smaller boat for salt water use

[indecision]

as you can see i own a 44 sundancer but i now want a boat for florida that will be on a lift . i hear that i/o s are a maintence issue so am looking at say a 24 to 29 foot size boats and am looking at outboards . I would like a small cabin with a toilet for sure , a sleeping area would be nice . Should i stay away from i/o s.? If so should i be looking at boston whalers? grady white ? need some ideas ... I do like the Searay amberjack but these all have i/o s . Any help would be nice.

 

[tdappleman]

If you keep up with maintenance and especially keep it on a lift then an I/O wont be a problem. I personally love the Whalers and Grady's but it depends on what you would end up using the boat for.

 

[Carver370]

If you are looking at the 29 Amberjack's they came in an inboard version for a couple years. I really wouldn't worry about an I/O if its kept on a lift, just make sure you thoroughly flush every time you pull the boat back out as you would with anything in salt water.

 

[floriduramax1]

What part of the year would you be using it in?

 

[Bucit]

I have I/O's and the boat is lift kept. Yes, maitenance is more on I/O's than would be on an outboard but it depends on the type of boat you want. Since the drives are out of the water most of the time just flush after every use. Outdrives are only bad if they sit in the saltwater for long periods of time.

 

[indecision]

I would use it December through say May .. Does that make a difference ?

 

[Bucit]

I would use it December through say May .. Does that make a difference ?

In the winter months the algae content is very low so if the boat sits in the water it won't yellow the gel coat as bad. Other than that salt water is salt water.

 

[floriduramax1]

Along with algae content, I was determining the need for gen and a/c. It appears those months won't require their use:grin:

There are thousands of i/o's on lifts in Fl. Grady's are nice but don't count out Pro-line walk arounds. I would probably go outboard (four stroke) for what you are lookig at.

 

[TALL ORDER CATS]

The Pro Line 29 or better yet 31, they have livable headroom in the cabin, they handle well, you could get gen set, A/C, and live well if needed. I'd go with outboards (still the least problems / per hours of boating. I have a friend who started years ago on the 29' and upgraded to the 31 a few years ago. I've fished offshore on both vessels and they hold their own......you may get a sleeker boat in the class but you can't get a more practical all round boat and I think their prices are quite good for what you get. Another friend bought a Boston Whaler in the same class recently and I think that about 25% of his cash went to pay for the BW logo.
TALL ORDER CATS