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

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

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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.

On 09 Nov 2003 18:18:38 GMT, (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've got a Proline 21'. Love it. Great little boat for fishing in the
Chesapeake, but might be a little small for the open water stuff. They do make a
nice boat, and they are made in Florida. I think they go up to about 33' with
their walkarounds.

John
On the 'Poco Loco' out of Deale, MD

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

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.


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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

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

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.


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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.


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Email sent to is never read.