Which boat for our needs?

[Toto7SC]

Hi,

We are about to buy our first boat so I would like to know what fits our needs best. The options that we were considering are Pontoons, Deck Boats, and Bowriders. Since we need space for 5-9 people at times, we ruled out the bowriders quickly. My wife likes to ski/tube so we are eyeballing a deck boat with a Volvo Penta 5.7 I/O. Here is a link to the boat:
http://lmarineteampickens.com/detail...nventory_id=90

I am just hesitant because I have no idea if this is a good pick for beginners. I will definitely have all the regular maintenance done that is necessary, no matter what kind of boat we buy.
Do you think it should be a non-factor if we buy an outboard or I/O as long as the boat fits our needs? Thanks

bullet points:
- under $10k
- space for 5-9 people
- never will be used in salt water
- wife likes to ski/tube
- we don't know anything about mechanics which means it will have to be fixed by a professional every time something breaks
- indoor storage

 

[Scott Danforth]

the issue with your price-range this time of year is that it will most likely be a project boat. that $5k-$10k range is hit-or-miss

if you dont work on your own boat, you may want to re-think your boat. Volvo Penta parts are generally 2-3X that of Mercruiser parts. and repair bills are generally 2-3X that of Mercruiser. then again, most volvo-drives (not all) are bullet proof

for a first boat with your budget, I would look into something with an outboard and something made of aluminum (to avoid most project boats) limit the number of people to 6 and under and your in a 19-21' range

needing to ski takes more power than tubing (you can tube behind a 9.9hp on a jon boat)

space for 5-9 people puts you into a 21-26' boat if they are all adults as room becomes a premium.

 

[kmarine]

I believe what type of boat you need has more to do with where you intend to use it. As for a used boat it is all about maintenance and condition. I would not want an outboard over 15 years old. personal preference. an inboard boat on small lake well maintained could last 25 years easily. Do you intend to trailer. Do you have a truck?
How far do you live from where you intend to use it. I recommend trying rental first if you are not sure. you can check with a local club for advice as well.

 

[Toto7SC]

Do you intend to trailer. Do you have a truck?
How far do you live from where you intend to use it. I recommend trying rental first if you are not sure. you can check with a local club for advice as well.

We plan on keeping it at a boat storage facility near the lakes (about 10-30 minutes). We have a Ford F-250 5.4 Crew Cab and would drive it back and forth from and to the lake. A trip to the lake takes about an hour which is nothing for us really. We have rented boats but I would really enjoy the flexibility of owning a boat. Not having to worry to make it back on time and not having to worry if they have a boat available when we feel like going to the lake would be a big plus. It would also allow us to stay at the lake overnight and camp somewhere.

The mechanic told me the engine has only 280 hours on it. Is that kind of hard to believe for a boat made in '96? The lakes we'd go to are 7.500 acres, 18.000 acres, and 56.000 acres. All right next to each other.

if you dont work on your own boat, you may want to re-think your boat. Volvo Penta parts are generally 2-3X that of Mercruiser parts. and repair bills are generally 2-3X that of Mercruiser. then again, most volvo-drives (not all) are bullet proof

for a first boat with your budget, I would look into something with an outboard and something made of aluminum (to avoid most project boats) limit the number of people to 6 and under and your in a 19-21' range

needing to ski takes more power than tubing (you can tube behind a 9.9hp on a jon boat)

space for 5-9 people puts you into a 21-26' boat if they are all adults as room becomes a premium.

the maintenance cost for the less common Volvo motor is definitely something that worries me. But if it's one major repair every once in a while, I'm fine with it. If it has to be in the ship constantly, that is a different story. Buying a smaller boat is not really an option because it would defeat the purpose for us. We have three kids and three dogs and I am sure we'll have the occasional teenage friend or grandparents with us from time to time. So far most boats that look interesting to us are between 22 and 24 ft.


My biggest question is still if going with the Volvo I/O is a good idea or if we should play it "safe" and get a pontoon with an outboard. The problem is that we would not get a big engine with our budget. Maybe 90 HP at best if we get really lucky.

Thoughts?

 

[kmarine]

I am currently selling my 1978 Bayliner with a 5.7 and Volvo drive. It has 700 hours on it my dad has owned this forty year old boat for 30 years and has only repaired the drive twice. The cup and cone in a Volvo drive is heavier duty than a Mercruiser alpha. similar to a bravo. with proper maintenance like oil changes and gimbal bearings the Volvo drive is built to last. Some mechanics are not as used to working on them. Aftermarket parts are not as available as with the mercruiser.
as a result the parts are more expensive but not excessive. The engine is made by gm and is nearly part for part for part same as gm. a IO boat will outlast an outboard if properly maintained. I live on a lake and have had many customers own the boats and have only had annual maintenance and winterizing. the 5.7 engine is one of the most reliable engines and is preferred by most.

 

[jkust]

As I see it your two items of concern are your tiny budget for anything that can comfortably address nine passengers and pets. You are in large deck boat territory (since you don't want a bowrider) or old and underpowered pontoon territory. 10k is 18 foot bow rider with a 3 liter money if you want something later than the 90's that is decent. There's of course exceptions in every region but you will likely need to look at some older models that may be less than in tip top shape. We have a 24 foot bow rider and are comfortable with four of us and no pets. Everyone defines comfortable differently and some would jam nine on our boat or 7 on an 18 foot boat and think that to be comfortable. In other words, opinions will vary. Kids don't sit there with their hands down like adults.

 

[briangcc]

I have first hand experience with Volvo and I will second/third what was said above.

Their dealer network is shrinking, at least in this neck of the woods. One marina I spoke with stated that Volvo is making it harder and harder on dealers to find the parts they need for repairs. 10 years ago there were several Volvo dealers in my area, currently I think I can find 3....and that's IF I'm lucky. I personally went through this on vacation where we had to hunt down a marina willing to even look at the Volvo...then they promptly tied it up in their lot for the entire week. Wasn't fun on my end.

Parts cost is astronomical. The fuel pump alone, just the part, was $900 on my 5.0L MPI. The marina felt bad for me when they heard the cost as they couldn't believe it either. And it's NOT rebuildable. Per same marina, the comparable Mercruiser part was around $200 and there were rebuild kits that were much cheaper.

The above were enough for me to offload my Volvo powered Four Winns and move to a Mercury powered Chaparral.


For a first boat, I'd look at an Outboard over an I/O if nothing else than ease of maintenance.

 

[Toto7SC]

Thank you. That is good reasonable advice. My gut feeling has been telling me to stay away from it as a first boat. I know that my wife really likes a faster boat but I would be ok with starting off with a slower pontoon. It would give us the needed space, stability, and there is only so much that can break on a pontoon I would think. Once we get used to boating in general, we can still switch to a faster boat in a few years.

Does that makes sense?

 

[ahicks]

The problem with a fiberglass boat is the very real potential, in boats this age and older, for deck, transom, and stringer damage. They're all made of wood, and in many cases the wood is encapsulated in fiberglass, setting up a scenario where the wood is not going to last long due to water intrusion - due to rot. These rotted areas may not be real apparent when looking at a used boat. If they exist, repair is most often a HUGE project, often making the boat worth little more than scrap - IF you can find anyone interested at all.

I'm an old fart that's been around boats my entire life, and the only way I would buy something like this is if somebody that knows a lot more about them than I do were to bless it with his approval - and trust me, he's not going to go through it to the point he can do that for free. Whatever that fee is, it's the only thing that would let me sleep well after the purchase. This is not the kind of job you want to trust to the average mobile tech or dealership. This guy needs to know what he's doing.

Pontoon boats with decent power in this price range are very likely going to have furniture covered with vinyl that's shot. If you see any chalkiness, cracking, split seams, or brown stains, the upholstery is JUNK - despite what the owner may claim. New furniture is available, but it's not cheap - think 5k or so. Thankfully, everything but the console is able to be replaced pretty easily.

Hope this helps. I hate to see a newbie screwed over so bad they loose interest in boating completely.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Thank you. That is good reasonable advice. My gut feeling has been telling me to stay away from it as a first boat. I know that my wife really likes a faster boat but I would be ok with starting off with a slower pontoon. It would give us the needed space, stability, and there is only so much that can break on a pontoon I would think. Once we get used to boating in general, we can still switch to a faster boat in a few years.

Does that makes sense?

Yes it does. For the number of people you want to board on the boat I think you are looking at a Pontoon in your 10K budget. It won't get you the horse power to ski, especially loaded with 6 or more folks but, you can always upgrade the HP at a latter date. The big downside of a pontoon is it isn't easily trailered. That would be a big pain getting her to and from the lake every trip. When I bought my first larger boat and only a 19' er the biggest problem I had was putting her in and out, running her and maintaining her was a breeze. So I upped the money the next season and rented a slip. All these years latter launching and trailering is a non issue. If I were to go with a pontoon a slip would be a no brainer for me.

 

[aspeck]

If you know what you are doing, trailering a pontoon isn't a big deal. That is IF. Make sure they are tied down. Our family has purchased 2 different pontoons that were not secured tightly and blew off the trailer and landed on their roof. This made for a real nice, newer pontoon at a MUCH cheaper price with a little aluminum to fix. It was a BIG win for my brother and my dad! If you are patient you will find a nice pontoon with a 115 - 150hp for your price range. Now if you really want to go crazy, I played with a tri-toon that was $125,000 last year. Steering was a joy stick, it had 3 250HP Bombardiers on the back, and it FLEW! Notice I said I played with it ... I don't own it! It was scary fast!

 

[Toto7SC]

Yes it does. For the number of people you want to board on the boat I think you are looking at a Pontoon in your 10K budget. It won't get you the horse power to ski, especially loaded with 6 or more folks but, you can always upgrade the HP at a latter date. The big downside of a pontoon is it isn't easily trailered. That would be a big pain getting her to and from the lake every trip.

The problem with slips is that we couldn't just pick any of the three lakes around us on short notice.
Will trailering the boat even be an issue with a bigger truck. Like I said, ours is a F-250 so very solid. We also would store the boat only 5-15 minutes from the lakes so it's not a long drive. The boat storage place also offers concierge service for $30. They check the oil, battery, and put the boat in for you if needed. We'd probably take advantage of that every once in a while.

 

[ahicks]

Your truck would be considered by most as a top of the line tow vehicle. Trailering, to me anyway, is about your confidence level when backing. If your comfortable with that, the rest just isn't that big a deal. Though normally on a 'toon lift in front of the house in season, I've trailered ours MANY times (over the last 40 years or so) to destinations all over the Great Lakes, much of the Midwest, Tennessee, and Kentucky, and now Florida and the Gulf.

Just realize the boat is going to feel like a parachute when being pulled, and plan on gas mileage that sucks - literally!

 

[Toto7SC]

This would be my pick for now. Looks clean and has a decent sized motor on it. Might also be easier to service since it's a common Mercury motor.

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2000-bennington-2250lx-103067002/

 

[ahicks]

2 things. Used 4 stroke pontoons like this one generally don't sit around long. If you're interested, you should be in motion toward it right now. Second, when you get there check the top of the seat backs. The pictures don't show it clearly, or I could be mistaken, but they appear to have those brown stains that spell trouble in the very near future. Fence sheet metal banged up pretty good too.

As far as the engine, it's carbed, which is a good thing for keeping repair costs in check. Interesting maybe, is the fact Yamaha built the power head for Mercury. All kinds of craziness during the time this engine was built. My '98 90hp Honda has the same lower unit as this engine, built by Mercury!

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Toto the truck you have will tow a Bulldozer. I do not have any experience towing a pontoon but have towed an enclosed car trailer from Florida to Toronto. It was windy and going 60MPH up I-75 was not fun, not fun at all. In fact by the time we got to Ohio I took secondary roads to Detroit. At least I got to see a bit of the real USA. A 30 minute run wouldn't be much I imagine. Having said that if you are serious about a toon I would jump on the one from Boat Trader. The question that might be important is how big of water do you intend on boating in. I don't see "any" pontoons where we boat on the North shore of Lake Erie where we are, zero. Many on the local rivers and some protected bays but none where we can get 2 metre chop or more at a moments notice. I have a pal that does have one here but he putts around with a 15 HP less than a mile from shore when the water is like glass under a Bluebird sky. And we have fished off it many times. It sure is fun on a pontoon with the right folks on board. If we were on a smaller lake or river I would have one. Like any wise boater you pick your days. It must be exciting shopping for your first real boat.

Good luck and welcome aboard future Captain Sir.

edit: I just noticed the dings on the transom port side. No big deal. I watched a body guy just last week use a rubber mallet and a hair blower straiten a similar ding on an aluminum boat and when he was finished it looked like new unless you looked closely. He did a bit at a time tapping, heating tapping.

 

[southkogs]

Your capacity range is 5 - 9 "at times." How often are you in the 9 territory? There seems to be a break for most boats between 6 and 8 passengers. If you typically go out only with five, maybe you can plan on something a little smaller and get creative when you have 9 (rent a second boat, for example) if it's more seldom.

 

[Bayou Dave]

This would be my pick for now. Looks clean and has a decent sized motor on it. Might also be easier to service since it's a common Mercury motor.

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2000-bennington-2250lx-103067002/

She is in overall good condition. Pretty good size motor on it and it should push her fairly well. Price seems reasonable even for a 17 year old pontoon. Will the dealer let you have a sea trial?

 

[Toto7SC]

Hi y'all. We have picked a boat today. Since we will have between 5-7 people most of the time, we went with a 21ft. 1990 chapparal bowrider with a 5.7 mercruiser. There are plenty of seats in the boat and it's in great shape. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. It's always been covered and has no rips in the seats. Got it for$6.500 including the trailer. I think I'll be a lot more comfortable with this compared to a huge pontoon or deck boat.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Congrats and good luck. It leaves a bit in your budget for whatever the boat needs. Hopefully not much.