OT - MGOBoating Thread

Submitted by The Mad Hatter on

So I'm thinking of buying a boat, maybe this year or next.  I've been looking at boats in the 27-33 ft range, mostly with dual engines and an aft cabin.  Something used, but in good shape.

Are there any MGoBoaters here?  What kind of boat do you own?  Where do you use it?  Do you trailer it or keep it in the water?

NFG

May 6th, 2015 at 9:55 AM ^

Your first sentence reminded me of the movie "Corky Romano", when Chris Kattan accidently snorts cocain and says very quickly and randomly, " I THINK I SHOULD BUY A BOAT!!".

 

/csb

Everyone Murders

May 6th, 2015 at 9:57 AM ^

I'm curious to see what sort of "well, for me, a Hatteras is the only way to go" humblebrag threads.  I have two open water kayaks that I use on slow rivers and lakes.  One fishing and one built for speed - both under $700 retail (and under $250 actual price paid).

In any event, good luck as you approach one of the two happiest days of your life!

Everyone Murders

May 6th, 2015 at 10:09 AM ^

I just recall some humblebrag threads in the past asking questions along the lines of "I'm thinking about taking my 45' Princess to the Port Huron to Mackinac this year, and I'm wondering if anyone has had issues going through Lake St. Clair?".  I didn't read yours as a humblebrag - but your thread topic certainly runs the risk of feeding the proverbial bears.

I'm not mad.  I'm just sayin'.

mGrowOld

May 6th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^

You're close.  I was taking my 33 foot Rinker from Lake Erie to Port Huron and wondered about the water levels on Lake St Clair.  And FWIW - that trip DID scare me and one of the guys here on the site was a Coast Guard officer who made that particular run all the time and gave me some great pointers on what to look out for on the trip off-line.

Just sayin back.

 

Everyone Murders

May 6th, 2015 at 10:23 AM ^

In any event, those sort of water level problems are why I always keep a cabin cruiser on each side of Lake St. Clair, and use a Bell 412 to get from one marina to the other. 

In the long run, I'm saving money.

Everyone Murders

May 6th, 2015 at 11:29 AM ^

Those are very fun to sail, and intuitive - you'll have a blast.  I'm not exactly a salty dog, but the biggest issue with a Hobie Cat is that once you capsize it (and you will), it can be a pain-in-the-ass to get it back over.  Have your buddy demonstrate how to do it a few times.  Apart from that, they are fast and fun boats.  Much more fun, in my experience, than a Sunfish or some such.

You're right to be excited.  Congratulations!

stephenrjking

May 6th, 2015 at 12:58 PM ^

Cat and dinghy sailing is fantastic, you should have a great time. How much needs to be done? Does it have decent sails?

There's some value in doing some research to learn, just to have an idea of what you're doing. The best way to learn is to do, though. As long as you have a clear idea of how to hold course and get upwind, you have a good base to start. 

One resource that might actually help is a demo version of Sailing Simulator 5, which will allow you to sail a Laser (those are pretty fun to sail too, though as a large guy I find them uncomfortable to operate) and get a feel for how to handle wind direction.

I'm a big-time sailing convert myself--as a kid I wanted all boats to have motors on them, but I got a hankering to try sailing a couple of years ago and joined a local club. Helps to have Lake Superior and the harbor minutes from my house. My favorite summer activity.

Everyone Murders

May 6th, 2015 at 11:50 AM ^

Going out on Lake Michigan can mean a lot of different types of uses. 

As a basic matter, you want to consider what conditions you'll use it in and what the mission is.  If you just want to mess around along the shoreline, I'd start with a cheap open water design made of polyethylene in the 12' range or so.  It won't track tremendously well, but it will be OK.  Invest in a good seat, and learn to paddle with your core.  You can buy these new at the major sporting goods stores on sale, and they'll be fine to muck around with. 

If you're looking to take it on camping trips or over long open water stretches, you'll need to invest more.  But I'd start off with the cheap option, since you can always sell your polyethelene kayak for a bit over half of what you bought it for - and a good chunk of kayaks don't get used much because people don't like it as much as they thought they would.

If you're already "into it" I'd look on Craigslist for a more rigid open water "touring" design (12'-14', depending on your weight and what you want to bring), with multiple hatches and better stability to get through chop and better tracking.  There are abundant choices because people tend to "overbuy" on their first go-round, and 2-3 years later just want to get rid of relatively pristine kayaks.

True Blue Grit

May 6th, 2015 at 10:04 AM ^

The best time of year to buy a used boat is the end of the boating season (at least here in the Midwest) in the fall.  By then, the demand is much lower and supply of boats on the market tends to be a bit higher with people wanting to get rid of theirs after the summer.  So, you're more likely to be able to negotiate a lower price. 

Without knowing what you're going to be using a boat for, it's hard to make any recommendations.  But, personally, I'd want to have a boat in a set location where I didn't have to deal with trailering it anywhere.   Too big of a hassle and time consuming.  Of course then you'll need to keep it at a marina which costs more money each month.  Marina slips can vary a lot in price, so you need to shop around there.  Good luck!

True Blue Grit

May 6th, 2015 at 1:54 PM ^

goes out to Kelly's Island occasionally.  His is only a 21 footer that tosses around on Lake Erie waves like a cork.  For that reason, I'd look for a relatively deeper hulled boat.  Erie is a shallow lake which can make it pretty rough in relatively modest winds.   Anyway, he found a marina on the Maumee River that (knowing him) must be inexpensive.  But unless you like being in an ugly industrial area just downwind from a sewage plant, I'd stay away from it. 

Roc Blue in the Lou

May 6th, 2015 at 9:46 PM ^

What about the day Kate Upton needs to get away from it all and your boat is in the closest slip to exiting the marina???  She leans over from the dock and asks to "come aboard, sailor"  and you trip over your tackle box to help her aboard.  From there, its out to sea with nothing to do but stare...um, at the shoreline.  Heave to and mix up a batch of something tasty and get plowed.  She's in no hurry.  The boat gets to rockin'...up and down...over and over...the swells are coming faster and harder.  Well, next thing you know you're back to the slip, exchanging numbers and sending out #blessed on your twitter feed.  That is the BEST day you owned a boat. But what do i know, i only own an inflatable raft...

Setshot

May 6th, 2015 at 10:07 AM ^

Used to spend most of my time on Marble Lake. But it was always nice to take the pontoon from one end to the other and back. Especially doing it late at night with a boat full of booze and some good friends. 

We no longer boat there though. Last year we docked the boat at Wamplers Lake. Closer to home. 

Primo

May 6th, 2015 at 10:08 AM ^

If you're looking to buy a 27-33 foot boat, then A) you're going to be using it on the Great Lakes or the ocean; and B) you're going to be keeping it in the water during the season at a marina.  Trailering a 27' boat might be possible, but anything above that is going to be pretty tough to trailer.  Step 1 is identifying where you plan to boat, and then shop for an appropriate boat.  After my dad passed away, I used our family's 25' boat on an inland lake for a few years and it was too big.  The way to go for inland lakes is to buy a bowrider speedboat or a pontoon (depending on whether you want to do water sports).  

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

May 6th, 2015 at 10:18 AM ^

I agree, anything at all above about 27 feet and you're looking at a major, major investment to trailer it around.  Your average F-150, Silverado, Tundra, etc. isn't going to haul anything bigger.  You'd be surprised how damn big a 25-foot boat looks on a trailer.

I wouldn't limit your search locally.  Deals can be had by looking out on the East Coast.  It will cost in the neighborhood of $1500-2000 to have it delivered from there to Michigan, so factor that into the price, but it's worth looking to see what you can find.

Wolverine 98284

May 6th, 2015 at 10:13 AM ^

It is a folding trimaran and it is kept on the water in the Salish Sea.  It is a sailboat.  You are probably not interested in it as it uses these large, dacron or nylon things to harness the wind to move.  I've hit 15kts more than once!

RoxyMtnHiM

May 6th, 2015 at 10:17 AM ^

I'm an avid boater. In fact, I have a regular armada. Two belly boats, a Buck's Bag pontoon, a Hobie pontoon, an Old Town 17-footer, and, the jewel, a '55 MonArk 1436 jon boat that I've customized into a sweet flatwater flyfishing watercraft.

And I have to say, a 30' boat is just insane. You will never get a beast like that around on the carp flats.

evenyoubrutus

May 6th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^

Get a container vessel.  It will run you a little more up front but the ROI is well worth the price.  I don't spend a dime on anything unless I can leverage a profit from it.

His Dudeness

May 6th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^

My brother has a boat. Something like a 25 ft Checkmate. It's nice and all, but I'm glad I'm the brother of the guy with the boat. It's a huge pain in the ass. Especially in the midwest. You have to think of how many weekends you have in the season, cut out the ones ruined by weather or other plans... then break down the expenses per year per hour actually on the water. It's pretty depressing and if you break it all down like that I bet you won't end up buying one. Also it's kind of a lot more fun if you have a lot of friends and/or are single. Just FYI.

 

wigeon

May 6th, 2015 at 11:27 AM ^

I am delighted that my wife is an anti-pack rat.  At least once a year we sort through shit with a cold, calculated eye and ask the question "what have you done for me lately?". If it isn't an heirloom or hasn't been used in X amount of time, it's donated to Goodwill, recylcled or given away. 

The Mad Hatter

May 6th, 2015 at 11:30 AM ^

My garage, which used to  contain my car and some tools, now looks like an episode of hoarders.  She saves things, thinking that she'll use them again.  But then when she needs it, she can't find it, and so buys another one.

I think I have 4 staple guns and at least 6 hot glue guns.