Boat guys unite!

NYSpeed Automotive NYSpeed Off Topic
1

As most of you know I moved to Florida, and as you know, its hot here.

Up until this point, Ive enjoyed having my motorcycles and the car, but to be honest, lately I’ve been debating buying a boat and going to the sandbar thats near my house.

The issue has always been that I dont have a truck (I’ll talk about this at the end of this thread) The n54 thread has me nervous about the warranty in the BMW ending, and I figure why not sell it and get a tow vehicle and pick up a boat.

I was going to buy an 18-20 ft bay boat (such as a pathfinder, hewes, etc) as they are very popular here with all the shallow water and fishing down here, but I hate fishing for the most part and after going out on a couple 18’s, I realized a 22 pathfinder has a much wider beam and is far better for my purposes… Problem is, they’re 40k+ for a decent boat new, and used they’re pulling 25k all day in good condition.

This caused me to do some soul searching to realize, all I want to do is try and slow my friends down from getting married, cough geoff cough cough, and enjoy some drunk weekends out on the sandbar.

Ffwd to today, my uncle (who is the most anal guy I’ve ever met) mentioned he’d sell his Solara bowrider.

(I think it is this model http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2005-Solara-22-101858354 but I’m not positive of the year, with the platform is 24 ft long and has low hours)

It appears they’re worth about 25k and I bet I can scoop it for 15,000 if I play my cards right. (I’d pay cash for this) Anybody know anything about these boats? things to look out for? My uncle really is one of the most particular people I know, and the boats being serviced as we speak)

Now heres the dilema, I still dont have a tow vehicle. And Id hate to only get 10 mpg when I get 20/30 in the bmw. SO I need suggestions on a tow vehicle that can move 5k around easily (fl is flat so pulling it out of the water is the only real concern)

Bonus points will be for warranty (ef you guys who roll your eyes here haha)

CLIFFS… thinking about buying a solara bowrider or a 22 ft flats boat, who went through this exercise recently and what happened after the first season?

*I’m in florida, we have year round season

  • Whats a good tow vehicle (I want a v6 tacoma, but they’re 24k used, I’d rock a newer tahoe too )
  • RESERVING THIS SPOT FOR MORE QUESTIONS…

Thanks

2

Option #1. Buy a boat. Get a good job. Save up all your money and spend it on the boat.
Option #2. Make friends with people who own a boat. Buy beer and snacks occasionally and save yourself a fortune. This option also saves you money on a tow vehicle.

3

I have been working on option 2 for years. Mixed results :tif:
It turns out people who own a boat generally prefer their freeloaders to come with vaginas.

4

I think an “escort” on your scheduled boat day would still be more economical. :slight_smile:

5

I want my own boat

6

I love owning a boat. Go all in. But be warned, you’re going from maintenance on one vehicle to 3. Also insurance and launch fees and what not.

7

I like boats.

I like my ram truck.

8

slip?

9

I’ve been a huge fan of Toyota trucks for years. If I were you I would just get a Tundra under warranty. Maybe Beck can hook you up with a good deal and ship it?

10

Paging beck, let me know what a decently loaded new/used tundra costs.

Slip may be an option, theyre cheap.

11

iirc there’s an old proverb that says the 2nd best day of a boat owner’s life is the day they buy it…the best day is the day they get rid of it

esp for saltwater boats :o

get a jetski/waverunner?

12

I thought about the jetski thing, but when my friends come down I’d need 5 of them.

13

My uncle has 2 boats slipped in Maryland, which being saltwater has it’s ups and downs. Obviously you’re cleaning the hull more frequently…

Storms/insurance are a huge factor… I’ve seen photo’s of his jet boat tied to the docks, but 3 feet under water.

I suppose good insurance plays a huge factor here for total loss.

14

Slip would be bad for this type of senario IMHO. Especially with all the salt water your going to have to replace all kinds of our drive parts due to corrosion. An 11-present grand cherokee v6 van pull 5k and still get decent gas mileage while not towing. Plus with slipping a boat you’ll want to pull it out once or twice a week to clean the bottom up nice or it will stain pretty bad and that shit never comes out.

15

Slips are common practice in salt water, and salt water boat manufacturers make sure that their boats are built to withstand it. Zincs, bottom paint and closed-cooling systems go a long way. It’s definitely a little bit more work, but it’s not a game changer.

16

just get some beater truck if you have a place to park it. no need to ruin your daily drive when $1-3k should get you something that can tow a few times a month.

17

Pretty sure the only people that ever say that in real life are people who have never owned boats.

18

Buy boat…friends that like boats may have trucks…problem solved.

19

Exactly

They also haven’t owned a boat with mechanicals newer than 1994. Boats have come a long way since the late 80s and early 90s.

20

I’ve decided to dry dock the boat for the first 2 months and work out any kinks, then maybe find a truck or suv.

---------- Post added at 02:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:02 PM ----------

EDIT; and the style boat I’ll probably end up with has suddenly changed.

Pics will follow if I pick it up next week or so. We’ll see