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I need your suggestion in buying a boat
Hi all, I am not a boater yet but I am planning to be one very soon.
I live in South Florida and I think the kind of boat that fit in my desires is a new Walk Around between 22 and 23 feet. The advice I need is about the manufacturer brand I should consider, Outboard or I/O, 4 or 2 strokes. Please let me know the reasons of your recommendations and share your experiences. Any other suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Regards. Carlos |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
Kharlosan wrote:
Hi all, I am not a boater yet but I am planning to be one very soon. I live in South Florida and I think the kind of boat that fit in my desires is a new Walk Around between 22 and 23 feet. The advice I need is about the manufacturer brand I should consider, Outboard or I/O, 4 or 2 strokes. Please let me know the reasons of your recommendations and share your experiences. Any other suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Regards. Carlos There are lots of nice walkarounds in that size range. One that I like a lot is the Robalo 23-footer, with a 225 hp Yamaha four cycle. Robalo builds some strong boats. I'd avoid an I/O for salt water use, especially in your climate. Here is a URL: http://www.robalo.com/boatModels/R235.asp -- Email sent to is never read. |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
That is one of the boats I saw at the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show last week, I
liked. I will take a look at the web address you gave me. Thanks a lot. |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
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I need your suggestion in buying a boat
Contender, Regulator, Sea Craft, Jupiter, Parker, Grady White, Boston
Whaler, and others fall into the high price/top notch category. All will have excellent resale down the road, too. A good middle of the road (but built like a tank) boat is Dusky. Check out their 23: http://www.dusky.com/content.html Base price of the 23' Dusky with a 250hp Suzuki four-stroke is $31,600. A steal! If I were buying new, that's the boat I'd buy. Great ride. Solid Hull. Factory Direct (order it the way you want and save on the middle man). They build 'em in Dania Beach, FL. "Kharlosan" wrote in message ... Hi all, I am not a boater yet but I am planning to be one very soon. I live in South Florida and I think the kind of boat that fit in my desires is a new Walk Around between 22 and 23 feet. The advice I need is about the manufacturer brand I should consider, Outboard or I/O, 4 or 2 strokes. Please let me know the reasons of your recommendations and share your experiences. Any other suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Regards. Carlos |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
NOYB wrote:
Contender, Regulator, Sea Craft, Jupiter, Parker, Grady White, Boston Whaler, and others fall into the high price/top notch category. All will have excellent resale down the road, too. A good middle of the road (but built like a tank) boat is Dusky. Check out their 23: http://www.dusky.com/content.html Base price of the 23' Dusky with a 250hp Suzuki four-stroke is $31,600. A steal! If I were buying new, that's the boat I'd buy. Great ride. Solid Hull. Factory Direct (order it the way you want and save on the middle man). They build 'em in Dania Beach, FL. And butt ugly, but I agree that they are solid and relatively inexpensive. -- Email sent to is never read. |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
First boat for a novice should be, IMO, used and relatively inexpensive.
A 23 to 24 foot boat can be a difficult boat to learn on. Launching/retrieving can get difficult even for an experienced boater if currents or winds are involved. The larger the boat the more difficult the towing, the more expensive the costs to store and maintain and the more time required to do just about anything. I'd strongly recommend a smaller boat with a max length of say 20 feet and 18 feet would be better. A center console with an outboard is a simple way to go and provides a great deal of fun for the cost. A boat about 10 years old will have depreciated about as much as it's going to depreciate. All the previously mentioned builders would be fine. Any boat you buy should have a careful survey with the outboard checked out by an authorized dealer other than the one from which you may be buying. If you decide you love boating after trying it for a couple of years you'll probably recover your investment in a good used boat. Then, when you get your beautiful new boat you'll have a much better idea of what you want and why. Another plus is that you'll have learned a little about boat handling and be much less apt to damage the new boat, eh? Butch |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
we live in SW Florida, and before suggesting any one particular brand, maybe
you can help(mostly yourself) by deciding what it is that the boats primary purpose/use will be. fishing, if so, inshore or offshore? diving? if so, how many divers? this is close to my experience as a boat previously owned, while at first appeared to have plenty of power, when loaded with 4 divers & gear, was painfully under-powered. cruising, what comforts do you need or expect? where will the boat be stored, will it be trailered? what is your budget? in south florida there are literally hundreds of used boats to choose from the category you mentioned. no boat is perfect for every situation, but some meet the primary needs very well, and are fairly well suited for others. p.s. The Ft Myers Boat Show is this coming weekend. "Kharlosan" wrote in message ... Hi all, I am not a boater yet but I am planning to be one very soon. I live in South Florida and I think the kind of boat that fit in my desires is a new Walk Around between 22 and 23 feet. The advice I need is about the manufacturer brand I should consider, Outboard or I/O, 4 or 2 strokes. Please let me know the reasons of your recommendations and share your experiences. Any other suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Regards. Carlos |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
The cuddy cabin models are ugly. The center consoles are pretty nice
looking. "Harry Krause" wrote in message ... NOYB wrote: Contender, Regulator, Sea Craft, Jupiter, Parker, Grady White, Boston Whaler, and others fall into the high price/top notch category. All will have excellent resale down the road, too. A good middle of the road (but built like a tank) boat is Dusky. Check out their 23: http://www.dusky.com/content.html Base price of the 23' Dusky with a 250hp Suzuki four-stroke is $31,600. A steal! If I were buying new, that's the boat I'd buy. Great ride. Solid Hull. Factory Direct (order it the way you want and save on the middle man). They build 'em in Dania Beach, FL. And butt ugly, but I agree that they are solid and relatively inexpensive. -- Email sent to is never read. |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
Correction:
The "Open Fisherman" and the "Fisherman's Cuddy" are both nice looking boats. The "Fisharound Cruiser" is butt ugly. Nevertheless, at $31,600 brand new with a 250hp Four-stroke, it's a steal. "NOYB" wrote in message nk.net... The cuddy cabin models are ugly. The center consoles are pretty nice looking. "Harry Krause" wrote in message ... NOYB wrote: Contender, Regulator, Sea Craft, Jupiter, Parker, Grady White, Boston Whaler, and others fall into the high price/top notch category. All will have excellent resale down the road, too. A good middle of the road (but built like a tank) boat is Dusky. Check out their 23: http://www.dusky.com/content.html Base price of the 23' Dusky with a 250hp Suzuki four-stroke is $31,600. A steal! If I were buying new, that's the boat I'd buy. Great ride. Solid Hull. Factory Direct (order it the way you want and save on the middle man). They build 'em in Dania Beach, FL. And butt ugly, but I agree that they are solid and relatively inexpensive. -- Email sent to is never read. |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
I will consider this "DUSKY" specially if they are made in Dania, which is very
close where I live. But I have another question, how do you rate "AQUASPORT" between the brands you already mentioned and the "DUSKY". Regards. Carlos |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
Lower for the $$$...
Dan Kharlosan wrote: I will consider this "DUSKY" specially if they are made in Dania, which is very close where I live. But I have another question, how do you rate "AQUASPORT" between the brands you already mentioned and the "DUSKY". Regards. Carlos |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
Thank you Butch.
Make a lot of sense what you said. |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
Ok, let me start my comment with your last one. I already went to the Fort
Lauderdale Boat Show, it was amazing. I felt in love with all the boats there. I also live in SW Broward, FL. About the use .... hmmm ... it will be for little cruising and fishing. Two-Three days in a row maximun I guess, unless we are on vacation. I would like to do little cruises from the FL keys to West Palm Beach, so it is important to have a little v-berth cabin. Thinking about peolple, I guess should be an average of 4-5 at a time. Boat will be trailered and I will store it in my home backyard. What is not "perfect" for me is the budget, but I can make some arrangements. Thank you for your time and suggestions. Carlos |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
Carlos,
Good luck and happy boat shopping. Sometimes trying to make the decision from all the available choices is the hardest part. Post back when you find something, I'm curious to know what you decide. As Ii stated earlier, given the time, there are plenty of boats for sale throughout S Florida which would meet your needs. Do plan on getting a survey and make any offer to buy contingent on the survey and a sea trial. from my experience, for the survey, try to load the boat with an approximate/average load(people?) and see how it handles. Might also consider going when the weather might not be the greatest. Many boats look great up on their trailers, but may not ride the way you like or expect in the 'real water'. As to trailering, the main factor is the tow vehicle. What is the towing capacity? Boats tend to get much heavier than the stated poundage on the brochure, given the need to add the trailer weight, fuel, engines, batteries, goodies & stuff. We went to the Ft Lauderdale show as well, lots of boats. I do not think we got to see half of them, but the ones we skipped are way out of my budget anyways. So I figured why bother? We live in Cape Coral and plan on attending the Ft Myers show this weekend. "DownTime" "Kharlosan" wrote in message ... Ok, let me start my comment with your last one. I already went to the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, it was amazing. I felt in love with all the boats there. I also live in SW Broward, FL. About the use .... hmmm ... it will be for little cruising and fishing. Two-Three days in a row maximun I guess, unless we are on vacation. I would like to do little cruises from the FL keys to West Palm Beach, so it is important to have a little v-berth cabin. Thinking about peolple, I guess should be an average of 4-5 at a time. Boat will be trailered and I will store it in my home backyard. What is not "perfect" for me is the budget, but I can make some arrangements. Thank you for your time and suggestions. Carlos |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
Hi Carlos,
You can't beat a Grady White. Especially the walk around cuddy cabins! They are as solid as you can get, and hold their value VERY well. They are available in IO and outboard. I think a Volvo diesel/duo prop is also offered. Other good boats include Duskey, Edgewater, Robolo and Formula. (I own a Formula Pocket Cruiser for a personal boat.) I would stay away from a Renkin, Wellcraft, Bayliner, Regal and Hydra-Sports. These boats do not hold value well, and are apt to break down a lot. Causes are mostly due to shortcuts in manufacturing. Key West makes several good flats boats. The main thing is to find a boat you like, and that has the amenities you will need. A few posers. On the trip home, when you are worn to a frazzle, are the seats comfortable and are there enough of them? Head and holding tank? Fresh water? Raw water wash down is almost a must for serious fishing. How about live wells? What electronics do you want and will the console accommodate them? How many rod holders will you need. Can the boat wear outriggers? How about a T-Top or tower? Lastly, what can you afford? Capt. Frank Kharlosan wrote: Hi all, I am not a boater yet but I am planning to be one very soon. I live in South Florida and I think the kind of boat that fit in my desires is a new Walk Around between 22 and 23 feet. The advice I need is about the manufacturer brand I should consider, Outboard or I/O, 4 or 2 strokes. Please let me know the reasons of your recommendations and share your experiences. Any other suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Regards. Carlos |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
I will let you know how this story ends.
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I need your suggestion in buying a boat
You fell in "LOVE" with ALL the boats there?? Oh, you got the bug bad! GET
THIS MAN A BOAT NOW!!!! Good luck on your search! 11/10/03 9:40 PM Ok, let me start my comment with your last one. I already went to the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, it was amazing. I felt in love with all the boats there. I also live in SW Broward, FL. About the use .... hmmm ... it will be for little cruising and fishing. Two-Three days in a row maximun I guess, unless we are on vacation. I would like to do little cruises from the FL keys to West Palm Beach, so it is important to have a little v-berth cabin. Thinking about peolple, I guess should be an average of 4-5 at a time. Boat will be trailered and I will store it in my home backyard. What is not "perfect" for me is the budget, but I can make some arrangements. Thank you for your time and suggestions. Carlos |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
Captain,
When looking on Formula's web site, I see cruisers referred to as "Performance Cruisers", I didn't see any referred to as "Pocket Cruisers", what model do you have? Paul "Capt. Frank Hopkins" wrote in message ink.net... deleted .. (I own a Formula Pocket Cruiser for a personal boat.) |
I need your suggestion in buying a boat
Hi Paul.
Mine is a 1992 Formula 26'PC. ( Performance Cruiser ) The model has been "replaced," sort of, by the Formula 27 PC. The layout of the two is barely similar. Formula retains its high quality standards in its boats, even today. As for "Pocket Cruiser" that is a generic term for a class of high performance boats with cabins and amenities. I will recommend the Formula as one of the best boats I have ever owned. Capt. Frank A few photos of her are on my website. http://www.home.earthlink.net/~aartworks Paul Schilter wrote: Captain, When looking on Formula's web site, I see cruisers referred to as "Performance Cruisers", I didn't see any referred to as "Pocket Cruisers", what model do you have? Paul "Capt. Frank Hopkins" wrote in message ink.net... deleted . (I own a Formula Pocket Cruiser for a personal boat.) |
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