New to performance boats
 

Hello! I've been boating my whole life (starting at 6 weeks old on my parents' sailboat) but I'm new to performance power boats and I have a bunch of questions.

I like sailing, but I enjoy going fast even more, so I'm thinking about getting a performance boat.

I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area, are there many performance boaters here? It seems like most of you stick to lakes. Is there a good reason for that, or are conditions in the SF Bay good too?

I understand these boats dislike being left in the water, especially salt water. I don't have a truck suitable for trailering a boat and would rather not get one. I also don't have a driveway or yard or anywhere to put a boat. Do many marinas have lifts, or allow you to use something like a HydroLift?

I'd like a boat that ~6 people can go out on for a day trip. Ideally 2 could sleep on it for the occasional overnight, but it doesn't need to be super comfortable. I'm thinking 30-35ish feet?

Budget is a soft $100,000. I could do more or less but don't want to drop a ton of money on my first boat. Something upgradable is a plus.

What should I be looking at?

Where are the best places to find used boats (especially in nor cal)?

Thanks!

Just start by checking with your local harbors about the boat lifts. In the OSO classifieds here, you can find some great deals right now on alot of great quality boats and to start narrowing down what you are looking for. I wouldn't limit yourself to looking locally either, you might be better off buying a boat from one of the larger dealers and having it shipped.

www.pier57.com

www.performanceboatschool.com - I would take one of his classes and/or consult him before purchasing

If I had 100k I'd buy a 80k boat and a 20k truck. In my opinion unless you are in the perfect situation and are willing and able($) to be at the mercy of a marina it is very hard to own a go- fast without a truck.

No - you can't leave go-fasts in salt water and if you paint the bottom you will own it forever.

Look for marinas that have inside boatel rack storage. They take off/on the rack with a forklift. You don't want to keep it outside. If your running with 6 people and want to handle some rougher water, look at 38' boats.

1. Get away from this website
2. Save your money and ride on friends boats.
3. Take up a different hobby, like collecting high end sports cars, its cheaper

Just a lil advice...:) Hahaha.....:lolhit:

Thats funny.

TLR: Southern California has a lot of performance boaters. SF bay is cold even in August and with fog unpredictable. There may be marinas by you that lift boats, I don't know. A trip to Sausolito might be fun on a boat but you WILL want a trailer. I know license fees in California are high.

For 80 k you can find a nice performance boat 30 ft + and you need a 3/4 ton truck to pulll it.

Good luck and welcome to OSO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wannabe

Not to mention halfway true......

Don't shy away from looking in the Midwest for a Boat. Give www.performanceboatcenter.com a look too. They have lots of nice fresh water boats that fit your bill.

I would not go smaller than 32' especially if you have a $100k budget. Lots of options: Baja, Formula, Fountain, Sunsation, Older reconditioned Cigarettes, Powerquest, Sonic, Hustler, etc. A good boat to "test your interest in performance boating" would be a 33' Baja Outlaw w/496 Mags or HO's. You won't break the bank as the boat is much less than your budget, boat handles well, is insurable being a non-performance boat owner, reliable package, can see if you like performance boating, if not, the 33' outlaw has pretty good resale so losses may be minimal.

First make sure you factor in a tow vehicle. For me I didnt want to buy an extra two vehicle, so my everday vehicle is my tow vehicle. But factor in that anything above 9-10k lbs will need a diesel 3/4 to get the job done.

Second off performance boating is seperate from regular boating to be honest it cost more and the boats are a little more unpractical than your average boat. Personally I would buy something half your budget and see if you like it, keep it a year than move up.

Before you do anything, go here:

http://bigcatpokerrun.com/

The Big cat Poker Run out of Discovery bay. There will be a ton of boats there and you can check them out and talk to owners.

Also can check out here for Nor Cal boaters (hope it's okay to post link?):

http://www.performanceboats.com/norcal/

While you won't see a ton of performance boaters in the bay you will on the Delta. Lot's of guys run out into the bay so you could run up the river with no problem.

I don't know if you live in SF or not but you may want to check on marinas in Richmond, Martinez or Benicia. You would have to drive some to get to them but they might be way cheaper than marinas in the bay.

I agree with what was said about budget, buy a $70K - $80K boat and use the rest for a truck. Also factor in marina storage if you don't have room at your house. I know people who have stored their boats on the trailer at RV storage yards.

The other reason for a truck is to go to other events. Once you get into it you will want to tow to events like Desert Storm, Big Cat, SCOPE in So Cal and Tahoe.

Keep posting here and locals will jump in for more advice (I used to live up there).

Good luck and happy hunting!