Boat vs. RV/Camper?
- Thread starter Jonecy
- Start date
Hands down a boat! bought one two years ago and love it. Absolutely love it. Of course, I see no joy in camping in an RV/Camper and I live 4 blocks from a lake so it is easy for me.
If I dodn't live near a lake/water, I wouldn't get a boat. I have friends that have them and never use them. 5-10 times a year isn't worth it to own a boat. you could buy an RV and rent a boat and come out ahead.
did you buy new or used? any good tips for going through the buying process for a boat? did you use any good/reliable websites?
We trailer ours everytime. My wife an I argue about it all the time. She wants a lift and slip at the local marina. I argue, that the slip isn't very secure and we would have to haul our stuff from house to car to boat to car to house. With trailering we can store stuff in the boat and only have to haul from house to boat. To me it is 6 one way, half a dozen the other so why spend the $. Besides my wife doesn't trailer the damn thing, I do.
Before we got the pontoon I had a 16 foot lund that I used all the time and we loved that boat. Had to get the pontoon so that the whole family could go out comfortably now.
But looking back on it I will probably always have a pontoon now since you can do just about anything with them. Maybe some day I will own a real serious fishing boat along with the pontoon but that is way down the road.
i bought two years ago as well. Fell into a hell of a deal from a friend. Many good websites out there. Boattrader, boat.com, boatexchange. I have had more than one friend have great success on ebay but you need to know what you are looking for. Also check marinas and tell them what you are looking for.
Boat. You can use a boat if you have 3-4 hours of time. Camper you need 48+ hours of available time. Also, the campgrounds around us have so many site that are reserved you either need to a)- plan your camping trip 2 months in advance or b)- Pull in on thursday to ge an open spot.
Both require a lot of time and maintainance so probably comes down to personal preference. I know the old 1977 RV we have for tailgating has caused us plenty of headaches and you have to winterize/dewinterize it every year and the same goes for a boat. But it still is worth it for the fun we have tailgating with it!
We bought ours used. Found a 2006 pontoon with less than 30 hours on it so we were pretty pumped about that. TazClone is right about boattrader, etc being good sites to look at. I found ours on Craigslist, being in the twin cities there are always tons of boats for sale on CL there. If you use CL expand your search area, I found ours in Bloomington, IL and it was well worth the trip for what we saved on it (3,000 less than anything comparable around here).
This is very true. It is much easier to get a hotel room or cabin then get a spot to camp at anymore.
In the most recent Golf Digest, Hank Haney compared his relationship with Tiger to that of being a boat owner. Wasn't a very flattering interview, especially when he said the relationship was "dysfunctional" from day 1.
http://www.crankyape.com
Father-in-law to be used this to get his boat a few years back. I'm addicted to watching it. I am also in the market for a boat :yes:
I'd go with a boat....thus the screen name SmokinH2O. That was my favorite boat name was. The name is what I do that makes me feel good. Let me put it to you this way.....It's on my mind most of the time. If it's nice out I think about boating. Heck if I'm not on a boat I’m think about how much I want to go out. If you have that kind of thought then I'd say a boat is in your future. If you think about a camper more often then I'd say a camper is. Worst case, just by one and use it for a few years and see how you like it. Then rent the other during that time. At the end of two years you should have a good feel for what you really want. You won't be out a ton of money as long as you buy good used units.
Boating drawbacks....rain, cold, darkness, wind all make the experience poor. Camping you can do in most of those situations a bit easier and it's not as much of a downer. Positives about a boat....great to get away from everyone. You can just go out and throw anchor and sit in a cove all by yourself with your family. Or if your more social, about every lake has an area where boats tie together and it's one big party. It's like tailgating x's 2 with less clothes on:smile: . It also makes a hot muggy day go by so fast you'll want 2-3 more just to enjoy it. It's great family time.
Yes you may get into arguments with your wife but the best thing to do is practice and then practice some more on backing in. Then put a checklist together for boat launch and go do it. My wife and I have it down where we can launch our boat in less than 2min once at the boat Ramp. Trailering it takes a few more minutes but not more than 5. My motto is a bad day at the lake is better than the best day at work. Also, we have album after album of pics at the lake. We look back 15 years and can't believe it's been that long. We'll sit down some evenings and look through them and just laugh and have a good time. It always takes us to a place in our minds where it was nothing but fun.
I've got a lot more I could offer so if you have some specifics about anything boat related (size, $$$, lakes, engine power, style, type, tubing, skiing, trailering, etc.) ask and I'll do my best to answer. I've had the good fortune with my wife to own a jet ski and 3 different boats. I have pics of our current boat in my profile if you want to take a look.
Boating drawbacks....rain, cold, darkness, wind all make the experience poor. Camping you can do in most of those situations a bit easier and it's not as much of a downer. Positives about a boat....great to get away from everyone. You can just go out and throw anchor and sit in a cove all by yourself with your family. Or if your more social, about every lake has an area where boats tie together and it's one big party. It's like tailgating x's 2 with less clothes on:smile: . It also makes a hot muggy day go by so fast you'll want 2-3 more just to enjoy it. It's great family time.
Yes you may get into arguments with your wife but the best thing to do is practice and then practice some more on backing in. Then put a checklist together for boat launch and go do it. My wife and I have it down where we can launch our boat in less than 2min once at the boat Ramp. Trailering it takes a few more minutes but not more than 5. My motto is a bad day at the lake is better than the best day at work. Also, we have album after album of pics at the lake. We look back 15 years and can't believe it's been that long. We'll sit down some evenings and look through them and just laugh and have a good time. It always takes us to a place in our minds where it was nothing but fun.
I've got a lot more I could offer so if you have some specifics about anything boat related (size, $$$, lakes, engine power, style, type, tubing, skiing, trailering, etc.) ask and I'll do my best to answer. I've had the good fortune with my wife to own a jet ski and 3 different boats. I have pics of our current boat in my profile if you want to take a look.
I own an open bow 24' run-a-bout. I have also sold RV's for the largest dealer in the State for the past 20 years. I do not own an RV if that tells you anything. The boat is one of the last things I would give up. RV owners generally are trully "happy campers" so everybody has their own thing. I read on here comments that you can always "rent a boat". Well yeah, but it is very expensive. Boat rent = $500 per day. Room rent = $100 per day. Financially, owning a boat makes more sense.
What about something like this. Only 54 hours
2006 Sea Ray Sport boat
Probably cost $20K+ when new
So the person lost $8K for 54 hours of use. So about $150/hour.
2006 Sea Ray Sport boat
Probably cost $20K+ when new
So the person lost $8K for 54 hours of use. So about $150/hour.
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Would second looking outside of your area. Had a friend go to Milwaukee, WI for his Ebay boat but saved thousands to get it.
I see you are discussing pontoons and yet mentioned you like skiing and wakeboarding. I know you can do both but as a wakeboard enthusiast I don't think I could wakboard behind a pontoon and be happy. Pontoon owners I know that are happy usually fish, pull kids on a tube, sit and relax, or cruise. Yes, they sometimes ski and wakeboard but it isn't ideal.
BTW- I agree 100% with SmokinH20. It is warm and no wind today and I am wondering how quickly I can get off work and on the water. Everything is better on the lake.
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Got a boat and a motorhome. Like the boat, love the mh. Getting ready to go full time in the mh. You take your house with you. Its not cheaper than motels, but no one is moving my toothbrush while cleaning the toilet either. Use the boat twice a year if that. Not many places in Iowa so big weekends at the lake are crowded everywhere. The mh gets used every weekend from May til October and more if I am working away from home. Then I stay in it all winter. If I lived next to a lake I would go boating more though. I'm selling the boat and getting a bigger mh.
Wow. you need to find a different lake. I never wait. Time from house to boat in the water is 20 minutes max. Also never let the wife back up the trailer or drive the boat onto the trailer. EVER. It just isn't necessary
