The two happiest days of boat ownership = the day you buy it and the day you sell it.
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Boat experts
- Thread starter ifiddles
- Start date
If your looking at newer boats , pretty safe bet if it’s a trailer boat it’s ok. If your looking at older , there is a few pieces of wood in a fiberglass boat you’ll want to check , engine stringers ( that’s where the engine sits ) the transom ( usually plywood ) buried in the glass, and floor stringers ( think joists) . And look the engine over carefully for any signs of been bounced off something. Plan of spending about $500 on safety equipment if it doesn’t have it all. I’d really recommend a boating course , like Canadian Power Squadron for your operators card , you can do an online class and test, but you will learn some handy things at an actual course . Starting shorter in length is not a bad idea 18-20 ft if you have never helmed a boat . I’m not a fan of jet boats , but that’s me , seadoo and Yamaha have made a million of them. Service the trailer bearings annually and don’t back into the lake immediately after towing for an hour , give the bearings 10 mins to cool . Trailer boats are a great idea , storage costs less and you can take the boat to the water you want to be on. I have a couple boats now , whether it’s power or sail , there are related costs , but that’s every hobby .
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Xhumeka
Well-known member
If you're considering a jet boat like the Sea Doo Speedster/Sportster/Challenger you might also want to consider the new Switches. I only have 10 hours on mine (18 foot, 230hp), but so far I'm loving it. The low speed handling has been changed from the older jet boats to the newer PWC style - impossible to screw up, if you can ride an ATV you can drive the switch. Tows like a dream behind a 1500.
(that's wildfire smoke/haze... not fog :/ )
(that's wildfire smoke/haze... not fog :/ )
ifiddles
Well-known member
Thanks for the suggestion...we have a 1500 as well...where did you buy yours?If you're considering a jet boat like the Sea Doo Speedster/Sportster/Challenger you might also want to consider the new Switches. I only have 10 hours on mine (18 foot, 230hp), but so far I'm loving it. The low speed handling has been changed from the older jet boats to the newer PWC style - impossible to screw up, if you can ride an ATV you can drive the switch. Tows like a dream behind a 1500.
(that's wildfire smoke/haze... not fog :/ )
Xhumeka
Well-known member
I saw you had a 1500 in an earlier post, so I posted the trailering pic to give you size perspective. That pic is actually where we got the Switch - Delta Power Equipment in Seaforth which is primarily a farm machinery business. You can buy them from any Can-Am/BRP dealer.
Trailerable boats avoid marina fees but even a 16 footer is hard to store at home. The outboard / outdrive add a couple of feet to the length as does the trailer tongue. It could be hard to fit into a standard garage. That leaves public storage which isn't cheap or secure.
The dealers seem to frown on towing things with vehicles under $100 K in value, regardless of what they do with them in other countries.
The dealers seem to frown on towing things with vehicles under $100 K in value, regardless of what they do with them in other countries.
ifiddles
Well-known member
whether we buy a trailer or a boat, we have storage at my brother in-law's place...I have no space at my place...
I may have found my next boat , 26ft Ranger Tug , displacement hull so pretty comfortable in big lakes , trailerable if I need it , 150hp outboard which leaves a ton of storage in the back deck . Nice lines ( if you dig trawler style ) . New fuel injected outboards get pretty decent mileage , way better than a big block inboard , and way less maintenance costs .
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I like the salty looks of tugs and workboats and not so keen on the prune pit looks of the current crop. My 26 foot Chris Craft had an over 10' beam which allowed for interior room plus side decks. We had to tow in a disabled prune pit and the crew was in danger of sliding into the drink.
I often toyed with putting an OB on the Chris as the hull was designed for straight inboard but they put in an I/O instead, 5L V-8. While the looks would have suffered from the hardware at the back it wouldn't have ridden as bow high.
Is the Ranger a displacement hull or does it get up on plane if one has to make time?
Ranger is considered semi displacement so it would plane “ sort of” . Never is a long time but I’ll probably not own another inboard under 40ft . The outboards have gotten so good , mechanic lifts off the engine with a boom truck , into the shop it goes . No more head stands in a dank hole .
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On your potential boat, the outboard looks fine. On conventional cruisers, I just can't get over how ridiculous a multi-outboard system looks. I fully understand the benefits (cost, serviceability, interior space, etc) but damn is it ever ugly. Most people don't buy boats for practical reasons. The compromise boats with outboards inside a doghouse works better for my eye.
My daughter uses them occasionally for work. She thought they would be a blast. But they are painfully slow. Especially on water. She uses a canoe or hip waders whenever possible.
I saw that. 3mph on water but I think they look great for cross country fun. 25mph on trails. My issue would be…where the hell do I store it.
I realized a while ago that I prefer pontoon boats to speedboats if I’m going to be on water so speed isn’t my thing there.
I don't think they use them at anything over a crawl. 25mph would rattle your teeth.
KLR Junkie
Well-known member
Get 2 Seadoo Sparks. Then you can both have fun. Stupidly fun to blast around and only uses about 10L/hour when riding in full hooligan mode. Also surprisingly good for touring. I regularly do long days on the Trent system. I'll put in on Lake Skugog and ride out through the locks to Buckhorn and back in a day with no comfort issues and only use about 40-50L of regular gas.
Agree. When they came out the marketing was two on a trailer for $20k. What's a switch, $50k+? Don't get me wrong, the switch is cool and fills a niche that individual jet skis can't touch but it's still crazy how much prices have risen.
A friend has had higher strung seadoos in the past but for the last set bought sparx trixx. 90% of the fun, 25% of the gas, 25% of the maintenance headaches. I highly dislike how they implemented the trim controls but that's not a deal breaker.
FWIW, my buddies are are so evenly matched it's crazy. Throttle to the bar on both and the gap is less than a boat length after a mile. I was shocked. Makes it easy to ride together as normally the faster one would be constantly feathering the throttle.
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