Trailer Boats....

FIELD OF DREAMS
Got the boating bug?  Here's how one couple went about buying their first rig

“Honey, I want a boat.” It’s the battle cry of many men and women each spring, as the weather warms and the water beckons.

For more than three years, I had been lobbying my wife about buying a boat. She finally relented--but that’s just the start of the story.

It all seemed pretty simple and natural to me. We moved to coastal North Carolina because we love being near, in, and on the water. We’ve owned various canoes and kayaks and have enjoyed being out on a variety of boats (we’re avid scuba divers and have developed into decent anglers). Why wouldn’t any loving wife want a boat to share with her hubby?

Well, here were some of her reasons why we shouldn’t buy a boat (and my edited responses):
>Cost (boats are a better value than ever)
>Maintenance (I’ll handle it)
>Confidence we'd really like boating (every time we’re on someone else’s boat, we both say how much we love it)
>Lack of time to enjoy it (having our own boat will make boating much easier and we can enjoy the water without having to depend on others).

I’m not sure whether my responses to these and other objections eventually wore my wife down or if she actually agreed with most of them, but she finally gave in.  It was time to buy our first boat.

How We Did It

I had spent more than three years building a thick file of general information about buying a boat, as well as specifics on craft I thought might be of interest. From our experience on other boats, we had decided on something in the 16- to 20-foot range, and we hoped to keep costs under $20,000 if possible. We knew we wanted a new boat, but beyond that, we had no idea what we might buy.

Here are some of the things we did, and we highly recommend all of these steps:
>Peruse DiscoverBoating.com and other websites
>Buy and read appropriate books and magazines (such as Trailer Boats)
>Visit as many boat dealers as possible. Before buying, check out a dealer's reputation
>Go to launch ramps and talk to owners of boats you might be considering
>Hang out at boat shows
>Check into rentals of appropriate boats
>Go boating with practically anyone who can get you on the water
>Definitely take a test drive

We also looked into boating lessons (see sidebar), and signed up for a boat safety class. These are available through sources such as the U.S. Power Squadron (888/FOR-USPS; USPS.org) and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary (877/875-6296; cgaux.org).

Of course, we eventually started looking at the websites of specific manufacturers, but that came later in the process--after we had narrowed our choices. Some sites now feature a “boat selector” that can help you determine which models might work well for you.

Helpful Reading

I found several books to help guide me. Bob Armstrong’s Getting Started in Powerboating (International Marine) became my bible when analyzing our choices. Armstrong emphasizes “no boat is right for everyone.” This made us think seriously about how we would use our then-hypothetical purchase.

One chapter is called “Twenty Questions to Codify Boat Selection” and these six pages alone are well worth the price of the book ($19). In that chapter, Armstrong says, “Trailerable boats offer many practical advantages, not least of which are that you can keep your boat at home and have an almost unlimited choice of boating areas.” Armstrong is obviously our kind of boater.

After all that research, it was time to start looking at boats. We can’t say enough about visiting several boat dealers. It helps narrow the field, and also starts building a relationship (whether it’s for boat add-ons, maintenance, or maybe that second boat). In fact, once you buy from a dealership, nurturing a relationship will pay off down the road.

Hit the Street

I started with Southport Marine Mart, which is located near our Oak Island home. We’d been referred there by several boat owners, but I also called the local chamber of commerce to see if they were a member in good standing. As we did with two other dealers, I went alone on the initial visit--performing a scouting role for my better half. I simply showed up and started talking to the first salesperson who approached me. In the next hour, I would learn things from Jonnie Clark that no amount of reading could provide.

“They key to buying the best first boat is taking the time to honestly determine what you’re going to be doing with it a majority of the time,” Clark told me. He cited examples as we walked around looking at various boats. We determined that my wife and I would primarily use the boat for daycruising for the two of us--with other passengers, fishing, diving and watersports all secondary concerns. We had no need for overnight accommodations or other longer cruising amenities.

Between his guidance and lots of brochures, we started narrowing the choices. This helped when my wife returned with me to meet Clark a few days later. We decided that, given our potential usage, we wanted to go with a small runabout or center console. Next came the question of length, propulsion type (sterndrive or outboard) and accessories.

Make a List

At this point, I decided to exclude the bare bones Carolina Skiff models from our ever-shortening list of candidates that included a Bayliner, Sea Chaser (a Carolina Skiff product), Wellcraft, and Yamaha sportjet. These four possibilities--which were all available locally--seemed better suited for our primary goal of daycruising in our local waters.

We visited several other dealers and spent a ton of time climbing on boats and asking questions. To help broaden our experience, we went out with locals on a variety of craft. We also fit in a fruitful trip up to the Morehead City area during a scuba diving and fishing tournament outing. We were definitely smarter after each dealer visit.

We’d heard great things about the Sailfish line and, when an Internet search revealed there was a Morehead City dealer, we made an appointment with Coral Bay Marina’s Ed Bailey. By this point in our search we were asking more focused and educated questions. Although Bailey proved nearly as passionate about the Sailfish line as he was about boating in general, and despite the fact the 206CC we looked at met most of our parameters, we decided that, for now, it was probably "too much boat” for us.

We also went to boat shows and found them to be an efficient way to see lots of boats. Some are small and essentially one- or two-dealer offerings, while others are huge and barely covered in a day (we attended the fall Annapolis Powerboat Show and loved it).

While at the Annapolis show, we decided to rent a Wellcraft center console from South River Boat Rentals. Along with getting to check out a viable candidate for purchase, we quizzed the experienced owner Griff Bell about Wellcraft, Suzuki outboards, and other boats and engines we were considering.

Our boat show experiences further cemented what we’d learned through our other research. It was time to take the next step.

What We Decided

Given the various purchase parameters we discovered (and adjusted) along the way, we decided that Carolina Skiff's Sea Chaser line was the best choice for us. Buying a boat involves compromise and, though we looked at longer rigs, our budget and usage pointed to a length of about 18 feet. Given this, we decided on a Sea Chaser 1800 RG, which is part of the rolled gunwale series.

I'll be the first to admit there was something about going with the Carolina Skiff brand while living and boating on the Carolina coast. There's definitely some cachet in that name. Even so, it was a close decision, as we almost went with the Bayliner 185 bowrider.

One great thing about many websites now is that you can look at the various options online before you go to the dealer. Thus, we were able to talk about engines and options beforehand. We decided to go with a Suzuki 90 four-stroke outboard. Both Suzuki and Yamaha engines typically come with the Sea Chaser, and we thought the Suzuki offered the best long-term value.

Although I had dreamed of buying a boat for years and our shopping took months, time seemed to pass quickly. The process provided a healthy examination of why we like the water, and what we want to enjoy while on or near it. It’s quite likely that as our boating experience builds, we will learn what we might have done differently. Then, my wife might just hear me say, “Honey, want a(nother) boat!”

Sidebars

Go to School

As first-time boaters, while attending the Annapolis boat show, we also checked out the Annapolis Powerboat School, which is part of the famed Annapolis Sailing School (800/638-9192; annapolissailing.com). They have great two- and five-day programs that you can pursue on one of their powerboats or on your own rig.

Boating courses of all kinds are available. Sea Sense Women's Sailing and Powerboating School (800/332-1404; seasenseboating.com) is especially designed for women. If you'd rather brush up on your boating savvy at your own pace, without leaving home, video courses such as Maritime Smarts (413-565-2628; maritimesmarts.com) could be your ticket to fun on the water.