Somebody please bring me back to reality...

[Ned L]

I just caught up to this thread, ....... Interesting. It sounds like you asked good questions and got some good advise. I think it is a good thing you ruled out a wooden boat. Wooden boats are good for people who want wooden boats, and not so good for people who want a good size boat and like the styling or the price. That usually doesn't work out well.
I am one of those people who like wooden boats - maybe to an extreme. you might like to take a look a thread of mine if you want to see what reality can turn into [link below]. My eyes were fairly well open when I took her on, and know what I had ahead, and I would do it again, but like everything there were some unexpected surprises. They need to be some that is understood to get the best out of. I grew up with bot wooden boats and wouldn't really own otherwise, so I can speak first hand.

The C.C. Catalinas are great boats as are the Mainships. Both of them are real good family boats.

You might look at the potential fuel usage again. A Catalina, cruising at 15knts I can see using ~18 gallons per hour easily.
Mainships were designed and intended to be better on the fuel wallet. (The 'guy behind the Mainship' is someone I happen to know.)

 

[Clever screen name]

I'm also looking for opinions on if it's actually a realistic dream. Can we take a boat this size to the Bahamas? Is it safe?


Any and all comments are welcome. The boat I listed is not one I'm interested, just using it as an example of something that caught my eye.

Thanks guys!

The thing that makes a boat safe or unsafe is the captain, follow your dreams , but get this book and read it a few times first.

http://www.google.com/search?q=boat+...ctrical+manual

Somebody please bring me back to reality...

Reality is over rated, you don't want to go back there. All the boring people hang out there.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I went back to this thread and had an idea. Why not go to S.C. and buy a boat there, Georgia or Florida and keep it in South Carolina all year. The cost of shipping annually may offset the cost of storing year long.

 

[Steve91T]

Hey guys! It's been a while. We had to step away from the boat idea for a few months to see if the idea would pass. Well, a couple of days ago my wife brought it up again and we're both still really interested in making this work. So my wife had a good idea. Buy a boat on the coast, explore and travel as much as we can for a year or two, then ship it to the lake knowing it will probably never leave the lake. The problem I have with that is we are committed to having a boat at least 3 1/2 hrs away. Then, shipping it here will cost more than my old BMW M3. I explained that having it shipped will be like throwing away my car. Kinda puts it into perspective.

I also just don't like the idea that the boat is stuck where it's at and I think we won't use it as much as we'd like. Plus the cost of the slip is huge. If we got it to the lake and for whatever reason needed to sell, we're stuck with like a $450/mo slip fee, we'd have to give the damn thing away because most likely we won't be able to find a buyer on this lake. I would feel trapped with a big boat that can't be moved easily. Kinda defeats the purpose.

Sooooo....

We changed gears and took the advice we heard from someone. Make a list of your must haves and then a list of your "it would be nice". We found a boat that will be a compromise but will give us complete freedom.


http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1996-four-winns-278-vista-102859775


This is just an example of a boat we would be interested in. I'm posting this boat just to show what I'm taking about.

Obviously this isn't on the same level as the 36 Mainship or a similar Carver, but it has all of our "must haves"

The HUGE advantage is I can tow it anytime I want to anwhere I want. Complete freedom. I can even bring it to my house and park it in my driveway for a day or two do work on it. We can go dump it in the river near Knocksville and explore the river that leads to the Mississippi, we can bring it to the coast, or even different lakes near us. And if our plans change I can just jump in the truck and go get it.

So I think the plan is to sell the Mariah (going to be a damn sad day, I don't want to talk about it) and get a 278 Vista or something similar, do all the boating and exploring that we can stand, then if we decide to get something bigger on the lake way down the road, then that might be an option.

The only thing I would want to add is a generator and some heat and AC.

It's like getting a big bad RV that you can't move from the park. Or get a smaller RV that you can see the country with.

So, what do you guys think?

 

[wrvond]

Sounds like your best all round solution.
Some things to keep in mind:
Beam width is going to give you the most room. Going from a 27 foot boat to a 30 foot boat won't give you as much square footage increase as going from an 8'6" beam to a 9'2" beam.
Twin engines have some advantages, but space is not one of them. Neither is weight. If you are trailering your boat regularly, one 7.4 L will work as well as two 4.6 L engines, weigh less, and cost less to operate/maintain.

If I were in the market, I'd seriously consider something like this:
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1997-sea-ray-290-sundancer-102861491/

 

[Steve91T]

That's nice. I was leaning towards twin engine to make loading/unloading the trailer and docking easier plus it would be nice to have that piece of mind if we're going to be doing a lot of traveling.

I need to see what the max beam allowed is without a permit I thought it was 8'6, but then I also read something about 10'.

 

[wrvond]

That's nice. I was leaning towards twin engine to make loading/unloading the trailer and docking easier plus it would be nice to have that piece of mind if we're going to be doing a lot of traveling.

I need to see what the max beam allowed is without a permit I thought it was 8'6, but then I also read something about 10'.

The 9'8" beam of that boat is under the 10' limit of North Carolina. No permit required to tow.

 

[Steve91T]

Yep I've been reading. Seems like a yearly $20 permit is all that's required for up to 10'. I think the 290 is probably a perfect boat for us. There is a 270 that's for sale here locally. We're going to check it out this afternoon to get an idea of the size.

 

[wrvond]

Yep I've been reading. Seems like a yearly $20 permit is all that's required for up to 10'. I think the 290 is probably a perfect boat for us. There is a 270 that's for sale here locally. We're going to check it out this afternoon to get an idea of the size.

I ended up with the 270 because it was a killer deal and I have to be able to get under a low, narrow bridge to access the boat ramp two blocks from my house. It's just the two of us, so the 270 meets our needs quite well. It has everything except a generator (not available in 1995).
I have a fondness for the mid 90's boats because most do not have a sink in the cockpit. I have no use for one and would hate to give up the real estate. The "aft berth" on the 270 is fine for one or two small children. I'd say it would stay fine as long as they are comfortable in bunk beds. When they outgrow the bunk beds, they'll have outgrown the aft berth. The aft berth on the 290, OTOH is much more comfortable and versatile. I don't care for the dinette in the cabin of the 290. That, to me, is more wasted space. At least if you have camper canvas and a table topside. We prefer to eat our meals "outdoors". Under the canvas if it's raining, out in the open if it's nice.
The 270 only has a 100 gal fuel tank, while the 290 has a 130 gal tank (gas) only 100 gal for diesel, though.

Funny thing about these boats. They look really big - until you get next to a bigger one, then suddenly they seem quite small.
I was aboard a 300 earlier today, which seemed huge. Then I went aboard a 400 sedan bridge. It made the 300 feel small, which in turn makes my 270 feel tiny!

BTW - I am talking Sea Ray because that's what I know - especially the mid 90's models. There are many well built boats of that time frame out there, I'm sure. I just happen to believe that this particular era and size represent a great mix of new and old technology and design.

 

[mr 88]

Googled the legal limit of width in NC and it is listed as 8' 6". Most states will require a over width permit and have restrictions on when and where you can tow as well as having a specific route you must follow. I trailered a over width boat through 3 states and there were different restrictions in each of them. Example, had to buy a Ez Pass to travel in Mass. but not required in NY or CT. In most cases IF stopped they measure your width at the stern, not midship where its the widest, I don't think many officers are aware of the widest point of a boat. So most boats that have a listing of 9' 6"-10' beam are around 8' 6" at the stern and you would probably be good to go without any permits. I haul my 11' wide boat twice a year to and from my house, 40 miles each way, with a following pick up truck and skip the permit,never been stopped and yes there is always the first time but after doing it a few times the fine would be cheaper than the permit and you can just play stupid with the chance they give you a warning.

 

[Blind Date]

Personally I'd start looking at boats w/8'6" beams and see what you think. Keep it simple IMO, then you never have to think twice about permits just hook and go. But if you think you'd never be happy with a boat that has a beam that small then go bigger.

This will be my 14th season w/my '97 250 Sundancer. I love it and often refer to it as my floating RV. But what works for me may not for you.

 

[Steve91T]

Man reading about the permit thing makes my head spin. Staying under 10', but more than 8'6 requires a permit in NC. I've read it's only a $20 annual permit. But then I've read so many horror stories about the ass pain of getting permits. I guess it has to depend on what state and also probably who's on the other line. Then so many people have said that being just 1' over isn't any issue and nobody gets stopped. And honestly, I haven't heard of anyone actually staying they were stopped for being oversized.

That being said, I think we really want the largest boat we can safely tow. That might be the 290.

We looked at the 270 today. Tell you what, it's one hell of a deal. It's dirty, really dirty. Needs bottom paint. The engine looks new but is original with low hours. The interior vynal is dirty but no tears. Inside, again dirty, but hardly any wear. They are just trying to get rid of it. Asking $14,900 but will take less. And it comes with a tandom axle trailer. Bottom paint and some serious cleaning and it would be really nice boat.

We like the space up top. Swim platform is a little tight. Down below, the galley is pretty small and not having the little dinette is a big minus. The V birth is the dinette and while not horrible, I think having the floor plan of the 290 would be better for us. Plus then we get the larger aft cabin.

The 270 isn't out of the question. It would be stress free towing. But it's not like I'm going to tow it every weekend across the country. We'll have a slip and also storage for the trailer. I'll take it out if the water for maintenance or modifications. And if we do take it somewhere, it would be to a nearby lake, river or coast. The furthest I see is trailering is 3.5 hrs to the coast. All in NC, SC and TN.

 

[Steve91T]

This is a little big to tow....maybe.

But look at that interior!


http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1995-regal-292-commodore-102412195/

 

[Steve91T]

We need to find a Four Winds Vista 278. It looks like it has a really nice lay out and it's an 8'5" beam.

 

[Pusher]

Man, that's a nice boat. If you sold your home and lived aboard for a couple years your home money stuffed in a CD accout would almost pay for that baby.... If only rates were that good.

 

[mr 88]

This is a little big to tow....maybe.

But look at that interior!


http://www.boattrader.com/listing/19...ore-102412195/

Nothing like a boat that not only spent time on top of the water but under it as well ,haha. At least they admitted it. Wonder how much water infiltrated the stringers through the engine mount bolt holes and anything else screwed/bolted into them like remote filters,wiring harness's,fuel lines,bilge hoses etc . I would recommend a survey for any purchase over 10,000. on that style boat. And if your going to insure it many companies require a survey anyway,18-25 per linear foot seems to be the going rate. I would run from any boat that spent time on the wrong side of the water, regardless of how many years ago.Along with it being brokered by a company with less than a sterling reputation in many boating circles. Google them. The broker works on commission as well,which translates in most cases, not all, to less bang for the buck.

 

[Steve91T]

Nothing like a boat that not only spent time on top of the water but under it as well ,haha. At least they admitted it. Wonder how much water infiltrated the stringers through the engine mount bolt holes and anything else screwed/bolted into them like remote filters,wiring harness's,fuel lines,bilge hoses etc . I would recommend a survey for any purchase over 10,000. on that style boat. And if your going to insure it many companies require a survey anyway,18-25 per linear foot seems to be the going rate. I would run from any boat that spent time on the wrong side of the water, regardless of how many years ago.Along with it being brokered by a company with less than a sterling reputation in many boating circles. Google them. The broker works on commission as well,which translates in most cases, not all, to less bang for the buck.

Lol. I saw that after I posted that link. We're just researching different boats and so far the 292 is our favorite. It's less than a foot over the 8' 6" beam max, but I think it would be worth the permit hassle.

I'll definitely be getting a survey done on whatever boat we are serious about buying.

Is there anything else out there that we should consider looking at?

 

[mr 88]

I would measure the beam at the stern and if it's within a couple inches of 8'6" I would not bother with any permits, that where there, the police, would measure it, not mid-ship. I would search all the sites and just see what you like and fits your needs. There are not many [if any ] companies that made junk boats in that size range. They may have been neglected which compromises the structural integrity and that's the big thing you have to sort out. In most,not all cases you can tell if it was well maintained by the condition of everything. If the vinyl is all ripped up and half the instruments don't work and stuff is laying all over the place ,gouges in the gel coat etc. ,the seller never gave a poop about it ,which is a red flag for me. After zeroing in on a few models I would start Googling the model/Mfg/drive system and related info to see what comes up on reviews and different forums that had threads on that particular boat. Then after all that I would look at the boat, have a idea of the actual NADA value and make a offer based on it passing a survey,.no pass,no deal.