How much time will I want to spend at each dealer before I decide on the
boat?

Strictly up to you. But spend enough time to evaluate the *boat* rather than
the glossy brochures, the bought-and-paid-for
customer satisfaction surveys, etc. Forget the "my boat is better than their
boat" hype and see for yourself.

Once I decide on a boat, do I get a test drive in a demo?

You should *insist* if such a ride isn't voluntarily offered. You may be asked
to put up a deposit and make a deal "subject to" a satisfactory test
run....it's just a way to prevent the a long line of folks with fishing rods
and picnic baskets showing up every Saturday morning to "test drive" a boat.
:-)

Make sure you either get a demo in a boat powered the way you are ordering your
new boat, or have a "satisfactory redemo" clause in the contract if that isn't
possible.
If you buy a boat with 100 fewer horses than the boat you tested- you may or
may not be happy with it but one thing is certain- it will behave and perform a
lot differently.

It the boat is not on location and it needs to be ordered, how much of a
deposit to expect?

Are you going to be financing the boat? If so, it wouldn't be ridiculous for
the dealer to ask for enough of a deposit to make the
minimum down payment needed to finance the boat. Don't expect many dealers to
order a boat for you based on a handshake, or a $100 bill. There's a lot of
expense to the dealer in ordering a boat- particularly one that might be
slightly different from their ordinary stock if that's what requires it to be
ordered in the first place. The more oddball you order the boat, the bigger the
deposit you may be asked to make. The dealer will want something to fall back
on if he calls you up when the boat arrives and you say, "Oh, sorry! Meant to
call you! We changed our minds and bought a motorhome instead."

How long are factory lead times typically on a 21-23' cuddy?

Will vary from almost none to several months. A high production company like
Brunswick or Genmar should be able to get a boat to you relatively quickly.
Some limited production, semi custom builder may have a long waiting list.


Do I need a surveyer for a new boat?

For a new 21-23 cuddy? Most likely you can rely on the factory
warranty....BUT...
a surveyor can spot errors in setup, etc, that you might overlook. A survey on
a new boat is like putting on a belt to
back up your suspenders. (Exceptions are very complex boats or custom
construction)........not a bad idea, but not as essential as with used. Don't
expect the dealer or the builder to modify the basic design of the boat due to
surveyor critcique, just stuff that might have been done in manner that doesn't
meet normal standards for that brand.

A couple of years ago, we had a story here about some people who bought a new
boat down in SF. The live well had been misplumbed, but nobody knew. The new
owners didn't do any sort of shake down cruise, but headed for serious water
right away. The boat all but sank, and bad advice from the seller made the
situation even worse. There's a possiblity that a surveyor *might* have spotted
the misplumbed pump.