[KeriVit]

We're thinkin of getting a SeaDoo Boat or Tahoe or something like that. But, I know nothing about boats and I wonder what the advantages are of the different models. Has anyone owned one before that could shed some light?

[cenutrio]

I love boats but mostly sailing boats even if small dinghies like a Laser. Powerboats are just noisy.

[jasonsRX7]

I've got a 23' 1999 Chaparral Sunesta 233 and I've been very happy with it. The only issue I've ever had is that the Mercruiser in mine (Chevy 5.7L EFI) is prone to vapor locking. I don't know much about engines, but my understanding of it is that when it gets hot, the fuel forms a vapor in the lines, and the fuel pump can't get suction or something.

It's only happened once after pulling tubes and skiiers all day, and once it cooled off it was fine, but it wouldn't start for a couple of hours.

[Mastrap]

I've never seen the point of powered pleasure craft (sorry Jason, nothing personal) and would always go for something sail powered. More fun, less pollution, way cheaper.

Unless you're into water-skiing, then you're outta luck.

[Yose]

While I've had some fun tubing behind a powerboat, I agree with Mastrap and I would rather own a sailboat than a powerboat.

Currently saving for either a Finn or an older, used Soling (decent fleet at my club).

[cenutrio]

Yose, you must be a big guy. Finns are beautiful, even more upwind. A pity I'm only 175 pounds and 6.1", I fit better on a Laser which is slower upwind, however it may get very interesting downwind in heavy air.

Solings may look a bit slow but these days are cheaper since they lost the olympic status and importantly, it is a very even fleet speed wise. My uncle used to have an italian made soling, it was fun.

Nice to know there are fellow macnn mambers that sail/race too. Cheers and good winds.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

Unless you're into water-skiing, then you're outta luck.

That's the main point.

[cenutrio]

Yose, you must be a big guy. Finns are beautiful, even more upwind. A pity I'm only 175 pounds and 6.1", I fit better on a Laser which is slower upwind, however it may get very interesting downwind in heavy air.

Solings may look a bit slow but these days are cheaper since they lost the olympic status and importantly, it is a very even fleet speed wise. My uncle used to have an italian made soling, it was fun.

Nice to know there are fellow macnn mambers that sail/race too. Cheers and good winds.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by MacNStein

That's the main point.

Surely that depends on the boater.

[Bandit240]

Im a sailboat person myself. I build sailboats everyday, www.oceancatamarans.com. We're about to buy a 36ft sailboat to live on. As of right now ive just got a little Aqua Finn to play with and a 73 21' John Almond w/ a 200hp Mercury on it. Ive also got a 1961 Glastron Fish&Ski in need of a rib and floor. I need some sort of beater boat to run around and pull stuff from the sunk boats out in the harbour.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

Surely that depends on the boater.

The vast majority of boaters who are looking at such a pleasure craft are doing so for that reason.

[Yose]

Originally Posted by cenutrio

Yose, you must be a big guy. Finns are beautiful, even more upwind. A pity I'm only 175 pounds and 6.1", I fit better on a Laser which is slower upwind, however it may get very interesting downwind in heavy air.

Solings may look a bit slow but these days are cheaper since they lost the olympic status and importantly, it is a very even fleet speed wise. My uncle used to have an italian made soling, it was fun.

Nice to know there are fellow macnn mambers that sail/race too. Cheers and good winds.

Yup, a big guy. 6'3" and about 285lbs. My family had a laser when I was younger but I haven't been able to sail one comfortably in over 13 years.

The Captain of a boat I sometimes race with in the summer learned to sail on a Finn in Russia. He went to a sailing club when he was young and wanted to learn, they told him to repair an old wooden Finn and he could sail that, and he did!

Yeah, it's a pitty about the Soling being removed from Olympic status - they are such beautiful boats. I think a decent one can be had for about $6K CDN.

[Yose]

Originally Posted by Bandit240

Im a sailboat person myself. I build sailboats everyday, www.oceancatamarans.com. We're about to buy a 36ft sailboat to live on. As of right now ive just got a little Aqua Finn to play with and a 73 21' John Almond w/ a 200hp Mercury on it. Ive also got a 1961 Glastron Fish&Ski in need of a rib and floor. I need some sort of beater boat to run around and pull stuff from the sunk boats out in the harbour.

Do you own the company or work there?

[macforray]

Originally Posted by KeriVit

We're thinkin of getting a SeaDoo Boat or Tahoe or something like that. But, I know nothing about boats and I wonder what the advantages are of the different models. Has anyone owned one before that could shed some light?

Boats are like tools. It depends on what you plan to do with it. It also depends on your budget. Just because you can afford to buy the boat does not mean you can afford to insure and run it. I have been a boater for a number of years. My boat is a pleasure boat because I get pleasure from it. It is a 17' Nitro (Bass Boat) with a 90 hp Mercury outboard. My "pleasure" comes from bass fishing. I fish tournaments throughout the summer here in the northeast. The boat can travel an average of 60 miles on a tank (24 gallons US) of gas. At $2.45 / gallon, that figures to $58.80 a tank or approximately $1 / mile. Luckily most of my day is idling around on the electric trolling motor fishing. I would not be able to afford it if I was running all day long. I have fished tournaments on the St. Lawrence River where I had to stop and re-fuel to make it back for weigh-in.

If you plan on making short runs, anchoring, and just hanging out and getting a tan (one of the reasons I carry binoculars in my boat), that will cost you much less than running or water skiing all day. A sailboat is enjoyable also, if that is what gives you pleasure. I enjoy being on the water, especially at sunrise.





The second photo is my boat on the St. Lawrence.

Think about it, make your decision and enjoy.

[Bandit240]

I just work there. I wouldnt be buying a beat up 34 year old boat to live on if i owned that company.

[abe]

I know this isn't what you had in mind but I think there may be one or two people here who'd like knowing about the Porta Bote.

http://www.porta-bote.com/

And the other day I saw an infomercial about the new E-Tec line of Evinrude motors and I was impressed! Even though I don't own and have never owned a boat.

http://www.evinrude.com/en-US/

▪ NO SCHEDULED DEALER MAINTENANCE FOR 3 YEARS.
▪ ZERO BREAK-IN PERIOD
▪ NO COSTLY OIL CHANGES
▪ USES UP TO 30-75% LESS OIL THAN COMPETITIVE TECHNOLOGIES

EASY TO OWN AND OPERATE Evinrude E-TEC outboards require no scheduled dealer maintenance - that's right, zero - for the first three years or 300 hours of normal recreational use. Not even gearcase lube. You'll never have to change the oil or the oil filter, which can cost several hundred dollars each year for other technologies.

Evinrude E-TEC uses up to 75% less than typical 2-stroke carbureted engines and up to 50% less oil than competitive direct injection engines (when run with Evinrude/Johnson XD 100T oil with optional dealer programming of the Engine Management Module, versus normal TCW3 oil). And you'll use 30% less oil compared to a 4-stroke with a typical maintenance schedule under normal operating conditions.

That's just the start. The Evinrude E-TEC engines use an exclusive low friction design. There are no belts, no chains, no powerhead gears, no cams, and no mechanized oil pumps.

No Oil Changes   

Auto Lube

Easy to Own

Looking at E-TEC

▪ BETTER FUEL ECONOMY
▪ FASTER ACCELERATION & TOP SPEED
▪ LIGHTER WEIGHT
▪ MORE HP & TORQUE

Power & Performance. With a fully stratified combustion system, Evinrude E-TEC offers unsurpassed fuel economy, especially at low speeds. At higher speeds, the Engine Management Module (EMM), making up to 8 million calculations per second, delivers precisely the right amount of fuel directly into the combustion chamber for every load and condition.
 
The lightweight design of the Evinrude E-TEC increases performance and boat handling, while its large displacement provides more horsepower and torque.  This combination of light weight and high torque makes E-TEC accelerate faster and achieve higher top speeds than any other outboard engine in its class.

When you consider the fact that the 2-stroke Evinrude E-TEC produces a power stroke every revolution and it doesn't have the added complexity of  belts, camshafts, valves, timing chains and oil pumps that add weight and rob power and torque it's easy to understand why 2>4.


BRP launches an all Evinrude® E-TECTM line-up


BRP will no longer offer the Johnson 40-225 hp four-stroke engines in the North American market

(Sarasota, Florida, April 27, 2005) - Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP) announces the expansion of its Evinrude E-TEC outboard engine line-up. The 115-hp 60-degree V4 E-TEC is now joined by a 60-degree V6 platform available in 150, 175, and 200-hp. As of fall 2005, the Evinrude E-TEC line-up will go from 40 through 250 hp.

"The V4 and V6 constitute an important milestone toward completing our line-up," said Roch Lambert, vice president, general manager, Outboard Marine Engines. "This achievement allows us to no longer offer, in the North American market, the 40 to 225-hp Johnson four-stroke engines as of 2006. We firmly believe the Evinrude E-TEC family of engines are the best in the market," concluded Lambert.

The new compact, lightweight V4 and V6 engine platforms deliver the advanced features of all Evinrude E-TEC engines, offering excellent fuel economy and strong performance while providing cleaner emissions than four-strokes, no scheduled dealer maintenance for three years or 300-hours of use, industry-leading quality components, and unique BRP styling. The 130 and 200-hp engines feature an exclusive variable exhaust control valve that delivers more lowend power and top speed performance than ever before.

Evinrude E-TEC will now be available in in-line 2-cylinder 40, 50, and 60-hp; in-line 3-cylinder 75 and 90-hp; V4 115-hp; V6, 2.6 liter, 150, 150 HO,175, and 200-hp; V6, 3.3 liter, 200 HO, 225, 225 HO, and 250-hp models. As of 2006, the Johnson four-stroke line in North America, will only include 2.5, 4, 6, 9.9, 15, 25 and 30-hp engines. The 2.5-hp is a new addition to the line-up and will be available in early spring 2006. The Johnson carbureted two-stroke line-up will include 3.5, 9.9, 15, 90, 115, 150, and 175-hp models.

Evinrude E-TEC won the Clean Air Excellence Award from the US EPA earlier this month in Washington DC. This is the first time ever a marine engine has received this prestigious recognition for improving air quality and a safer boating environment, confirming that Evinrude E-TEC technology produces lower exhaust emissions including lower carbon monoxide emissions than four-stroke engines and meets stringent 2006 EPA, European Union (EU), and 2008 California Air Resources Board (CARB) 3-Star ultra-low emissions standards.

BRP, a privately-held company, is a world leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of motorised recreational vehicles. Our portfolio of brands and products includes: Ski-Doo® and LynxTM snowmobiles, Sea-Doo® watercraft and sport boats, Johnson® and Evinrude® outboard engines, direct injection technologies such as Evinrude E-TECTM, Bombardier* all-terrain vehicles (ATV), Rotax® engines and karts.

www.brp.com

®, TM Trademark of Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. or its subsidiaries.
* Trademark of Bombardier Inc. used under license.

Evinrude® E-TECTM v4 and v6 engines lead the industry with innovation

[wdlove]

I've Never owned a boat. Congratulations to the owners above. Nice looking boats.

[Judge_Fire]

Originally Posted by macforray

Boats are like tools. It depends on what you plan to do with it.

Yeah, I was about to say this, too.

Sailboats is nice for longer trips, powerboats are great for short sprints, like island hopping, fishing or waterskiing. Of course there's a middle ground, too.

Due to the archipelago situation, boating is pretty commonplace in Finland*. I've got myself a Buster, which are nice, sturdy, non-sinking aluminum boats that can take a beating. The main reason is to get to an island getaway cabin in even rough weather, so there's really no need for a cabin or sunpads.

If you have destinations close by, like islands or harbors, I'd recommend aluminum boats because of their care-free maintenance (combine one with an e-tec engine mentioned above) and great sea-worthiness. If not, you might like something with a bit more amenities.

J

* "If an island is defined as a land mass of over 100 m2 surrounded by water, then there are about 81,000 of them off the coast of Finland. "