Advice for a first time boat owner
 

I am reaching out because I am finally ready to own a boat but would like to get some advice of do's/don'ts for a first time owner. I have been around water all my childhood but I am now 24 and ready to own my first boat, my budget is $70,000 I currently live in Virginia Beach. I plan on using the boat mainly in freshwater and eventually hit the big ocean after. Here are my questions are:


1. Should I start out with a single engine or should I go twin engine?

2. Would a Donzi/Baja boat as my first boat be too much for my first boat?

3. Should I stay under a certain size of boat or try and get the biggest I can afford?

4. Is it better to start small and work up gradually?


Thanks in advance!

It's cool you are systematically approaching this new venture, great questions.

For inland lakes/rivers I would go to the place you are most likely to frequent and see what size of boat is most common. When I first started going to Table Rock lake in Missouri 30 years ago, a 21' boat was more than adequate for the typical activities done...skiing, tubing, kneeboarding, etc.
But over they years, and especially with the proliferation of the God#*@! wakesurfing boats, a smaller boat was getting overwhelmed. I switched over to a Baja 252 Islander and it is far better suited for the conditions. So in this case, size of boat (in feet) and deadrise (24 degrees) was the key to enjoying the lake again.
What are you going to use the boat for most? That is one of the first questions to ask. Cruising? Fishing? Watersports? Some combination of those?
I've helped countless people get into boats over the 45+ years I've been boating, and my advice is always to get as much power as possible. NO ONE ever has said, "Yeah...it's a nice boat but man, it just has too much power!" And engine power is stupid expensive to obtain.
So here is my advice, summarized:

• start no smaller than 23', bigger is better UP TO A POINT, especially if you are going to trailer the boat
• consider the tow vehicle you have, a 1/2 ton pickup or Suburban is good for small to mid-size (up to 27') but after that, you need a 3/4 or one ton truck to pull safely
• deeper deadrise = better ride. My 21' Baja had a 17 degree deadrise, was stupid fast but rode rough as hell.
• get the most power you can afford...put the bulk of your budget into this. Minimum power should be a 454, better yet if it's a Mag, better yet to go 502 or HP500.
• go with single power, but dual throttle/shifter setup
• freshwater boats are generally more desirable
• look at how the boat is maintained. Look in the bilge, ski locker, cabin if equipped...if messy/dirty/oily...usually a sign of an apathetic owner who isn't maintaining the boat well...and could be hiding a LOT of bad issues.
• if you find a good boat, consider having it surveyed - you are most looking for 'bad wood', i.e. soft spots in the floor, transom, etc that is simply a "run-don't-walk-away" situation, unless you have the time and patience and budget for a 'project' (that likely will never get finished)
• finally, the used boat market is...almost non-existent at the moment...VERY hard to find much of anything.

I advice would be to buy a smaller $10,000 boat and learn all the lessons/experience on a cheaper, easier boat. After a season or two, sell that boat and add the sales price to the $60,000 you have left over and by the best boat you can get.

Where are you boating around VaBeach that's fresh water? Are you planning on towing inland?

Donzi and Baja are both good brands to start with. I think most on here would give the nod to Donzi.

Your call on single or doubles. I will tell you though that you will have some rough and unpleasant boating days in a 24 in the Chesapeake Bay. Where the Mouth of the Bay meets the ocean gets snotty.

You will be used to a 24 VERY fast. If youre most comfortable in an easing-in approach go for it, but if your committed to this style of boat I think I'd start a little bigger...... That's just me.

Soak up all the advice members here offer, there’s a lot of experience on OSO. Here’s a few ideas (just my opinion) to get started.

Single engine, up to 496ho is easiest to maintain. Beyond that means Mercury racing engine which need a little more love to keep them happy.

Recognized brand name boat, certainly Donzi/Baja fit that criteria.

If you’re going to tow, check towing weights carefully with your vehicle manufacturer and stay within limits. If you go to a twin engine boat, the weight jumps up considerably.

Bigger boats aren’t significantly harder to drive but they’re harder to tow, more work around the ramp, more work cleaning afterwards.and more expensive. Faster boats are harder to drive, more to go wrong at 70mph than 50mph.

When you’re learning, turn your stereo off, don’t drink and better off with one friend on board, not 3-4. Less distraction, less to worry about and less tendency to wanna to push the boat hard.

Look around your boating area and watch others, learn from their mistakes, it might save you making too many of your own. 🙂

Welcome to OSO!

RR

JD

Darr?

Isn’t there a statute of limitations on him? How long can the legacy last?
🙂🙂

Maybe, but VABeach is a weird reference point. Pretty obscure.......

don't do it

Not him

That's a lot of cash to put into your first boat, much less a high performance boat.

My first boat and first go-fast was a 22' Scarab with a 454. I was 27 years old. Was capable of 60+mph and looked and sounded great -- but cost me under 20 grand back in the early 2000s.

It sucks making rookie mistakes on an expensive rig.

buying the boat is the easy part, on used boats you will want to "make it yours" so you will start throwing money at it right away. trailers are a pain, they always need something. make sure you are able to maintain what you have and not be boat poor, meaning you paid top dollar and are struggling for fuel and maintenence, good mechanics arent cheap and cheap mechanics arent good... find out about insurance for your age bracket. its easy to wind up in over your head... make sure you get a survey, Tommy kimbal is in your area and super knowledgable

"being around water" doesn't mean much....i've been around water all my life as well...fishing and swimming,,,never got into boats till i was about 18 when a friend and i went in and split the cost of a small runabout just so we can have the ladies out with us in bikinis :D
My first "real"boat was a 1986 30' scarab with twin 454's bout it for around $30k and learned quickly on it.....after the first season the engine were pulled and wallet had a hole in it for the rest of the ownership! :D would i change anything?......NOPE! :D
Only advice i can give it this...get the best and biggest you can afford. Keep in mind what you will be towing with as well.....a 1/2 ton truck will not cut it with a boat that 30' or bigger (in most cases) So a 3/4 ton min or 1 ton ideal if you going to be pulling it around any distance. And if you have the time...take a coast guard safety course and even the Tres Martin driving class to help you learn your boat when you get it.... :cool:

Lots of people say start small and work your way up. Lots of people get 3 footitis pretty quickly too. I started with a 20' Outlaw and worked my way up to 32 foot.This can be expensive and time consuming though.

My buddy jumped right in to a 36' Outlaw as his first boat and never had any issues. Looking back now, I think I would have been better off starting out with a big boat. If you have half a clue about things mechanical and know how to drive, it really isn't that big a deal running a big boat versus small. Probably towing is the biggest difference. I drove big rigs for many years so towing was never an issue for me. Also, twins makes docking and other maneuvers way easier.

What did you buy? How goes it?

He got smart and left the cash in the bank

Bajaman,

the boat would be used primarily as cruiser/hauling ass everywhere:). I spent a lot of time in Ozarks as a kid. We stayed at Moonies till it started to get pretty bad with the rooms and etc. I really appreciate the advice. Sorry I haven't reached back sooner, work got swapped and been working 6days a week 12hr shifts since I made this post. I have found a couple Donzi 28-33ft for sale near me but literally have had no time to go look or even attempt to try and get out on the water.

I live in Va Beach but just found a nice lake near me. Its lake Gaston on the board of VA and NC. about 2hrs from me.

I would consider myself decent around a engine. A buddy and myself started a performance shop on the side as something to do. We both have a passion for things that go fast. I know a marine engine is different. A lot of the components have no electrical discharge since there is gas in the engine compartment and etc. I would definitely be doing my own work until I have no clue what to do next and reach out to the experts.

Why do you say that?

Well I have had mu boating license since I was around 14. I lived in Missouri for a few years and they mandated all drivers have there boating license. So I originally started on a caravelle 21ft. It was my grandparents and they showed me how to do the boating life and stopped once I was 18 and left home for the military. I have definitely been looking into courses as a refresher. Thanks!

I haven't gotten the chance to look. I had my eyes on a 2000 Donzi 33ft ZR but it sold and I have been swamped with projects at work. 6 days a week 12hr days. ;)
But still looking. I am trying to get into a course first and get a nice refresher before going into it. Just trying to play my cards right.

Sorry guys been super swamped with work! I haven't backed out, just don't have any free time the past month roughly. But I definitely appreciate all the advice. Its hard getting out to the water and making friends with people to try and have small talk about there journey in the boating world! I'm young and people probably would think I am just F***** around and just trying to bum a free ride on there boat!! haha

Bajaman,

Dumb question but where/who normally does surveys of the boat? Would I just take it to boat dealer? Or are there key words I can lookup and see who is the best at "surveying" boats in my area?

Take a look here in your area, definitely do a pre-purchase survey

And thank you for your service.

https://www.marinesurvey.org/

Guys,

Okay so after all this information here is another pile of questions regarding Donzi since it seems as a general consensus that its the better of the two I had picked:

1. Engines to stay away from
2. Years/run of boats with most issues
3. With owning a Donzi is there certain things to look for
4. With a Survey done, what information is all detailed? Is it some sort of report similar to a car inspection?

Thanks again!

Well...er...uh...'surveyors' do these things, lol! I just punched in to Google "marine surveyors" and it has links to regional and area surveyors, there are several 'certified' groups like NAMS and SAMS, etc...that you'd get the piece of mind knowing they have experience backed by certifications in the survey they'd do.

jj - I've learned to listen to 'signs and portents' over the years, I think your work load is helping you to avoid buying a boat right now...lol! In all seriousness, the market is just stupid at the moment. I punched in a search for a Baja 252 Islander like I have, the ONLY one that was found (that wasn't over a year old and thus not available) was a 1999 model, standard, 7.4 MPI, 600 hours, not a whole lot of the options the boat COULD have come with...and it was $35K. Two years ago that boat would have sold for half that.

not trying to crush anyone's dream but looking back 30 years over my shoulder I would
1. Buy a single engine, half the maintenance cost, half the headache, lower initial cost and lower operating costs.
1a. Most women don't care if it has a single engine or twins.
2.both brands are good boats and they have boats in all sizes. I would ask you more about the end use not the name brand unless you a name brand guy.
3. Once again use and ease of use. Bigger boats are cool looking but require more hp to achieve a given speed (generally) more operating costs, harder to drive , harder to tow , storage and insurance also become an issue.
4. Your trying to by in a bad market, I would by a 19' -22' runabout with a 305/350 that you can play with and get your feet wet . Make sure it has a place for the ladies to lay out on .

I'm one of those old guys that preaches "save for your retirement " if you have $70 large, congratulations . if your borrowing it i would wade in slowly. Your buying at the top of the market and a $70,000 boat today may be worth only $50,000 in a few years.
and for God's sake be safe , life jackets, no alcohol and education. Messing up your life happens in an instant .


Be safe my friend

70k boat today will be worth 50k in 3-5 years after you sink 50k in it to maintain, rebuild, and improve!!! Haha!

With 3 kids consider how much time you'll have to use your $70k expense, it's not an investment. I had that plus a bunch and bought a $20k boat. Very glad I did as there's ALWAYS something else on the burner and we're without kids.
I'm lucky if I can use it once a month and constantly bummed about the overall cost of ownership compared to available usage.

Tommy Kimball is your man for surveying. Kimball marine surveys.

I find it incredibly odd, if not foolish that you’re limiting yourself to boating at Gaston. Good God man at least consider the intercoastal waterway! And you’re doing yourself a disservice if you ignore the beautiful Chesapeake Bay and tributaries. I’m on boat 12 over half a century enjoying that experience. Never an issue with the salt. It’s all in the maintenance.

Did anybody mention a boater safety course yet? Sounds like this would be appropriate for a first time owner, too. We get plenty of idiots hauling a$$ on Doctor's Inlet here in the Jax, FL area in high power boats and it gets sketchy on nice days when everyone is out.

Guys,

I am back and alive but a lot has changed… my wife and I now have a young one that we brought into this world and it has been one hell of a ride so far. Also we have no moved to the Lexington Park MD area and basically there is nothing here but to be on the water. I just wanted to thank you all for the previous knowledge you gave me. But the wife actually sparked up the old idea of getting a boat.. So with that said is anyone local or near Lexington Park MD that boats often and I guess get a feel for if the boating on the big ocean is something we can do as a family and actually enjoy or maybe this idea gets pushed back again until we move somewhere with a lake closer by 😂