Your First Boat?
 

As a very young offshore enthusiast who has been around the boating world growing up, just thought it would be an interesting thread to hear about everyones first boat, and the age which they purchased it. Anyone got any good stories, or just care to share about their first experience and what made them a boat lover?

Personally I have grown with a house at LOTO and have had the need for speed my whole life. I have had the luxury of riding in my dads boats (first a fountain, then a couple cigarettes, and now an outerlimits) and hope that I will someday be able to afford a boat in such a great category as these.

So anyone that cares to share, let's here some stories!

My first boat was a 22ft. Checkmate with a small block 350 and thru hull exhaust. We took that thing everywhere in the ocean. Then the following year I bought a 30' Baja with twin 454's and thought it was bada$$ until we where in big water one day just keeping it on plane when a Cigarette Top Gun went flying by. After that day we sold the Baja and bought a Cigarette Cafe Racer, and could not believe how the Cigarette handled the rough water. We boat in Long Island Sound and it is always choppy. After owning that boat for 8 years I sold that and bought my Tiger which I am going to be enjoying for my 3rd season this year. I started boating at 27 with the Checkmate, I can't even fathom how much money has been spent boating over the past 14 years.:eekdrop::poopoo:

My first was a 1997 sea-doo challenger 1800 with twin 110 hp rotax. Bought when I was 20 (now 31). Learned pretty quick it could do full speed 360s. Also learned that its not a smart idea to take it in Barnegat bay while an approaching Hurricane is on its way as snapping an impeller shaft makes for a long ride back on one motor.

Past list
97 18ft Seadoo challenger
93 18ft Ebbtide sport/ski
88 24ft Chris Craft 245 limited
85 31ft Chris Craft 312 Stinger
85 13ft Mini Hawk
85 10ft Cougar Cub
88 29ft Fountain Fever
<----- Current

early 80's checkmate playmate i was prob 10
84 sea ray bow rider
91 checkmate 21' pulsar 350 small block
97 baja outlaw 454
02 outlaw 496ho
91 24' skater
2001 28' skater
2003 32' sea ray sudancer (for sale)
2007 32' skater

I bought my first boat when I was 20 or 21. Me and my best bud went in partners on it. I think that we paid a whopping $3,000 for it. BAD mistake!!! :D .....but a good learning experience.


1984-1987 15' Mitchell bowrider w/ Merc 115
1988-2001 18' Sutphen 18 GranSport w/340 Mopar
2001-2003 223 Formula w/HP450 Merc
2003-2006 31' Cigarette Bullet w/600+'s
2005-Present 38' Cigarette Top Gun w/800's
1982-Present 13'Boston Whaler w/30 Merc 4-stroke (2012)
2008- Present 19' Pro-Line Sport w/115 Merc

2000 29 powerquest enticer with twin 7.4mpi's.run 70 all day no matter how many people.bought it the week i graduated high school in 09.just moved to a 38 cig

My list...

12' Beall boat with 9.9 Evinrude (wooden row boat)
14' McKee Craft 70 Merc
18' Checkmate 235 Evinrude
22' Velocity 454
30' Concept twin 225 Johnson's
20' Yamaha FS2000 20' twin engine jet boat
36' Concept twin 250
40' Formula 400SS
39' Cigarette Top Gun Unlimited Staggered 525's


Pat

Grew up in Toledo Ohio on my parents 19' Lyman that would hit maybe 30 for a top speed. They then moved on to a 21' Rinker that would do 35 on a good day, when I turned 24 I bought my first, a 21' Rinker Captiva with a 350 MAG, it was a real sleeper for the day after I made a prop change and some minor tweaking it would hit 62-63 downriver, lol. My parents could never understand why I needed a boat that would go that fast until one day we were out fishing around Little Sister Island in Lake Erie on a perfect 1' or less day and a storm started rolling in, the weather radio was forecasting 6-8' waves during the storm. We got our lines in quick, I hammered it and we ran close to 60 all the way back into Toledo staying just in front of the storm, as soon as we got a mile into the Maumee River the wind started roaring, it started pouring, and I remember my Dad saying now I understand the speed thing, we would have never beat the storm in their boat. Turned out like 15 boats swamped and had to be rescued by the USCG because they couldnt get in fast enough. I had been shopping for like 3 years when I stumbled across my dream boat, the Donzi 38ZR I have now, and have been happy ever since, even though I dont get to use it near as much as I would like!

I started out with <<< 1983 Glasstream 1550 ProBass at the age of 19. I bought it the summer after my freshman year in college. I built boat docks all over the southeast and was gone 6 days out of 7 every week living on stipend while on the road. So for a 19 year old flushed with what I thought was "tons of money....lol" i bought my first first boats. I actually still have the boat. It still runs like a top but a little soft in a couple places. You couldn't pry that boat out of my cold dead hands although i only take it out maybe 5 times a year.

Next boat i had was a 1991(?) 19' Regal that I somewhat inherited through girlfriend now wife. It was her old families boat that no one took care of so we took it over for about 2 years until it was $200ing me to death every weekend on mechanical issues.

So then we bought a 212 Baja Islander which we loved but never used the bowrider part, liked the sound and speed but the ride was not all that great a fast speeds. We were bit by the performance boat bug BAD!

Then I found a guy in Lebanon TN who was somewhat of a horse trader who had a super cool car lot with nothing but cool stuff there. He had a Fountain 27 and I traded my Baja and an old Harley I never rode for it. I remember when my wife first laid eyes on the boat. She looked at me and said wide eyed "can you drive a boat this big....lol". I said sure! I never had driven anything over 21 foot but damnit I could learn as I go.

So in 13 months we owned three different boats:


Regal > Baja > Fountain

Love my current boat but I guess as everyone you always have that "Two-Foot-Idus". I am thinking more along the lines of 8 foot this time. It will be a while but I can always dream. For now I love my 27.

Been on boats since I was 4 years old.
At 9 I had a 12' sears gamefisher with a 3 hp johnson
12 Dad sold the his egg harbor and downsized to a luhrs so I got a 13' whaler with a 30hp evinrude out of the deal.
Sold that when I thought drag racing was cool
20 bought a 19' caravelle with a 4.3 and alpha
24 crushed my hand and was bored bought a red 23' stingray with a big block
Been way too many since then to keep track lol