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Off-topic TalkWhere overpaid, underworked S2000 owners waste the worst part of their days before the drive home. This forum is for general chit chat and discussions not covered by the other off-topic forums.
Originally Posted by MikeyCB,Feb 19 2010, 02:04 PM
Plus, if other people come out with you, they'll be more inclined to chip in on gas, and maybe even rental costs. If you own a boat, friends just see it as free and you foot the bill for everything.
I used to go up to the cottage to find that my friend had taken out my Sea Doo and emptied out the gas tank. A couple times I actually found out that he filled it on my account at the local marina. What the heck! Only noticed when my monthly bill had some expenses for weekends I wasn't even there.
This.
Everytime I take the skiis out with a friend I let them know upfront- they have 20.6 gallon tanks, they take premium, and you're paying to fill.
I'll third the motion- save money and rent. You can rent whatever fits the occasion.
If you want to go fast, pull a skier and have it available anytime, then get a jetski, but not a Seadoo. I've had three and the maintenance will eat you up. This is my latest, and I expect to only add gas and go.
putting around a lake drinking beer on a pontoon is fun for a while, but it gets old.
If you don't ski, don't fish, and don't already like being on the water on friends' boats as often as possible, yeah a big expensive boat's not for you. You'll end up whining about maintenance and gas. But truth be told, maintenance costs aren't that much. Paying storage fees and winterizing and such adds up, but it's nothing compared to what you'll be paying in gas for a big fiberglass cruiser.
If you and your friends really wanted to go out on the water just to drink beer, maybe fish, or swim and tow a tube, you'd be buying a used 17' or 18' aluminum fishing boat first. You can tow kids behind a 25 hp outboard. A 50 hp will tow adults skiing or tubing, with limits depending on the size of the adult and how many people are in the boat.
An aluminum boat is pretty durable, you can pull it up on the beach for years and not worry about it. Fiberglass is not so sturdy and it's a lot heavier and more expensive. An AL 18' open fishing boat with a console, seating, and storage weighs ~1200 lbs., plus ~250-500 lbs. for a 50 hp motor depending on age. You can tow that easily and safely with almost anything.
You are going to pay more for the motor on something like than for the boat, but maintenance costs are going to be almost nil besides gas. If you've never owned a boat before, that's the way to start. You can pick up something like used for relatively cheap. You can always spend more money next year.
another vote here for renting. i bought a jetski and used it every day but if you actually calculate the hourly cost versus the purchase price, that's a lot of hours you gotta log before you even hit the breakeven point. just renting is so much more convenient, no towing/launching/parking issues/no registration/no storage/etc...
I have a pontoon.. it's good for partying with strippers and carrying my elderly grandmother since she can't step down into the other boats, but not much else beyond that.. with 200 ponies she does move, but it's still a snore to pilot!
She gets the least use in the end of all the boats..
