New boat owner

[LanceM]

I'm sure that this question has been answered before, but here goes. I am relatively new to boating, I have had several small craft (22' and smaller, all outboards) but we have decided to purchase a cruiser type boat so that wen can spend weekends on the water. My question is, what is a realistic cost per weekend of cruising with a single engine (gas) 35' Sea Ray? Any ballpark figure would be appreciated.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Lance.

[Paul Annapolis]

Lance If you are sure this question has been answered before, why not begin by looking where it more likely has been discussed? There are enough Sea Rays out there and probably enough web sites and reviews and owner's associations that those would be much better places to start. There are 51 for sale in the US on Yachtworld, so I am assuming you have looked at a few for sale and know this already, but surely those listings will help. Furthermore, you have not told us of your engine or prop configuration (probably a mercruiser sterndrive--perhaps 400 hp??or possibly v drive?) so your burn rate could be anywher between say 5 gph and maybe 50 gph times how ever many hours and you get your estimate. This can also be easily determined with a Google search under sea ray 35 burn rate. Will you be flat out or simply idling--and for how many hours? This much is true--If your concern about fuel costs has any bearing on your ability to afford the boat, perhaps you should consider a more efficient or slower boat such as a trawler. And don't forget--oil, antifreeze, filters, winterizing, dewinterizing, belts, pumps etc etc etc etc etc etc.......

[ranger58sb]

Sea Ray owners club, somewhere on the 'net.


Opinions will likely discuss specific engines and fuel consumption -- at various speeds -- but also dockage, food, etc. and that's lots of variables.


No clue what a 35' Sea Ray gas Sundancer burns, but owners in their club will know. For most short trips, assuming marina stops for overnight, fuel isn't usually the highest cost factor.

-Chris

[LanceM]

Thank you for your input. I can determine to the dollar what a weekend of fishing will cost me in my Tiara bay boat. Keeping in mind of course, that my fishing boat never leaves sight of the shore. That determination is based on my past experiences, however this inboard V-8 is not something I'm accustomed to. The young man that I am thinking about buying it from, had it given to him to pay a debt, and he knows nothing about it. I have called a yacht broker to help me set up a survey so that I don't get burned on the deal.
It's not that I'm worried that I can't afford it, I just really had no idea where to start gathering information useful in helping me make the decision as to whether to buy it or not. 5 -50 gph (believe it or not) gives me a question to ask the broker.
Thanks again.

[ranger58sb]

I'm told the searay owners club is quite active, so I'd guess their archives are quite extensive...



Any friendly SeaRay dealership would likely know stuff like that, too.


Good luck.

-Chris

[Refugio]

I've always found it useful to separate cost of ownership from cost of usage.

Cost of ownership includes the obvious ones: loan (if you have one), moorage, insurance, license, depreciation, and much of the maintenance. There's a general rule of thumb that a boat costs about 10% of its NEW cost each year. If you do your own maintenance - or have cheap moorage, or haul it part of the year - you can get that down to maybe 5%.

Usage costs vary depending on...usage. For a single gas V8, the largest cost will probably be fuel. Others have pointed out places to get fuel consumption figures, but I'm going to spitball it and say plan on 1 MPG. If your fuel costs around $3/gallon, then that's...$3/mile.

So...how many miles might you "cruise" in a month?

[LanceM]

Thank you for your reply. I have received some good input on this thread, and appreciate everyones comments, but I have had a change of plans. The more research I did on the boat, the less I liked it. My wife and I have decided to go back to our original plan of purchasing a sailboat. The motor yacht was just too rough once you got past the pretty wood and upholstery. The engine needs to be pulled and overhauled (major oil leak-front and rear main seals)

I had rather spend a weekend under sail than working on a single engine boat 50 miles from shore. Besides, I know many sailors and cruisers around our area.

[Cheechako]

For a single engine you are likely to be using maybe 12-14 GPH at cruising speed on a 26-28 footer.
On a 35 footer, you probably have 2 engines, I would guess you will be using at least 20 gallons an hour and could be a lot more at cruising speed. Just to get you in a general ballpark. At say $3 per gallon, yeah maybe $60-$75 per hour... or maybe per 35 miles.