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Boat purchase advice Please help


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Dear members,

I live on the Treasure Coast (Mid-east coast) of Florida and I am looking into buying my 1st boat. I am 32 and have little to moderate experience with boating. I have two younger children under 10 years old and don't have very much money to work with. (Less than 8K)

I would like to respectfully request some advice on what to stay away from, to look for, what brands are the best for the money, etc. The more information the better. I would be most appreciative if anyone can offer some insight. I'd prefer a center console but am open to any and all advice. Please help if you would be so kind. My family and I thank you.

Additional info:

Will trailer, saltwater fishing, prefer outboard, can do minor maintenence. Size dependent on deal with limited budget-prefer 17-26', offshore mostly, tow vehicle: Ram 1500 V8 4.7 L 4x2

Please let me know if I have ommitted any other important info. Thanks!

Be safe and well!

Edited by CFred7873
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My first official boat was a 17 ft cc seapro with a 90 hp yamaha. I bought it seven years ago and besides normal maintainence, it has held up rather well. A friend of mine with a wife and two small children has a 17ft KeyWest and they like it's size for inshore fishing. I'd imagine that you could find a 4-5 year old 17-18 ft cc in your price range rather easily. These size boats seem perfect for inshore fishing with a small family. But as the children get bigger and they want to start enjoying other water activities besides fishing, you may find the 17cc inadequate. So, you may want to consider a 18-20ft dual console. Again, there should be plenty of those in your price range. Whatever you look at, be sure to have it checked over by a professional. Many marine service centers will perform surveys for you for a reasonable fee. Just my thoughts. Good Luck.

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In my opinion a center console is great for fishing. With a family, I would look into a cuddy cabin. There are several reasons for that:

Kids and Mom can get out of the sun/weather if needed

Most cuddy cabins start at about 20', so they are O.K. to go off shore in decent conditions

There is a lot of open space behind the cockpit (kids need space, their toys do, they can "move" around a bit)

A 20' cuddy cabin performes well with a 150 hp outboard - very efficient

A friend of mine has a 20' sea pro. We go fishing and diving with it. 4 people with dive gear is not a problem. He has a 150 yamaha on it, and it performes well.

I'm sure you can pick something up within your budget. Just make sure the engine is in good shape!!! Have it checked by a certified tech. It is the engine you are buying!! If you have to replace it, you are looking at double your budget - that's for a used one...

good luck!!

:-) Ernst

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You should consider a boating club like Freedom, you have a limited budget, what if your motor blows, you'll be buying an old clunker for 8K, join a boat club, get experience, drive a new boat, safer for your family, mo maintenance and insurance issues, etc. Try that on for a year save more money.

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x2 on the boat club. If you're new to boating, it's a great way to get experience on many different types of boats. I can almost guarentee you that how ever you think you'll use your boat, the reality will be entirely different. Logging some sea time with the club boats will give you and your family a chance to try different things and figure out what works for you. You could save yourself a lot of time and money by not getting into the wrong boat because what you thought you wanted wasn't what you really need.

Having said all that, once you do figure out what you want and you find yourself wanting to get out on the water as much as possible, you'll probably decide the boat club is a bit of pain. It may depend on the club, but I found club membership required a lot of advance planning. The club I was in required 2 or 3 weeks advance notice to get out on the weekend. So it's not like you could just wake up on a Saturday, check the weather, and head out for the day if the weather was good.

Edited by ChrisF
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Agree with the boating club idea. Boats are expensive to maintain. If you spend all 8k on the boat and something happens, the wife will not let you forget about it. Boating club also lets you try different types of boats so you can figure out what will work best for what you and the family enjoy. Spend some money on the play toys for now such as tubes/skis/snorkeling gear.

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