New member - purchase input appreciated

[ichristian]

Hello all,

I'm a new member to the site. I've decided to buy a boat almost every year for the last ten years, but have never owned one :facepalm:

I live right down the road from a beautiful clear water sand bottom lake, and want to take advantage of it. My wife an I had a pair of wave runners years back, but sold them when she was pregnant with our first child. We now have three kids all under the age of 5.

I would like to get a bow rider new or close to it, preferably, something with good enough room for the kids and my wife and I.

My major constraint is garage space. I'm only 19.5 ft from wall to door. Our subdivision has a no boats in the yard or driveway clause, and are very strict about it.

I would like an I/O, and obviously need a swing away tongue. I've only found a few models that would work, and even fewer that meet the blessings of my wife.

We saw a 2010 Tahoe Q4 ss the other day that my wife absolutely loved! This is their "18'" model, and has the 3.0 with a 18.8' length on trailer with the tongue swung in.

I've read most of the pro's and cons about the Tahoe. It appears as though it is considered an entry level i.e. cheaper boat by some, but others love it.

My budget could be 10K or even up to 20K depending on the boat. I'd have a hard time going any higher than that. The new '10 Tahoe Q4 ss was just over 20K out the door, but it had a two year engine warranty which justified the higher cost vs. depreciation for me.

Anyhow, sorry for the ramble - just looking for any helpful input. We'd use the boat mostly for day trips to the lake down the road, and maybe other area lakes a few times a year. Tubing would be the only water sport we'd do.

I'm in the "lake country" area which is basically suburbs west of the metro Milwaukee area. We are in between Milwaukee and Madison WI.

Thanks all for any time spent in reply's.

 

[1973Chieftain]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

Welcome aboard! I can't give you an opinion on that boat, my newest boat was build in 1965 im sure others will be along in a few to give you some advice!

 

[oops!]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

hi....welcome to iboats !


even an entry level boat can be a great one wif it is well kept.

due to the fact that the admiral loved the boat....it might be a good idea to keep it in mind.

the boat shows are coming up all over the place....you might want to go see a few shows and look at the prices before you pull the trigger !

 

[MarkSee]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

A couple things to think about regardless of brand since you mentioned that above $20k would be hard. First, are you handy where you can do normal and more advanced maintenance yourself or will you need to take it to a shop or find a mobile mechanic? Different cities/counties/states can vary greatly on costs, quality of work, response time, etc. Factor that in to your "base" cost of the boats you are looking at and that may narrow down your search to a certain power type/brand. Second, do think this is a 2-4 year purchase then move up from here or a long term purchase until the kids are out of high school? Third, I would not rule out any brand based upon solely a brand name: back in '83 I a bought a brand new 1600 Bayliner outboard that was absolutely perfect to me, no issues, ran great, fast; was the least expensive boat at the time and perfect for my needs and budget; yet some people would never own a "Bayliner" just because of the brand name. From 2000-2010 we had a Fleetwood Wilderness travel trailer that also gave us 0 problems but we would meet people who paid 2-3 times what we paid for a "high quality name brand" trailer who had several problems. Basically, find a boat you are all "comfortable with" more than just the right amount of seats.
Mark

 

[tomdinwv]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

Welcome to iboats.
Any boat you are considering needs to be gone over. A previous owner may not have maintained a boat properly and that could cause more expenses down the road. A porely maintained, 2 year old boat could be in worse shape than a well maintained 10 year old boat. There are tons of threads on this site about what to look for when buying a boat.

As far as the Tahoe boats go, I have checked them out at a dealer and a boat show. I, personaly like them. The admiral has made the statement several times that she is going to get a new boat in a couple of years and the Tahoe seems to be hovering around the top of her wish list.

What ever you decide, just be sure to maintain it properly and it will give you years of service. Good luck on you decision.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

Welcome . . .

I love helping other people spend their money.

Be real careful about the measurements of the boat and trailer. There was recently a thread of a guy with a 19 ft boat that barely fit in a 22 ft garage with the swing away tongue. I have a hard time imagining an 18 ft boat can fit in a 19 ft garage.

New is good, if you can afford it . . . the money goes further with used. Warranties don't necessarily mean much. . . companies usually try to wiggle out of warranty claims and such.

If you plan on doing your own maintenance, then you can save some $$$$ on the usual stuff.

The newest boat that I have purchased was 13 years old, so I like to get them when they are way down the depreciation curve.

 

[62 ROYAL SCOTT]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

HELL-O and WELCOME , First thing tha came into my mind was your kids please take a boaters class, and never never run your boat while they are in the water and always take the keys with you if you get out of the boat while the kids are still in the boat BE SAFE and ENJOY your new boat

 

[southkogs]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

Hey iChristian, welcome aboard!

I have a city ordinance forcing my boat in the garage. Not too bad - gave me an excuse to store it indoors. I have an 18' with a family of 5 (+2 dogs). I have to park mine diagonally in a 2 car garage to make it fit.

Between $10K & $20K ... you can find a LOT of used boat. Prices will start heading up here as the season kicks off, so watch deals really closely. What did the Admiral like specifically about the Tahoe? You might be able to find similar things in other boats.

 

[Willyclay]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

One member posted that he built a recessed area in the wall of his garage that was just big enough to accept the outdrive on his boat. Good luck and be sure to post in this thread what you decide to do!

 

[roscoe]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

Hello all,

I'm a new member to the site. I've decided to buy a boat almost every year for the last ten years, but have never owned one :facepalm:

I live right down the road from a beautiful clear water sand bottom lake, and want to take advantage of it. My wife an I had a pair of wave runners years back, but sold them when she was pregnant with our first child. We now have three kids all under the age of 5.

I would like to get a bow rider new or close to it, preferably, something with good enough room for the kids and my wife and I.

My major constraint is garage space. I'm only 19.5 ft from wall to door. Our subdivision has a no boats in the yard or driveway clause, and are very strict about it.

I would like an I/O, and obviously need a swing away tongue. I've only found a few models that would work, and even fewer that meet the blessings of my wife.

We saw a 2010 Tahoe Q4 ss the other day that my wife absolutely loved! This is their "18'" model, and has the 3.0 with a 18.8' length on trailer with the tongue swung in.

I've read most of the pro's and cons about the Tahoe. It appears as though it is considered an entry level i.e. cheaper boat by some, but others love it.

My budget could be 10K or even up to 20K depending on the boat. I'd have a hard time going any higher than that. The new '10 Tahoe Q4 ss was just over 20K out the door, but it had a two year engine warranty which justified the higher cost vs. depreciation for me.

Anyhow, sorry for the ramble - just looking for any helpful input. We'd use the boat mostly for day trips to the lake down the road, and maybe other area lakes a few times a year. Tubing would be the only water sport we'd do.

I'm in the "lake country" area which is basically suburbs west of the metro Milwaukee area. We are in between Milwaukee and Madison WI.

Thanks all for any time spent in reply's.

Welcome fellow Wisconsinite.

5-6 + people in the boat.
Gonna need at least 6 if the wife ever plans on taking the little ones on the tube, as you still need an adult spotter in the boat.

And it will only be a few years until the kids are gonna want to bring friends along.

I'd look at other boat storage options.
There are lots of self storage units in your area. Especially near the lakes.

That would leave the garage open for cars and allow you to consider other boat options.
Like something in the 19-20' range.
The amount of useable space can be great.
Also, consider going to a 4.3 or 5.0l engine.

You will get just as good of milage with the bigger engine running at 3/4 throttle, and you won't have to worry about being underpowered, now or in the future.

I'd be looking for something 5-10 years old, and save 50%.

You're looking at a new 2010 Tahoe ? They should be giving that one away.

I vote for this one, and it saves you $9,000.
http://madison.craigslist.org/boa/2872194568.html
And its a Crownline !

If you really want a Q4, here is a 2010 in the city of 5-O.

Should be able to get it for $16, or play that against the dealer to negotiate a lower price on the new one.

http://madison.craigslist.org/boa/2855870781.html


If in doubt, wait. Another boat will be along shortly.

 

[NavyChief]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

Welcome to boating brother. If youve been searching for 10 years you probably have a good idea of what yo u want. Ive only owned 3 boats but i started cheap so i could learn boating and tinker around first before i put my wife and 3i kids on it. Once i became comfortable we upgraded. Have you condsidered a pontoon? You can get great ones 18'. Feet or less and can pull a tube.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

I disagree with starting with a bigger boat; start with something around 16. Consider an outboard since it gives you more room in the boat, takes up less room in the garage (store it down) as well as just being better.

Consider a storage unit, building a recess in the back of the garage, swing tongue, using dollies to slide it around, cutting a hole in the garage door for the tongue.

Most important thing is to go get a boat now!

 

[hostage]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

As someone else mentioned, I would look at self storages. I store mine at $35-40/month, which is across the street from the boat launch. I can launch my boat quicker than someone who docks theirs at a Marina, normally because they have bird poo all over their boat and have to clean it up. Also the boat doesn't sink when it is not in the water and less buildup on the hull.

Unless you are one of those people who really like the "new" feeling, I would go used. You can get an awesome boat for much less. Compared to cars, a 2000 boat looks a like nicer than a 2000 car. If you are paitent and have time a used boat is a great value!

TBH I have heard of a lot of people complain about Tahoes, so I natrually avoid them. Even if these claims are false, it still lowers the resell value.

Also you might be able to turn a boat trailer into a "swing tounge". It might cost you less to have one added then find a boat that has a trailer with one.

-Hostage

 

[QC]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

I agree with both Home Cookin' and Roscoe. Huh? How's that possible you ask? Go smaller for the first year. Learn what you really want from it, and then reread Roscoe's post. Do NOT plan on this being the right boat, 1st time out of the box. Learn the hard lessons on something smaller, EVERYTHING is harder with even a little bit bigger except space. You will find out that you need or want something a little different. If all the little hassles are too much, then you may end up deciding it's not for you. Boats, even reasonably small ones, need to be a passion, and a way of life. If not, they aren't worth it.

 

[hog88]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

I completly disagree with those sugesting you go smaller. 18 or 19' is a pretty small boat when you factor in the kids, their toys, food, drink, and everything else. Go as big as you can tow, store and pay for, you'll be happier in the long run and will stay away from the 2'itis for a little while longer.

Tahoe's are not bad boats, it's all in how you care for one. Our first boat was never inside but always covered and cleaned when we traded it after 12 years we were asked who replaced the upolstry, never had it still looked new. And we are out almost every weekend during the summer.

 

[jkust]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

I am also restricted by garage space other wise I'd have as big a boat as the garage would allow. My garage I think is 22feet deep (could be 24 but I just can't recall). That said, the loa of my sig boat is 18' 3". Including the outdrive and prop that sticks out a couple feet and the part of the trailer that doesn't fold, I barely fit in the garage with one inch to spare. It is tight enough that I couldn't get the swim platform option because that extends over the prop a bit but a bit too much. You will need to find the storage length of any boat/trailer combo you are looking at. As for Tahoe, you be the judge. It won't take more than 10 seconds to size up most small, under 20 foot, bowriders but with 10 years of shopping i'm guessing you already know that. I think if you go from no boat to a Tahoe, you will be extatic but going from high end to low end would be difficult if just getting on the water isn't your concern but getting there with some luxury and style is. Since you are in WI, i'm thinking you are similar to MN where everyone has an under 20 foot (we have almost 12,000 lakes) boat that needs to fit into a garage and so you move up the ranks in brand and build quality not in size since there are very, very few boats where a 20+ foot boat makes sense. My point being we know our small bowriders well. Tahoes and most brands have picked up the pace recently on their designs and accessories quality if not on their dry weights while the upper end brands have started dumbing down their smaller boats to compete.

 

[ichristian]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

HELL-O and WELCOME , First thing tha came into my mind was your kids please take a boaters class, and never never run your boat while they are in the water and always take the keys with you if you get out of the boat while the kids are still in the boat BE SAFE and ENJOY your new boat

You must be a parent!

I actually took the course when I was 12 (36 now lol!) We rent boats several times a year to get the monkey off my back about buying one, but has become more of a hassle in recent years!

I'm probably considered over-careful when it comes to my kids, but better that than the opposite I suppose.

Thank you!

 

[ichristian]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

Hey iChristian, welcome aboard!

I have a city ordinance forcing my boat in the garage. Not too bad - gave me an excuse to store it indoors. I have an 18' with a family of 5 (+2 dogs). I have to park mine diagonally in a 2 car garage to make it fit.

Between $10K & $20K ... you can find a LOT of used boat. Prices will start heading up here as the season kicks off, so watch deals really closely. What did the Admiral like specifically about the Tahoe? You might be able to find similar things in other boats.

LOL! It took me until this post to figure out what the heck Admiral meant :redface:

 

[ichristian]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

Thank you all, for the wonderful replies and warm welcomes.

The "Admiral" is hung up on having a boat that fits in the garage. The back wall is adjacent to the kitchen, so that's a no-go.

So far, the Four Winns, See-doo 180 challenger and this Tahoe all spec out at under 19' on trailer with tongue swung in and drive pitched down if applicable.

All storage areas in my location are many precious minutes farther from the launch than our house - so far, in fact, that weeknight excursions after work would be almost impossible.

I've got my work cut out for me, but will really need to measure the heck out of everything.

 

[roscoe]

Re: New member - purchase input appreciated

Well, you could always move, to a house with a bigger garage.
Or better yet, a lake house with a huge boat house.

Good luck, have fun shopping, don't stress too much.