New Boat buyer and I have so many questions!

[agwhaley]

I currently have a small Sea Ray 180 sport. I live in Louisville, KY and we take it out on the Ohio. Have lots of fun with it. But... I am always seeing these larger boats and I want one so bad. Very interested in another Sea Ray. There are so many though. Looked at all the Sundancer's 330-410. The 410 Express Cruiser. 420 Aft Cabin. 400 Sedan Bridge. 390 Motor Yacht.
First question is general. Just any suggestions? I am looking at $150k or less. The primary users are myself, wife and 2 kids(occasional friends). Youngest kid is 11. Long term (retirement so a while from now I am 45) I want to have a place in the Tampa St. Pete area and have a boat that travels between there and here(maybe even do the loop). That's probably a few boats away. One thing to note is I am 6'6" so head room is a premium. I don't mind ducking a bit, I am used to it.


Second, where should I confine my search. I find lots of boats in Florida. What would the cost be to bring it up here? Is that a silly idea? Can I just pilot the boat up here? Would that cost a similar amount in fuel? Time? Should I stick to closer boats?

Third(related to the second) is fuel. I know each boat and conditions will be different. But, for example I read in a forum of a Carver model similar to what I am looking at would cruise at 20Kts and consume 22 GPH. But if lowered to 10KTS only 3.5. That sound right? I ask because I have also read people who say you actually need to be closer to cruising speed to get max fuel efficiency. Something about pushing the water out of the way.

Fourth, generators. How much fuel do they use? Do they also draw from the main gas tank or do they have a separate tank? How good is the heat and AC? TV? Just use a digital antenna or can you use like a direct TV satellite?

I'll have more... Thank you so very much in advance to any one who answers.

 

[Skip Boyer]

Range of questions and im sure you will get a range of answers. So...Q-1..You need to evaluate how much time you will realistically be able to spend on board, and exactly how your going to spend that time. (ie day trip, over night, hanging out dock side) Those questions may answer some of your questions as to which boat to purchase in your price range. Also for that kind of investment your going to want to request a survey.
Q-2... Pretty much any boat over 30ft in length is not going to be a "trailable" vessel for a normal pickup. Read that as possibly needing a permit and/or a specialized truck/trailer to do the hauling. As far as piloting the boat north and south, there are a lot of variables to be considered...time of year, weather, who will be on board, your experience/comfort level with a trip of that magnitude, lock schedules and on and on.
Q-3...Fuel consumption is relative to a whole boatload of factors....
Q-4...Generators IMO use to little fuel to worry about. Read that as the comfort factor. The more comfort you want (A/C set at 60* versus 80*, long hot shower or quick wash off, etc) the more fuel a genny will burn. There again i would not be to concerned with it. Most generators will draw from at least one of the main tanks. Modern heat and A/C systems on boats work as good as or better than the one in a house. And finally (not really, your going to have at least a hundred more questions) ..satellite tv systems on the boat will allow you to watch TV uninterrupted for the most part.
Sorry the response is so long, but take your time with your search, remember every boat you look at will be a compromise, read reviews, ask question, talk to people who own similar vessels and most importantly...spend as much time "feet on board" any considerations as you possibly can. Open every door and hatch, operate every switch and lever, .....you get the idea. Good luck, enjoy the search. Oh and welcome to the club.

 

[agwhaley]

Thanks for the reply. Time on board will be primarily weekend day trips around River. Friends and family on board. A few overnight or weekend trips but staying local. Maybe once a year pilot it to Kentucky lake. Figure three days there, four days on lake and three back.
I know there is a lot that goes in to fuel consumption. Just trying to get an idea. Is a trip to Kentucky lake going to cost me $2500 round trip in fuel but take 18 hours one way or $400 in fuel but take 36 hours one way.

Thanks!

 

[Pirate Lady]

I am curious. How do you plan to get a 30+ boat from Florida to a land-locked lake in Kentucky?
When talking fuel consumption, is that in a truck pulling the boat, or is there some way you plan to drive the boat there?

 

[agwhaley]

I am curious. How do you plan to get a 30+ boat from Florida to a land-locked lake in Kentucky?
When talking fuel consumption, is that in a truck pulling the boat, or is there some way you plan to drive the boat there?

i would go by water to the Ohio river. If I took to Kentucky Lake instead I would do the same. Kentucky Lake connects to the Mississippi River and the Tennessee waterway whatever it’s called.

 

[Pirate Lady]

Didn't know that. thanks.

 

[Ididntdoit]

Good questions...

First, I think looking inj the 33-38' range makes a lot of sense - insurance could be a problem if you go much bigger - a lot of people will say buy your second (third?) boat first, buy the biggest boat you can afford, go older and bigger blah blah blah......and while theres some merit to that, dont go too big and old or the costs of ownership can really get away from you - storage and slips charge by the foot - diesels are complex, and require special service procedures and gallons of oil at change time.....

Second, some people badmouth florida boats or salt water boats in general, therefore they are typically cheaper - sea ray makes great hulls with finishes that can be "brought back" after years of baking in the sun - if you stick to freshwater cooled motors inner corrosion will not be a problem - wiring, electronics, upholstery, canvas and the various sub systems can all take a beating - a good surveyor can point out deferred maintenance and/or the costs associated with upgrades and replacement.

Third, Fuel is one of the lowest costs in boating.....depreciation is the highest (despite whats happened recently) for a gas boat in the size range above plan on 1.2-.7 MPG at cruise speed - if you take a 50 mile round trip plan on 50 gallons - at $4/gal thats $200.....

as far as a gen is concerned, they sip fuel - but these are really 12v boats with the exception of a/c..... the fridge, tv's and lights can all function without AC power - so the only real purpose it serves is topping up the batteries if your on the hook for days at a time - otherwise its just another mouth to feed - gas generators are notoriously finicky and like to be run under load often - they are very difficult to access, diagnose and fix - determine how you are going to use the boat - if you are going to be a "destination boater" that goes from marina to transient marina where there is shore power, a gen is really not a concern - if you are going to instead anchor for days at a time and need haidriers and coffee makers to function, a genny is necessary as is a dinghy and davit (yet another mouth to feed)

 

[Pirate Lady]

Been since Wednesday. Guess he didnt have many questions.

 

[Nater Potater]

Been since Wednesday. Guess he didnt have many questions.

Maybe he was overwhelmed by the responses, and is trying to crunch the numbers in his head. Now me, I just went out and bought a tired old boat, then rapidly found just how deep in the doo-doo I'd waded. You'd think at my age I'd know better... I'm glad to see him doing his homework before the purchase.

 

[agwhaley]

Thank you to everyone who answered. I found a local broker to help me out. Actually found a local 340 that’s for sale he’s going to check it out for me.
I also realized I want this to be as easy and idiot proof as possible. So I am going to likely add top of the line electronics to accomplish that. That does actually bring me to a question. If you were going to buy and install the best radar chart plotter computer etc. what would it be? Any upgrades you can recommend it would make operation ownership easier?

 

[techmitch]

Surely you don't mean the broker is going to "check it out" for you as opposed to a proper marine survey?

 

[agwhaley]

Surely you don't mean the broker is going to "check it out" for you as opposed to a proper marine survey?

He is going to check it out and see what’s there. I’ve already given you all the information I have about the boat. He’s going to go see what features it has what the specs are etc. if it’s something that I think I might actually want to buy then I will have a proper survey done.

 

[JHornsby3]

That does actually bring me to a question. If you were going to buy and install the best radar chart plotter computer etc. what would it be? Any upgrades you can recommend it would make operation ownership easier?

That is like asking what is the best glue to use to join two pieces of wood together in a wood workers forum.

Everybody uses what they use. And there are so many different things each can do. Like both of my boats came with Lowrance electronics. And they work for me. But I also use an older boat and don't have the need to monitor the engines electronics. So that is going to depend on you. How you intend to use. What you intend to monitor. And so on, and so on.

 

[agwhaley]

I have some preliminary info on this boat. It’s a 2005 340. The engines are Twin 8.1 Horizon sv drives. 875 hours. Generator is Koehler 5.0 with 525 hours. I have no idea if these are good engines or generator or if it’s a lot of hours or a little hours

 

[techmitch]

I have some preliminary info on this boat. It’s a 2005 340. The engines are Twin 8.1 Horizon sv drives. 875 hours. Generator is Koehler 5.0 with 525 hours. I have no idea if these are good engines or generator or if it’s a lot of hours or a little hours

So far so good. Got any pics or a link to the listing?

 

[agwhaley]

So far so good. Got any pics or a link to the listing?

I am going to climb aboard tomorrow

 

[techmitch]

Looking good, best of luck going forward and don't fall in love early on.

Edit: Looks like a private sale, any particular reason you talked to a broker about this boat?

 

[agwhaley]

Cause I don’t know shit. I would feel much better with an experienced set of eyes looking at it and setting up survey and such. To recommend upgrades. Frankly, whether or not it’s a good deal. Otherwise I am apt to just write this guy a check tomorrow.

 

[agwhaley]

Like what’s the difference between the boat here and this listing? $20,000 in price is a lot for the same boat.

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2005/sea-ray-340-sundancer-3878180/

 

[Golfman25]

I have some preliminary info on this boat. It’s a 2005 340. The engines are Twin 8.1 Horizon sv drives. 875 hours. Generator is Koehler 5.0 with 525 hours. I have no idea if these are good engines or generator or if it’s a lot of hours or a little hours

That’s a pretty good listing. The bigger engines are nice. Hours are good — not too many, not too little. Check the maintenance records and get moving.