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Old 22-07-2019, 19:30   #16
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Re: advice re small-ish power boat

If you look at the picture the water line is just below the blue and white section of the boat, the area in front of the ladder, but before the door is a platform I guess it could be called easily big enough for a person to stand.
Contrast that to boats that have only a transom on the rear and you would be climbing over the transom as opposed to opening a small door and walking into the boat.
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Old 22-07-2019, 20:25   #17
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Re: advice re small-ish power boat

My non-sailboat is a MayCraft 1900, which is a very seaworthy 19 foot center console. It generally is sold with a 115 hp four stroke, and will top out at about 40 mph. It will cruise at about 28 mph, and gets about 5 mpg at that speed. If you get a set of Bennett trim tabs, it will cut though 5 foot semi-chop with no problems at all, but you're prone to spray. It may sound like BS, but it will not pound, and if you try it, you'll have to believe it. (without the tabs, it will pound) I've been in dozens of 20 to 25 foot center consoles, from Regulators to Wellcraft to Carolina Skiffs, Privateers, and multi-hulls like WorldCats, and the hull design of the Maycraft 1900 is far and away my favorite power boat, due to ride and purchase costs. I've made about 25 trips running 30 miles out from the Florida gulf coast to wrecks, and felt safe. That was true even with late afternoon thunderstorms whipping things up the whole 30 miles back in on several occasions. Some trips were made with 4 people, all over 200 pounds, and actively fishing.

With a 8 foot Bimini top, centered on the boat, you have ample shade in any of the seating areas behind or in front of the console, and the boat can still be fished without problems. The cooler seat combo is great, saves space, reverses the seating front to back, and holds ice well. For getting in and out of the water, I have one of these:


http://www.garelick.com/IO-Transom-P...scoping-Ladder

Placed on the port stern, it works well and has a sturdy telescoping ladder. Also, power boats under 20 feet are required to have positive flotation, so there's that.

I bought mine new in 2010, and paid about 25k at that time, including anchor, bimini, trim tabs, etc. On the used market, you can probably get a decent boat for about half of that or less. There is also no plywood in the deck, but a fiberglass honeycomb instead. (at least since 2010) There is plywood in the transom, but a close visual inspection of the outboard bolts and transom fittings should give a pretty good idea of what it's like inside. I would stay away from a boat with a large number of stress cracks in the transom, but I've never actually seen one like that. If you get a chance, you should check them out. It doesn't have the excess trim and built in vinyl cushions of some boats, but it also does not have a lot of vinyl cushions that need to be covered up, and eventually look ratty either.
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Old 22-07-2019, 21:29   #18
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Re: advice re small-ish power boat

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Originally Posted by shawnkillam View Post
Thanks Chris,
The place we bought has a boat lift rated to 10,000 pounds although I would be reluctant to test that number.

We don't need a head, a porta-potty would be more than adequate. Hopefully I won't be out overnight as that would indicate something has gone seriously wrong.

I have looked at the configurations as you suggested center console, duel console, flat boat, twin hull, v hull, etc. I have had a salesman suggest that a pontoon or tritoon boat would work. No surprise, every salesman I have spoken with says that the boat that they sell would be perfect for my needs. If they sell more than one brand, then both would be fine for what I need.
It may be that anything could be made to work, but I have no idea how to determine if this is the case. I also don't know how one determines how big a motor one needs. Is it simply a function of how fast you want to go or is there some size below which there is a safety issue?
Is there some inherent efficiency difference between inboard / outboard / IO motors?
If everything is more or less equal it would seem that an outboard would be easier to maintain and repair, if for no other reason than one can take it to the shop rather than the other way around.
Again thanks for your insights.

S
I spent many years with smallish powerboats while my family was growing up. We enjoyed day trips, overnight to another port, camping in the islands, wake boarding and fishing.

I found that a cuddy cabin about 22ft was excellent. Toilet is essential (you must consider the needs of your guests). Deep V fiberglass is a good all around choice as it lets you deal with rough water getting home as well as flat water going out. A small cookstove is nice, as is an icebox. I had inboards but today's big outboards are so excellent and much lighter. An inflatable dingy is a good thing to carry.

You will not remove the outboard and take it to the shop, too heavy. In both cases you will take the whole rig to the shop. Outboards however, are easier to work on in my opinion, but I love my deep throated V8 I.O.

My last boat was a 22ft cuddy with a 350hp I/O which could reach 50kts although we operated it at about 22kts for economy. But the flat out runs were fun. We enjoyed camping out, port to port trips, and skiing. A good canvas top (which MUST be foldable for those days when you want the sunshine) is important.

Have fun.

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We don't need a head, a porta-potty would be more than adequate. Hopefully I won't be out overnight as that would indicate something has gone seriously wrong
Yeah, right, Have you ever known anyone who might go with you that drank beer? Like women? Kids (not beer, but soda)?


My boat was named "Harlot". Alcohol stove, icebox, toilet, sleeps four, top speed=50mph. Great boat! It was red. We covered a lot of miles with this boat.
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Old 22-07-2019, 21:57   #19
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Re: advice re small-ish power boat

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Hello,
I realize this isn't exactly a cruisers question, but....
Oh, and BTW, You can cruise on a small powerboat, lots of places within your range, and live aboard!
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Old 23-07-2019, 05:49   #20
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Re: advice re small-ish power boat

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One last question before I go out and try and test drive a few.

Is there a significant drawback to buying an older boat and if necessary replacing the engine?

There are advantages with buying SOME used boats; a lot of that is about depreciation, some is about gaining any additions a PO (previous owner) may have installed (because those additions don't usually raise the real selling price of the boat). Electronics, maybe, stuff like that.

That said, I emphasized SOME because it's very much dependent on how well POs treated the boat, did their maintenance, etc. Well-maintained used boat could be very good. A poorly maintained used boat could be a POS.

Best is a well-maintained used boat that really suits your requirements and does NOT need new engines... at the right price.

And a seaworthy beater could be OK too, even if you do have to install new outboards (for example) -- if the overall price is right. There's a lot to be said for new units with new technology where it counts.

It's common to pay a marine surveyor to inspect a boat prior to a potential purchase (so the purchase contract is "subject to survey") and sometimes even add a mechanical (engine) survey to the process if you're not sure about engines. Depending on a candidate boat's size, systems, complexity, asking price, etc... surveying could be an option you might consider..

If I thought sure I would never ever want to overnight on the boat, I'd probably start looking at center consoles in the 23-26' range, then modify up or down from there based on what I saw. OTOH, if I thought there might ever be a chance to overnight somewhere, even if it's only like camping, then I'd more likely start by looking at 25-30' cuddy or walkaround models... or a few 28-32' center consoles that could accommodate. We'd need a good marine head in any of those.

If I thought I might want to (have to) trailer the boat somewhere, I might limit myself to models with an 8½" beam (no permits required)... but if I didn't find anything that suited, and if I could solve the tow vehicle issues, I'd probably find 30' boats with a 10' beam even more comfortable.

Some of this obviously depends on what you mean by "small-ish".

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Old 23-07-2019, 06:28   #21
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Re: advice re small-ish power boat

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Is there a significant drawback to buying an older boat and if necessary replacing the engine?

We call those "repowers."


Check prices. Usually they don't make economic sense on higher horsepower boats. The engine is the most expensive part of the boat. By the time you buy the boat and pay for a repower you have more money in it in most cases than you would with a newer used boat and you still have an older hull and interior.


Typically the controls and steering are replaced at the same time, but not always.



The only real "drawback" is that with a much older boat from the 2-cycle era you have to be careful about the amount of weight on the transom. 4-cycle engines are somewhat heavier for the same horsepower. Often it doesn't matter but if you start out with a boat that already has a marginal weight distribution you can end up with a problem.
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Old 23-07-2019, 08:51   #22
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Re: advice re small-ish power boat

Thanks everyone.
Hardhead- you may have underestimated the value of your boat. My internet search for Maycraft 1900 suggests they hold their value amazingly well.
Wingsail- hmmm beer on a boat. okay I take your point.
I certainly agree with you re canvas top / sun shade

Jammer- thanks for the info on repower and transom weight
Ranger42- I have had sailboats surveyed but those boats were considerably more expensive. Do you know offhand what one could reasonably expect to pay for a survey on a 20-30 ft power boat?


Again thanks for your input
SK
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Old 23-07-2019, 08:55   #23
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Re: advice re small-ish power boat

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Ranger42- I have had sailboats surveyed but those boats were considerably more expensive. Do you know offhand what one could reasonably expect to pay for a survey on a 20-30 ft power boat?

Sorry, I don't. Our surveyors have charged by the foot, though, so it might be reasonable enough... depending on the asking price. Maybe one of those things where your own "pre-survey" inspection would guide your decision to pay a surveyor or not.

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Old 29-07-2019, 09:12   #24
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Re: advice re small-ish power boat

I understand your concern.

As a small sailboater(19 foot West wight Potter), my wife decided that she really wanted a powerboat. But finding what we wanted used way up here in Maine, USA, was not going to be easy.

We needed a cuddy cabin so that she could use a porta-potty without being watched.

We needed a used boat without any wood in it to be rotting out. We needed a Suzuki engine because the guy who would take care of it for us(since we couldn’t tow more than 3000 lbs) was a Suzuki dealer. Any other kind of engine unless nearly new with all the maintenance records was a throw-away for us---since we had experience of being stuck out in the middle of the bay 2 miles from land with a bad motor.

It needed to be an outboard, since there are lobster pots everywhere, and getting the prop tangled with a lobster pot line is an inevitability, and so we needed to be able to lift the prop out of the water to cut the line free. Getting into 55 degree water is not something anyone up here wants to do without a wet suit.

Eventually we found a 20 foot Sea Quest cuddy cabin walk around with a 175HP Suzuki with less than 100 hours on it, and no wood anywhere on the boat. We still hope to get her(the Green Eyed Susan) into the water yet this year. But since there are no slips up here, we needed to move our mooring to a more sheltered place.
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Old 30-07-2019, 10:32   #25
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Re: advice re small-ish power boat

Thanks Zarathu. That seems like a nice boat. Are there no slips in Maine because of building restrictions or because there are so many boats? Just curious.
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