Talking Boats Monday
Mates,
As we get closer to sunsetting OT season, it is still the prime boating season for those of us in the northern hemisphere. I was having an enjoyable back-n-forth with another mgoblogger on the topic and he had some very (v-e-r-y) fast boats back in the day. It got me thinking that someday I might buy another boat, but that day isn't quite here yet.
We all know the old saying about the two happiest days of a boater's life: the day he buys the boat and the day he sells it, but boats can be a lot of fun and generate some wonderful memories, too.
So today's question is kind of a split one:
1. What type of boat do you have and what od you use it for? Do you think about buying another boat someday, and if so, what would it be?
2. To the non-boat owners, assume you magically had a budget for a boat (and the time to use it), what type of boat would you get and why? Ski, fish, pontoon, cruiser, ocean-going, express cruiser, whatever?
19 days until college football. Only 9 days until high school football here in Michigan. Time is short and getting shorter...
XM
August 15th, 2022 at 11:12 AM ^
Lol. I will get you for this. Haven't yet figured out how, but I will find a way. One day, when you least expect it. Yep. ;-)
No boat currently. Started boating at 5 or 6. Many years later, children arrived so boating adventures ended as follows: goggles on, hair on fire, a bit under 96 mph, with a pair of custom-built NA Chevys, spinning Arneson mounted surface-piercing 5 bladed Rollas well aft on a ventilated hull deep-V. Considered uber-fast for a 1985 build. She was Hull #1, purpose built, and was last seen, neutered/de-powered, in the MI area, from what I understand. Hopefully piloted by a Wolverine. Yes, I was crazy.
Click the link for the former boat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnU8EPaRr-I
Any day spent "messing around in boats" is a Very Good Day.
August 15th, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^
Seadoo or similar for me. It's the right ratio of fun to hassle/cost. I understand why others love their bigger, more expensive boats, but I'd much rather have a friend with a boat and cover gas for the day than have to deal with owning one.
Parents have a ratty old pontoon that sips gas and functions perfectly as a middle-of-the-lake swim/party raft, so that'd probably come in second.
August 15th, 2022 at 11:16 AM ^
practical, economical. good considerations.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:44 PM ^
I completely disagree with the "better to have a friend who owns a boat than to own one yourself".
It's true if you only want to go boating 2-3 times a year. We own a boat and we go on our own schedule, whether that be a bigger planned weekend trip or a spontaneous trip after work on a beautiful Tuesday. Sometimes friends get invites, sometimes we just want to go us and the dog. But if we do invite people, it's "this is when we're going, you are welcome to join". I'd rather be able to go whenever I want to and am available rather than cater/change my plans to work around someone else who owns the boat.
August 15th, 2022 at 2:22 PM ^
Yep, I get that. I love being on the water, I just don't love it enough to prioritize it in that way. Sounds like you've found your happy place and made it happen!
August 15th, 2022 at 11:25 AM ^
I spend most of the summer going to P1, OPA, and Race World events. I love watching them race and hanging out with the race teams. If you've never been to an event, I highly suggest doing an entire weekend. Key West is hands down my favorite venue, followed by Michigan City and Sarasota.
August 15th, 2022 at 11:25 AM ^
The best boat is a friend’s boat.
I’ve got a few friends with boats when I want to get my fix. I don’t own a place on a lake so when I do go up north, I just rent for the day or two I need it. If I could get a boat, I’d get a pontoon boat. I mostly like to just hang out with friends and have some drinks on the water.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:09 PM ^
I'm glad to find a fellow connoisseur of other people's boats on the board. I like boats. I like spending time on boats. But I don't like spending time taking care of boats, so I am much prefer to make friends with people who are dedicated to their boats and willing to share.
August 15th, 2022 at 1:39 PM ^
Not a boat owner either. I was always scared off due to the horror stories of the costs.
B - Bust
O - Out
A - Another
T - Thousand
August 15th, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
Great topic! Nothing I love more than boats and talking college football.
I have a 1989 Egg Harbor 37-footer. I have had it for 5 seasons. My wife and I are the third owners. We love the classic lines and all of the teak. Lots of work, but she is a beauty. We mostly just cruise and anchor in Lake Michigan. However, when we are both retired, we will basically be summer live-aboards and have plans to cruise the Great Lakes....and perhaps beyond. 
August 15th, 2022 at 11:41 AM ^
She's a beauty! Ever thought of "looping"?
August 15th, 2022 at 11:58 AM ^
Yes! In fact, the couple we bought it from had just done the Loop the year before. Definitely on our bucket list.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:04 PM ^
eggs are nice boats. they had a fiberglass issue for two production years just prior to your '89 but the fall out is that you can get an egg, which is an excellent boat, at a very good price if you know what you are looking for.
what type of power?
August 15th, 2022 at 1:17 PM ^
Twin 454's. They were both refurbished the year before we bought her.
August 15th, 2022 at 1:25 PM ^
guessing cruise around 18-20 kts, making about 3/4 mile per gallon?
August 15th, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
In my experience (and preference), boats fall in a common category with pools and cottages (and children): Best when owned by someone else.
August 15th, 2022 at 9:48 PM ^
Man, you couldn’t be any more wrong. My cottage has tripled in value in the 23 years we’ve owned it, my boat has been an absolute gem (very few maintenance issues) and both have brought my family and extended family more joy and wonderful memories than I ever could have imagined. Wish I had 2 cottages and 2 boats.
August 15th, 2022 at 11:34 AM ^
Sailboat. Size highly dependent on the size of the lake we retire on.
August 15th, 2022 at 1:21 PM ^
is that something (retire on a lake) that is a serious thought when you get to that time of your life, or more of a hypothetical?
August 16th, 2022 at 3:55 AM ^
Serious thought.
August 16th, 2022 at 7:40 AM ^
i and dear wife have that same thought, though maybe not as developed as i'm guessing yours is. i wouldn't want to leave the farm, but maybe if we give it to one or more of the kids and get some kind of lake place that would be about right. love the water, boats, swimming, etc.
good on you, blue, and may you and your wife make great decisions about those things when the time comes.
August 16th, 2022 at 7:54 AM ^
I already have the sailboat... and the lake cottage... just 9 years 359 days to go.
...although, we plan on selling that lake cottage and our other house and upgrading our lakefront retirement place.
August 15th, 2022 at 11:34 AM ^
Would love to buy a HydroStream Viper. They are 15ft speed boats. Nostalgic for me, my dad had one when I was a kid. They look cool but are not practical. Price wise they are quite affordable if you can find one though.
In all reality, I would love to buy a deck boat. Holds a good amount of people comfortably, and you can use it to ski/tube and cruise faster than our pontoon.
August 15th, 2022 at 11:37 AM ^
I have a Monterey 194 fs open bow. Used it more for tubing, knee and wake boarding when my kids were at home. We did run it in salt water out to Cape Lookout a few times (once to sleep over and look at the Milky Way), and in the Chesapeake Bay including to Tangier Island. Mostly it serves as a runabout on Jordan Lake and other NC lakes.
If I had the money for a second house, it would be a lake house with a boat lift.
August 15th, 2022 at 11:38 AM ^
I got the itch last summer to purchase a used 30-foot sailboat that was for sale at a reasonable price. I checked the marinas (Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Charlevoix, and the private places on and around Little Traverse Bay) and found there is a multi-year waiting list for a slip. In the case of Harbor Springs, folks have been on their wait list for nearly 20 years.
There is the option to move it from marina to marina at a daily or weekly rate, but the uncertainty of doing so is a turnoff. So, until I can find a place to keep it, there will be no boat for me.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:01 PM ^
Next year we intend to do transient slips. We know some people who do it around Sutton's and Grand Traverse Bay and they love being somewhere different every week.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:01 PM ^
Next year we intend to do transient slips. We know some people who do it around Sutton's and Grand Traverse Bay and they love being somewhere different every week.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:46 PM ^
Isn't that frustrating? Then you go around to the other side of the bridge in Mackinaw City, and see most of the slips at the beautiful state run marina empty. What's the point in spending all those taxpayers dollars to build transient slips that sit empty most of the year?
August 15th, 2022 at 11:40 AM ^
When I get a boat, i'm going to name it Amy.....
it won't be a big boat, just a little dinghy. :-)
August 15th, 2022 at 11:44 AM ^
I’m in a non-boat owner category (not counting our kayaks, or the family owned and shared cottage pontoon, which is perfect for drinking beer and cruising). I would get a drift boat or flat boat to do some fly fishing on the rivers. Good thing my father in law, brother, and fishing buddy all own boats.
August 15th, 2022 at 11:52 AM ^
We just this year bought a 1997 Sea Ray 210 open bow.
We live in Traverse City so we mostly take it out in Sutton's Bay and Omena where we tube and camp out in Jamaican blue waters to swim and picnic. Just Friday I was diving off of the boat into 18 ft. of crystal clear water and swimming to the bottom. It was absolute heaven and it is not lost on us how lucky we are as a family to live where we live.
We also enjoy exploring Lake Leelanau, Silver Lake, Long Lake and, next week, Elk Rapids and Power Island.
August 16th, 2022 at 12:56 PM ^
If you are doing Elk Rapids be sure to check out Petobego sandbar near Yuba and the Metropolis shipwreck near Old Mission. Two of our favorite spots!
Only took me a year to see this post.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:02 PM ^
I've lived in Juneau, AK since 2003. Having a boat is very helpful. Lots of halibut and salmon fishing all season. It's nice to go out into a quiet spot and not have cell service or be bothered for a bit.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:07 PM ^
been there and loved it each time. how has your fishing season been so far?
August 15th, 2022 at 12:21 PM ^
Not too bad. A couple more weekend trips should get enough for the freezer for winter. I have daughters at 11 and 8, so it's a lot of fun to watch their excitement when they catch something. My mom visited this spring and I sent her home with a bunch of halibut too.
August 15th, 2022 at 4:53 PM ^
Halibut fishing is on my bucket list! I've heard it can be like reeling in a piece of plywood.
August 15th, 2022 at 5:06 PM ^
They don’t call the big halibuts “barn doors” for nothing.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:28 PM ^
This is the exact boat I want! Someday maybe.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:05 PM ^
GO BLUE 215 HP Sea Doo to terrorize Sparties. Can hit 60 MPH with no passengers and up to 55 MPH with passengers. 15.5' length make stowing, trailering, and launching easy.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:08 PM ^
nice paint job.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:06 PM ^
I am a non boat owner but having grown up near Montrose harbor in Chicago love the look. I discovered pontoon boats after moving to Kansas from friends and enjoy the 3 hour get away to the lake weekend lifestyle.
Their Lake House-
Their Boat
I cover food and gas works for me.
(3) Pontoon boat is the right speed and leisure for me.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:08 PM ^
I had a Monterey 208 si montura back in the early 2000's. I got it when my kids were really too young to enjoy and it was a pain to go out on so I eventually sold it. My now teenage kids are angry that I got rid of it. It was a fun little boat. I wouldn't get another unless I lived on the water or very close to it. Probably some kind of center console.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:20 PM ^
I've got a Glastron 175... easy to tow... easy to store in the garage with a swing-away tongue. Use it mostly for tubing/skiing/wakeboarding, etc.
If the two happiest days of a boater's life are the day they buy and the day they sell, they're doing it wrong. Or they have the wrong boat. Where else can you spend $50 for a day worth of entertainment, sun and fun for the family? We've had some mis-haps here or there, but we've loved our boat.
We love our local lakes here in MI, but enjoy Norris Lake in Tennessee, Lake Cumberland in Kentucky and hopefully will do a houseboat at Dale Hollow next summer.
August 15th, 2022 at 9:54 PM ^
I frequent Cumberland and Dale Hollow. Both are spectacular for dammed up rivers but neither can touch the waters in Michigan.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:22 PM ^
Bought a Mastercraft surf boat just a few weeks ago. First time boat owner so taking some used to but the kids are having a blast surfing and tubing with it!
Great so far except tight to navigate at slow or no speed (needs propulsion to steer) and no steering in reverse.
August 15th, 2022 at 12:25 PM ^
You've seen my rinky dink boat before, but it took forever to get the wife to okay one in the first place so it's special to me. 2000 Scout Sport fish 17', repowered with a newer Yamaha 90. I've redone the wiring, put in a new fuel tank and added a small ttop to her. Farthest I've taken her is 20 miles out in the gulf and have no issues catching king mackerel, cobia, Mahi, false albacore, etc. (Pictured is a friend and the youngest kids goofing off recently near Port St. Joe in Florida). 