Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

[claydus]

Ok I got to thinking recently. I really enjoy being on the water. Specifically Lake Lanier which is about 20 minutes away. My wife and I rented a pontoon boat for my birthday this past summer and I loved it. I wanted more. We were only on the water for about 6 hours total on a Saturday. The next Saturday that came around I was trying to find an excuse to go back. However the $500 for 6 hours and "captain" was not feasible at the time.

So here I am looking on craigslist and other sites to see whats out there. Looking at bowriders and pontoon boats specifically. A few items I often question are:

Towing - I have a 2006 V6 4runner. I have narrowed my search down to anything around 3500-4000 GVWR.

Function - Not a big skier but would to tow a tube or other water toys at some point. Mainly like cruising around lake and enjoying scenery.

Storage - No room at my house. Would have to find some type of storage near the lake $65 a month. Or dry dock at the lake for $550 quarterly or $2300 annual.

Maintenance - I love to take stuff apart but I have a hard time getting stuff back together. Wife hates this. Typical seasonal maintenance items would need to be taken care of by a professional.

In-Season usage - My wife and I are committed to traveling to see our college mater play football a great deal. Soon as football season starts my weekends can be tied up. Ideally I have 4-5 months a year to enjoy the lake on my current schedule.

So here is my dilemma. Should I....

Option 1: Pursue looking for a used boat (less than $10k) that is mechanically good shape. Use the boat for 1 season and then sell in at the beginning of the fall. Spend little or no money on maintenance. Rinse and repeat the next season.

Option 2: Buy a used boat. Keep the boat for long term and attempt to used it for multiple seasons. Also pay to store the boat over the winter (6-7 months) and find someone else to perform all the maintenance duties.

Option 3: Sell my soul to the devil and join a boat club. Get past the "initiation" fees and other BS associated with being part of a boat club. Consistently have my wallet violated from month to month. The on top of that have less desirable boats available for a Saturday on the lake. Have no worries about storage, towing, launching, maintenance, etc.

Option 4: Bite the bullet and buy a brand new boat. Sell boat right before the off-season and try to go without any major maintenance costs. Store offsite or dry dock at the lake for 6 months of the year.

Anything I am missing that I have not accounted for besides fuel or insurance costs?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Buying, selling and re-buying is the worst idea. And the worst of the worst is buying a new one and selling after a season--you just gave away 25% of the already inflated purchase price. Even just taxes and licensing the next one will eat up your "savings" of storage costs.

Boats require a lot of care and fixing no matter how new the boat is or careful you are. You just have to be ready for it. And any boat will violate your wallet, constantly. Sad to say, for many who only use the boat a few weekends a summer, $75 and hour or $500 a trip is not unusual.

In your case you want a reliable, dependable motor. In your case it's worth paying for. You will have to pay for it. The do it yourselfers around here (I'm one) may have a hard time with that, but that's the kind of boat owner you will be plus it seems the family doesn't have break-down tolerance.

The boat club could be a very good choice for someone like you, but you have to know in advance what the deal is on availability. You can also use boats in other parts of the country. We have them here and while I wouldn't likely join one, I see them as a great option for a lot of boaters.

Pontoons are not very good for watersports, but they are cheap, simple and roomy. Bow riders can be cramped, but they are plentiful. Deck boats seem to be a good comprise.

Since you are only 20 minutes from the lake there should be lots of storage near your home; outdoor storage is cheap and your climate is temperate. No need to pay extra to store at lakeside unless you want to pay for the convenience.

Here's the best set-up for a guy like you: find a reliable boat mechanic who has some storage on site. They'll be in small towns or out in the country. Yo may buy the boat from him; if not, take your "new" boat to him to inspect, "tune up", change water pump and LU, etc. Yes yuou can do it yourself but the point is to buy a friend. Arrange to store the boat at his lot. Let him winterize, and "sping clean" and get him to check it out before you come get it to take it out--then you know it's ready, no dead battery or stuck steering or faulty trim switch or all the other stuff we mortals deal with.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Welcome aboard:

I'm with HC. Option 1 is gonna' kill ya' over time, and Option 4 is probably overkill.

Lanier probably has a couple of clubs on it, so Option 3 could be a good way to get into things. It might give you the chance for a season to experience a few different types of boat to see what you really would like to own.

Eventually, a version of Option 2 is what is going to work best for you.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Agreed, option 4 is nuts. Go option 2 or 3 & start learning how to maintain a boat yourself. You can save many thousands with some basic wrenching skills & it's not that hard.

 

[Pez Vela]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Ok I got to thinking recently. I really enjoy being on the water. Specifically Lake Lanier which is about 20 minutes away.

Here's an SUP video on Lake Lanier. He doesn't get out onto the main body of the the lake until about the 3:00 minute mark.
Stand Up Paddle Boarding at Lake Lanier - YouTube This gets you and the wife out on Lake Lanier with fewer headaches, it's healthy, and it's fun.

 

[Campylobacter]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Option 1 will kill you, boats cost a lot in the spring, less in the fall. Option 4 is worse, as new boats go WAY down in the fall.

I think a used pontoon is in your future.

 

[pckeen]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Ditto. Option 2 or 3 is your best option. Most cost effective will be to find a low hours, good quality used boat. Don't rush out to buy - educate yourself about the market. If your main use is crusing around the lake and enjoying scenery, a pontoon with a smaller (50hp) engine would be a good and relatively inexpensive choice.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

I became a boatman 60 years ago in my Grandpa's boat. My wife shares the passion and so do my kids. We own 6 boats and my grown kids have their own boats as well. Our boats are all at home, garage stored, and available to play with 24/7.

To me it sounds like you have other priorities and don't want to spend time working on a boat. Most of my own joy comes from tinkering, waxing, and just trying new things. If I decide to go for a boatride I'm in the water in 15 minutes....no hassles anywhere. I can see you buying a boat and end up selling it in a few years because its too much trouble and you want to football.

If I were you I'd go rent one the few times you want to use it. When the rental costs exceed the budget, buy a used one. When the storage costs exceed the budget, build a garage and bring it home.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Someone must be happy with boat clubs but the 4 people I know that belonged were not. One swore off boating after 7 months of his paid for 1st year.

 

[calvinator]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Keep your costs low ! ! ! !

Option #2.

Maybe get a 18' and put it in a slip, but you can still tow with your vehicle. That way you can tow your boat back home and work on it yourself. Very hard to work on the boat at the marina... Power, water, privacy are not there. Maybe something like a 90s Wellcraft Eclipse 18'. Good boats, prices are fair, and good powerplants.

You'll learn a lot with that type of boat. After a year or two, you'll probably want something bigger and you might be in the market for a tow vehicle too. See what happens.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Don't forget option 5 .... find a friend with a boat... most boaters really welcome company and will just about fall over when you insist on gassing the boat up after a day on the water...... They cover the maintenance and the storage and if diy they welcome your interest and love to share knowledge during maintenance.


otherwise, of the options above.... for you.... #2 all the way... AND from your description narrow your search down to a pontoon with a great condition outboard engine... year and size of the engine doesn't really matter but make sure to have a compression test done.

You can have a HUGE amount of fun on a $3500 toon... beat up, scratched, dented with a low dollar 25 hp outboard and even if it has plastic lawn furniture while NOT fancy or plush gets the job done.... You would have to try really hard to lose money on it... you really can't hurt it...... Your stress level while learning will be MUCH lower if bumping the dock starts you and your wife laughing instead of panicking about a dent in your perfect jewel of a boat.... It is very easily sold when you are ready to upgrade and at upgrade time you will have a much better idea of what YOU want in your SECOND boat.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

I know a lot of people here disagree, but owning a boat with someone else can work out really well. Few people use their boat as much as they think they will, after the initial novelty wears off. You can even find someone who already has one and buy in half. you just each have to have clear understandings about care, dent tolerance, major repair/replace, and seperation.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Rent a boat for the day

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Rent a boat for the day

he's done that at $500 for 6 hours with a captain. Outside clubs it's hard to rent one "bare boat."

 

[agallant80]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

As for option 4. I bought a brand new boat for 36K taxes and what not included. I had it for about 1.5 years and then had to sell it (divorce) It was traded in on a new boat and I ate about 11K on it, so number 4 is a really, really bad idea.

I would opt for buying a boat (new) and if you don't want to deal with too much boat maintenance get an outboard.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Don't forget option 5 .... find a friend with a boat... most boaters really welcome company and will just about fall over when you insist on gassing the boat up after a day on the water...... They cover the maintenance and the storage and if diy they welcome your interest and love to share knowledge during maintenance.


otherwise, of the options above.... for you.... #2 all the way... AND from your description narrow your search down to a pontoon with a great condition outboard engine... year and size of the engine doesn't really matter but make sure to have a compression test done.

You can have a HUGE amount of fun on a $3500 toon... beat up, scratched, dented with a low dollar 25 hp outboard and even if it has plastic lawn furniture while NOT fancy or plush gets the job done.... You would have to try really hard to lose money on it... you really can't hurt it...... Your stress level while learning will be MUCH lower if bumping the dock starts you and your wife laughing instead of panicking about a dent in your perfect jewel of a boat.... It is very easily sold when you are ready to upgrade and at upgrade time you will have a much better idea of what YOU want in your SECOND boat.

I have to agree with smokeonthewater after reading his post.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Agreed though, #2 is really the only viable option. You just need to narrow down EXACTLY what you are wanting... Pontoon, deckboat, v-hull, and then I/O or outboard. (not going to venture into inboards, stick with an outboard drive for your first boat.) Every single boat in existence is a compromise of one area or another, there is no perfect boat for every situation.

And lastly, NEVER, EVER consider a boat an investment. It isn't even on the same level as a car, which, although they aren't investments, are still far better than boats! They are toys, the require constant input of money. The minute you start adding up the bills, the fun goes away, and you stop boating. I can't tell you how much I spent on gas last year on the boat, if I could, I probably would never boat again! The purchase price of a boat is only the down payment...

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

One good thing for you is that you live 20 minutes from the lake and have a fourrunner, so you can tow anything for that short haul.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

#2 or take a vacation every year on the $$ saved by not owning a boat.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

#2 or take a vacation every year on the $$ saved by not owning a boat.

you can get banned for saying such heresy