Hello
 

Hi, How is everyone. I am new to OSO, so be gentle :-)

My main reason for joining is to get as much advice as I can on buying a boat.

I'm looking for a leisure boat. One that will be good for kids also. I've been told to check out bayliners. But there hasn't been anything to really catch my eye. I have a few months to buy. So I can take my time too.

Any advice would be great!

welcome to the board, and as a gesture of kindness I can save you a huge headache, don't buy a Bayliner:D

WELCOME !

And I agree with Just Once.

Hi! Welcome to the forum! Good to have another female here!

I agree with no to bayliner.

I have a Searay and a Donzi sport deck, my daughter (8 years old) loves both. The Donzi however has alot more room and is faster. Great for tubing/skiing or just running the lake.

Take your time and look around, I'm sure the forum members here will give you some ideas also. Its a very educated group here! They know everything about boats!

Welcome!

Yes, it is always great to see another female on board!

Good luck with your search for a boat.
I agree with Donzigirl, this place has a ton of very educated people in the boating world.

Take your time and make sure you find what is best for you. I know I could not have found the boat of my dreams without these people and this place.

Let your search begin!!!!!!!

Hello LovlyLady!

First and foremost welcome to the board! What size boat are you thinking of and where will you be doing the majority of your boating? Will you be trailering the boat or putting it in a slip? What are your main priorities (skiing, tubing, cruising, overnighting, etc.)?

Answering these questions will help us help you!!!

Welcome to the #1 website for performance boaters !!! Dave

Welcome.

First advise. Lie down til the urge to buy a boat goes away. Your checkbook will thank you. :D

Second, you may not have as much time as you think to buy. In the spring prices go up, because it is boating season. Also, it has been a buyer's market for the past year or so, because the economy has been weak and trying to come back. My limited review is that luxury item prices such as for motorcycles and boats have been down by about 20%. (Anyone wanna chime in on that one?) It looks as though the economy may be stronger in the spring, so prices could rise for that reason also. If you are financing, interest rates seem to be inching up as well.

Finally, if you are new to boating and/or high performance engines, GET SOMETHING UNDER WARRANTY!!! Take it from someone who learned the hard way.

Hope you enjoy your purchase.:)

Bayliner is okay if your going to boat on inland lakes that are smooth. If you don’t plan on keeping the boat for more than 5 years and you’re looking for a lower priced boat then a Bayliner might be right for you. If you are planning to keep it for 5 or more years and do a lot of boating, you want to look at a better boat. Sea-Ray is a very good leisure boat and Cobalt is even better. It just depends on how much you want to spend. Both Sea-Ray and Cobalts are the best and have been building quality that is second to none for many-many years. Not to mention their resale value is among the very top.

Good luck with your purchase, Boating is one of the best ways to enjoy quality family time

Roby

I want to chime in here with kaamascarab also. If you've never owned a boat before I reccomend looking at new ones also with a warrenty.

The SeaRay I have is our first boat, we bought it as a second owner. Us being naive thinking it wasn't used much and was in a garage, hardly ever used made us think its the perfect boat! WRONG! Almost everythings been replaced on the engine and lower unit by us! We've got so much money in it now, we'd loose our butts if we tried to sell it. LOL

Buy as much boat and as much Horsepower as you can afford.

Boats seem to shrink when they hit the water and you'll always want a bigger and faster one. So go bigger and faster from the start.

Yes, they do shrink. We almost bought a 5 seat 2+3 Checkmate with a OB when looking a few years ago....We ended up with a 20' Baja, legally holds 8. It is very small at times with 5 people on it.

Welcome!... noooo bayliner.. no matter WHAT!

LOL, well ok. Something tells me to take your word on the bayliner. I will have it on Lake St.Clair slips trailors ect.. I am looking for something newer and 24ft or bigger. Something to sleep on with my little one.
I am so excited about a boat. I dated a guy once with a boat and have wanted one every sense.
I know me though I tend to be a bit impulsive so I am making myself take my time with this.
Thanks for all the welcomes.
How about searays??? ugghh the pressure!

Welcome!

Stay away from the bayliners..

Just remember that it is easy to slow down, but to go faster takes a whole lot of money.
In other words it is better to get a boat that will go faster than you think you want to go. Othewise it will cost a whole lot to get you there.

Scott
;) :cool:

Check out Bryant, Regal, or Chaparral. I would probably go with the Chaparral personally.

Welcome gorgeous :D Another one to look into is searay. It just depends on what your boating style is..


By any chance are you single? :D

Welcome aboard LovlyLady426!
Well, It sounds like you got the picture on the Bayliner...

;)
Boat Show season is coming upon us over the winter. Probably the best time to cut your best deal. Whatever you decide to go with, checkout the shows. If you are determined to buy, wait until the last day of the show, especially if a show had been low in attendance. The dealer will go as far as he has to to make a sale. You may end up with many extras such as extended warranties and Coast Guard Packages for free.

A good family friendly/performance boat I found so far is Checkmate. Superboat also makes a nice 24 footer...

If you are looking for something used, checkout my website for Links to over 100 Classified websites. They are at the bottom of the Classified page at www.SharkeyMarine.com
Happy shopping....;)

My best advice to you is stay away from bayliners and Traviss!!:D :D
Seriously, if you are looking for a well built performance boat with some comfort look at Sonic. You can get a lot of boat for the money. Good luck, and don't buy ANYTHING without a survey. May be the best boating money you ever spend.

Welcome! Good Luck and have fun! Don't take some of the things said on these posts to heart.

Oh don't buy a Baja opps I mean bayliner :D

( That was a joke)

Hey by the way got a picture ? :D :p :crazy:

Sometimes you really have to wonder about that.

Kidding aside, welcome to the board. The members on here will definately help you as much as possible. Good luck with your search.

Ps. I have a bayliner. For Sale. Hey, had to start somewhere and if I was gonna bang something up, why do it to something nice.

Yes I have a picture, I haven't figured out how to post one yet. Or had the time with a little one. As far as the boat shows I do intend on going to them.
What do I need as far as a boating license? I heard it is really easy to get. But don't I have to wait until I have a boat first?

NO bayliner I had for 3 months thats long enough
got rid of it fast. I have heard there new bigger cruisers aren't bad but don't expect them to hold resale value.

he he watch out for travviss. He usually has a thing for sheep or was theat packinair???? But also seems to be fascinated by milfs ;)

as for the bayliner comments. thier quality has gone up. They arne't the POSes they once were. Would I buy one. NO. The resale issue are soemtign to think about. BUT the flip side is you might be able to pick one up used on a decent deal.

how much are you looking to spend? Outboard or IO??? If your trailering what kind of tow vehicle do you have?

Welcoem to eth baord its always nice to have anoethr lady around here.

Do not listen to whatever these guys might say, most of them have been huffin on paint fumes :eek:

I believe that milf fascinastion is just a rumor :rolleyes:

What kind of budget do you want to stay within. GregP from the board has a very nice Formula a lot of boat for the money. Tonto has a beautiful Sea Ray that I have spent the night on before. A brand new 330 Formula Sunsport is in the 125k range.

Stay away from the exotic High Performance showpieces whoever said it earlier was right your bank account will thank you tremendously.

I know of lots of stuff coast - coast & border - border.

No, the sheep thing has to do with TeamBaja. Sorry, Team.




As for advice on your purchase. Use this board. These people will help you in more ways then you think. Any question you have. Any boat you are thinking about. Make a thread and odds are OSO members will assist you or know about that particular boat you are looking at.

Look at some post history and you will see what we do for each other.

Welcome and good luck.



Over & Out,
Dano

Lets keep the sheep out of this. Don't want this thread poofed by PETA.

Cap: Wifey will smack you!! Again!

Lovly: We call them Baylitter, do not buy one!
Welcome, we need more girls!

That a Kid, Troutly,


Cover all bases.




Over & Out,
Dano

You guys are so funny, it is nice to come to a forum where people get along. My budget is around 70K Needless to say less would be perfect, unless I win the lottery???
I am thinking of buying a house on the river st.clair in St. Clair. Mostly to live closer to mom.
SO basically going into debt is my plan. Fun eh?

Because you will have a little one with you, and being new to boating, I would recommend that you seriously consider the benefits of two motors vs. one. Two motors makes the boat easier to handle, especially when docking. Also, in the event you run into engine problems while out on the lake, you still have one engine to get you home. We've "putted" home on one engine way too many times, but it sure beats calling for a tow and in rough water the complete loss of power could have been disasterous!

With this kind of attitude, you will fit right in here.

Is there any other way???:crazy: :crazy: ;) :D :D :D

Welcome to the board.

First and foremost as far as the bigger boats go, I like the Sea Ray. Actually my vote would be for a Magnum, but in your price range...Sea Ray (not to mention it accomodated my 4 year old quite well...Thanks Tonto)

And second of all, you have just joined one of the most friendly groups of people in the world. And we always need more women on the board to help control the unruly masses. (you guys know which ones your are).


:D :D :D ;) ;) ;) :eek: :eek: :eek:

Welcome Again

Terra Stinson

Contact GregP as he is most likely in the range you want to be in.

You are new. Get some popcorn and watch the fireworks.




Over & Out,
Dano

Welcome lovely, this board has provided me with many hours of entertainment as well as a wealth of knowledge and not just about boats. I've also been looking at houses on the water in that same area. If you dont have to be in St.clair there are some good deals around the colony tower. Shopping for a house on the water is just like shopping for a boat, its easy if you have tons of money. Kinda frustrating if you have a budget to stay within. good luck and enjoy the board.

LovlyLady426,
Welcome to the board. You will not need a boating license. Hopefully the dealer you purchase your boat from will take you out on the water and give you some pointers on how to operate the boat. Don't be surprised if they don't.

What kind of boating do you want to do? Have you had any experience driving a boat before? Would you be able to take care of maintenance items or would you need to have the boat serviced? Buying new you get killed with depreciation but you do get the option of getting an extended warranty. Let us know more of what you enjoy about boating and I'm sure you will get a few suggestions.;) With your budget you should be able to get a nice boat.
Dan

Badgirl thanks for that info, good advice. As well as the rest of you also. As far as moving anywhere other then St.Clair, My Aunt owns a few homes there and Port Huron. So I am limited on the choices. But they are great choices. This passed summer was my most experience with boating. I realy just fell in love with it. As far as maintenance..In home maintenance only for me. I just can't see me under the hood type girl! Maybe on the hood.. KIDDING. lol. but there is always help and friends for that.