irrelevant
New Member
Hello all. Thanks to everyone who posts on the various forums here, I've been reading a lot over the last month or so. Continue at your own peril...this is going to be a long post.
I've wanted a boat for a long time, but couldn't justify the time or expense. Once about 10 years ago, a co-worker took my wife and I out on a Cruiser 2870, and I got pretty excited about buying a boat, but we were still early in the asset-building phase of life, so I had to repress that urge.
I live in the Cincinnati area, and there just aren't any nice lakes around here within a reasonable (less than an hour) distance, so that has also made me reluctant to commit to adding boating to our hobbies. I've finally decided that the Ohio River will be sufficient.
So...
Once my business sells, I'm interested in buying a boat. I have this idea that once the business is gone, I'll have (finally) time for some leisure activities. We're a family of 3, with a 6-year old son. I'm envisioning entertaining guests on leisurely cruises around the downtown Cincinnati area of the Ohio River. I'd also like to anchor away from the marina for overnight trips. Nothing real challenging, like the Great Loop.
I've rented powerboats around 17-19 feet a couple of times, but other than that, I've only been on 2 other non-commercial boats, so I effectively have zero boating experience, and I'd probably be looking for someone with experience I could hire for some initial instruction. Outside my business, I'm a professional pilot, so I value training.
I suspect it's going to be Fall or Winter before I have the business transitioned to a new owner, but once that hurdle is clear the hunt will begin in earnest.
Here's where I started with my thinking, and where I am now...
Acquisition budget of less than $150k...must be operational as is, willing to accept some items that need attention over time.
2003.5-up 340DA. I started out thinking I want a boat that can go fast...like 40 m.p.h. fast, but it must have a lower cabin with sleeping/shower/galley facilities. I like the style of these years in the 340.
Then I saw the 2008+ 350 has more headroom, so I started researching those. I suspect a good one is just a little outside my price range.
Then I got distracted by the 2003+ 380. Seems closer to budget than the 350 - and it's a little bigger. Now I'm starting to get comfortable with moving slower...after all, I don't really have anywhere I need to go - right?
Wait - look at that - 1999-2003 410DA's are available from $85k up to $150k. It seems some very nice ones can be bought underneath my self-imposed (well, wife-imposed) budgetary ceiling. Think I'd like a diesel-equipped boat at this level. Second head, and second private stateroom could be nice for entertaining...and the size seems like something we'd never outgrow.
The 390DA's are interesting too, but honestly at this point I'm kind of overloaded with trying to keep all the different models straight. Sea Ray has made this ridiculously difficult with their naming convention changes every few years. It's tough for someone new to figure out all the different models. Like how is a 390 different from a 380? Why is the same boat called a 340 one year, a 330 another, and a 350 a few years later?
So right now I'm leaning towards a 1999-2003 410DA (preferably with diesel, and towards the newer end of that range).
Has anyone ever regretted buying a boat they found was "too big"? Is there such a thing as "too big"? Am I a suitable candidate for a 43' boat as my first foray into the boating world?
I've read through the entirety of the "official" 340, 350, 380, 390, and 410 threads, and they all leave me with the sense I'm going to spend all my free time fixing broken stuff on the boat. I know that's the nature of internet forums about machines, but I just don't read any threads about how people are using their boats to have fun. Maybe having fun is obvious to all the veteran boaters here, but for someone who didn't grow up with boating, and hasn't really been exposed to it, it's kind of an unknown.
Thanks in advance. I appreciate your thoughts.
I've wanted a boat for a long time, but couldn't justify the time or expense. Once about 10 years ago, a co-worker took my wife and I out on a Cruiser 2870, and I got pretty excited about buying a boat, but we were still early in the asset-building phase of life, so I had to repress that urge.
I live in the Cincinnati area, and there just aren't any nice lakes around here within a reasonable (less than an hour) distance, so that has also made me reluctant to commit to adding boating to our hobbies. I've finally decided that the Ohio River will be sufficient.
So...
Once my business sells, I'm interested in buying a boat. I have this idea that once the business is gone, I'll have (finally) time for some leisure activities. We're a family of 3, with a 6-year old son. I'm envisioning entertaining guests on leisurely cruises around the downtown Cincinnati area of the Ohio River. I'd also like to anchor away from the marina for overnight trips. Nothing real challenging, like the Great Loop.
I've rented powerboats around 17-19 feet a couple of times, but other than that, I've only been on 2 other non-commercial boats, so I effectively have zero boating experience, and I'd probably be looking for someone with experience I could hire for some initial instruction. Outside my business, I'm a professional pilot, so I value training.
I suspect it's going to be Fall or Winter before I have the business transitioned to a new owner, but once that hurdle is clear the hunt will begin in earnest.
Here's where I started with my thinking, and where I am now...
Acquisition budget of less than $150k...must be operational as is, willing to accept some items that need attention over time.
2003.5-up 340DA. I started out thinking I want a boat that can go fast...like 40 m.p.h. fast, but it must have a lower cabin with sleeping/shower/galley facilities. I like the style of these years in the 340.
Then I saw the 2008+ 350 has more headroom, so I started researching those. I suspect a good one is just a little outside my price range.
Then I got distracted by the 2003+ 380. Seems closer to budget than the 350 - and it's a little bigger. Now I'm starting to get comfortable with moving slower...after all, I don't really have anywhere I need to go - right?
Wait - look at that - 1999-2003 410DA's are available from $85k up to $150k. It seems some very nice ones can be bought underneath my self-imposed (well, wife-imposed) budgetary ceiling. Think I'd like a diesel-equipped boat at this level. Second head, and second private stateroom could be nice for entertaining...and the size seems like something we'd never outgrow.
The 390DA's are interesting too, but honestly at this point I'm kind of overloaded with trying to keep all the different models straight. Sea Ray has made this ridiculously difficult with their naming convention changes every few years. It's tough for someone new to figure out all the different models. Like how is a 390 different from a 380? Why is the same boat called a 340 one year, a 330 another, and a 350 a few years later?
So right now I'm leaning towards a 1999-2003 410DA (preferably with diesel, and towards the newer end of that range).
Has anyone ever regretted buying a boat they found was "too big"? Is there such a thing as "too big"? Am I a suitable candidate for a 43' boat as my first foray into the boating world?
I've read through the entirety of the "official" 340, 350, 380, 390, and 410 threads, and they all leave me with the sense I'm going to spend all my free time fixing broken stuff on the boat. I know that's the nature of internet forums about machines, but I just don't read any threads about how people are using their boats to have fun. Maybe having fun is obvious to all the veteran boaters here, but for someone who didn't grow up with boating, and hasn't really been exposed to it, it's kind of an unknown.
Thanks in advance. I appreciate your thoughts.