It seems to me you are looking for family comfort, a dive platform and
some nice amenities.

You should have a look at Formula boats. The 27' or the 31' will fit
your needs. I have a '91 26'PC. The boat is very well built, with
stainless fittings where most other manufacturers use plated or worse.
The hull is stronger, and won't break in heavy seas. (Bayliners have
been known to do that.) The entire boat is well thought out.
The swim platform is so well made, my wife and all our guests can climb
out on it!

http://www.formulaboats.com/


Capt. Frank

See attached website for a few pix. Go to the "boating link"

Dave,

You have quite a few needs for a first time boater. Some of those needs
like being easy to operate for a first timer, and something big enough
for 4 for a weekend, might be at odds with each other. Here is some
advice which might be helpful is resolving these conflicts.

First of all define the experience and character of the potential captain,
you. If you have had previous boat handling experience, and/or are
someone who can learn the skills of boat handling and adapt those
procedures fluidly, to changing conditions, you might be able to start off
with a larger boat. If you have had little experience and/or tend to panic
in stressful situations (such as docking in heavy winds), it may be
necessary to start off with a smaller boat that is easier to acquire the
fundamentals of boat handling, and is more forgiving of operator error.
Taking safe boating courses, and finding a friend with a larger boat who
will let you get experience docking their vessel could overcome these
shortcommings.

Next, define your personal needs. Within your family of four, define
"weekending on a boat". To some of us it means camping, or "roughing
it". If you family is the outdoor type and your kids are younger perhaps
a 19ft cuddy with a camper top will fit the bill. To some, weekending
means having ALL the ammenities of home aboard. In which case the 24ft
Aft cabin cruiser might be minimum. After you defined weekending,
determine what percentage of your boating will consist of weekending.
Once again, if youre only looking to do this a handful of times a year,
you might consider doing with less to few times to gain other advantages
(eg fuel economy, ease of use, ease of trailering, etc).

Determine where the boat will most likely be used. This will most likely
determine the size and perhaps the type of boat being used. As for the
size and type, I would take a 10' duck boat or bass boat out on Lake Erie
where I boat. Your conditions might just merit that larger boat. When
it comes down to brand, as someone else stated, seek advice from boaters
in the area. My only caveat would be to learn to separate knowledge from
bull****. If another boater can tell you specifically the pluses or
minuses of a given boat model, preferrably based upon person experience,
then I would be more likely to take what they say at face value.

As for which brand to buy... I tend to believe that all boats are somewhat
crap. Irrespective of the brand, I have yet to see a new boat that did
not exhibit some design flaw or quality control issues. When you are
talking about used boats, these issues can skew or level the playing field
of quality between brands. I for one would have no problem condsidering a
used Bayliner that was well cared for, over (insert favorite brand here)
that was abused. Conversely, if the usage was reversed the Bayliner MAY
not have faired as well as the popular boat. I honestly don't know.

As for Bayliners in particular, my personal experiences with them were
favorable on the great lakes. I have formed the opinion that in that area
of use, they are a value priced alternative, undeserving of alot of the
snide remarks seen here. As for salt water use, I cannot honestly say, so
find someone in the area you boat who can give you concrete information,
before you buy.

Do you really need a 24 footer? Or is a 24 footer big enough? Only you
can answer the question honestly. No matter what you decide, good luck
with your purchase and take the time to get acquainted with your needs as
well as the rules and customs of what I deem to be the most enjoyable
pursuits on earth.

I hope this helps

Bob Dimond






In article ,
(Diverguy) wrote:

I've been around boats for a long time because I've been on Dive boats
but have never owned a boat myself and have never really operated them
myself. I would like to get a boat that my family of 4 can go out
from Orange County to Catalina for the weekend (23 miles). I would
also like to go out and go diving with a few people. I don't plan on
staying on the boat for more than 1 or two nights. Being my first
boat, I would like to get a used one to help reduce the cost. My
thoughts are to get a 26-28ft with a cabin. First, am I crazy for
getting this size boat as my first one? Also, I was looking at the
Bayliner because the cost is a lot lower than others. The bad news is
that I see a lot of negative feedback for Bayliner boats. I'm looking
for a boat that is seaworthy, dependable, etc. but I don't need the
fancy interior stuff like teak, etc. Any recommendations would be
great. Please email mail in addition to posting on the newsgroup
). Thanks.

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Don't be afraid of a 28-footer as a"first boat." The learning curve for
handling a 28 footer isn't really any longer than for a 21 or 22 footer,
and in
a lot of ways the greater mass of a larger boat helps promote stability.

The brand name of the boat you select will be less important than the
design
characteristics. Bayliner probably builds both suitable and unsuitable
boats
for your purpose....but if you're going to be somewhere under 30-feet size
wise
you might want to consider boats that are designed for offshore sport
fishing
conditions. In the NW, boats like C-Dory, Skagit Orca and a few other
brands
would be worthy of investigation and consideration.



C-Dory is a nice boat but not offshore. The bottom is too flat causing a
rough ride and instability with a following sea. Been there, done that!
Gordon

C-Dory is a nice boat but not offshore. The bottom is too flat causing a
rough ride and instability with a following sea. Been there, done that!
Gordon



I'm doing a boat review on a 25' C-Dory next Monday. (Wanted to get something
done about a vessel suitable for blackmouth fishing, since in the magazine biz
it's already December). This will be my first experience actually underway on
one of these, although I did an article on the factory about two years ago.. It
seems we agree that they are "nice boats", hopefully there will be enough snot
to plow through next week that I'll be able to either agree or disagree with
your handling assessment. :-)

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
C-Dory is a nice boat but not offshore. The bottom is too flat causing
a
rough ride and instability with a following sea. Been there, done that!
Gordon



I'm doing a boat review on a 25' C-Dory next Monday. (Wanted to get
something
done about a vessel suitable for blackmouth fishing, since in the magazine
biz
it's already December). This will be my first experience actually underway
on
one of these, although I did an article on the factory about two years
ago.. It
seems we agree that they are "nice boats", hopefully there will be enough
snot
to plow through next week that I'll be able to either agree or disagree
with
your handling assessment. :-)



Mine was a 22 footer. Is the 25 the cat? Or do they something new? The
deadrise on the old 22 foot was shallow and the bottom was completely flat
on the pre 1986 ers. After all they are dories!
Also you mentioned offshore. I don't think you'll get into 7 foot swells
with 3 foot chop in Puget Sound as you commonly will going to and from
Swiftsure Bank out of Neah Bay in May.
Gordon

Also you mentioned offshore. I don't think you'll get into 7 foot swells
with 3 foot chop in Puget Sound as you commonly will going to and from
Swiftsure Bank out of Neah Bay in May.
Gordon

With any luck, we'll see the 2-3 foot chop. Swells aren't so bad- just up the
hill and down again. :-)

On 21 Oct 2003 10:59:20 -0700, Diverguy wrote:

I've been around boats for a long time because I've been on Dive boats
but have never owned a boat myself and have never really operated them
myself. I would like to get a boat that my family of 4 can go out
from Orange County to Catalina for the weekend (23 miles). I would
also like to go out and go diving with a few people. I don't plan on
staying on the boat for more than 1 or two nights. Being my first
boat, I would like to get a used one to help reduce the cost. My
thoughts are to get a 26-28ft with a cabin. First, am I crazy for
getting this size boat as my first one? Also, I was looking at the
Bayliner because the cost is a lot lower than others. The bad news is
that I see a lot of negative feedback for Bayliner boats. I'm looking
for a boat that is seaworthy, dependable, etc. but I don't need the
fancy interior stuff like teak, etc. Any recommendations would be
great. Please email mail in addition to posting on the newsgroup
). Thanks.

Just one additional consideration and my opinion only: if I were buying
anything upwards of 28', I'd spend the few extra dollars to make sure it
had twin engines. Besides the extra safety in emergencies, they can be far
easier to maneuver in rough weather in emergencies. While you will need to
spend a bit of time learning the handling characteristics, I think that
once learned, they are far easier to handle in tight quarters.
--

Larry
email is rapp at lmr dot com

I would like to get a boat that my family of 4 can go out
from Orange County to Catalina

Didn't the Four Preps define that as
"a leaky old boat,
any old thain that will stay afloat"?
Of course that was the 60s ;-)

Personally, I think that a 28 foot stern drive, single motor boat is the
toughest "to control" boat out there. Anything larger, you'd almost have to
go with twin screws. Anything smaller, you could "man handle" your way
through some mistakes with the help of 2 deck mates. Just thinking about
backing into a tight slip on a windy fall day on a 28' single screw makes me
wince . . .

J


10/21/03 5:55 PM

Don't be afraid of a 28-footer as a"first boat." The learning curve for
handling a 28 footer isn't really any longer than for a 21 or 22 footer, and
in
a lot of ways the greater mass of a larger boat helps promote stability.

The brand name of the boat you select will be less important than the design
characteristics. Bayliner probably builds both suitable and unsuitable boats
for your purpose....but if you're going to be somewhere under 30-feet size
wise
you might want to consider boats that are designed for offshore sport fishing
conditions. In the NW, boats like C-Dory, Skagit Orca and a few other brands
would be worthy of investigation and consideration.

Wow,

That's great advice Bob! Where were you when we were looking for our first
boat??

As far as Bayliners in Sal****er is concerned. We boat in New England and
it's tough to find "old" bayliners around here. But . . . I have seen a few.
There is one fellow in our marina who bought his Bayliner brand new in 83'
and it still looks and runs great! He is however, an incredible mechanic and
does all the work on the boat himself. I think he will keep his boat another
20 years . . .

J




10/22/03 1:19 PM

Dave,

You have quite a few needs for a first time boater. Some of those needs
like being easy to operate for a first timer, and something big enough
for 4 for a weekend, might be at odds with each other. Here is some
advice which might be helpful is resolving these conflicts.

First of all define the experience and character of the potential captain,
you. If you have had previous boat handling experience, and/or are
someone who can learn the skills of boat handling and adapt those
procedures fluidly, to changing conditions, you might be able to start off
with a larger boat. If you have had little experience and/or tend to panic
in stressful situations (such as docking in heavy winds), it may be
necessary to start off with a smaller boat that is easier to acquire the
fundamentals of boat handling, and is more forgiving of operator error.
Taking safe boating courses, and finding a friend with a larger boat who
will let you get experience docking their vessel could overcome these
shortcommings.

Next, define your personal needs. Within your family of four, define
"weekending on a boat". To some of us it means camping, or "roughing
it". If you family is the outdoor type and your kids are younger perhaps
a 19ft cuddy with a camper top will fit the bill. To some, weekending
means having ALL the ammenities of home aboard. In which case the 24ft
Aft cabin cruiser might be minimum. After you defined weekending,
determine what percentage of your boating will consist of weekending.
Once again, if youre only looking to do this a handful of times a year,
you might consider doing with less to few times to gain other advantages
(eg fuel economy, ease of use, ease of trailering, etc).

Determine where the boat will most likely be used. This will most likely
determine the size and perhaps the type of boat being used. As for the
size and type, I would take a 10' duck boat or bass boat out on Lake Erie
where I boat. Your conditions might just merit that larger boat. When
it comes down to brand, as someone else stated, seek advice from boaters
in the area. My only caveat would be to learn to separate knowledge from
bull****. If another boater can tell you specifically the pluses or
minuses of a given boat model, preferrably based upon person experience,
then I would be more likely to take what they say at face value.

As for which brand to buy... I tend to believe that all boats are somewhat
crap. Irrespective of the brand, I have yet to see a new boat that did
not exhibit some design flaw or quality control issues. When you are
talking about used boats, these issues can skew or level the playing field
of quality between brands. I for one would have no problem condsidering a
used Bayliner that was well cared for, over (insert favorite brand here)
that was abused. Conversely, if the usage was reversed the Bayliner MAY
not have faired as well as the popular boat. I honestly don't know.

As for Bayliners in particular, my personal experiences with them were
favorable on the great lakes. I have formed the opinion that in that area
of use, they are a value priced alternative, undeserving of alot of the
snide remarks seen here. As for salt water use, I cannot honestly say, so
find someone in the area you boat who can give you concrete information,
before you buy.

Do you really need a 24 footer? Or is a 24 footer big enough? Only you
can answer the question honestly. No matter what you decide, good luck
with your purchase and take the time to get acquainted with your needs as
well as the rules and customs of what I deem to be the most enjoyable
pursuits on earth.

I hope this helps

Bob Dimond






In article ,
(Diverguy) wrote:

I've been around boats for a long time because I've been on Dive boats
but have never owned a boat myself and have never really operated them
myself. I would like to get a boat that my family of 4 can go out
from Orange County to Catalina for the weekend (23 miles). I would
also like to go out and go diving with a few people. I don't plan on
staying on the boat for more than 1 or two nights. Being my first
boat, I would like to get a used one to help reduce the cost. My
thoughts are to get a 26-28ft with a cabin. First, am I crazy for
getting this size boat as my first one? Also, I was looking at the
Bayliner because the cost is a lot lower than others. The bad news is
that I see a lot of negative feedback for Bayliner boats. I'm looking
for a boat that is seaworthy, dependable, etc. but I don't need the
fancy interior stuff like teak, etc. Any recommendations would be
great. Please email mail in addition to posting on the newsgroup
). Thanks.