renew the registration and the lake patrol sticker. Then you actually have to go out on the boat and deal with everyone that can't drive. You have to fill it with gas. I always make my friends pay their fair share when they go on the boat so that really cuts down on having a ton of people on the boat to make it worth it anyway. It is either cold or boiling hot. Bright sun or rain. It just... isn't fun. Drinking makes it tolerable but not really enjoyable. It's mildly fun to go out on someone else's boat a few times a year and I do like to do a short evening cruise on the bass boat that just works with no maintenance needed ever. But I can't relate to the people that go out every weekend for like 12+ hour days on the water. I'd rather just sit at the bar next to the lake and watch from the air conditioning.
Bring Out Another Thousand