Looking to buy a boat - 1st time owner ?'s

joestang

joestang

Club Member
I have narrowed it down to looking for a cuddy cabin in the 22-26ft range. It'll mostly be myself, the wife & dog, but I do want a little extra space & power if we have a couple more people on board.

We live on the eastside, so it'll probably be docked on a slip (in a marina) on St. Clair. I dont want the hassle of trailering it (plus I dont have a truck), and I like the idea of 10 minutes after loading up being out on the water.

Here's the questions I cant really find a solid (good) opinion on:


1. Whats the best areas for casual boating on St. Clair? I've heard most people head up to the north channel, so you might as well store it up there instead of the shores, as traffic can be a pain. is Metro Beach area still a bacteria-fest?


2. What would be your minimum boat size & power for St. Clair? I doubt we will be crossing large areas frequently, but I dont want to be tossed around like a doll either. There's a pretty big premium going from 23' to 26' cuddy, so just wondering if its really necessary.


3. Good experience at a marina for a slip? If I can find a family-owned gig that will have non-raping repair/maintenance/storage prices I'd rather go there than support some monster that could care less about some scrub with a $25k boat.


I am pretty sure we'll make an actual purchase sometime after tax time, so i want to be able to get a better idea on the other costs other than just the boat (slip, maint, storage, etc.)
 
I wouldn't want anything smaller than 26-28' on St Clair. We had a 22' bow rider which was fine for tooling around and drinking beer, but if you plan on actually going anywhere you'll want something larger.

The price range on boats is all over the map. You can spend $20K and you can spend $200K, easily.

Our little bow rider was $3,000 a year for the slip, insurance, and storage.

The water quality of St. Clair is similar to a well used toilet. That means nothing for boating though unless you plan to be getting in the water.

Also factor in $150-200 a day for fuel (-EASILY-) unless you want to just taxi the boat from your slip to somewhere close to work on your tan.
 
Those are good questions. I know nothing about boats but ill be keeping an eye on this thread to see what others input is
 
I don't have much of an input other than we've had our boat at bayside yacht club, basically right at the end of 59 right by the air base, it's been perfect ever since I was a kid and nice people, might want to look in to it?
 
I wouldn't want anything smaller than 26-28' on St Clair. We had a 22' bow rider which was fine for tooling around and drinking beer, but if you plan on actually going anywhere you'll want something larger.

The price range on boats is all over the map. You can spend $20K and you can spend $200K, easily.
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We are looking for something in the 20-30k range, and from my limited searching we should be able to get something decent in the size we need, and with a decent V8 I/O. How much more difficult is a 26-28ft to maneuver over something in the 24ft range? How about gas mileage? I'm not opposed to something bigger, but its alot harder to stay in our budget once we get past the 24-25ft range boats, without going with something 20+ yrs old.....

Our little bow rider was $3,000 a year for the slip, insurance, and storage.
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Thats kinda what I figured going rate would be. Was it indoor storage for winter or outdoor? How big of a deal is outdoor vs indoor storage?

The water quality of St. Clair is similar to a well used toilet. That means nothing for boating though unless you plan to be getting in the water.
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There's gotta be areas that are better & worse than others, though, right? We'll def be in the water too, as I plan on learning to ski, and tubing, etc


Also factor in $150-200 a day for fuel (-EASILY-) unless you want to just taxi the boat from your slip to somewhere close to work on your tan.
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Fuel is definitely a consideration, but I think the whole WOT YEAH! will wear off quickly. It's going to be mostly a cruise out to a spot, go swimming, relax, and cruise back kinda routine - I think

I know its not always better to get a smaller engine (say 5.0L vs. 5.7) due to taxing the engine uses more fuel. Whats the "best" compromise for power & fuel usage, in the 24-26ft range?
 
You will want something at least 25ft for lake st clair, or else youll get beat to hell on anything over 2ft waves. Look for something with an alpha or bravo outdrive, they are the most common, volvos are good too, probably something with either a 454 or dual 350s also, a single smallblock will be slow and youll want to go faster. Id look into a mid 90s sea ray, you can find something in you range in probably a 28 footer and newer and low hours
 
cjmatt said:
You will want something at least 25ft for lake st clair, or else youll get beat to hell on anything over 2ft waves. Look for something with an alpha or bravo outdrive, they are the most common, volvos are good too, probably something with either a 454 or dual 350s also, a single smallblock will be slow and youll want to go faster. Id look into a mid 90s sea ray, you can find something in you range in probably a 28 footer and newer and low hours
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X2 I've had a 24 Ft cuddy my buddy owned out there, and it get a little rocky. If you can find a 28 in teh price range go that way. I have no experience on slips as we trailered. The 260HP small block we had was ok, but not nearly enough power to be considered fun in that water. Big block and 26+ foot in my opinion.
 
Subscribing so that I remember to post after work. I spend 5-6 days a week on avg on lake st clair in the summer and in the areas you are questioning.
 
Thanks for all the opinions guys, def appreciated.

I hadnt really looked at the "Express Cruisers" in the 25-28ft range, and I was a little surprised that they werent CRAZY more expensive than a typical 24ft cuddy. The only thing that worries me is fuel cost and speed with such a larger boat. Can a typical 26' cruiser with a 260hp 350 pull a skier or two easily?
 
joestang said:
Thanks for all the opinions guys, def appreciated.

I hadnt really looked at the "Express Cruisers" in the 25-28ft range, and I was a little surprised that they werent CRAZY more expensive than a typical 24ft cuddy. The only thing that worries me is fuel cost and speed with such a larger boat. Can a typical 26' cruiser with a 260hp 350 pull a skier or two easily?
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Depends on how it's propped/equipped. For doing 2 skiers i would def go big block power, if you want it to be the least bit fun. How big of a cuddy you looking to get? What about v berth types like the eliminator? Post some of the boats you're looking at.
 
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Definitely want something more along the lines of a cruiser than those "speed" boats. A head is a necessity, and a little kitchen would be a nice bonus, but not mandatory.

I LOVE that Rinker, but again thats probably more speed/sport and not enough over-nighter comforts for us. I kinda doubt I'll be trying to top it out much with a dog on board, but I dont want a turd that struggles to get on plane either.

This is the kind of boat I am looking at right now:

http://www.hallssportcenter.com/pre...2885X12K22K2011J1I11I42JPMQ3024R0&veh=2335637
 
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If your goal is to go drink and hang out with the muscalosers then anything will do. But sounds like you want family involved so I'd say stick with above advice (25' or longer with a BB)
 
joestang said:
Definitely want something more along the lines of a cruiser than those "speed" boats. A head is a necessity, and a little kitchen would be a nice bonus, but not mandatory.

I LOVE that Rinker, but again thats probably more speed/sport and not enough over-nighter comforts for us. I kinda doubt I'll be trying to top it out much with a dog on board, but I dont want a turd that struggles to get on plane either.
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THis is what you're looking for? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1999...29555?pt=Power_Motorboats&hash=item4ab230e853

My dog loved it (boxer) when we were hittin 55 in the jetboat...lol
 
joestang said:
It is definitely going to be family boat. I really dont foresee too many 'lets go get drunk' trips out. That Mariah looks pretty nice, I just have been trying to stay local so in case I get serious about a purchase I can move on it.

Something like this would be great, I think, but I just dont like the previous salt water use http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004...77758?pt=Power_Motorboats&hash=item45ff83e69e
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I was just idea tossing. That Regal is beautiful. But being previous salt water, i would have it inspected befor considering it seriously.
 
I hear ya, idea tossing is what I do! I'm just fortunate to have finally broken down my wife to consider a boat. lol
 
i also wouldnt throw out the idea of a boat without a head, every person i know with one uses it for storage only, if you gotta go, ya hop off the back lol
 
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