Hello for now

[BuffettTruck]

Hello. I am not going to be a frequent user of the forum. Not yet at least.

I have been living in Florida for 9 years now and I have for the longest time hemmed and hawed about getting a boat that I can use for cruising the coast line. I grew up in my dad's bass boats on the lakes and rivers of SC, but aside from that, I do not have a lot of knowledge about boats. And yes, I know, or suspect, that running a boat on the sea is a bit different animal to running a boat in freshwater.

My thing is, I don't know the classification of the type of boat I am interested in, so I would greatly appreciate it if someone can help me. What I am thinking of, as stated above, is a boat stable enough to handle coastal running, maybe going out on the Gulf side, and has a cabin comfortable enough that if I so chose to run from Jacksonville to the Keys to Tampa without leaving the boat, I could do so. The boat has to be a motored boat as I have spinal issues and have already been told that sailing is out.

I understand that this might sound like I might be a bit naive, but I am more the type that overthinks things instead of just going for it.

Thank you.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, BuffettTruck.

[Don C L]

Welcome aboard BuffettTruck. I am sorry I don't know more about power boats to help you out. I bet if you start a new thread with a title like "Which power boat should I get?" or something like that you'll get some very useful answers. There are a lot of helpful folks checking in here. Nothing wrong with thinking things out before getting out there. It's good to be prepared of course! Once you get out there, you'll be glad you did!

[Fbfisher]

1. Budget?
2. Facilities and amenities such as bathroom(s) (aka, head(s)), kitchen (aka, galley)?
3. Accommodations (aka, # of berths (beds) and size of said berths)?
4. Gasoline or diesel?
5. Range (how far you’ll want to go before refilling the fuel tank)?

The answers to these 5 questions will help you quickly narrow your choices. Others may chime in with additional questions to help you narrow your choices. As many will tell you, every boat represents a compromise of some sort or another, so your wish list is a start but what you buy may only check most of your boxes. Hope this helps.

Cheers!