On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 01:40:33 -0500, "Glenn Ashmore"
wrote:
I know this is the wrong place but I am not going to risk going over to
rec.boats to ask.

My son and his girlfriend are living in Tampa on Pelican Island and are
making noises aboput buying a boat. He wants something he can fish on near
shore outside the bay and she wants a plush runabout to play with on the
inside. They have about $15K to play with and are asking me, a confirmed
rag, man for advice.

Is there a boat that will make them both happy? Is a stern drive a better
choice than an outboard?
================================================== ====

As Harry points out, the combination of plush runabout and fishing is
a serious compromise. There are tons of Florida boats out there
however in that price range. I just did a quick YachtWorld search for
Florida powerboats between 20 and 24 feet, and between $10k and $20K.
The search popped up over 6 pages of hits including this older Grady
White in St Petersburg:

http://tinyurl.com/538w6

Note that the transom on this boat needs to be rebuilt, a common
problem with older powerboats. Rot in the stringers and cockpit
floors is another big issue.

The question of outboard vs I/O largely depends on storage. If the
boat is stored in the water, I/Os are more suceptible to corrosion
issues and are expensive to rebuild. Maintenance and fuel are big
cost issues also. I've been running my older 24 ft I/O 10 to 20 hours
a month for the past year since we moved to Florida. Monthly gas and
maintenance costs average in the $600 to $800 range. Big maintenace
issues have included things like risers and manifolds; rebuilt
cylinder heads; starter motor; I/O shaft seals; plus a lot of little
nickle and dime stuff.