Pontoon boat

judaspre1982 · Post by **judaspre1982** » Sun Jul 18, 2010 2:44 pm

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easterngray · Post by **easterngray** » Sun Jul 18, 2010 9:43 pm

Selling your boat is a sad thing indeed. I will never be without a boat of some sort!

fjimp · Post by **fjimp** » Sun Jul 18, 2010 10:08 pm

I best qualify my comments a bit. I enjoyed my boat immensely all the many years I owned it. I am an avid fisherman and in recent years am limited to boat fishing due to lower limb issues. I decided to sell my boat which was always more expensive to own and operate than any motorized vehicle or tool I have ever owned. The last couple of years of ownership I am given the feeling the "expert" who I paid to winterize my boat motors may not have been as careful as he could have been. I experienced motor failures that required major overhauls on both motors at the same time. In that I had just been subjected to the first on my three knee surgeries the wiser partner in my marriage felt it best I let the boat go. Do I ever miss it yes and no. Would I ever look at another, how about four or five times every year. I can't wait to visit a boat and travel show. Am I likely to ever purchase another as nice as the last one, no way. I would love to have a fourteen foot skiff with a 15 horse motor. I truly need something small that will allow us access to a few of my favorite lakes. Most of my boating now is limited to my annual Alaskan fishing trips. Given our recent move the freezer is empty and I am praying this Septembers excursion to Ketchikan will allow some terrific fellowship with my youngest daughter and a few old friends, who knows perhaps even a few silver salmon for friends and family to salivate over next winter. If you have boat fever I suggest you get on with buying one, take the boating safety course and listen to the instructors. Those folks have seen it all and have a great deal of wisdom to offer. Boat ownership is much like my variety of Shopsmith tools. All are an excellent investment that return many hours of enjoyment and enrich ones life greatly. Never ever let negative thoughts from me or anyone else dampen your enthusiasm for life. Go after living with a steam shovel approach, grab ahold and and enjoy the ride. fjimp:D:):rolleyes:

judaspre1982 · Post by **judaspre1982** » Sun Jul 18, 2010 10:13 pm

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easterngray · Post by **easterngray** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:20 pm

Jim your experience shows some real wisdom. Many people have more boat than is required for real enjoyment. A fifteen foot outboard is a great choice. The cost of a boat grows exponentially with each foot in size. My current salt water boat is a 17' plywood lapstrake skiff that operates very efficiently with a 50 horse. It gets me just about all the places that folks with heavier boats and larger motors go, at a fraction of the cost. The new outboards are clean burning and very efficient. I can boat all day on less than 5 gallons of gas (plywood boats are much lighter than 'glass). Alec

Bluebird

cincinnati · Post by **cincinnati** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:51 pm

Thanks everyone for all the tips.
Have a lot of research to do.

shipwright · Post by **shipwright** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 9:32 pm

easterngray wrote:Jim your experience shows some real wisdom. Many people have more boat than is required for real enjoyment. A fifteen foot outboard is a great choice. The cost of a boat grows exponentially with each foot in size. My current salt water boat is a 17' plywood lapstrake skiff that operates very efficiently with a 50 horse. It gets me just about all the places that folks with heavier boats and larger motors go, at a fraction of the cost. The new outboards are clean burning and very efficient. I can boat all day on less than 5 gallons of gas (plywood boats are much lighter than 'glass). Alec

Bluebird

Very sweet little boat Alec. Did you build her? Whose lines?

Paul M

easterngray · Post by **easterngray** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 10:17 am

Paul the Boat was built by Old Wharf Dory. Walter is a friend and neighbor of mine. He designed the boat, inspired by the lines of the Simmons Sea Skiff. Alec

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 1:18 pm

easterngray wrote:Paul the Boat was built by Old Wharf Dory. Walter is a friend and neighbor of mine. He designed the boat, inspired by the lines of the Simmons Sea Skiff. Alec

I am sure Paul found that link quite interesting! So did I! Thanks!!

osx-addict · Post by **osx-addict** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 1:26 pm

Nice looking boat Alec!

The last time I was on a power boat (not human powered), was back in the 80's in Lake Yellowstone in YSNP when we borrowed a friend of the families boat for an afternoon.. He had a ~15' aluminum boat with larger outboard motor with steering wheel configuration. It was a blast until the late afternoon came and the chop set in and my father (who loved sailing) ran the boat close to full bore cutting the boat right through the chop which would send water several feet up the sides of the boat.. As a teenager, initially I found it somewhat scary but since we were in the middle of the lake we didn't have a lot of options.. I got used to it after a while but was concerned that the boat was going to 'break' since it was so loud with it crashing through the 3'+ chop.. I suspect that if I were to try that with my kids (at their current ages) they'd flip out..

For now, all of my boats are human powered -- a 15' Kevlar canoe, 2 plastic kayaks (2 sit on tops -- SOTs, 1 sit in side for one of the kids)