Looking for advice

I am new to all this. I was going to buy a small place in Palm Springs as a vacation spot, then after looking for a while decide against it and thought a boat would be more fun. I am in the "looking for a boat" stage and like the 2008 Bayliner 245 Cruiser. Is this a suitable and good first boat. There is only myself and the wife, and we live in LA and plan to use it on the ocean and get a slip for it, at one of the mariners. Any advice much appreciated

Re: Looking for advice

Nope - too much boat for a first timer. Look at something smaller to start with. Look at used instead of new. So you spend 50 K on a new boat and don't like the whole boating thing - then what?
Good suggestion for a new boating person would be to look into a "boating club". You pay XXXXX amount of dollars, can use any boat in their inventory, have no headaches as to maintenance, insurance, etc. Just gas and go!
If you just want to go for an occasional boat ride then it might be a good alternative for you. My .$02

Re: Looking for advice

My observations?

• Planning to use it off-shore. . .
• You were "looking for a place in the 'Springs". . .
• You live in LA and want to keep it at a marina. . .

From what I can tell, you can certainly afford it, and that 245 would be the SMALLEST boat at your marina, too. In fact, you can afford a lot more boat than the Bayliner (I'm a Bayliner owner, not bashing the brand, but there are better boats out there. . .)

In my opinion, you need MORE boat, and consider hiring a captain for a day of lessons, too. He or she can take you and the wife out on your boat, show you how everything works, give you the basics of navigation, etc. . .It would be well worth it to make sure you boat safely and enjoy your new toy!

Re: Looking for advice

I am taking a bit of advice from both of you. As I am not planning to put anything in the water till about May of next year, I am taking my time with this purchase. So in the meantime, I will take some boating classes, and rent out some boats. I am not a complete novice, (almost though) to being out on the ocean in a boat, and am welcoming all advice.

So, for a MAXIMUM total cost of $60,000 out the door, sales tax, and delivery included, what boats should I be looking at?

Thanks

Re: Looking for advice

That is an EXCELLENT approach! If more people took this kind of care when getting into this mess that is boating, there would be a lot more HAPPY boat owners!

Everyone will have their own opinion on boat brands, I tend not to listen to them. More important than brand is:

Size. Will she be large enough for you to enjoy, invite friends on board, etc? And small enough to handle, pay for the marina slip (usually by the foot)?

Style. It's important. . .do you think the boat just plain looks cool? Do you like the color? The interior? The stereo? Little things like that get overlooked. . .until you buy a boat, and find yourself spending $10k replacing the "little things" you don't like.

Power. How much engine do you need to do what you want to do. For long-range cruising on open water, maybe even consider twins. Both for power and safety.

That's about all I've got to offer. Spend some time walking around marinas, writing down make and model of boats that appeal to you. Talk to the owners if they're on-board. You'll learn a lot about what you need in a boat by talking to people from your demographic who already own them.

(As a side note, I was in your area on business recently, and did just that down at Long Beach. Huge marina, you'll see every type of boat ever made there.)

Re: Looking for advice

Thanks "Postman"