Let's talk about boats (Key West, Charlotte Harbor: insurance, buying, upkeep)

[az99]

Keep renting until you get tired of it. A boat club is too expensive if you don't use it a lot.

I was one of those that thought the only way to be a Fla. resident was to own a boat. Less than a year later I am glad someone else owns it. Fun for a while but the effort vs. the fun was not there for long. We will rent if we want to go out.

Good Luck with whatever choice you make.

[Old Gal]

Originally Posted by az99

Keep renting until you get tired of it. A boat club is too expensive if you don't use it a lot.

I was one of those that thought the only way to be a Fla. resident was to own a boat. Less than a year later I am glad someone else owns it. Fun for a while but the effort vs. the fun was not there for long. We will rent if we want to go out.

Good Luck with whatever choice you make.

After much thought, research and crunching of numbers it appears that renting is the best way to go for us right now since I don't think we would use a boat more than once a week.

[JERSEY MAN]

I have a center console in my back yard and go out 3 or 4 times a week weather permitting. We fish, dine, cruise down to different areas around Boca. Love walking out the back door and dropping the boat in the water and just going anywhere. I have a trailer just in case it's needed but do not enjoy trailering to a boat ramp. If I didn't live on the water I would use a high and dry service. Call them before you go there and they drop it in the water.

[MikeM8560]

Originally Posted by JERSEY MAN

If I didn't live on the water I would use a high and dry service. Call them before you go there and they drop it in the water.

everyone has there own opinion but to me half the enjoyment for me is owning ad puttering with them , I can get just as much satisfaction at the dock

[Compression]

I'll add to the remark about trailering, and how safe it is.

Yes, it's safe, as long as you have a vehicle that is suited for what you're trailering.

Do not try to trailer the 22' deck boat with a Honda Civic. It may tow it fine. But stopping it is another issue.......Momentum is a b***h. Big brakes, and long wheelbase is the rule.

If you don't have a proper towing vehicle, you'll have to add the expense of obtaining one to the cost of whatever boat you're looking at (towing).


CN.......

[MartyGras]

Originally Posted by MikeM8560

everyone has there own opinion but to me half the enjoyment for me is owning ad puttering with them , I can get just as much satisfaction at the dock

If you have a dock!

[az99]

Trailering a boat is a PITA even if you have a proper tow vehicle. If it is a nice enough day to go out, everyone else has got the same idea. Then when you get back home it is time to start cleaning the now dried salt water and flushing the engine and cleaning the trailer and on and on.

We used the high and dry service. That worked out well for us. The $250 per month charge gets old when you don't use it.

But if I was on the water I would definitely have a boat again.

[Old Gal]

Originally Posted by az99

Trailering a boat is a PITA even if you have a proper tow vehicle. If it is a nice enough day to go out, everyone else has got the same idea. Then when you get back home it is time to start cleaning the now dried salt water and flushing the engine and cleaning the trailer and on and on.

We used the high and dry service. That worked out well for us. The $250 per month charge gets old when you don't use it.

But if I was on the water I would definitely have a boat again.

Which high and dry service did you use? I can't find anything that inexpensive.

[don1945]

I've been in the boating business for the past 25 or so years, so maybe I can give you some insight and tips.

First of all, NO boat is perfect for all purposes. Men generally like a center console because of the convenience for fishing, but women want some privacy for using the head or just getting out of the sun for a while. Walk around cuddy boats kind of fill that need.......they are sparse (as far as upholstered seats getting in the way) so you can fish easily from them, but they have a small cabin to get out of the weather and to use the head.

The deck boats you are talking about are very popular because they are roomy and work reasonably well for a variety of purposes.......you can fish from them, there is a lot of seating, and some feature a very small compartment with a portapotti inside. Get one with as little carpeting and upholstery as possible, as those are the hardest to keep clean and the sun is hard on them. A non skid floor makes clean up so much easier.

Most of the boating you are discussing is inside protected waters, so any boat, from about 18 feet up, is going to be safe and comfortable in normal weather conditions. I STRONGLY suggest buying an outboard boat vs an IO or inboard, because of one factor...........SALT. Although I have owned as many IO's and inboards as outboards, eventually that salt is going to corrode the insides of the cast iron block and manifolds, regardless of how much you flush or use a salt eliminator when you flush. Manifolds are good for about 3-5 years in Florida, then you toss them and start over. We just replaced the heads and intake manifold on my Son's boat because of rust, and he is a fanatic about maintenance and flushing.

Here is my suggestion: Keep renting boats for a while and try out a bunch of different types. Try a center console for a day, then a cuddy, then a deck boat, then an open bow runabout. That will help you determine what type fits your needs and usage the best, and will at least narrow down what type you would like to own. Where you are going to keep the boat is also a big factor. On a lift is good, but if it is going to have to stay on the water you will need to have it bottom painted and probably do that annually. If you keep it at a marina, dry stored, that is getting expensive. My one Son keeps his in one, and it is about $ 400 a month. Trailering is ok, but you need the tow vehicle and a place to keep the boat at home or stored.

I also think that, for the average person, renting or belonging to a boat sharing club is financially a better deal than owning. While neither is cheap, at least you can hand back the one you don't own at the end of the day, and you are done. If you own a boat, you are constantly cleaning, fighting mildew and mold, and spending money on upkeep and repairs. I bet, in the final analysis, renting is probably cheaper in the long run than owning.

All that being said, although I have been boatless myself for the past 8 or so years, I have loved every one of the probably 40 I have owned over the years. It is hard to live in SW Fl, with all our beautiful water here, without owning one. A bad day on the water beats a good day at work, as they say.

Oh, and finally, if you do buy a boat, make sure you buy coverage from either Tow Boat US, or Sea Tow. VERY IMPORTANT !!! The average tow is about $700 or more, and, if you have coverage, you simply sign your name and they drive away. About $ 150 a year, but SO important to have. Just like having AAA for your car, but even more expensive should you not have it. It is not a matter of IF you will ever be towed home, but WHEN.......it just happens. Even if you just run out of gas, they will bring you fuel to where you are stranded.

Don

[MikMal]

Originally Posted by don1945

.... Men generally like a center console because of the convenience for fishing, but women want some privacy for using the head or just getting out of the sun for a while....

... Trailering is ok, but you need the tow vehicle and a place to keep the boat at home or stored.

...

Some good points. Although, center console boats may have an enclosed head (my 22' Whaler has one in the console ) and the larger ones even have a small bunk below as well.

As far as keeping a boat in your yard, make sure the neighborhood allows it, especially if it is a deed restricted neighborhood. It sucks to find out after the fact that you're not allowed to have a boat in your driveway after investing $$$$$ in it.