I see the same thing happen with younger friends of mine, as well as with the kids of friends of mine. BUT, wanting a go-fast and OWNING one are miles apart. When those "youngsters" you mentioned get married (have to get clearance from the OL to buy), start having kids, buying homes, and start contemplating the expense of this hobby, many of them will end up on a pontoon with a 90 horse merc still listening to the music of big block v8's from a distance.

I've actually thought about buying an old jet boat just to have SOMETHING to go out on for this year and maybe buy what I want next season. Just not sure my balls can handle the beating on a rough day.lol

Yup.

I grew up in drag racing and big HP cars. I love them and still go to the 1/4 to watch but I NEVER want to own one. I can enjoy it by seeing and hearing but owning is never in the plan. The same can be said for a lot of these boats too.

Doesn't sound like much fun on any weekend @ Cumberland. :(

I'm only 23 and lucky enough to have a good job (well at least what I consider a good job) and I have been working other jobs since I was 16 never taking handouts from my dad to buy things, trying to find what I could to fix and make money on anyway I could. I grew up on small fishing boats 16' to 18' boats my dad would take us out fishing on and that was about it but I always loved being on the water and always wanted a speed boat. When I was 17 I bought my first 21' checkmate, sold that bought a blown up 24' Baja fixed it and drove that around the lake for a couple years. Just like everyone else I wanted to go bigger and faster so last summer I sold the boat with the intentions of buying a boat over the winter, well the boat turned into buying a house instead. Still in the market for a boat for this summer I really wanted to go twins and preferably 90's or newer but its just not possible with my budget so back to looking at single engines but whatever it takes to get on the water. My friends love going out on the boat but I don't think I've ever heard one of them actually talking about buying one for themselves. A few people my ages I made friends with threw boating no longer boat because of the cost and most lost their a$$ selling the boat too.

Its tough up in Central, NY to boat anyways. You get two good months (July, August) and a couple decent months (June, Sept.) other then that, that's about it. So to spend that kind of money to boat 6 or 7 good weekends if you are lucky enough, that makes it even harder to buy a boat but the price of snowmobiles is going up and up too. Its hard for younger generation to get out and enjoy any sport that involves a motor. Then you need an expensive truck to tow it with. The price of insurance is one of the biggest issues especially for the younger generation. Then you have cops out there writing tickets for every little small thing that isn't right. It all adds up really fast for us who haven't been finically stable for 5-10 years and never knowing if everything is going to tank again doesn't help.

My problem is I enjoy anything with a motor that goes fast. From motorcycles to snowmobiles to cars to boats, so I have a hard time only having one expensive toy and usually buy used toys. So now that I'm looking to buy a boat I've also been looking at getting a car and I am leaning more towards getting a car something I can use more often then a boat it'll be a hard decision but if I don't find a good deal on a boat within the next few weeks I will be a proud owner of a M3 (A ten year old M3 that is). Hopefully I can keep some of the young generation into speed boats in this area though I certainly don't want to see it go away.

These days, it’s not so easy to enjoy high performance boating as a hobby unless you have either a) a high enough discretionary income that will allow you to buy and operate a new/newer boat; or b) the knowledge, mechanical skill and time needed to restore and maintain an older one.

The only thing sadder than not having a boat at all is having one sit in your driveway that needs work, needs gas, or needs a free weekend so you can head out to the lake. Rather than deal with that, a lot of people are finding other ways to enjoy being on or by the water, or spend their summer months.

It will always be a great pastime, but if you’re serious about it, it truly becomes a “lifestyle” – and it can get pretty expensive. It may also be hard to justify if you’re on the water just every-other weekend, or participating in just one poker run a year. A lot of folks might actually be better with a smaller runabout, or yes – even a pontoon – if they are commonly boating on a smaller lake. Whichever way you go, it’s important to be realistic about the time, money and enthusiasm you are willing to invest, and what kind of experiences you are looking for.

Of course, what would work for a lot of people is not a big, fast boat – but a good friend with a big fast boat. :evilb:

That’s why my admiration (and admitted envy) is set aside for the members of our boating press (and others who cover this hobby) who do such a great job telling us and showing us how exciting and fun performance boating can be. I know most have owned or currently have their own boats, so they can certainly understand—but still, it must be nice to have “lots of friends with big fast boats” that you can ride on, photograph and write about.

As long as they can keep it up the great work, there’s still hope! :drink:

For me in Florida the problem with a performance boat is no Shade. Tough to make a performance boat look cool with a Bimini much less run 80 with it.

Arches and T-tops with extendable Biminis look and work nicely on Performance CCs.

It's suppose to be good up to 75 but anything over 50 and I'm wondering what it would feel like to be impaled by a chrome pole. I've actually toyed around with the idea of a having permanently mounted top fabricated but I worry that it would hurt the resale value.


That's a Jay photo by the way.

Works great but doesn't look great IMO.

Actually doesn't work that great because I don't feel comfortable running the boat at top speed, but it does do a good job of keeping the sun off at 50 and under. I'm with Tommy on the sun however, I can't imagine boating all the time in Florida without a top and baking in the sun.

Yea too many years trying to hide under a little 2 by 3 Bimini doing parasailing down here in SW Florida has burned me out on the sun.

Went out sailing off Fort Myers on my buddies 44 foot cat yesterday. Very nice with 220 sq feet of shade from the hardtop.

If you were in the sun more than a few minutes yesterday you felt like you were going to burst into flames.

Ours are supposedly good to 55-60 mph which is the speed I run them at max. And in my old age, I could really give 2 rat's a$$es what other think of me or ours boats.... :) And to the Op topic, I guess we are the exception to the rule, I'm looking at buying another boat, BIG V.....

Looking at 3rd pic, How long is your dock ? A few miles ? LOL.

LOL, no that is 1 of the ramps Mystic uses to water test new boats, I just went that day and took the Talon so Scott S. could take some pics.

nothing stays the same forever,,,,,
times change and so does the society to go with
I love speed boats,,,i have built and raced boats since 1979
o/b drags,blown hydro,formula tunnels and offshore
I quit in 2010 the formula boats as from 2006 till then the decline in boat count fell to 1/3
from 30+ boats on starting dock to luckily have over 10
and seasoned drivers were main 1s leaving as sponsors dried up from the crunch
the middle class boater that was buying the 24-36' boats have too much debt to keep em or buy new
few said the used boat market is holding in these offshore speed boats
I don't see that,,,,,,,in 24 -36 range used thay are listed on swap shop for 15-60 and not sold
for boats that cost 75-200k+ new
a 69 camero new was under 3,000 and cannot touch 1 for less than 10,000 for rough
and 20,000 for restored
these fully restored boats with 50+ in them to restore are not selling above restore cost
not including the original boat worth used before restore
some people are listing them so high no 1 will buy as thinking of 10yr ago prices
1s selling are going very low
a 30' velocity very nice condition with twins and bravos sold in 2 days at 10,0000
2 others of same boats been listed for a yr at 24 and 28 are not sold
a few 42 fountains for 45-75k for 42' boats and not sold
there is a lot of very high priced over 10yr old boats
and a lot of them priced low enough to sale
very sad,,,,,,but new generation does not go outside,,,,
even doctors telling them to stay out of sun for skin cancer
again very sad to see the decline,,but its in all motor sports
1 still drag race and fields are dead for count to make classes
I have my little offshore boat that I restored and guarantee wont get 1/3 what was put in it
want to do another resto while we still have gas,epa not hit with powerboat emmisioms hard yet,,
and body stil can take the pounding from air time I love so much in the rough

I do think power boaters have had there hay day but I do not think it is dead. Here in WI in early 2000s we would have over 100 power boats turn out for poker runs. In past 10 years there would be lucky to see 25 boats but things are changing. Last weekend we where boat number 50 in Oshkosh Poker run and water ways are full of boats again! I Have a friend who is one of the bigger dealers in our area and he can not keep clean power boats in stock. He also sells a ton of jet boats to new gen boaters and do believe some will want to move up like all of us have done. Fountain, Donzi, Baja are building boats for real again and from Sunsations report they can not keep up with orders of CC's. It does not matter to me if your running a CC or Jet boat or SS style boat things are getting better. I am in my early 40s and have a group of friends all in same age that are excited to buy some new or newer performance boats in upcoming year or years. I love performance boating and think there always will be that group that will survive. Maybe not as big as it was in past but it is recovering IMO!

Maybe they need to start building quad 400HP turbo 4 banger Honda powered boats with recliner bolsters and neon green props

They would try to stance the outboards and camber the fugg out of them.

Re shade on go fast here in Florida....tim people started buying UV rated clothes. Loads of fashion brands make reasonably priced shirts and trousers that are 100 UV blocking so no worries about skin cancers or burning. Just wear a decent hat and sunblock on your face and you will be cool, healthy and skin cancer free.

I'm just stepping into this performance boat realm. A new boat is well beyond what I think is a reasonable expenditure regardless of how thick the roll of petty cash sitting in someone's pocket. 150K to in excess of a million is just senseless, unless you are earning an income from the investment. I found what I consider a reasonable deal on a sound hull and rigging last fall. Documentation says it's a 1990 10 Meter Fountain but with the deck of a lightening. 8K got me the hull and rigging on a trailer...I had to power it and add drives. Cosmetically the boat looked less than stellar and a number of updates needed to be done. So, a pair of custom built 502's, into completely rebuilt XR's, full Autometer oversized gauges, a complete paint job and new covers...I'm out the door with a season's worth of warrantee at under 60K. I'll never see the 60K back out of the boat...not a 1990 non step, non staggered with old gen cabin. But the decision were made with that in mind. I'm a little older, this satisfies my need to be on the water with the option of loafing along or getting up to dance with the Baja down the road. I'll be the guy in the poker run [U]style[U] boat watching the poker run. I'll have 1 more boat in this life...a Ranger 31 CB tug, when I'm 65 and 10 knots on the Erie Canal to the intercoastal at the beginning of Sept, to FLA is my speed.
As to the market itself...I look at my kids and what lays ahead for them...600K to 1 million in mortgages in my area for a small house on little land...rising costs of living...here in Ontario just the cost electricity is outrageous...they would barely be able to afford to operate dads old boat let alone buy a newer used model or new. maybe a PWC...but then that makes them lemmings following a crowd...and they weren't raised to be followers.
Just an opinion from a simple man. Enjoy the day and be safe on the water.

I agree. I have been redoing my trip engine 42' Fountain for almost two years. In that time two things have happened......I bought a 19' CC and put a 200 Merc Opti on it just to bomb around in and I have slowly lost my enthusiasm for my Fountain. I have burned a whopping $190 in fuel since mid April and have bought one gallon of injection oil. I rinse the thing out with a hose and it goes everywhere my Fountain went, all but at 58 mph. Don't get me wrong, I love my Fountain, except for this past Sunday when I spent 6 hours in the bilge hooking up all of the hoses, wires, and battery cables. It will be done in the next few weeks and I can honestly see myself selling it next spring and buying myself a used 30' CC with twin 300 clamp ons. I have had my fun with multiple big block I/O powered boats ranging from many 25 footers, to a few 31 footers, and now the 42'. It's time to scale back, not to mention never having to contort myself into a pretzel and bleed all over my bilge trying to replace a raw water pump impeller on a 90 degree day.

The day my impeller went out it was 100 degrees out I felt and also had to bend and twist and bang knuckles to change it out in the sweltering heat.....pass on doing that again.

Isn't it funny how we all hate the idea of the ever diminishing go fast boat population but many of us are sick and tired of the work/maintenance and $$ that it takes to keep them running well?

After spending my life mucking around with boats, my boats are getting smaller, my next boat will be a big step down, I'm slowly going back to where it all started, nice and simple, reliability and appreciating the fun in boating without having the biggest and the best, just enjoying something really nice for what it is.

I'll always love the big boats with big power but I'm happy to love them from a distance.

RR

It basically took me 51 years to realize that a triple engine 42' boat that is generally a giant pain in the asss didn't make me cool, I am just as cool in my 19' Bayliner and I have a ton more money in my pocket. I was never a snob to begin with, so maybe that's why I have just as much fun in my little boat.

Granted the 24 we just got is a bit too small and I do want to go up a bit and back to twins. The easy of use of that boat is just sooo nice and refreshing.

Thing is today's boats are running hardware that was state of the art racing equipment 20 years ago.

Soo running around in what is pretty much a racing boat and expecting it to not break or need heavy maintenance and bucks thrown at it is a pipe dream.

alot of the hard to get to parts could be avoided if the manus and the boat builders would really care about after the fact. Baja was one of the worst for access room. Anyone ever change twin impellers Gen VII pumps - 496 later model years in baja 29 outlaw. and a 23 outlaw is not fun either no room for anything. Can not even stick a pencil down in front of the engine. Stupid builders,

Good article in the July issue of Power and Motor Yacht on Paul Mann and his latest 60 foot Carolina Custom Sportfishing boat he builds.

The one thing he expressed in the article is ease of accessibility to everything that would need service or eventaul repair or replacement.

I did a brief stint working for him 20 years ago. Being he was a competitive Sportfishing captain 1st he knew how he wanted a boat to handle and how it needed to be maintained.

He is very practical with very little leeway to lack of accessibility.

I have wrenched on a few large boats in my day that I just beat my head against the bulkhead going what the hell were they thinking when they mounted this equipment.

Great post brother I almost made a similar thread two years ago when I sold my Nordic, I am from Long Island and it is that exact mentality on the water that got me into boating in the first place. We used to go to my grandparents house in Smithtown every Sunday when I was a kid and the old timers would all be outside playing cards in their garage. The guy across the streets son had a nice solid black performance boat and it was loud, and he was always there washing it after a good days run with his girlfriend. He was just a cool guy I looked up to and I always said someday I am gonna have a boat like that.

Sure enough at 26 years old after owning two smaller boats I was able to drop 50k on the Rage' with a 500 EFI. I have noticed that our sport is diminishing not just in NY but everywhere. I was lucky to have met maybe 2 people in their mid 20's with anything close to what I had. Even on Poker Runs although I was an underdog in a 25' most of the guys were well into their 30's. It was fun owning it for two years and having the entire island with 300 people stop and stare whenever I pulled up because the other boats were small cc fishing rigs or pontoons. After a while though its like damn it would be nice to have someone else to go tear through the Gulf with.

I just turned 30 and most of my buddies in NY I grew up with are just now getting married and getting on their feet. It doesn't help that the Police state we live in makes it difficult to do anything that is not walking in a straight line. Hell I had a State Trooper in NC unholster his weapon after I refused to lower my passenger side window which had just been tinted that morning.

I have spent my whole life as an enthusiast and boating has always been my #1 sport. The tides have changed for me temporarily but I am the same way every time I go over the bridge and see the boats cruising I get excited for the day I buy my next one. I think it has a lot to do with what someone told me a few months back. A person born in poverty will never know anything other then that unless they are taught.

I once owned a twin outboard Mako. Wish I still had it.

With what a lot of people are saying you would think AT wouldn't be able to keep up with the 29-33 OB model orders.

You would think, but except for being on this forum I have never seen or heard of the new OB AT boats available. Put them in showrooms across the country and I bet the orders will start to come in. Then again, when I do step up to a larger sport boat it will have big blocks because without that it's just not a bad ass thundering sport boat IMO

Dean what makes it good to 55-60, stainless frames and supports and hardware? Or is it also the shape?

I feel that is one of baddest boats out there.......but... .it's new. There is no used market. So unless you're in a postion to pay sixes figires and then some for a boat it isn't really an option for a lot just yet.

Wow. This thread is a bunch of whiny *****es. If you have a twin engine big block boat because it makes you cool or because you want to fit in or because you have a small penis and are compensating then this thread makes sense. I know for me personally it's the look. It's the sound. I enjoy turning the wrenches and learning as I go. Outboards have impellers also and you have to drop the lower unit to get to it. I'll take an engine mounted Impeller everyday. Keep a spare and don't have to go on the trailer to fix.

Some of us do it because of love and passion not to impress others or compensate for anything.

All the above, my wife has built and installed a few, as long as you can locate straps to restrain and don't build a sail they are fairly easy to install. A good canvas or upholstery shop should have no problem but its custom order and not cheap.

For looks Mike . From a guy that bought a Fountain?


Just ribbing ya Mike. Congratulations on the new boat, when ya thinking you'll be seaworthy?

Thanks tommy. I love the looks of the fountain part of the reason I bought one. Been my dream boat since I was 10. She's about to start coming together. New shortblocks in the garage. Made a switch and ditching efi for carbs so I have some more stuff to order. Colabella just finished with drives. Bilge painted. Ready to start reassembly when I get home next week. Will get wet hopefully my trip home after that. So July

My daughter and her husband bring about $80.000 a year home. Yu would think f they wanted, they could swing a boat. I have been through the envelope system with her and t ain't there. Between day care at 500 a week, car payments of 600"a month, then throw n insurance, hospital bills form two extended stay births, the price f df and gas, a boat has no place in their budget.
I say the because, 80g a year seems like enough to live out your hobby, instead they live it out on my boats.

Yeah but they are spending 3200 a month in child care and car payments. There's all the hobby money right there.