New to cruisers, advice?

John_Gault

John_Gault

Member
Dec 13, 2010
101
Knoxville, TN
Boat Info
2001 4160
Engines
Twin 7.4 MPI
Hello!
I spent my younger years with bow riders and fish & skis. All outboard or I/O. Now, there are 4 in my family, and I'm looking for a comfortable weekend boat.

I've been eyeing the 300 Sundancer, thinking it's at the upper end of my cruiser newbie learning curve, and will give us enough room to relax for a couple of days.

Of course id love a bigger boat, but dont want to learn I've bit off more than I could handle by putting my bow into the dock.

Am I over/under estimating the learning curve?

Thanks for all your advice!
 
Get what you think will make you happy for years to come. When you get to the twin drive class, I don't think there is much difference in the learning curve. Also consider the logistics of trailering and storage unless you can leave it in year round.

Welcome aboard!
 
Good advice from JimG. Do not be intimidated by the 300, you will get used to it pretty quick and will be really thankful for the space. I would even say go bigger if your wallet can handle it (maybe a little bit older 330).
Do you plan to trailer it ? I trailered my 290 for the first year we had it with no problem but I have a diesel truck and have been towing things for many years.
If you can keep it in a boat slip your enjoyment will be even greater. No boat ramp worries and dock life is great! Good luck and keep us informed.
 
We started with a 28 footer then went to a 38. It depends on what you want to do. If you are not sure what you want or can handle rent what you like. Most rental places will supply a captain for a few hours or days until you get used to it. The rental fee is a lot less than having to sell your boat in a year because it was too big or too small. Learn how to drive a big boat before you purchase. Take a course on water.
 
I'd buy something in the 40 foot + range. 30', 40' not much of a difference in how they run. Handling will be better with a bigger, heavier boat and with four people you will need the space. Starting bigger saves you the hassle of selling the 30 and then buying a bigger boat.
 
I think that size is probably as big as you want to go for a "new to cruising" boater. There are several new procedures the Skipper and crew will want to learn.

It sounds fun to me shopping for a 30'er. Best of luck.
 
Nehalennia said:
I think that size is probably as big as you want to go for a "new to cruising" boater. There are several new procedures the Skipper and crew will want to learn.

It sounds fun to me shopping for a 30'er. Best of luck.
Click to expand...


Size does not matter now with axius and zeus. v-drives or straight drives are very easy around the dock also.
 
sbw1 said:
I'd buy something in the 40 foot + range. 30', 40' not much of a difference in how they run.
Click to expand...

Interesting advice, I got a chuckle out of it. Why stop at 30...or 40...go for the 60. Heck it's not my money. And you know, a bigger boat has more room. :grin:

My new 280 Sundancer is a *big* step up from my 18' bowrider, which I've had the last five years. If you haven't been around boats in awhile, then I would agree with Todd, a 30' would be my limit in getting comfortable with maneuvering it, let alone getting used to all of the systems involved.

In the brief time I've had my 280 (received the end of October 2010), I've felt it "shrink" quite a bit. But it's still a BIG boat to me, and I'm still not near as comfortable as I was with my 175.

Oh, and I'm part of a family of 4 also. :smt001
 
All,
Great advice! I've been browsing these boards, and thought I'd found a good group to ask.
You confirmed it, quickly, in one post!

I've been tempted by the 340... Then the380... But LOA creep could hit my wallet too many ways.

I feel much better about the 300 quest, but do think I'm going to check out classes & time on the water my dealer will give.

Laurence
 
The 300 is a piece of cake. You will find that it has better manners around the dock and doesn't get blown off quite as easily as a smaller boat. Once you get the hang of the twin engines you will get better at it. Worst case, dock it just like you currently would with a single engine. Add the twin scenarios later on (wind, current etc.,). Getting used to all the systems on board will take a while, but they aren't hard either. We have an older 300 with an 11 foot beam and the four of us fit quite comfortably along with a couple of four legged furry kids too. The biggest question is if you will trailer or moore it!
 
sbw1 hit the nail on the head. There are still alot more boats for sale then there are buyers. Go to a boat show (we are coming up on that time of the year) and go on/into as many different styles/sizes as you can. We moved up from a 270 to a 380 (2.5 seasons ago) and are extremely pleased. The learning curve from a single to a twin is quick and a twin is MUCH easier to handle. Check you cash stash, then find what you want. Then be prepared to enjoy!
 
One point is the purchase price of the boat the other is the cost to run it. We budget 25,000 a year to run the boat. 10,000 fuel, 5,000 morage, 5,000 maitenance and 5,000 food and fun. The 28 foot was less than half of that.
What do others spend a year on teir boats?
 
I agree with those that say go to the 40 foot range for a family if and only if you can afford it. We started on a 2004 340 Dancer and moved after 2 years to a 390 MY we have today. If it was just my wife and I would have stayed with the 340. DO NOT BE WORRRIED ABOUT HANDLING - you can learn, its easy - the members on this board will help you with questions. Going big early is far less expensive than upgrading later.
 
Sundancer said:
The biggest question is if you will trailer or moore it!
Click to expand...

Yeah, this was a big omission. I don't have a tow vehicle, so my boat (I can't wait till the "my" is tangible) will be at the marina. Fortunately, I've one ~1/2 mile away.

I used to work at a company that builds trailers, and we never understood why people kept trailerable boats at marinas. Now I know, but still don't want to do it.
 
My progression went 17' runabout, 30' Weekender and now the 450 Sundancer (loa 51').

I know a guy from my club who started off with 50' Navigator as his first boat.....:huh:
 
If you are going to spend most weekends on your boat with 4 people - 30' can get cozy. My wife and I stay on our 320 most weekends and it is comfortable. With 4 it would get cozy. Are you planning to stay on the boat overnight a lot? If not - then 30' will be nice. If so, bigger is better. I personally like the early 2000's 380 Sundancer a lot.
 
My 300DA is my first boat. A couple of lessons with the broker who sold me the boat, a few hours figuring out the systems, and it came around pretty quickly. Still have lots of experience to acquire, and I'm a fair-weather boater, as well. Once I figured out the right way to back into the slip, the weight came off my shoulders. Gleaned a lot of tips from this forum, to be sure...
 
I know your initial question was geared more towards the learning curve of handling, but I'd like to echo an earlier post on the cost of maintenance & upkeep.

Check out the different slip rates for a 30' boat & then for a larger one. I'm in a 30' slip now, when I move up so will my yearly slip rate. Drastically. Haul outs, wax jobs, bottom paint jobs stuff like that are also priced by the foot. In my opinion, there is a lot of time & effort spent on keeping keeping a 25' slipped boat clean & ready to cruise.

Don't get me wrong. It won't stop me, I'm still moving up, I'm just sayin... If the boat is larger everything else is too. If the comfort & the learning curve were the only factors, we'd all have 50' boats maticulously maintained by the marina staff.

Good luck with your decision & ....Welcome to CSR!
 
Hi Laurence,

Twins are very important, and V-drives are the way to go as well. Much easier to drive, and less maintainance than I/O's particularly if you are going to leave it in the water year round. If you are going to trailer it then you are probably going to be with a smaller beam and I/O's will be your best choice.

The wider a boat is actually makes it easier to handle in my opinion. With your props spaced farther apart you have more control around the dock. I can take about anyone and have them able to handle the boat pretty quickly. My wife could never back our old twin I/O 280 in the slip, but this one she does with no problem. If you have ever driven a bobcat or zero turn radius mower then you will find these are the exact same principle. Just a tad larger :)

And if it will be for a family of 4, get as wide a boat as you can for the room inside too. It will look large at first but will soon become tight once you get comfortable with it and move in with all your stuff. We went from 8.5' to 10.5' and what a difference. Now we are at 12.5' beam and I would not want to go smaller.

If you get up to Lake Cumberland look us up at Grider Hill Marina.
 
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