OT- do you own a boat?
- Thread starter dockery07
- Start date
leigh
Active Member
have you thought about jet skis/personal watercraft? Can be quite fun on a lake so long as there's little enough traffic and the drivers are intelligent enough not to be safety hazards. Some of 'em are so overpowered these days you can still tow lil kids in inner tubes. You're not gonna waterski behind them obviously, but maintenance is a lot easier if only cause they're so much easier to move around!
dockery07
Active Member
We are going to go with a trailer boat. And since we cannot park it in the driveway with the stupid neighborhood association. We might figure out how to park it in the back yard. Maybe next to the hot tub. I found an enexpensive searay if they make those. I am going to go look at maybe today. It helps being in texas, we can almost use it year round.
leigh
Active Member
It all depends on what you're looking for...my boyfriends boss lives on a lake and has a boat and 2 jetskis. We were at his place for a 4th of July party and the jetskis were by far the most heavily used. If you want all 6 of you to be able to go out cruising then yes, a boat would be the way to go--but how often, really, would that happen? (Children's social lives will progressively bear down on family gathering 
) And just how big is this lake? Unless we're talking about Lake Erie I imagine you'd get bored of that after a while. But if you live on the lakefront the perk to jetskis is you can be on your back porch bbq-ing and decide to go for a lil spin and it's not a major effort/deal. If you had 2 you and your husband could play when the kids aren't home--as the kids get older they and their girlfriends could go play on them etc... (But hey, maybe this is just me wishing my parents had jetskis when i was younger instead of a stupid searay that never worked the 2 times a year they actually could get the family organized to go out on it ).
) And just how big is this lake? Unless we're talking about Lake Erie I imagine you'd get bored of that after a while. But if you live on the lakefront the perk to jetskis is you can be on your back porch bbq-ing and decide to go for a lil spin and it's not a major effort/deal. If you had 2 you and your husband could play when the kids aren't home--as the kids get older they and their girlfriends could go play on them etc... (But hey, maybe this is just me wishing my parents had jetskis when i was younger instead of a stupid searay that never worked the 2 times a year they actually could get the family organized to go out on it ).
dockery07
Active Member
The property wont have a dock for several years. We are looking at a 5 year plan to build on. The twins are only 6 with our oldest being 15 so who knows what he wants. The lake is 70 miles long. And we will live at the top of a cliff. Lots of stairs to get to the bottom. So who knows. We are using a friends for this weekend. Then we might make a desicsion.
the claw
Active Member
Having a boat is fun. I wish you the best. I bought one last year that I can ski behind, yet have it set up for fishing as well. (downriggers, depth finder etc.) Its a great way for a family to do things together. This weekend we are going boating up this lake (Fifty miles long) that is surrounded by wilderness. We are then going to set up camp and crack open some cold ones. Its supposed to be triple digits again, so they better be darn cold.
What a life!
What a life!
coloradodeb
Member
Sea Ray here, fantastic for skiing.......Have had it for literally years.......but, haven't used it for 2 years either........Great boat!
D
daniel411
Guest
I just use an unbrella upside down, toss it in the water, hop on it... and paddle away into the sunset...
jpeavytx
Member
Since its going to be your first boat shop around, don't buy the first boat you see. Talk to some of the boat dealerships around your town and find out which ones are giving more trouble than others. Have a mechanic check the engine and the lower unit to make sure everything is in good working order.
I am on the water 24/7 and have a Malibu. You might want to wait till after Labor Day, thats when most people put there boats up for sale so they don't have to pay for upkeep and a place to store it all winter. You will pay a higher price for one now than you will pay for the same boat a month or two from now.
I am on the water 24/7 and have a Malibu. You might want to wait till after Labor Day, thats when most people put there boats up for sale so they don't have to pay for upkeep and a place to store it all winter. You will pay a higher price for one now than you will pay for the same boat a month or two from now.
aquarius 1
Member
I have a 88' 25 foot Sea Ray...one really nice boat but like everyone else's boat we refer to it as "a big whole in the water that we just keep pouring money into" - come to think of it, it kind of sounds like my fish tank!! But if your seriously looking into boats, the pay-off is great but it requires a lot of work, time, and money on your part...
fishkiller
Active Member
JPeavyTX- You are dead on. And I forgot about that when I posted earlier. We waited till the fall to get our's. Yeah, it was used, but for a year, which is NOTHING on a boat- not like a car. Well, as long as you upkeep it properly. We spend a minimum of 2-3 hours cleaning our boat, even if it has been in the water for an hour. We scrub down the inside, outside, fresh-water rinse the engines, etc. A lot of work, and money. So make sure you don't brake the bank w/ this thing. Unless, money is not an issue, THEN I could think of some nice boats you could get.
salty jeff
Member
Nice boat plum70rt! I bet you have taken a few REDS or SPECS with your setup.
smarls
Member
Dockery,
I have a Cobalt, keep it up on Lake Tahoe, and even though I don't use it enough, it is the best thing. The Cobalt is older (about 15 years old now, but it still runs like a charm.
I have never owned a SeaRay, so I don't know how they are built, but Cobalt's are built really well, and hold there value pretty well (for boats that is...I guess it is all relative!).
Get the boat. I grew up around sailboats and powerbpats, and as a kid, it was a little slice of heaven...I am sure your kids will thank you for it one day...unfortunately, that day will probably be when they are old enough to be out in the boat by themselves with their friends!!
Good luck either way.
Stewart
I have a Cobalt, keep it up on Lake Tahoe, and even though I don't use it enough, it is the best thing. The Cobalt is older (about 15 years old now, but it still runs like a charm.
I have never owned a SeaRay, so I don't know how they are built, but Cobalt's are built really well, and hold there value pretty well (for boats that is...I guess it is all relative!).
Get the boat. I grew up around sailboats and powerbpats, and as a kid, it was a little slice of heaven...I am sure your kids will thank you for it one day...unfortunately, that day will probably be when they are old enough to be out in the boat by themselves with their friends!!
Good luck either way.
Stewart