looking for assistance

[jsmmonaco]

hello......i am brand new to this group and looking for some assistance.........we do not have a boat at the current time, but are thinking about getting back into boating............i have previously owned an open bow runabout, and a pontoon boat, but been out of things for about 10 years........thinking about purchasing a used pocket cruiser, example 24 ft bayliner ciera 2455...........my wife is brand new to boating and one of her requirements is a "bathroom".........anyway, we are also owners of a 40 ft diesel motorhome, and i subscribe to IRV2, which is very similar to this site (probably run by same folks), so i am familiar with shorepower, waste water systems, etc.........i am also familiar with the cost of this "lifestyle"........and the maintenance requirements that come with it..............so if any of you can provide advice on purchasing a boat, a possible better choice of manufacturers, etc. i would appreciate it...........we will mostly boat inland lakes, including the great lakes...........also, for motorhomes, if you go in to buy a new one, you automatically take one third off sticker BEFORE you start to talk deal.......if anyone is familiar with this concerning new boats, that would be appreciated...........i am sure i will have more questions, and i look forward to any advise you can provide...thank you in advance

[rsn48]

Here is a smaller boat with a larger boat feel and can travel at decent speed, and is trailerable. Its a newer model so on the used market the price will be higher.

Ranger Tugs R-23: Ranger Tugs R-23

I am prejudice to boats not built for fisherman, so here is an example of a very nice boat I wouldn't buy, if you scroll down you'll see a very large open cockpit, to me a total waste of liveable space, but well designed for fishing. This would be a very popular boat where I live as sports fishing is probably the largest boating crowd along the British Columbia coast, excluding Vancouver and Victoria.

Parker 2320 SC:

2320 SC - Parker Boats

I did google Ohio and thought you might be close to the Great Lakes and could keep a larger boat there, something in the 28 - 30 foot range, but in checking out Sandusky Ohio, I realized the distance driving would be 2 hours 11 minutes according to google map from your place, maybe enough to be a piss off. I didn't choose Cleveland as it might be a hassle driving through the city to get to a lake marina.

I have owned a 17 foot trailer, 21 foot trailer, 35 foot fifth wheel, and a 32 foot Class A motorhome. My prejudice is to smaller RV's as I found I used the smaller units more, just easier to hitch up and go, the larger 35 foot jobbie was more a planned thing. I am also wondering if you are used to the creaturely comforts of a 40 RV, how happy will you be in a smaller boat at 23 feet.

With a larger boat moored somewhere such as Sandusky, you can finish work at 5 on a Friday, be at the boat by 7:30, do your thing on Saturday and Sunday and be home for 7:00 PM, ready for more depressing work (I'm retired). Of course I'm using Sandusky as a metaphor for some place on the lakes that doesn't require driving through Cleveland, any small place with a decent marina will do.

I am more into classic lines rather than boats that emphasize speed, so a Grand Banks looking type boat for me would be more livable than a Bayliner 24, even the Ranger Tug 23 would be more my style of boat. But it may not be yours, and you may be a fisherman.

1. Post a budget.
2. Visit boat shows to get an idea of style of boat you want.
3. Everything you listed above points to a livable boat, but the Bayliner model you indicate doesn't use room efficiently for living on the boat, even for just a day or four, so sort out your priorities. Speedy day trips or slower overnighters.

A helpful article to suggest options:
Compact Cruisers and Tiny Trawlers | Boats and Places Magazine

[jsmmonaco]

Thanks for all the good information.....24 ft is fine as we wouldn’t spend weeks on it, like we do the bus.......retired as well.....I will look into the boats you highlighted.......again, thanks

[ranger58sb]

Welcome.

I get the "bathroom" criterion. That's one of mine, too, and wifey benefits.

You could do well to maybe better define what "boating" means to you. Trailer someplace, spend a few hours on the water, come home? Or stay on board for a week or two at a time? At anchor? Or in marinas? Or...? Leave in a marina or dry stack? Or on your own trailer? Or...? Will you be into serious cooking on board? Or just reheating snacks? Or...? Weather requirements? April through November? (need heat) Or maybe mid-May through mid-September? Or...?

FWIW, small Bayliners don't have a great rep, whereas the larger Bayliners get great reviews from their owners... (even while the audience sometimes trashes the big Bayliners because of the rep the small Bayliners have.) Generally the small ones are a decent value, though; usually not fancy, entry level systems, etc., but then again the price is usually in keeping with all that. Could be the right boat for the right mission.

Yes, new boat depreciation works just like motor homes. A good used boat can be an easier economic bite. But then it pays to determine whether a given example is in good condition or not. You can have a boat surveyed (inspected) and you can have the engine(s) checked out by a qualified mechanic... and you can ask to see maintenance records.... You can also determine a bit just by looking; if it's spotless throughout, might be worth a second look. If it's grimy with oil and grunge all over the place, might be a "project boat." In either case, price should reflect condition.

I dunno so much about boats in that size range. Other names that come to mind are Ranger, Rosborough, Nimble, C-Dory, Grady-White, Parker, Boston Whaler, World Cat... but I dunno what configurations they offer. And that's very likely not an all-inclusive list...

Getting slightly larger, maybe 28' or up, you could look at Sea Ray, Cruisers... probably some others...

-Chris

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, jsmmonaco.

[jsmmonaco]

idea of boating for us would be a trailerable boat, that i can keep at home...........one that i can take to local inland lakes and reservoirs for one day cruising...........but also one that i could take up to the great lakes, say put in at st. ignace michigan, and cruise over to mackinac island...........if i was on the great lakes, it wouldn't be to cross from say cleveland to canada...........i would stay within a mile of shore...............as for overnights, would be nice to have facilities to stay on the boat for the night, at a marina, but i don't necessarily need cooking stuff.............yes, bathroom facilities are a must for the mrs............but a porta potty would probably work.......we would not be spending weeks, or even several nights, on it........that is why hotels were invented......i am scrapping the idea of a bayliner for now, unless i get a super deal, on an immaculate unit.......which is in doubt..............gonna look at a sea ray 215 express this weekend.........maybe this clarifies things.........merely the beginning of this adventure.............don't want to make the same mistakes i did when i bought our bus........thanks..

[ranger58sb]

Didn't mean to put you off the Bayliner idea. That was just a heads-up that you'll maybe here criticism from some folks who expect manufacturers to make and sell "Bristol" quality boats for a dollar and a half.

One approach you might take is to go visit a dry stack/boatel facility and ogle all the brands/models they have stored there. Might get you some idea of what appeals to you, what might work, etc... Sometimes you can also get a chance to talk with owners, hear pros and cons...

-Chris

[jsmmonaco]

chris - you didn't put me off the bayliner for good ( i went to look at one that was supposed to be in "super" condition.........dirt and grease everywhere, hull damage that hadn't been repaired properly, corrosion all over the out drive, puddle of oil down in the engine compartment.......it was pretty much garbage as far as i was concerned).......it was when i was up at the helm, and looked down into the cabin section, i could not imagine putting that thing on a trailer on a regular basis............i will have to see what one is like on the water before i completely rule it out.............and i realize that bayliner doesn't have a stellar reputation, that is why i read all the info i can..................heck, bayliner had the rep of being a cheap builder when i bought my first boat in 1989........anyway, back to the search......again, thank you for all the input, it has been helpful..........ps. i looked at some of the "tugs"...........very nice, but not sure i wanna spend that much.....not many used ones out there.......take care.............