Interested in boating - Where to begin? (maintenance, club)

[Skyeclad]

Originally Posted by beninfl

Make sure you get a boat inspected by a non-interested inspector, figure out in advance where you want it to be docket at, whether or not it will be a dry or a wet dock, or determine if you want to haul it in the water every time with a truck and a trailer. There's a lot of options here, all cost money. Marinas will charge you $9-$12/ft/month for your boat.

Check on how much gas your boat costs per hour to run. Mine gets 0.8 miles per gallon. Yes, zero point eight. I can burn through 40 gallons of fuel in an hour. Bigger boats == more gas.

That sounds like it's awfully costly to store and fuel a boat of that size!

[Cardiff by the Sea]

Originally Posted by bbronston

I hate to the bearer of bad news but I believe that was Cardiff's suggestion.

My personal fave for you was "Wave Theory" even if it was uninspired.

Originally Posted by beninfl

Oh, that's good then. I dont mind stealing from Cardiff at all.

While I am honored to be credited with a good idea, I cannot tell a lie. It was not me. My suggestion was "Smart Ass."

Ben--hate to tell you this, but here we have anecdotal evidence that senility is contagious. The person who came up with the name "Entangled" was none other than you.

//www.city-data.com/forum/saras...inspector.html

And I appreciated your name. It gave me a passing acquaintance with a theory I had never heard of. Thank you. But I am sorry you didn't go with your wife's preferred name.

Originally Posted by beninfl

I'd just hate to call the Cortez bridge. "Attention Cortez Bridge, this is the Now I'm Broke requesting the bridge be raised, confirm on channel six-teen, Over!"

[bbronston]

OMG, that's hilarious! Well, no wonder you liked that name.

[beninfl]

Wow! Go figure. I better enjoy life before dementia hits any further.

[bbronston]

Originally Posted by Skyeclad

Thanks guys for all this great info. We are a family of 5 and are interested in light fishing, sunning, swimming, snorkeling. That type of thing.

I'll check out those local courses.

You are on the right path. The courses will give you confidence and make you safe and other boaters safe. Be prepared to see many, many, unsafe boat operators but you don't have to be one of them. You might also visit boat shows and read some magazines for ideas of what will work for you, then see if you can rent the same type somewhere. With five, I imagine you will need at least 21 feet to be comfortable but there are many configurations out there. The smaller boats need smaller engines (choices there, too) but they get tight fast, if you know what I mean. Do you think you'd trailer it?

[Old Grump]

Maybe this:

Freedom Boat Club | Private Membership Boating Club

Maybe a little pricey, but there are a variety of membership options. Also meet ups where you can talk to other boaters.

[beninfl]

There's been a few threads about Freedom Boat Club. The majority of members were upset at the poor quality of the boats, the expensive membership fees, and lack of being able to get a boat in season when they want to use it, as well as the early returning times.

I cant say I dont recommend them, though, but for sure, do your homework if a membership club is for you.

[imagardener]

We became boat owners of a 20' Key West (with cuddy) after moving here, and learned what a cuddy was at that time :-)

The best info can be gained from other boat owners, in our case our neighbors. Look and see what they are driving. The biggest decision we had to make was pontoon/deck boat vs. traditional hull. We did not get a pontoon but there are advantages because of how shallow the water is here. Pontoons are also good for older/young people getting on and off.

Fisherpeople also like a walk-around style boat with center console (which we don't have). We tried fishing, aren't good at it so we just cruise, photograph or visit Pedro Island and Stump Pass. Some people like to cruise out to lunch, maybe to Palm Island then home.

Sarasota, Venice and Englewood are beautiful by boat, a whole nother world but there are a LOT of bad boat drivers especially on weekends, probably fueled by alcohol. We don't go out much on weekends or holidays so if those are your available days take that into account. Sunset cruises with your family are priceless but as a captain you don't get to relax, you are responsible for their safety at all times.

Maybe you have a family member who could go shares on the boat to save money. It will be expensive to rent dock space or storage unless you put yours on a trailer and learn how to launch at public boat launches. Lots of people do that. Go any Saturday morning and sit and watch. A learning experience and maybe you'll get to talk to people.

We took the safe boating class and passed the written test but about 70% of the boaters out there didn't.
Would we buy the boat again? Yes, absolutely. Will we sell it in a few more years? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe get a pontoon haha.

[tbraunreiter]

Once you get some basic knowledge about boating, spend a half a year reading the posts on the website "The Hull Truth". Entertaining and very informative once you learn who knows what they are talking about. That site was the most important reading for me before I bought my first saltwater boat.

[Skyeclad]

Originally Posted by imagardener

Fisherpeople also like a walk-around style boat with center console (which we don't have). We tried fishing, aren't good at it so we just cruise, photograph or visit Pedro Island and Stump Pass. Some people like to cruise out to lunch, maybe to Palm Island then home.
.

Sounds good to me!