Owning a Boat?

4120 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!

21 - 40 of 41 Posts

Charlienmr

· #21 · Jul 1, 2013

Boats do take time and money to own. DIY helps but you still need a good pro for some things. For a good time try changing the impeller (cooling pump) in a Malibu v-drive like mine. Someone engineer stayed up late figuring out how to hide the darn thing where can hardly see or reach it. A std maintenance job not for the faint of heart. That said the bad stuff fades fast when you are cruising along. Best advice I can give is take a safe boating course, get out on a quiet day and practice your skills until you know yourself and your boat. Then have fun!

Jeff_H2O

Discussion Starter · #22 · Jul 1, 2013

Who much do those Malibu's run for? They look pretty nice.

CobraKyle

· #23 · Jul 1, 2013

Biggest piece of advice: make sure the plug (very bottom of the back, under the motor) is in each and every time you launch

dudefromflorida

· #24 · Jul 1, 2013

I also would be worried about owning a boat with a Force engine. I have had one before and they are nothing but headaches. Parts are usually quite hard to find and some mechanics don't even want to mess with it.

Do what nek121328 said, get is looked at by a marine mechanic.. also ask about availability of parts if something were to happen to the engine.

peckmv

· #25 · Jul 1, 2013

CobraKyle said:
Biggest piece of advice: make sure the plug (very bottom of the back, under the motor) is in each and every time you launch

Good advice. If you don't heed this advice then you will find out if your bilge pump is worth a damm.:lol:

Jeff_H2O

Discussion Starter · #26 · Jul 1, 2013

Ok wow, so I'm learning a lot here. Remember I'm a noob here... so what is a force engine? How do I know what is what?

And the plug under the motor, what's that for?

dudefromflorida

· #27 · Jul 1, 2013

Force engine is the make of the engine shown in the photo. It was a company owned by Chrysler, and was a low cost alternative engine that was originally sold to bayliner in the 60's I believe. They have since gone out of business and parts are no longer being produced. Since going out of business they have a negative affiliation with most. Some will tell you however that if you can land the right one it will last forever. They are easy to work on compared to other manufactures, but the parts are a pain in the ass to find.

The plug that was referred to is to keep the water out of the boat, but a way to drain any water that got into the boat from a small leak, water spilt, or any water that makes its way into the vessel by waves or such. It is located in the middle of the transom at the bottom.

See less See more

Jeff_H2O

Discussion Starter · #28 · Jul 1, 2013

Ahh got it, thank you very much for the insight!

peckmv

· #29 · Jul 1, 2013

Jeff_H2O said:
Ok wow, so I'm learning a lot here. Remember I'm a noob here... so what is a force engine? How do I know what is what?

And the plug under the motor, what's that for?

Make sure you have a good bildge pump that is properly sized. A lot of people put a small pump on a small boat, which is wrong. A small boat fills faster than a large boat and should have at least 750 gpm for a boat the size you posted.

Charlienmr

· #30 · Jul 1, 2013

My Malibu is a 23 ft Wakesetter and for the best wake we flood three tanks and the boat settles nicely into the water. And then hopefully the pumps can push the water back out. Always worked so far. ;-)

AAAA

· #31 · Jul 2, 2013 (Edited)

Jeff: The plug can be removed when under way to suck out any water that accumulated during use. They key is to make sure you are moving forward at a high rate of speed. Most people also remove the plug after the boat is loaded on a trailer. The sure sign of a new boater is forgetting to reinstall the plug before launch!

Also as mentioned earlier, take a safe boating course. The US Power Squadron and Coast Guard Auxiliary run them around here in the winter. You can't imagine what you don't know.

And make sure you have the best swim ladder. The narrow rungs on some are a killer on feet.:thumbsup:

jgc4ever

· #32 · Jul 2, 2013 (Edited)

Jeff_H2O said:
Who much do those Malibu's run for? They look pretty nice.

Depends on year and model obviously. Try craigslist. $16k to $30k for 1998 - 2005 years maybe. New 2012 or 2013 Malibu's cost $60k I've heard. The company is in Australia. These are tournament slalom ski and/or wakeboard boats.

Pharmaboy

· #33 · Jul 2, 2013

To the op, you are in fresh water I suspect, and the boat is kept dry - while the price of anything with the word marine in it, is about 2 to 3 times more than something for automotive use, that's about as bad as it gets for you.

To make you feel better about any money you need to throw at it, consider that the guy with the 30 footer at the marina in salt water is paying circa $15k a year to just keep it going......

Sobrut911

· #34 · Jul 2, 2013

Definitely take a boating safety course and have an experienced boater teach you how to operate the boat, e.g., how to dock, close quarter maneuvering, ( docking is quite different than parking a car ), how to take the kids water skiing and tubing, launching boat, etc.

Jeff_H2O

Discussion Starter · #35 · Jul 2, 2013

Thanks Guys! All this info has been very helpful! Already learned a lot more than I knew before.

tyresmoker

· #36 · Jul 2, 2013

If you really want to learn about boat ownership and a lot of what is involved...I would recommend visiting this site: thehulltruth.com. You can search by topic, brand, issue etc.
As far as a Bayliner with a Force outboard? Would not be on my recommeded list. The Force is an old 2-stroke with Rube Golberg electrics (electronics would assume too much here). There have been more than a few that have been unbolted and are making reasonable artificial reefs today...
One thing to keep in mind, regardless of the size, THEY ARE NOT TOYS! A safe boating course is a start. Once completed, it does not hurt (not even your pride) to get a lesson or two on proper operation. The last thing us power boaters need is another jamoke (or blow boat) getting in the way.

Charlienmr

· #37 · Jul 3, 2013

Boats all behave differently. Docking your boat depends on your boat and the dock. And the current. And the wind. And the crazy guy wake surfing 30 ft from your dock. And whether your passengers stay seated like you told them to. And ....... You get the picture. Practice and get someone who knows bow from stern to teach you a few things. Developing the skill to handle your boat is half the fun of owning it.

greenwayer

· #38 · Jul 3, 2013 (Edited)

Boats suck a TON of gas. I rented a 23 foot searay for 2 hrs and the gas alone cost me 200 dollars. It drank 40 gallons of gas going at 15-20 mph for 2 hours. Thats filling up your wk2 almost twice in two hours. Plus boat gas at the dock is like 5 bucks per gallon. Driving a boat is super easy, just out on the open water with throttle and a wheel. Docking is the only hard part, raise the motor a bit and go in nice and slow watching carefully. Just my two cents.

steveo

· #39 · Jul 3, 2013

greenwayer said:
Boats suck a TON of gas. I rented a 23 foot searay for 2 hrs and the gas alone cost me 200 dollars. It drank 40 gallons of gas going at 15-20 mph for 2 hours. Thats filling up your wk2 almost twice in two hours. Plus boat gas at the dock is like 5 bucks per gallon..

Sounds like someone either didnt have the motor trimmed properly, had an outrageous load or was pulling a elephant on a tube. There's no way you shouldve went through that much fuel!!

Pharmaboy

· #40 · Jul 3, 2013

steveo said:
Sounds like someone either didnt have the motor trimmed properly, had an outrageous load or was pulling a elephant on a tube. There's no way you shouldve went through that much fuel!!

He did say it was rented. I'd guess a lot of operation at 15mph and full throttle, both would use about double the fuel per mile as operating nicely on plane - eg 25mph to 35 mph

21 - 40 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.