New Member/Boater needs advice
 

First of all, nice to meet you all. Looks like a lively forum. I love it. So let me breakdown my situation. Hopefully i won't get too many mocking posts as I know my questions might seem rather amateur.. but that is exactly what they are. So for those that like to help, I ask you to read on :)

I have a family of 4 humans and 2 dogs. 3 year old, 13 year old and my wife. We also have a standard poodle and a terrier mix.

I have never driven a boat. I have never owned a boat. I consider myself a pretty smart guy so I am sure I will pick up on it with the proper classes and training (which I already have setup)....

My family is pretty mellow. No crazy wake boarding or skiing. Might happen once in a while but certainly not frequently. What we are looking for is a boat the family can get onto with the dogs and maybe a few more people and just cruise around the bay. We are moving to Belleair Beach, FL (33786) and are moving into a house with a seawall and dock w/ lift. We aren't looking to go 80MPH although we would like to get up and move when needed. Would like a potty on the boat if possible. Definitely want Biminis and stuff to cover the boat or most of it. I have heard where we are living it isn't practical to get an inboard type of motor and to stick with outboard only. They said some of the areas at low tide are much harder with inboards and can be a little dangerous. Any feedback on that?

I just don't know what to buy. Been looking at Harris FloteBote 250 Crowne and Grand Mariner 250SL, both Pontoons. They look great and would work well for what we want to do, but talking to 3 people that live in the area they are saying that if the water gets rough at all we will hate the pontoon (although it has rough water package). and they says 25' may be too small for where I am. They each recommended 27-29" at least. I also looked at the Four Winns Horizon 290. We really liked it but it was inboard and because of what the 3 people said that concerns us.

Budget is up to $130k if I have to. Would like to do less but can spend that much. I don't want a 10 year old boat.. I own 2 tech companies so I would like it fairly modern as I am a total dork techie. Preferably a 2014/2015 boat if possible.

We plan on boating quite frequently and functionality is huge since the entire family will be on. We would like to be able to cook and stuff like that as well. So there ya go.. I hope that is all you need to know.If not ask me anything. Hopefully I didn't violate some policy with this post and this is the beginning of a long term mutually beneficial relationship!

Thx M8's

P.S. Is there a site like cars.com for boats? I went to boats.com, is that the best one for new and used?

You should be looking at a 31 formula pc or a formula 28 or 33 ss they would be the perfect boat for your family

Lots of good info on this forum, you might find one of the pleasure boat forums more direct. Highly recommend the Chaparral Owners Forum & Chaparral boats as well, lots of good FLA members on there too.

284 Sunesta or 287SSx if you want open now in that price range.

If you r not looking to sleep on it and can do with out the full galley I would say a cc would fit u best. A 33 or so would that the bathroom and the outboards for low tide. Also with the open walk around there is a tone of room for the family dogs and friends. And now days the cc's can get up and move.

If you have never had a boat, I would consider keeping your budget down around 40k to 50k or less and learn how to operate the boat. You will also find out what you like and dislike about the boat. Then you can buy the next boat that will be best suited for your family.

^^^^^^ agree with ya on that. With a couple add on's you can do a lot with a CC. I'm pretty sure all CC models are easy to find in Florida.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...fx-o56956.html

know its your first boat and he is right about geting seat time be for getting something bigger and more money but something like this I think would be best

Powerboatslisting.com is a good place to look.... Take your time, go look at as many boats as you can, get a full survey from a reputable surveyor. I think in your price range you will not have any problems finding a boat that will accommodate your boating requirements.

Best of luck in your search

Sory, not sure what a CC is?

I would get a Protector CC. It has a rubber inter-tube all the way around it. Perfect for a first boat driver. You can run into anything a it just bounces off. Google center console boats.