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