Anybody own a boat here at the Cafe? I'm looking to buy a boat probably in the spring and I'm curious what I should look for and what questions I should be asking. We'll use it primarily for fishing, water-skiing, etc. Not looking for a bass boat or anything, as I'll have the family out with me most of the time. We'll be using it on rivers and lakes (no ocean near Nebraska ) I'd like it to carry about 6 passengers comfortably. What brands should I be looking at? I've heard some great things about Cobalt and Riva. Anyone have any suggestions?
We had all kinds of lake boats when I was a kid growing up. They're lots of fun and lots of work. Nowadays they're also very expensive. I'd really suggest buying a good used boat as a first attempt in order to see if the family takes to it and then, down the line if everyone's happy, possibly buying a new boat.
Out here in Southern California I can't tell you how many people I know that bought a nice new expensive boat and all it did was sit in their driveway collecting dust and rotting while they made the payment every month. That's my two cents worth. Good luck with whatever you buy and whichever way you decide to go, new or used.
Don't give up the ship...........sell it!!
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Horizons wrote:We had all kinds of lake boats when I was a kid growing up. They're lots of fun and lots of work. Nowadays they're also very expensive. I'd really suggest buying a good used boat as a first attempt in order to see if the family takes to it and then, down the line if everyone's happy, possibly buying a new boat. Out here in Southern California I can't tell you how many people I know that bought a nice new expensive boat and all it did was sit in their driveway collecting dust and rotting while they made the payment every month. That's my two cents worth. Good luck with whatever you buy and whichever way you decide to go, new or used.
That's good thinking. I was just going to start shopping for a new one, but the point you made makes great sense. My wife and I have loved boating with friends and people from work, but the kid's only been once. He enjoyed it, but kids usually like new things. Maybe see how he takes to it after it becomes a weekly thing and go from there. Thanks Horizons.
Boat owners are only truly happy on two days - the day they buy their new boat, and the day they sell it to some other sucker!
I always wanted a boat, and my wife loves fishing too, so we got one a couple of summers back. A 16' fibreglass with a 50hp Johnson outboard with steering wheel. It was a used boat and motor and the foot was cracked which cost us a not-so-small fee to repair, but the trailer was in excellent shape and the whole kit and kaboodle cost only marginally more than a new trailer alone (pre-repairs) so we were happy...
After all the work to get her seaworthy we hardly even used her that summer and she's been in storage in the backyard at my parents' cottage ever since... Between the fact that I no longer have a vehicle to tow it with (had a Jimmy when we bought her but I now have a Neon) and the fact that I don't really have the $$ for gas (it's a guzzler) or any of the hundreds of other maintenance-related issues, we just haven't gotten around to getting her back in the water...
We have a canoe too. The wife doesn't like it very much.
I have a truck and an SUV, each of which can tow the boat, so that isn't an issue. I was told I would need something with about 175hp.
I like boats that have a cabin you can put your crap down errr i mean stoe your gear even sleep over if the mood strikes. and it still doesn't have to be a big boat to have a cabin. Have you looked on trader online dot com or boats dot com?
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[size=14][b]Letters from the procupine, they'll stick straight through you.
So read one anytime you think you've made mistakes.[/b][/size]
We have a canoe too. The wife doesn't like it very much.
I have a truck and an SUV, each of which can tow the boat, so that isn't an issue. I was told I would need something with about 175hp.
I like boats that have a cabin you can put your crap down errr i mean stoe your gear even sleep over if the mood strikes. and it still doesn't have to be a big boat to have a cabin. Have you looked on trader online dot com or boats dot com?
No, I haven't looked online for anything yet. I don't really buy things online, but I suppose I could check just to get some ideas. I wasn't planning on a cabin, but that would be nice. Like I mentioned, we'll be using it for rivers and lakes. A boat with a cabin sounds a bit bigger than I was planning on, but I've never ridden one before. Do you have some examples or do you own one?
We have a canoe too. The wife doesn't like it very much.
I have a truck and an SUV, each of which can tow the boat, so that isn't an issue. I was told I would need something with about 175hp.
I like boats that have a cabin you can put your crap down errr i mean stoe your gear even sleep over if the mood strikes. and it still doesn't have to be a big boat to have a cabin. Have you looked on trader online dot com or boats dot com?
No, I haven't looked online for anything yet. I don't really buy things online, but I suppose I could check just to get some ideas. I wasn't planning on a cabin, but that would be nice. Like I mentioned, we'll be using it for rivers and lakes. A boat with a cabin sounds a bit bigger than I was planning on, but I've never ridden one before. Do you have some examples or do you own one?
I don't own one, but i've been on plenty. and really like I said doesn't mean it's a bigger boat just utilizes the boats hull space. definately go online to get an idea of what's out there. i just went to boat trader and found I might be interested in. not that you have to buy it online just find it.
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[size=14][b]Letters from the procupine, they'll stick straight through you.
So read one anytime you think you've made mistakes.[/b][/size]
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by Omaha Red Sox » Thu Oct 26, 2006 7:55 pm 
) I'd like it to carry about 6 passengers comfortably. What brands should I be looking at? I've heard some great things about Cobalt and Riva. Anyone have any suggestions?
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