Owning a Boat?

4109 Views 40 Replies 20 Participants Last post by TheStreet16, Jul 3, 2013

Jeff_H2O

Discussion Starter · Jun 28, 2013

For all you boat owners out there, I need your help/brains

I am very interested in buying a boat (nothing huge, just a 5 seater speed boat). Anyways, I'm a complete noobie when it comes to owning a boat. I've been out on the water many times with friends and family but have never owned or operated one myself.

Can you fill me on how what all is involved? Is there more to it than I think?

I've heard someone say "a boat is a hole in the water you pour money into" or that BOAT stands for Break Out Another Thousand.

Is it really that bad? Just curious as to what I'd be getting myself into.

All advice and input is appreciated!

Thanks!

1 - 20 of 41 Posts

bill_de

· #2 · Jun 28, 2013

Since this is the WK2 forum, I'm sure your boat will be a Jeep.

I trailered boats for almost 30 years, from a 17" Grady White to a 23" Sea Ray. Owning small boats like this, and trailering, is no different than owning a car. When you get it home, wash it down, cleanup the interior, and if running in salt water run some fresh water through the engine.

Tune it up per schedule and change water pump seals every couple of years. All DIY work.

---

Mikes14srt

· #3 · Jun 28, 2013

I can shed some light for you. For the last two seasons I owned a 2001 Yamaha Ls2000 jet boat. The boat was great and I have nothing bad to say about it. That was a 20ft boat with twin 135hp motors and sat 7 people. I outgrew it and of course wanted more power. I sold it the end if last season and bought a brand new 2013 Yamaha AR240 jet boat at the local boat show in February. This boat is a 24ft with twin 180hp jet motors and seats 11. Absolutely love the boat. Of course it weighs an extra 2000lbs more than my old boat. I tow with a 2012 Acura MDX which is only rated at 4500lbs and the boat with gas and gear weighs close to 5500lbs. Luckily I take it to the local marina to launch it which is less than 10 miles road trip. One of the reasons I decided to order my 2014 GC SRT was because of the increase in towing capacity which will put my wife's mind at ease lol. As far as the boat goes... You say 5 seater speed boat. I highly recommend jet boats over conventional drive. Have two kids and love the fact that there are no props to be fearful of. Also you can go in as little as 16 inches of water which gives you the freedom of basically having a large Waverunner. My 2001 was a two stroke which was great but you have to monitor oil levels every time you fuel up and I always had in the back of my mind the thought of an oil line blowing off and seizing an engine. Luckily with proper maintenance that never happened. The new boat is a four stroke is just gas and go. Only have 10 hours on it so far and knock on wood smooth sailing. I bought new for peace of mind that if something does go wrong I have a warranty to cover it. I say YOLO. Go for it.

See less See more

Jeff_H2O

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jun 28, 2013

6

This is what I'm looking at, It's nothing big, Maxum 1900XR 19' open bow fish/ski boat, 120hp. Rated for 7 people, but I'd only have about 5.

Again, being a noob, I really know nothing about owning or maintaining, so anything else you can share with me would be great! I'm worried I'd get it and then not realize till later what mess I got myself into when issues start popping up. Are they fairly easy to maintain or will it eat my checkbook before I know it?

See less See more

Mikes14srt

· #5 · Jun 28, 2013

Looks well kept in the pics. A lot of what you will have to worry about would be how the former owner took care of it. I am very meticulous sour everything that I own so usually it's always trouble free. My boat is no different. I do my own maintenance so I know it's been done right. I'm in NJ so winterizing cost me about $50 a year, spring start up about the same and routine maintenance through out the season maybe another $100-$200 dollars. As long as you stay on top of things you should be fine.

Jeff_H2O

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 28, 2013

What all do you have to do after every outing? All I know is Clean the exterior gunk off and flush the engine. Anything else?

Mikes14srt

· #7 · Jun 28, 2013

I launch in the Delaware bay so it is salt water. I use Salt Away to flush out both engines for about 2-3 minutes each. Then I rinse the boat and the trailer with salt away also and then microbifer towel everything dry. Any exposed metals parts on the boat I shoot with WD40 to keep them from oxidizing as my house is about a block from the bay so there is salt in the air. While I am doing that my wife sprays down all the lifevests, tubes, skis, rods and equipment we used for the day. Total cleanup from a day out on the water takes me about an hour and a half start to finish. Before the next outing I check the engine oil, shoot some marine grease on on the exposed throttle and shifter cables and were are back in the water again. If the boat is well maintained it becomes more of a time issue to keep it that way rather than a money issue unless something major goes wrong. I also hand wax the boat about twice a season which keeps the gel coat protected especially from the suns uv.

Jeff_H2O

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jun 28, 2013

I didn't know about the marine grease on the throttle/shifter cables, good to know!

Mikes14srt

· #9 · Jun 28, 2013

On a jet drive there are a bunch of pivot points that get greased too. Those points you can visually inspect and grease as needed where as the cables slide in a housing and I grease just to be safe. There is Also a sealed intermediate bearing that on my boat gets filled at ten hours and then not again until 100hrs. That has an actual grease fitting to fill up. Every boat / motor is smimiiar but the same in some respects. If you do purchase something I highly recommend getting a service manual for that particular boat so you can perform routine maintenance.

Jeff_H2O

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jun 28, 2013

Wow yeah sounds like alot more involved than I thought. Thanks for the insight.

Also, I'd be boating fresh water.

acilate

· #11 · Jun 28, 2013

Good stuff!!

I have to agree, YOLO! (God I hate that phrase)

Get a boat, enjoy it.

nek121328

· #12 · Jun 28, 2013

Not a fan of the Force (formerly Chrysler) engine. Maxum was a price pointed boat to complete with Bayliners. I have owned boats since the late 1970's. Been a safe boating instructors for over 25 years. It looks clean, but I'd take it to a boat mechanic or tech and have them check it out. When were the trailer bearings repacked and does that swim ladder swing up?

jgc4ever

· #13 · Jun 29, 2013

Get a nice ski boat: malibu response lx - Google Search

amr40509

· #14 · Jun 29, 2013

I seem to recall Force engines being HP rated at the power head, while competitors rate at the prop. That boat looks good, but test drive it with a full crew of passangers and gas. I think it will feel pretty underpowered.

mceb

· #15 · Jun 29, 2013 (Edited)

Boat looks in great shape. Fresh water is much easier on a boat I think.

Here's another old saying...the happiest 2 days in a boat owners life is the day he buys it and the day he sells it

I haven't had a boat in about 15 years but had a few the 15 years before. Like everyone said its not as bad as the old sayings.

AAAA

· #16 · Jun 29, 2013

Not a fan of open bow small boats in waters that can be rough. The industry came up with these so they can advertise more seating, but in waves: 1) Kids seated in the front of windshield can become airborne (I was in a boat where this happened). 2) You can take water in the boat over the bow. Just my 2 cents. Enjoy.

peckmv

· #17 · Jun 30, 2013

If you are new to boating then I would highly recommend that you take a safe boaters course before you go out on the water. I have been boating for over 40 years and you would be surprised how many people that have no clue what the "rules of the road" are. Enjoy your new toy.

nek121328

· #18 · Jun 30, 2013

We taught a Vermont course last weekend. The parents aren't interested in learning. Fortunately the kids have to take the course if they want to operate a power boat.

honda_fox3

· #19 · Jun 30, 2013

My family has an 80's gulfstream and loved it for years. Never had a problem until we tore it up on an unmarked sand bar, nothin but problems since, probably a poor repair. we ended up having to replace the entire motor and outboard, bad deal.

The boat you are looking at is a good brand and seems of good quality, as long as it was well taken care of go for it and enjoy it. Depending on usage and area some things change. As was mentioned some don't like open bow, but in Utah we don't get rough waters and I wouldn't even thing about anything besides an open bow. Make sure you have good safety equipment blah blah blah. One thing I have noticed is people, kids especially, tend to wear life jackets much more often if they aren't the cheap orange ones. Spend the money and get the "cool" neoprene ones that people will want to wear, it's worth it.

Jeff_H2O

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jul 1, 2013

nek121328 said:
When were the trailer bearings repacked and does that swim ladder swing up?

I'm not sure about the bearings and good question about the ladder. The ones I've been on in the past they fold up, but I didn't examine this one that closely to know for sure. I'm assuming it folds up, but looking through my pics it does appear to be a solid ladder. I'll have to double check.

AAAA said:
Not a fan of open bow small boats in waters that can be rough. The industry came up with these so they can advertise more seating, but in waves: 1) Kids seated in the front of windshield can become airborne (I was in a boat where this happened). 2) You can take water in the boat over the bow. Just my 2 cents. Enjoy.

Yeah I hear where your coming from, but I will be mostly boating on a flat smooth lake where the only waves created are by other boats. So I don't mind the open bow. I actually prefer it, more room for passengers and everyone always liked sitting up front in my uncles boat who has a similar one.

Dustinmk4 said:
One thing I have noticed is people, kids especially, tend to wear life jackets much more often if they aren't the cheap orange ones. Spend the money and get the "cool" neoprene ones that people will want to wear, it's worth it.

haha funny story, but I already have 4 of the cool neoprene life jackets by accident. Over fathers day weekend, I was driving to my fiances parents house for dinner and on the way I passed a life jacket in the middle of the road and didn't think anything of it. Then within about 5 miles I ended up passing 4 more. There is a lake about an hour away from there so I'm assuming someone was hauling their boat and the life jackets kept flying out of the back. Anyways, I turned around and went back and retrieved them all except 1 (someone else already grabbed it). To my surprise, they were all the nice life jackets, didn't look cheap. I felt bad for whom ever lost them. Especially after they got to the lake and realized they were missing. My finances father lives right off the road and I watched the entire time we were there to see if anyone with a boat came back for them, no one did, and now I still have them. Maybe it was another sign that I should get a boat lol.

See less See more

1 - 20 of 41 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.