When you went bigger

PlumCrazy4spd said:
Later on down the road I had goals of a 380, or 370 express with diesels, just dont know if id want to lose the aft cabin. Those 380s sure are rare with diesels. 410 and the 450 sure look nice too
Click to expand...

Not many diesel 380’s to choose from. There were 3 I came across in my search. Two in Florida and a third closer to home.
The one closer to home turned out to be a real pig when I looked at it in person.
One of the Florida boats was priced way higher than the market called for at the time, and I had a friend check out the other for me in person. His report and accompanying pictures weren’t favorable.
That’s what caused me to quickly shift gears to the 410 search.
I found that the little extra room between the diesels in the 410 as opposed to in the 380 I crawled around was nice too.
 
My entire life we had runabouts. 4 years ago we went from a 19' Rinker to a 2002 Four Winns 268 Vista (Cuddy). We wanted to sleep on the water and change what we were doing (after 25 years of boating with my wife). we loved it so much, but needed a little more space and dying for a genny.
After 2 seasons of that boat, we bought the 380. I don't think it would of been good to go from 19'-40'+... the hop to the 268 worked out better for insurance also. wasn't a question when i went from 19 to 268. but when i went to get insurance on the 380, it was a question, "what boats (size and engine) have you owned before?"...

I feel my 380 with twins is so much much easier to operate than my single engine 268...
we love the 380 and i don't feel the need to get bigger, maybe just get a newer one in 5 years or so
 
Last edited:
First boat was an Oday 22 sailboat. It was not compatible with my marriage.

Sold that and bought a used Larson Hampton 22 to make my wife a happy Admiral. Nice little boat. Had a cuddy for overnight "camping" and a portable head. My son's first time on a boat was on this one when he was 10 days old on July 4.

My wife said "we need a bigger boat" - for the baby. Went up 5 feet and bought our 2006 270 Amberjack new and took delivery on August 17. Great boat, kept it for 12 years. Really loved it.

But it got tight with 2 kids bunking in the v-berth. We slept on an air mattress in the cockpit thanks to a camper back addition. We also wanted to travel more so looked for a boat with more room.

I wanted to cruise at 26 or better mph, have a single engine, have full glass front, and 3 separate places to sleep. Could only find line that met these requirements. Went up 7 feet and bought our 2018 Back Cove 34 new in July 2019. Love the big Cummins diesel, very solid, fast, and handles seas very well. And....diesel. And thrusters. So much to like here.

Next...possibly going up 3 feet to a Back Cove 37. More space, and a few other specific things that may make it work better for us.
 
PlumCrazy4spd said:
I'll tell.you I cannot wait to get into direct shaft of v drive boat though lol.
Click to expand...
If it's because of maintenance costs/hassles of outdrives, I totally get it. There is something to be said for directional thrust, however. V-drives require a touch more patience compared to outdrives or pods.

I downsized from a guided-missile destroyer at 511' displacing 9k tons with 100k shaft horsepower to an 18.5' bowrider. We had that on a small lake in upstate NY and had it for 3 seasons here in MO. Our kids loved to ski, tube, and kneeboard but as they are getting older, they favored the jet ski and hanging out with friends while cove'd out. My Admiral was thinking of a tritoon while I was pushing for a cruiser. We found our 240DA and once she was on it, she was in love. We keep it on a lift in a 12x36 slip in our marina and she is already talking about our next boat (definitely a keeper!). Our next boat will be factored mostly on beam width, because of the stanchions in the dock our true width is 11' 7". So we are probably looking at a 310, unless we go with a newer Sea Ray which has a more narrow beam. Though I really like the layout and looks of they 05' - '07 310s, 320s, and 340s.
 
We just progressed as the experience and kids grew. Had a 2 person inflatable and upgraded to a 14 foot fishing boat with a 5 hp. Then to a 19 foot cuddy. When the kids and dogs pushed me out onto the "Sleeper" seats, I decided we needed a bigger boat with a galley. Found a nice 87 250 DA and loved it. Used that for 7 years before moving up one more time. Before, some of the upgrades were based on tow vehicles, but we were ready this time. We moved from the 250 DA to a 300 DA on a trailer. We still have it and I don't see any reason to upgrade. Besides, I'd have to widen the doors to get the bigger boat in. I only have about 6 inches total to squeeze through now, but I'm used to it.

The cost of a newer boat could be used to reupholster and rebuild or replace the engines and we'd still have a lighter, more maneuverable boat than many of the newer boats that tend to weigh 2,000 lbs more that aren't as wide. So we'll probably stick with this one that we've owner for 14 years now and keep it going.
 
My first boat was a 1965 92’ steel-hulled yacht with two huge Cat diesels. Bought it at public auction in July 2018 and sold it 16 days later for a nice little profit.

2000 230 Bowrider purchased in Aug. 2018 with the profit. Decided we wanted something to stay overnight on so we bought a 1997 330DA in May 2020.

The wife and kids made me keep the 230BR for tubing and trailering for day trips to spots we can’t go with the 330DA. They were right. We couldn’t be happier with both boats.

Just purchased a boat house and joined a yacht club.
 
Had our 1998 290DA for 5 years and it was just me and the wife. Wonderful boat, and our first together. Good space for a 30’ and had a closed door aft cabin.

two years ago we had our first son, and it got small fast. He was born in June so the first summer was ok, but last year was tough.

after almost 4 years the boat we’ve been eyeing came on the market. A 2002 410 with caterpillars. We haven’t travelled in the 290 enough to warrant diesel, but we plan to now. We’re also on Lake Ontario which can turn to crap really quick, so the weight and power of this boat is night and day compared to the 290. We do cross the lake to Canada a couple times a year.

we had looked at 340s,370,380s, but I’m glad we waited for the 410. I plan on having this boat for a long time
 
b_arrington said:
First boat was an Oday 22 sailboat. It was not compatible with my marriage.

Sold that and bought a used Larson Hampton 22 to make my wife a happy Admiral. Nice little boat. Had a cuddy for overnight "camping" and a portable head. My son's first time on a boat was on this one when he was 10 days old on July 4.

My wife said "we need a bigger boat" - for the baby. Went up 5 feet and bought our 2006 270 Amberjack new and took delivery on August 17. Great boat, kept it for 12 years. Really loved it.

But it got tight with 2 kids bunking in the v-berth. We slept on an air mattress in the cockpit thanks to a camper back addition. We also wanted to travel more so looked for a boat with more room.

I wanted to cruise at 26 or better mph, have a single engine, have full glass front, and 3 separate places to sleep. Could only find line that met these requirements. Went up 7 feet and bought our 2018 Back Cove 34 new in July 2019. Love the big Cummins diesel, very solid, fast, and handles seas very well. And....diesel. And thrusters. So much to like here.

Next...possibly going up 3 feet to a Back Cove 37. More space, and a few other specific things that may make it work better for us.
Click to expand...
Didn’t you have 44 Dancer??
 
For us it was more space.

We choose to have a boat in FL, even though we live in TX. That means when we go to the boat we are there for extended time. Its not a weekend trip or a couple of nights.

Found ourselves spending more and more time on the boat. Pre-Covid year over 100 nights a year. Hope to get back to that shortly.

Upgraded because we just wanted more space.
 
I love a question Like this and the various responses. Boats are driven by so many different metrics you see in these responses, Kids/no kids, ocean vs lake/river environment, weather, etc, where can I keep it, what amenities you want. I started with a 19 Larson All American in 91. Had been exposed to boats my whole life with friends families throughout the NW. Divorced in 97 and immediately sold the larson and bought '89 270 Pachanga go fast w/ twin 350s. Loved how fast I could get to San Juan Islands from Lake Washington (2.5 hrs through the locks and at Roche Harbor drinkin bay breezes with the Hatteras guys). Repowered it in 2012 and got remarried. This drove the need (I thought at the time) for bigger boat for long weekends in Puget Sound. Unfortunately sold the Pachanga (see club searay classifieds 1989/2012 Pachanga) in 2017 and went to 2002 Rinker 342 fiesta vee (twin 6.2L MX/Bravo 3's). Lots of room but what a maintenance headache that boat was. And slow as molasses until I put twin 4x3 Hill marine props (P22) on it (with two new Bravo III outdrives). Cut the time on plane in half. Interesting and a lesson in patience going from a go fast to a large cabin cruiser. But, the covered moorage was gawd awful expensive for the Rinker on Lake Washington for something we used 12 times a year so I sold two months ago and now were the proud owners of a 1997 270DA small beam that I will trailer 14 miles back and forth to Everett public ramp. See Mid 90's 270 thread for updates on it. The thing is, the 270 is plenty of room for the admiral and I and it tops out with the 7.4L/Bravo III at 40 MPH. Not bad. The Rinker was like a sailboat by comparison (Im not on the top of the world). Plus I can do work on it in my garage. All around a better deal for my situation and easily will handle Puget Sound on typical summer day with <10-15 MPH winds.
 
Started with a 20 foot wood cabin boat w/55 Evinrude, 24' Bayliner cabin, 34' Marine Trader Trawler, 290 Dancer (twin 4.3's, loved that boat) and now the 360. And after 10 years with the 360, I can say it is the perfect boat for us. Bought the 360 w/ diesels so we could do the GREAT LOOP in 2013.
No better time than being on the water!
 
15 to 19 to 24 to 40.

The 15 was a starter boat that I bought with a high school buddy back in 1988. $1200 and bought it from a gas station in Wisconsin. 50HP Johnson outboard that didn't really like to start, but it got us out on the lake. We sold it for $1500.

We upgraded to a 19' Sea Ray a couple years later because the 15' wasn't big enough to hold our friends without swamping, and couldn't pull anyone skiing.

The 19' gave way to a 24' once we started having kids and needed space for multiple families. That was 20 years ago and we still own it. 30+ years owning boats with that same high school buddy.

Our current 40' came about because my wife and I had always planned to live on a boat at some point in our lives, and with the kids in college we could start our "empty nest" phase. It's our weekend summer home right now, but my wife tells me she's done with the house and we could move to the boat anytime. Now, we're in northern Illinois, so it can't really be our full time residence yet, but so far so good with the weekending.

There have been several sailboats and three generations of Sea Doos in that time as well, but I'll leave those out for now.

And one final note for the newbies that might be reading these stories - I've never once regretted the money that I've spent on boats. Big boats are exponentially more expensive than small boat, but looking back I wouldn't change a thing.
 
Last edited:
M
DB360 said:
Started with a 20 foot wood cabin boat w/55 Evinrude, 24' Bayliner cabin, 34' Marine Trader Trawler, 290 Dancer (twin 4.3's, loved that boat) and now the 360. And after 10 years with the 360, I can say it is the perfect boat for us. Bought the 360 w/ diesels so we could do the GREAT LOOP in 2013.
No better time than being on the water![/QUOTE
That's got to be a rare bird with diesels. How was the loop!?
Click to expand...
 
Stee6043 said:
I went from a 340 to a 400. Wife and three kids aboard every weekend. The biggest draw for us was the second head, full shower and solid doors on both the mid cabin and the master berth. Privacy is worth the price in upgrading.

I did go 2 years older when I made my move. But in terms of Sea Ray styling it was a lateral shift from 99 to 97, same models and styling.

I'm cheap and average 50 hours of runtime per year in Michigan. So diesels were not on my list of must-haves. And coming from a 340 with bigblocks I was in absolute heaven working on a 400 with gassers. I could stick two more kids in the engine room if I needed too...
Click to expand...
Solid Doors are the Best You need one to slam once in a while! LOL
 
First boat - given to me for free. 1969 16 ft sea ray. ( black and looked like the bat boat ) fixed up everything and was a great boat and used for 3 years. second boat- bought for $300 and was that pea soup green 1971 18 ft sea ray, fixed up everything including a fresh paint job. Boat sat under a bunch of trees for years and was ugly as hell. We used for 3 years. Third boat- 1987 24 ft cuddy. Bought for $2000. And was our first sleeper. Used for 5 years. Fourth boat- 1988 24 ft sea ray sorrento. Bought for $2,500. Re did entire boat due to raccoons getting in and having some fun with the interiors. still have. Leave it in the florida keys for when i come for vacation. Fifth boat- 1998 290 sundancer. Bought for $10,000 and had to re do entire boat due to it sitting on land under a tarp for 7 years. Love love love this boat. First boat with a generator and ac and a stand up shower and toilet. After talking to the admiral about going bigger from the 24 i got the typical we dont need bigger. Well, this is our 3rd year with the 290 and atleast once a week i come home to the salty dog or another paper with a big circle around something in the 34 ft - 40 ft range. I think the admiral wants to gi bigger more then me but shit, im game. My only thing i always look for is that hidden gem that needs some TLC. After years of building and tinkering on cars I love working on boat now. Just enjoy tinkering and find myself at the dock on the boat for hours just tinkering
 
Our first boat was a 2003 Weekender 225. It was my brother-in-laws boat, he lives in NYC and we live in FL where the boat was. He let us use it, and eventually gave it to us. At the time, our daughters were in Middle school/high school. Used that boat for a few years, then the kids wanted to bring more friends, and the cuddy cabin on the Weekender was not very usesful, so we bought a 2005 Sundeck 240, which at the time I thought was the perfect Tampa Bay boat. Lots of space, a "useable" head etc. Kids loved to go tubing, I liked that I could be more part of the group, as most of the time there were people sitting up front. But after the kids all graduated and went to college, my wife and I started talking about getting a differenct boat. I wanted a cruiser, with a/c, full head, and other niceties. The boss was tired of getting bounced around in the bowrider, and splashed. So we started looking at 310, 340s etc. During the search, Hurriccane Irma came through and I thought, I don't want to keep a boat in the water full time. I called my marina, which I love, and asked what was the biggest boat we could put in the hi and dry..it was the 280, so I found one. It had some maintenance issues early on but we love it. Have done some overnights in marinas, and are starting to go further. Eventually, I think we would want a sedan bridge and treat it as a waterfront condo that can go places.
 
I had a Hurricane deck boat for 14 years, and always wanted a cruiser we could spend the night on, and quit the trailering everywhere. Started looking at sea ray 280s, 300s, 310s, but ended up with a 320. Great boat for us, store it easily in a high and dry, or in water, yet enough room. Now, we are getting into taking long weekend trips, week long trips, and so we really want something with 2+ staterooms, fly bridge, and diesels, but maintainable (relatively easy maintenance on the diesels, good access In the engine room, etc). 2 couple cruising. So, in January 2022, the search will begin... I’d start tomorrow but I have no money, the admiral (accountant!) has it all!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,118
Messages
1,426,496
Members
61,034
Latest member
Lukerney
Back
Top