Grew up with my dads 1978 glastron Carlson cvx 16 that he bought brand new and still has to this day. I was 24 when I actually bought my own and it's a 1987 Concord Magnum II 20 ft. Kids and a mortgage make it tough but every year I do a little something to it to make it nicer. This year it got a new floor new seats and new engine that should be around 400 hp. I will post pics when it's all back together

At 20, I was racing in a 29' Mirage in "A" class. I didn't own the boat but got to race in it for 4 years. At the age of 24, I bought my first performance boat, a 13 year old 22' Donzi Classic. My next boat didn't come until I was 30 when I upgraded to a brand new 29' Kryptonite. Then 5 years later in 2007 I bought my 2003 38 ZrComp.

My father and uncles spend some serious coin on model trains!
I can't believe how many of you "youngsters" I am 34 on my way to 35 have had not one but several boats already. I wanted to pull the trigger on first boat when I was 23! Something held me back, next thing I know my first down payment on a boat, my wife is now wearing on her finger, my second down payment, she ended up driving a brand new Toyota Four Runner, Third downpayment went to a house!
I pulled the hammer when I finally turned 32 and told the wife that she got three things to my none and if I did not have a boat before we had kids, that dream was never going to happen. So the first boat I own(ed) is 1997 Baja 322. So I got a 32 foot boat for my 32nd Birthday.
Next step is either a newer Sonic or Sunsation with 525's when I can afford it and convince the wife now that we have two boys!
Congrats to all for their efforts in enjoying what we all enjoy so early in adult life.

Just bought my first... 29 and bought a 25 foot AT Tantrum :)

This is why I upgraded to my bigger boat a month after I found out I had a boy on the way ;) heard to many of my older friends preaching the same story

27yrs now.. 38 Cigarette Top Gun. lip-ship have had a 16 donzi, 20 baja outlaw. formula 242. formula 311 fountain 29f1.

wouldn't give it u for anything.. it is truly a love and passion.

had a 13 whaler also.

I would keep the CTS-V, sell the other toys and bank the money for the boat. Will your truck handle the bigger boat?

18 16 ft Mark Twain
28 20 Chapparrel
34 232 Rinker
39 Divorced
40 22 Baja Hammer to have some fun

28 with my Formula 292. Maybe a bigger boat in the future when I stop buying new cars.

Boating ive been into since I was 10.
1st boat 12 y/o 13 whaler. used the Hell out of it
2nd 15 y/o 15 whaler
3rd 24 y/o 22 stinger
4th 25 y/o 26 Velocity
5th 26 y/o 32 hustler
6th 26 y/o 35 Cafe
7th 27 y/o 18 donzi
8th 27 y/o 272 formula ls
9th 27 y/o 24 carerra SS7M
10th 27 y/o on the hunt
Im luckey because I have a great set of parents and my dad owns a shop that i can stick my cafe and a top gun in so I can work on it anytime and any weather doesnt matter. So its all about what we have in life and to take advantage but appriciate eveything we have and we are able to do. Be thankful just to even be in this game wather its a 16 donzi or a 50 maurader cig... Good luck to all of you guys and keep enjoying these boats
-Mike

young guns
 

Cool thread. I agree with what others have said and am thankful to be able to afford a boat at a young age ( 30 yrs young)! Grew up on the old man's boats and pulled the trigger on a donzi 18 classic in my mid 20's. Haven't looked back yet. Currently running a 27 Activator; good times! :evilb:

my 1st boat was at 15, an 8' jon boat that i found floating down the creek behind my parents house, mowed lawns with my buddy for years prior and had enough money to buy a 15hp chrysler outboard, man that was fun and dumb, got my 1st jetski at 17 and have had 4 of them up till last year, got my baja hammer at age 26, met my wife on the lake with that, now have a 25' nordic rage

My 1st boat was a 2002 23ft Caravelle Interceptor i bought when i was 22 in 2005. Sold it at the end of 2009 and got my current boat 2000 28 Sunsation.

Im 27 now and like most of you guys I live pretty modest to be able to afford to boat. I took the cheap route in life though and have stayed away from getting married!:drink:

At 22 I had a 52' Harbor Master Houseboat and a 21 Scarab II
At 24 Moved up to a 75' Summerset Houseboat
at 26 I got the Baja 405, and still have the Scarab.

14' Myers Aluminum John boat with oars. I rode it down the side of a hill once, like sledding, ah the good old days.

Thats nothin...........Jay rode one to the bottom of the ocean.:lolhit:

Well put!:coolcowboy:

24 I had a 25' Sunsation
28 I own a 32' Sunsation
I once heard your boat length has to stay ahead of your age:party-smiley-004:

12 - Styrofoam sail boat - No sail but had a trolling motor. We wore that thing out after elementary school catching fish. Paid $20
19 - Scarab 21 - Had at School in Galveston. Bad mistake but a lot of fun. Not included in the 4 year plan so I sold it.
20- Excalibur 40 - Dad lost interest on the project and signed the title over to me. It was a bare hull at that point, but I worked in the industry and was able to finish it. Spent way too much money on it but it was a blast! The fun way exceeds the money spent.
28- 24 Sea Ray Project - "Take the Kids and Dogs to the beach Boat" I plan to have about as much in this boat when finished as it cost to run the 40' for a month.

Sold the 40 last year at 28. Sold the Ford I pulled it with and put all of the proceeds towards a nice home upgrade (keeping my previous home as rental.) Doubled my money walking out of the closing office.

My wife and I enjoyed 7 years boating with our friends. We are all at the same place in life and all seem to be "taking a break" at the same time.

Good stories in the thread!

22 I had a 2003 20' Baja Outlaw.
24 I have a 1996 27' Fountain.

I hear THAT. The boats I had when I was younger had some serious great memories, even some secrets that couldn't ever be replaced.

Right on.
:cool:

Ha, I don't think I wanna hear that story!

wow this thread blew up!!! I had no idea this many guys would jump on it! Some of the guys have some seriously nice boats!!! That'd be you endevor!!!

Sick Stinger, that is a RIDICULOUS line up!!! :angry-smiley-038:

Nah not really all small time stuff. Dont get me wrog good times and enjoy all boating but not like im jumping from 38 TSTG's to 42 OL Legacys then off to a 50 Nortech
-Mike

I hear ya. To me thats fancy chit lol. I'm excited just to own my little small block 233LS. That 272 Formula would be SWEET

well the thought process i had was if i bout the nice house at 21 then couldnt get a boat but if i bought the boat first i could regain the down payment and build the house. working out quite nice i must say. only thing i would have changed is bought a bigger boat .

Bought my 29 Outlaw when I was 29. Would have been sooner if it hadn't been for a first wife that didn't give a crap about boating. Replaced the wife, bought a boat. :D

lol great trade.

jmeng, gotta wise up at some point haha

Yea sweet little boat. Sold it cheap to 6800. twin sbc alphas on trailer. you will have fun with the 233
-Mike

Definitely came out ahead in that deal. :evilb::evilb:

Eh she's a single omc 260... Needs tons more lol

Young guns - dont get too caught up in what others have. It could get you in to trouble for a long time. Wait until you can afford what you want. I know people who have a nice boat and live in a rented trailer.?? . I'm not knocking that but I know they could be less stressed if they had their resorces in order before they bought expensive toys. It makes the trip to the lake much better when you can afford it.
We are in our mid 30's have no kids, 4 incomes, no car/truck/credit card pymts but it took several years for it to come together. It is because of this that we are able to buy and enjoy our place at the lake as much as we do. I'm not saying we have an over abundence of resorces, I'm saying we choose to not spend it on the monthly pymnts for cars or credit cards ect. . Instead, we bought a place at the lake. Life is good. I'm blessed.

I guess I am old now that I am 30 but I did get my Apache when I was 26.
To sort of echo what Jim said, I actually waited a couple years to get what I wanted so I wouldn't be trading up right away.

I could have gotten a smaller twin engine boat right out of College at 22 or 23 years old but instead I waited till I could get what I knew I would be happy with for several years. We also opted to buy a place at the lake before we bought the toy for the lake.

very well put, i work with young guys that always try to have the best and newest of things, then they see my newly built house, new boat, nice cars and truck but don't realize it takes alot of smart decisions in your 20's to be able to afford these things when 30, unless you have a golden spoon to eat off of, only debt is house and boat, btw i'm 33, married with no kids, just our rotti

jim and bay watch hit it on the nose.....

at 14 i had cut grass for two years to buy a new 8 foot, yes 8 foot aqua lark with a 25 hp merc that i upgraded to the merc 25 xs... 48 mph what a ride....

grandpa had a 23 velocity, i took it over when i was 16 ( mom and dad bought me a 84 firebird when i was 17, which was 92) so had the car covered... gramps charged me 200 bucks a month til paid for....

in 96 i was 21 and bought a 94 28 skater from Big thunder Marine.... and back then 100 was in the top 15 or 20 boats on loto.....70 gallons of fuel and two gallons of oil a weekend... went everywhere, raced it a couple times with apba in biloxi and galveston... what a rush with alcone on one side and mercury racing/whm on the other we were running low 100's and they blew passed us in the fog of the 97 worlds in biloxi like we were dragging an anchor...i actually looked at the tach to make sure the boat was still running...

in feb 98 bought a new 99 32 active thunder to campaign in the new f-2 class ran a few races with it and then people started building race boats for the f-2 class instead of pleasure boats....so i went poker running.... sold the skater ran the the AT for 3 more years, got married, got divorced...lost everything.... took me 7 years to get back in the saddle with a 42 trip fountain.....and have been buying, updating and upgrading, and selling the last couple years, working my way back up...... but no financing this time....never know when the slow times are gonna hit and I got caught twice loaded with debt and no way to keep up.... what a crappy feeling...... no car, cc, or boat loans since 05......i live on loto and it kills me knowing i have had nicer but i will keep buying in the under 50-75 k range and work my way back up to where i want to be.... ts guns are in the lower 100's now and that seems to be the perfect weapon for where/how i boat......

thanks and I hope no animosity is headed my way. I have been very fortunate and lucky. And said before, life choices make a big difference. Txhouse is a very close friend and said what he did (selling his 572ci) boat. FAMILY FIRST, and I'm in the process of that but have every intention of keeping my BT then moving on to a 43 v bottom nortech as does txhouse.

I'm glad there is so much young interest in "our" sport and wish u all continued success

Chris:coolcowboy:

@24 bought a clean old 26 wellcraft nova II

had a munchkin@ age 26 needed more room.......

I'm 28 now and just traded in the nova on a 1990, 38 fountain last weekend:evilb:

now just waiting for this snow to melt...............