JaayTeee

Skill set....anyone can change a blown hydraulic hose...not everyone can diagnose and repair ( especially on the battery powered units)

Tibbstoy2

iTrader: (1)

I’m a 32 year old engineer with 2 kids under 2.5 – my wife works part time and I have a good job, nothing special from a collective income standpoint. I bought my 32 A/T while I was still living with my parents after college for a few years. I lived there to finish off college debt and specifically to buy the boat since I knew it wouldn't happen until I was 50 otherwise. Something I would never have been able to justify doing being married with a mortgage, and even less with young children. While at my parents, the year after I bought the boat, I sold all of the mechanical systems, engines, and drives out of the boat and used that money to build new engines and invested in “better” drives (cough, XZ’s… cough), full hydraulic steering, 380 K-Planes, electrical, CMI exhaust, etc…

Fast forward to now (married with young kids) - I am very selective on how I use the boat. I haven’t done poker runs and fun runs (hoping to start soon)… I budget for everything, and am conservative with gas. Upgrades are pretty much things that I will design and build myself. My dad is a die maker that brought me up not afraid to do any and all car maintenance, fix things myself, and fabricate new things when what’s there isn’t good enough. I’m not as fast as a machinist by any means, but I have plenty of hours running CNC’s, lathes, mills, etc…

I largely agree with most of the comments thus far and have a couple other thoughts:
1. In West Michigan anyway, it seems like the 24-27 Baja’s and Powerquest’s were dime-a-dozen in the 90’s. Supporting what a lot of you have said already. My dad had a 1990 Baja 250ES. He bought that boat new and all we did was wash/wax, batteries, spark plugs and wires, cap/rotors, and impellers for 15 years. I was his right hand man, learned how to drive, dock, and handle waves. Stock 454 330hp with a Bravo I. I grew up seeing how reliable a boat can be. As great of a boat as that was, it seems like the boating market tanking has made it seem like the “middle-class” boater no longer exists. Everyone can get into a bigger/faster boat for relatively low investment… not realizing the maintenance costs, but more likely dealing with the previous owner’s sins in slapping an engine back together with sub-par parts or installation. If it’s me, I’m tearing such a boat down and starting over the second I buy it.

2. I think there are more failure stories than success stories when it comes to high performance boats these days. I went into my project seeing this and I've tried my best to avoid the pitfalls.
When someone throws a rod, or blows an XR drive everyone either heard about it, or knows something’s up when your boat’s not on the water for a month (especially when they’re cancelling out of poker runs, fun runs, day trips out with friends, etc...) Not appealing to a by-stander that’s looking from the sidelines as to whether they should buy a boat too!
I’ve had more than my share of XR lower gear problems (now running SCX’s no matter the speed consequences), I’ve had a CMI header (from the supposed “new” design, not Merc specified batch) leak badly into a cylinder causing it to hydraulic the motor (I leak test headers 2x a year, now 4x),. For building my own engines, including adding and dialing in multi-port fuel injection, I’ve been very fortunate for the 7.5 years I’ve had my A/T – and I am realistic to know that no matter how intense my maintenance and preventative replacement schedules are, I will be burned again. I know MANY others that have had far worse luck than I have.

My non-boat-owning friends that love to go out for a day with us know very well the pains of owning a high performance boat by seeing my experiences. That alone more than certainly scares them away. I give rides in my boat as much as possible. Everyone seems to love it, but none of my friends/co-workers have bought one for themselves - no matter how much I encourage it.

All that said, I love boating and I may even love wrenching and maintaining it more than I enjoy driving it. Kind of sick... Oh, and I will do my best to involve my little girls in every part of it too… (wrenching and all… they WILL be changing oil at the age of 4).

spazboz

iTrader: (2)

Seems like the younger generation would rather get wasted at the docks on a cruiser and pretend like they are 'Ballin' on Jay Z's Mega Yacht. The younger generation is all about image.

I agree with all of you guys. To invest into these boats, you have to have a passion for it. Most of my friends my age just don't have the cash or desire. That's why all my friends with cigarette boats are 15-20 years my senior(I'm 32). When I was 19, I spent my lifes savings on a 26 nova II and my friend Josh and I piled are money togethor every weekend to fill the tank. I just don't see that anymore.

I think part of the stories you hear about with all the breakdown horror stories is the fact that in oder to be able to afford this sport I have to run 25 year old boats. In the 80's and 90's, people weren't running boats from the 50's and 60's. The boats they had were later model and more reliable.

Well I better post this before I time out!
Nick

Plowtownmissile

Something else to consider...
Good paying jobs are few and far between nowadays especially for young college graduates. There are alot of people out there fighting for jobs and kids have college loans. Companies have found out that people will do the same job for much less money nowadays. A kid recently out of college is enthusiastic to get their foot in the door and start going forward with their career. So much so, they'll do someone else's job already there for MUCH less. I see it all the time and watch as older, higher up people get forced out to move people up at a much cheaper salary.

ham_r_down01

iTrader: (1)

Im 31, my dad had boats for as long as i can remember. Pib was 66 gallons. A hundred dollar bill. He spent more money drinking and giving me money for the arcade. He had a 32 carver with 454 crusaders. Its a hundo for me to idle over in my mach with one 454. I make less than he did 20 years ago. So salaries have dropped, so should the cost of living/gas/ect. Should go down too. Lmao!!! Double now or triple. Entry level offshore boaters cant afford a boat. They buy pontoons or bayliners they can sleep on and still have beer money.

I played with cars and trucks from high school. Short stint with harleys too. I bought my mach cheap. Lots of elbow grease and hard work later, i have an entry level boat that some snooty bastards laugh at. All that matters to me is im having fun. It runs just shy of 70, i put a 27p on it and it runs 40mph at 3500 or less rpm.

A buddy told me about a cig for sale, 28ss. Bougt it late in the season, worked out a few problems in her. Good runner. As cool as she is, im not 100% i like her better than my mach 1. Is the cig cooler. Fack yes. Is the mach more op and chick friendly? Fack yes.

I have the same amount of money in both boats. A finished mach 1 that is a riot, single engine, full canopy top.

Or the cig, 2 454's, old cuddy, no tops, ragged ass cover for when its on the trailer. Needs 10k to be the way i like it or more.

Ill keep both, but the buy in price and fuel prices kep me oit of it till i was 29/30.

Knowing what i know now, a wellcraft nova or mach 1 is the best place to get the bug. A few momths ago there was a nova 2 up for sale with a triple axle trailer for 8k. 2x350 alphas. Or a nova spyder 1x 454 bravo. Anything like that will hook a youngster. Its what hooked me.

89 mach 1 condor. Red/white/red firebird on the bow. 454 bravo 1. I loved that boat. Friend of my dads. I was hooked. Loved the couple scarabs there at the boat club, but that mach just did it for me.

ham_r_down01

iTrader: (1)

Before i bought the mach, i threatened to buy a v drive for 2 years. I came to my senses and realized i could only use a hondo on lake erie like 3 days a year. I love the the offshores, but i love a flat bottom too. Someone wanna buy either of my boats? Lol

J-Bonz

iTrader: (3)

I vote for the Hondo even if it never leaves the garage!

Eliminated572

A lot of it performance wise is general mechanical knowledge and of course money. I am 31. Bought my first go fast boat at 27. I've always had the mechanical knowledge to keep one running just not the money. All my buddies either have one or the other but very few with both. What I have noticed the past few years is that all my buddies enjoyed coming out in the water. About half didn't have the know how to even consider it. The other half had the know how but as soon as I mentioned the costs of a few "wearable items" and fuel costs you could just see their bubble being popped. A few of those guys then settled for something slower and small (at least they are on the water, zero judgement here) but others didn't have the means of storage ect....let's face it, to really get into the sport and keep something high power on the water you need most of these options available to consider the time and investment. And even when you think you have it all figured out, **** seems to happen. Kids, new job, possible relocation, and the list goes on....

welfare racing

Price

Jose0413