"Sandy K." wrote in message ...
"John" wrote in message
om...
"pmiller" wrote in message
...
After several years of looking and saving I am finally ready to buy my
first boat. Ive looked at boats from 26 to 34 ft and based on advice
from
many people here I am
eliminating everything over 30' as too big for a first boat.
Today I looked at a 30' Sea Ray Sundancer 1989.
The boat will be used on the Chesapeake Bay in the Annapolis MD area.

Is there anyone here familiar with the Sundancers of that
age?

Id love to know if there were any problems with those boats or anything
in
particular to look for.

I will of course have a survey done prior to purchase
Ive taken the powerboating course and have a little experience with a
19'
runabout and a 24' Cruise Along
which is now in the Calvert Marine Museum.

Thanks

Paul

Paul,

A 30 foot boat is still too big for a first boat. Get a boat around 21
feet long and learn what your doing with it, then move up after two
years. It's a boat, not a car, and it takes time to learn to operate a
boat properly.

Boating is supposed to be enjoyable, it's not going to be enjoyable
when it comes time for you to dock that boat. You can learn the easy
way with a smaller, easier to handle boat, or you can learn the hard
way with the bigger boat. Your going to look like a fool trying to
dock. It will be very obvious to everyone that you don't know what
your doing. I've seen too many new boaters that bought boats that were
too big for them to handle do a lot of damage with them.

Go with the smaller boat, it's the best advice you'll ever get when it
comes to first time boats.

I own a 1997 Sea Ray 290 Sundancer - LOA 32 feet. This is my first boat and
I can honestly say that I'm glad I purchased a boat of this size. Sure,
there was a very steep learning curve and some stupid mistakes in the
beginning. I'm into my 4th year with the boat and am quite comfortable
handling her around docks. First year, there was what I like to refer to as
"major pucker factor" - especially approaching a docking situation. I
always made sure I used the ehad before getting near the dock!! Only advice
I can offer is take your time, go slow, ask for assistance and get someone
who knows how to handle boats teach you a thing or two.

Have fun,
Sandy K.

I agree with the idea of asking someone to "show you the ropes", but
sadly, a lot of people don't. I have friends that are boat dealers,
they will tell you they can't beleave how many people with no
experiance buy large boats and just show up on their own expecting it
to be "like driving a car". Had you spent some time on the water with
a smaller boat before you bought the one you now have, that "pucker
factor" time would have been reduced to a few times out on the boat,
instead of a year long. A lot of this also has to do with what kind of
docking facilities you will be using, how congested the waterways you
will be on are, and the depth, width and currents of the waterways.
Additionally, few people who have never boated before are capable of
knowing just what kind of boat will suit their needs. They know what
they like, they know what they think they will need and they know what
appeals to them. But they know very little about boats and boating,
what's important, and what's not. They frequently find themselves a
year or two later with a boat that does not suit their needs.