I'm considering getting a boat when I get back home and will have some time to actually use one.  Mainly just cruising around with me and the Mrs, maybe take the dogs out too.  Occasional guests.  I haven't boated in years, so a refresher course is likely!  But one boat I was considering is a 22' pontoon.  Not exactly the collest thing on the water I know, but the amount of usable deck space and the lounging space is appealing.  Not to mention the railins woould help with dumb dogs taking plunges.  Is a pontoon stable enough even on Clear Lake or should those remain on the inland lakes?

Before you buy a boat, check into the insurance.  The buzz at the recent Houston Boat Show was that boat insurance now is very expensive (Rita and Katrina).

I race sailboats.

I would skip the pontoon boat.

Not bay safe at all.

Okay thanks!  That is what I was inclined to believe, leave the pontoon on the lakes.  Looks like a deck boat, bow rider, or small crusier is in my future then :)

I would not go with a bow rider.

Gotta start with the basic questions.  How much money are you willing to spend?  Boat type is tied to $$$.


Outboard? I/O?  Also tied to $$.

Quoted: Gotta start with the basic questions.  How much money are you willing to spend?  Boat type is tied to $$$. Outboard? I/O?  Also tied to $$.

What he said.

Also, What are you going to use the boat for?  

I like center consoles for fishing and general use on the bay.

I don't like bow riders.  They generally do not have enough freeboard and you can find yourself crossing Galveston bay through short, steep 3-4 ft chop with 30knot winds and that isn't fun in a low freeboard bowrider.  I also envision folks being tossed out the front of a bow rider if you ever screw the pooch and bury the bow into a wave.  

Well, neither of us are into fishing and likely won't be out for any towed sports and such, just cruising and relaxing really.  I could handle some fishing boats but no CC's, maybe a walk around cuddy.  I want to be able to tow it, so it has to be about 24'/5300lbs and under.  As far as price is concerned, I don't have a ded set price but I definitely don't want new prices and the more economical is always better.  I'd prefer an outboard.  

Are you going to spend the night on the boat?

Do you like to go fast?

Are you going to cruise to the bars around Clear lake?

Will you trailer it or keep it in the water?

The most important thing is to define what you will use the boat for,

wWhere you will take it

What conditions you will be sailing in.

etc.

Spending the night on it could be possible but more than likely it will just be long days.  Definitely has to be trailerable.  Doesn't have to be fast, leasure cruising will be the sole purpose.

It's looking like the boat may be on hold... I think I will be in Afghanistan next month!  I see we have something else in common, civil litigation!  I've worked as a PI around Houston for about a decade.  Taking a break now though and doing some gub'ment stuff.

Quoted: Spending the night on it could be possible but more than likely it will just be long days.  Definitely has to be trailerable.  Doesn't have to be fast, leasure cruising will be the sole purpose. It's looking like the boat may be on hold... I think I will be in Afghanistan next month!  I see we have something else in common, civil litigation!  I've worked as a PI around Houston for about a decade.  Taking a break now though and doing some gub'ment stuff.

Take a look at the Bayliner (for inboards) and Trophy (for outboards) line of cuddys.  They'll fall in the 17-23K range for new ones in the 19-22ft class.  Pretty good entry level boats and pretty easy to find used.   Not a lot of fancy doo-dads, not a lot of speed, but good design nonetheless.  They'll fall in the 3000lbs range for trailering.  They have pretty good sea-keeping capabilites.

Keep in mind that the new mandate for 4-stroke outboards has REALLY skyrocketed the prices.  In some cases they are giving you the boat for free when you buy the motor.

Damn JohnInAustin:  We have been in a thread together for several days and you haven't called me a scumbag cop-bashing lawyer and I haven't called you a 2nd amendment hating jackbooted thug.

What is the ARFCOM world coming to?  


I always thought sailboats were expensive- racing sailboats that is, but then I learned that saltwater and 200+ HP outboards are 20+ thousand dollars each.  That blew my mind!  The guy with the offhsore fishing boat with the two 300 hp Outboards has 60+ k hanging off the back of his boat.

I always wondered how those motors could be that expensive- but they are relatively high tech, high horsepower to displacement engines that operate in an extremely hostile environment.

Indeed, I have been browsing some Bayliner Ciera types and Trophy's too.  From what I heard, there is no 4-stroke mandate and that it is not going to fly....???  I saw an infomercial on the new Evinrude E-tec 2 stroke outboards, looked pretty sweet!

I guess I will be drooling for another year, not much sense in getting one now to have it sit around...

Quoted:

Indeed, I have been browsing some Bayliner Ciera types and Trophy's too.  From what I heard, there is no 4-stroke mandate and that it is not going to fly....???  I saw an infomercial on the new Evinrude E-tec 2 stroke outboards, looked pretty sweet! I guess I will be drooling for another year, not much sense in getting one now to have it sit around...

E-Tecs are some pretty nice engines,  the Yamaha's and Suzuki's are too. (Some Mercury and Evinrude/Johnson engines are actually re-labeled Yamaha's.)  Since Bombardier bought Evinrude/Johnson. They've taken a big leap quality wise.  My buddy has a 250 Evinrude that he keeps grinding the starter on,  He can't hear it running at idle.

The prices are insane though.  I'm looking for my 7th boat,  I'll never buy another large  outboard over say, 90hp.  I can get an equivilent inboard for around 5-9K less.  Less weight to boot.  My current SeaRay cuddy has a 7.4 Liter engine and is 24 feet long.  I'd have to drop almost 25K on outboard engines to get similar performance, probably having to go to twins.   The dealer told me that the small family runabouts with outboards are pretty much a thing of the past. No one can afford them.

The mandate in question is not specifically 4-strokes, but a reduced emissions mandate.  E-Tecs meet that standard handsomely.  

Quoted: The mandate in question is not specifically 4-strokes, but a reduced emissions mandate.  E-Tecs meet that standard handsomely.

Okay, that is what my impression about it was.

24' SeRay?  You should let me borrow it for awhile for comparison purposes :)

Quoted: Quoted: The mandate in question is not specifically 4-strokes, but a reduced emissions mandate.  E-Tecs meet that standard handsomely.   Okay, that is what my impression about it was. 24' SeRay?  You should let me borrow it for awhile for comparison purposes :)

Bancer Marine has it on consignment.  He put it on the market two weeks ago.

Link?

Just say no to Bayliners... unless you get one really cheap.