Boat owners or those who almost pulled the trigger or want to own convince me

[Azzy]

Man I’ve been thinking about a boat for years. Found one I could use for duck hunting, bay fishing, trotting, gigginf, and bow fishing.

Financials are there. I’d own the boat outright after 2 years. Storage would be $1200 a year which is what is messing with me right now. Could be $1200 towards an exotic hunt.

I live close to Lake Houston so when I don’t feel like going to bay I’d be able to go fish the lake.

For you that own, what made you pull the trigger?
For those that almost did, what stopped you?
For those thinking about it, what’s stopping you?


I’m looking at an Excel Bay pro 34k

[ame="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lMS-IlmN5S0"]Excel Bay Pro 220 Pro Res - YouTube[/ame]

[KyleW]

My personal opinion is you will get a lot more enjoyment out of a boat than you will an exotic hunt. You can use the boat all year long, vs an exotic hunt is a few days or a week at max and done.

We have owned a boat for years, our older boats had so many issues I got stranded on the lake 4 times in one summer. After that, we sold it and bought a newer (2003) model with only 30 hours. I put about 90 hours on it in 3 months the first summer with zero issues whatsoever. I will always be a boat owner if I can afford to have a good one.

[Cantcatch5]

Boat storage is a bittersweet cost for me. I have been paying for totally enclosed gated storage with electricity at just over the cost of what you stated for 17 years! It is insane to think what I have spent but it has absolutely been worth it to have a boat that is taken care of in good shape and ready to go when I am.

I would love to have my boat at the house but there is no place for it here at our house. Our house it ideally located less than a mile from our elementary school, 3-4 blocks from both our high school and middle school. 1.5 miles to church and 3.5 miles to both my work and my wife’s work so that $125 a month is just part of what it takes to live in the ideal location for my family.

As far as having a boat the times I spent on a boat with my dad all of my life and the time spent with my boys boats have made owning a boat one of the best purchases I have ever made! It all comes down to if you are “boat people” or not and the quickest way to find out is to buy one...you will know for sure in two years!

[32drawlength]

2 good days to boat ownership, the day you buy & day you sell lol

I bought a fish & ski bc my boys will wake board, tube & ski. We can also fish from it year round, no duck hunting though

Fortunately it fits in my garage at an angle, so that really helps to deflect some costs

They can be really fun, good luck

[bloodtrailer28]

Boat equals year round use for me versus a one time exotic hunt. Love my boat and don't think I will ever be without one....been trying to get a fleet for myself but my wife has limited me to 2!!

[sasqy]

What do they say ??
If it Floats,Fuc##,or Flies
Your better off renting it
I actually have 2 boats
They can be fun when they are on the water
But most of the time it’s fixing something on them

[CookieMonster]

This is a topic that could go either way. I’ve owned a boat or had access to one for most of my life. The cost of a monthly note, fuel, insurance, maintenance and all the fishin stuff you gotta have because you own a boat can be very expensive. But I’ve got a pile of memories made on the water with family and friends. A boat can frustrate you when it doesn’t start, or makes a strange noise when the motor is cranked, or some electrical component doesn’t come on when it’s supposed to. But that frustration disappears when you pull up to one of your favorite fishin spots as the sun comes up and the fish start blowing up within casting distance, or when you watch a young kid reel in their first fish and experience the excitement with them. There’s really no financial return for owning a boat (unless you are a guide or sponsored tournament angler), but the memories made are priceless. But a cheaper route to consider would be investing in a kayak. Lots of fun and WAY cheaper.

[Matt_g]

I’ve had a bunch of boats, both fiberglass and aluminum. I would have saved myself a lot of money if I would have bought a 18-22’ aluminum center console from the start. It took me 5-6 boats to figure out what I wanted and by all means, what your looking at is the most versatile boat you can buy. Fits the whole family, fish, bowfish, ski, tube etc all out of one boat. The beauty of that is if you decide it’s not for you after a year or two, there’s a large market for it. I’ve had the best luck with Yamaha and Suzuki 4 strokes!

[Uncle_Milty]

Add another $1200 to the storage fees for that additional maintenance.

That being said, you won’t regret it.....especially if you have kids and actually use it.

[txpitdog]

Best boat I ever owned was the crappiest one I owned. 1970 14ft Lone Star. It fit in the garage, was easy on gas, and just needed spray paint every time I drifted into a stump or hit something on bottom. For a cost per fish caught basis, it was by far a better boat than my 21ft Kenner.


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[jds247]

I have 2 boats.. I fish 2 or 3 days a week. I have a 16 x52 flat bottom that we use for duck hunting and I rigged it with removable rails and lights for gigging flounder.. I just sold the only fiberglass boat I'll ever own. Keeping it clean is a pain.
I should take delivery of a new 21 72 boatright this week..
I had one in the past and sold it but that was a mistake.. I cant go without a boat..

[LivinADream]

I have 2 boats.. I fish 2 or 3 days a week. I have a 16 x52 flat bottom that we use for duck hunting and I rigged it with removable rails and lights for gigging flounder.. I just sold the only fiberglass boat I'll ever own. Keeping it clean is a pain.
I should take delivery of a new 21 72 boatright this week..
I had one in the past and sold it but that was a mistake.. I cant go without a boat..

^^^id like to see how you rigged your removable lights and rails. im about to do the same and have not come up with a way that im real happy with yet to make it removable fairly fast. not really wanting to bolt it in.


I have a "big" 16' aluminum boat. I love it, its in the water several times a week. it doesn't handle chop real well, but I have enough honey holes that I can avoid big water if I need to. I have gigged flounder out of it, caught tons of bass, crappie, trout, reds, and flounder, pulled kids on tube, frog gigged, and plan on building a removable blind for it as well for duck hunting. best part about it is its paid for. I found an old hull for cheap, had some aluminum work done for about $2k, bought a used motor, and I was on the water under $5k. its not the prettiest boat, but it catches fish. Just realized I don't have any finished pics of it

[Azzy]

And the reasons you guys have stated is why I’m going with aluminum and New versus used and fiberglass. I do fish about 2-3 times a month. With a boat I’ll probably be out in the water more. Now for duck hunting do you guys think I should get the boat in cammo or just cover it? Wife thinks the cammo is ugly but the cammo would only be necessary a handful of times the boat is takien out. I like this not cause it has dry boxes for shotguns. Well they’re for rods but would work the same for the guns. Can run shallow 11”, doubt it would need a boat to run less shallow than that.

[Charlie]

Add another $1200 to the storage fees for that additional maintenance.

That being said, you won’t regret it.....especially if you have kids and actually use it.

I have enjoyed owning a boat because everyone in my family loves being on the water. The boat is a place where my wife, four daughters, and myself are all together in one place having fun. Sure, the money could've been saved or better spent elsewhere, but the kids are growing up fast and I want to make memories while I can...

[HDWRENCH]

I had one and the extra cost is rather shocking . I will never own one again . With that said A few things I learned was I could have had a much more basic boat and had the same level of fun .

Good luck , ohh and every boat trailer has the cheapest tires on the planet on it .. Upgrade them asap , RV are the same way . silly when you think it would add maybe 100 to the total price if they offered premium tires to start with .