Atlantic City Boat Show.....observations

[bgreene]

Mercury......... showing a 400hp outboard.
Etec G2's........I've become used to the look, cool engines.

Center console's 28' - 31' of all the boat manufactures offering CC's in this size, seemed that only the Edgewater had sleeping bunks inside the cuddy / head section.
Even the CC model of Regulator 34" ........no bunks unless you get the other model, where you can only walk around one side.
$ 200,000 - $ 300,000 boats, and no where to lie down out of the weather.

Saw a 20' boat priced at $ 64,000.... " boat show special price" .
That's a twenty foot boat.

Plotter/finders...... newest models feature touch screens. Garmin units seemed fairly easy to work, given they all have more features than most of us will ever really use.

Nice show.

[Destroyer]

Mercury......... showing a 400hp outboard.
Etec G2's........I've become used to the look, cool engines.

Center console's 28' - 31' of all the boat manufactures offering CC's in this size, seemed that only the Edgewater had sleeping bunks inside the cuddy / head section.
Even the CC model of Regulator 34" ........no bunks unless you get the other model, where you can only walk around one side.
$ 200,000 - $ 300,000 boats, and no where to lie down out of the weather.

Saw a 20' boat priced at $ 64,000.... " boat show special price" .
That's a twenty foot boat.

Plotter/finders...... newest models feature touch screens. Garmin units seemed fairly easy to work, given they all have more features than most of us will ever really use.

Nice show.

I'm not a huge fan of those touch screen units. My friend has one... gets salt spray on it... by the time he finished wiping off the salt he had plotted a course for Idaho. :you:

[Blue_Runner]

$ 200,000 - $ 300,000 boats
That's CRAZY! I personally wouldn't spend over $100,000 on a boat.
:fam:

[SkunkBoat]

I just don't understand paying for a 30+ CC. I have fished the canyon on one in great weather. It was bearable but still no room at the stern to fish. When you are running 50mph for 2 hours, only two people get a windshield.
I have also been on the same 31 Edgewater and got soaked on a 60 mile ride.

If I had the money, I would buy an express. They are real fishing machines and still have a nice place to eat & sleep. I was just in Florida and saw a custom 36' walkaround express. :pray:

[macojoe]

My budy just bought a Custom 30' (28 cause of euro trans) Contemnder CC twin 300hp Suzuki's taking delivery in March $150,000 just for the hull!!

[RidgeRunner]

Not to derail but is anyone watching the 38' Fountain build thread on THT?
Quad 400R Mercury outboards. Should set a new record for center consoles. 30' boats just aren't that big when it comes right down to it. Center consoles do lack a lot of creature comforts. Dry seating is one of them. Express models seem to fill that void.. There is a cool boat made in Gainesville called Mirage. It could be built to suit any need. It has sleeping Quarters and a really neat Pilothouse too. Check it out. The 21' Classic remind you of anything???
http://www.miragesportfish.com/

[SkunkBoat]

:cry:That's CRAZY! I personally wouldn't spend over $100,000 on a boat.
:fam:

Face it...this is the V20 forum not the Viking yachts forum...we're poor....:cry:

I would be hard pressed to justify a new $100K+ boat when you can get some really nice used +30' boats for $30-$40k. I could afford that but I can't afford the annual dock and the winter haul and the fuel and the maintenance. So I keep my V20 and try to weasel my way out to the canyon on a "friend of a friend " boat....

[Striper80]

:cry:

Face it...this is the V20 forum not the Viking yachts forum...we're poor....:cry:

I would be hard pressed to justify a new $100K+ boat when you can get some really nice used +30' boats for $30-$40k. I could afford that but I can't afford the annual dock and the winter haul and the fuel and the maintenance. So I keep my V20 and try to weasel my way out to the canyon on a "friend of a friend " boat....

The best sport fisher isn't the one you own, it's owned by a friend.

[bgreene]

I like that last post..........yup, I guess so.........we're not the Viking Sportfish forum now are we.....

Hydrasport now has a 53' center console....with 3-4 of the 7 Marine outboards on it.

Imagine, a 200' center console where everyone gets soaked, that would be funny !

I used to be one of those guys huddled behind the little console. Now I sit behind my windshield and curtains , or sit comfortably on chair with my feet up on the deck!!

[Blue_Runner]

I've owned my V21 for over 10 years. If I own it another 20 years and I'll have close to $100,000 in it. :hi:

[inaforty]

We sat on a 32' Everglades at the Providence boat show. I think it was 374k! Nice boat but I would never spend that kind of $$$$.


I own a sport fisher and so does my good friend Rick (Viking owner). We both also own V 20'S.
The sport fisher market crashed in 2008. Good running boats can be had for short $$$ (50k-/+) and some with diesel power. You must be able and willing to do your own maintenance to make owning one reasonable cost wise. However you still have the cost of insurance,slip,storage fees.

We were thinking of moving into a thirty something with twin outboards.
After looking at things carefully I'm thinking I might keep the sport fisher and repower with reman 3208 CATS. I can repower w/remans cheaper than a new set of 250 hp outboards.
No express or W/A is going to give the room or the ride of a sport fisher with diesels.
The drawback is you don't get the speed of an outboard powered boat or the skinny draft.
.
The old sport fisher keeps me busy all season. Just had a riser /shower head fabricated.
I get bored and have to keep busy. I love anything with an engine....tractor,car,truck,boat, whatever.
Not sure how long my body will allow me to enter and exit the engine room but I'm having fun with it now.

[bgreene]

Good for you - keep at it.

I've got a long list of " winter time to do's " with my boat.........and it's just a V21.

It's rewarding when you do something yourself and it comes out correctly.

[Pipe_Dream]

We sat on a 32' Everglades at the Providence boat show. I think it was 374k! Nice boat but I would never spend that kind of $$$$.


I own a sport fisher and so does my good friend Rick (Viking owner). We both also own V 20'S.
The sport fisher market crashed in 2008. Good running boats can be had for short $$$ (50k-/+) and some with diesel power. You must be able and willing to do your own maintenance to make owning one reasonable cost wise. However you still have the cost of insurance,slip,storage fees.

We were thinking of moving into a thirty something with twin outboards.
After looking at things carefully I'm thinking I might keep the sport fisher and repower with reman 3208 CATS. I can repower w/remans cheaper than a new set of 250 hp outboards.
No express or W/A is going to give the room or the ride of a sport fisher with diesels.
The drawback is you don't get the speed of an outboard powered boat or the skinny draft.
.
The old sport fisher keeps me busy all season. Just had a riser /shower head fabricated.
I get bored and have to keep busy. I love anything with an engine....tractor,car,truck,boat, whatever.
Not sure how long my body will allow me to enter and exit the engine room but I'm having fun with it now.

Thanks for sharing your perspective. As someone who has always had the I-wanna-bigger-boat thing going in the back of my mind, the reality is that it's not going to happen unless some long lost uncle leaves me his lotto winnings. That's TWO incredibly long shots, if you're counting.

While I'm still in the workforce, and expecting to remain there for many more years, the V-20 does what I want it to do given the limited amount of time (sadly) that I get out on the water. And perhaps best of all, it's easy to single-hand.

Cheers!

[inaforty]

Pipe-dream,
We got the crazy "wanna go bigger bug" after spending time on a friend's flybridge boat. If I had to choose between the sport fisher or an outboard powered boat (v 20) I would take the V. The truth is we use the smaller boats way more. Heck we have an old 15' RIB that we use at least 4 times a week during the summer. We rarely use the sport fisher for day trips. When we take the sport fisher it's usually for an overnight or week long trip. Both types of boats are cool. Running fast in the small boat then dropping anchor on a sandbar to go for a swim is great. Leaving the dock for a long weekend with most of the comfort of home on the big boat is also great.

Lucky for me Karen is crazy about boats/boating and being on the water.
We are hopefully going to be able to retire in 10 years. It's doubtful that we will be able to afford a Sport fisher at that time but you never know. It doesn't matter because we have fun even if we're just sitting on the beach with an umbrella and a cooler.:beer:

[Pipe_Dream]

Pipe-dream,
We got the crazy "wanna go bigger bug" after spending time on a friend's flybridge boat. If I had to choose between the sport fisher or an outboard powered boat (v 20) I would take the V. The truth is we use the smaller boats way more. Heck we have an old 15' RIB that we use at least 4 times a week during the summer. We rarely use the sport fisher for day trips. When we take the sport fisher it's usually for an overnight or week long trip. Both types of boats are cool. Running fast in the small boat then dropping anchor on a sandbar to go for a swim is great. Leaving the dock for a long weekend with most of the comfort of home on the big boat is also great.

Lucky for me Karen is crazy about boats/boating and being on the water.
We are hopefully going to be able to retire in 10 years. It's doubtful that we will be able to afford a Sport fisher at that time but you never know. It doesn't matter because we have fun even if we're just sitting on the beach with an umbrella and a cooler.:beer:

Amen to that. I am fortunate to have a spouse with the same attitude.