boating37

So I have been thinking of building a new boat, and thinking about what I must have as of options in it. What are some of the must have options if you were building your new boat?

AB From Windsor

It all depends on how much money you can afford to spend. I would want a good size, enclosed washroom. I would want Air Conditioning, heater, good size cock pit area. Separate seats up front not a double seat. Enough power to run between 80-100 mph.

Comanche3Six

If money were no object.....what I like best is build quality.....so the new 43 Skater with 1350/M8 mercury racing power would be a great starting point.

Interceptor

A 35-42' low maintenance triple O/B C.C. with head, small cabin and everything must be washable with a hose and bucket of water.

fabin61

Ditto for me. Also, a paint job that will not go out of style.

BoatShow239

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...ing-color.html

LapseofReason

Well it is hard to do with just one boat, after having my last two boats that to a non boater wouldnt seem that much of a change. A 42 Sonic with 2 500 efi's and bravos, Loaded with gen and anything else you would need to be able to stay on it days at a time.I took it all over the place, Bahamas, the Keys and all over up here on the Potomac and Bay. Only problems were the typical low water docking stuff so a few impellers a season and clean up the props now and then but never had a thing keep me off the water.The bad 70-74mph and no good way to make faster without taking a toll on reliability, and the fear of not being able to get up on plane with one motor.

Then a 50 Nortech with 3 850's and #5's, a lot more wow factor and a better built boat but since I do 90% of the work myself I was doing more than I wanted, but when you pushed the throttles forward all the worked seemed worth it, and she would cruise at 45-50 on just two if needed and get up on 2. I never took it to the Bahamas because of fuel that I didnt trust for the motors. Cost to run it was twice the Sonic.

If I could build a new sport boat right now it would be hard not to look at the 1100 Merc. for power in a stagger twin setup for ease of working on them, in a boat 38-46 feet long, but that is a 400k plus build depending on what hull you want. If it was a CC the Verado would be the engine I would want as it seems they have the lower unit problems better than at first.

No matter what boat it has to have a enclosed pump out head, good head room in the cabin, a gen and a/c and a padded hatch not scoops. A cockpit that has room to move around not feel your in a corner. I do a lot of rafting up so you need to be able to move around not just sit and look forward.

I would be more in the used 250k and under and I see a lot of nice very nice boats in that range and I would need to spend some seat time to make a choice, do I go with say a 43 NT or 42 OL that has been redone with mild power 700-800hp twins that should be good for a few hundred easy hours and be ok on the fuel that the islands have, or go with one of the tripp 525 boats and know I will be ok on gas and get on plane on 2, the OL and NT might get up one 1 but it aint going to be easy and doubt it if in rough ocean waters.

So then I think why not a nice used CC like a Donzi 38 zfx then get a cool go fast like a 38 zrc if you can handle owning 2 boats.

Catmando

I would build a Skater 488V with t/FPT650hp diesels and Arneson/BPM drives. Should run 90 even with a loaded cabin.

Florida Floater

An absolute is:
[QUOTE=LapseofReason;3725385]
No matter what boat it has to have a enclosed pump out head
QUOTE]

Good dependable electronics. Certainly a great radio and GPS/chartplotter/sonar and if you roam in fog, rain and/or snotty weather; radar. Epirb, gps tracker (where someone can see where you are if you are not where you are suppose to be when you are suppose to be there). Even with a good gps, I always (in unfamiliar waters) have good charts. Not often the current gps fails, but if it does, always nice to be able to get bearings so you can get somewhere, if not home.

Good USCG safety equipment, and then some.

Plenty of lines and fenders. An appropriate anchor with enough rode. If playing in big water, a secondary anchor, and I would have a sea anchor. Again, if playing in big water, category 1 PFDs w/strobe and whistle.

Remember, an inflatable PFD does not count as inventory.

If in questionable waters, two 50 cal deck mounted machine guns and a 30MM cannon... ok, maybe these options are only near Somalia!

seafordguy

What everyone said - gen, enclosed bathroom with hot/cold shower, AC, etc.....

Transom mounted radio controls/iPod hookup.
Ladder mounted on the front of the trailer to climb on the bow with.
Anchor locker in the front of the bow.
Since I'm sitting here with a slice in my toe from my props - prop covers.

Most importantly - avoid so many of the paint jobs it seems like we keep seeing.