Looked at a boat today...several.

[txav8r]

So oscillating between a cruiser and another Yamaha...this is "go looking" weekend. I stopped at MarineMax today and visited with Romey about a 240, 280, 310 SeaRay Sundancer. I still have the desire to tow my boat and store at home, saving the charges at the marina. But...towing even a 240 Sundancer has its issues, and will be over my capability if there is anything on the boat other than empty and gas. I won't be buying another or trading my truck. So that leaves the marina and slip option if I am to go the cruiser route. I asked Romey, how I could take advantage of popularity and be able to enter the cruiser market and get back out without a great deal of effort in the future. He said, barring another economic meltdown like 2008/2009, the twin engine 280 Sundancer was the most popular of all the boats they sell. Primarily because it is a twin, genset, A/C, and more room in the cabin. But it isn't as much of a slip hog as is the 30 footers and bigger...it is also twin I/O vs. twin inboards. That may sound like a negative, but it makes a huge difference in backing up to the beach or entering skinny water, as you can raise the outdrives.

I also intend to look at an 2011 SX 240 this weekend. It is in good shape, stored indoors at storage.

I want to make it clear...I do not have mrs. txav8r on board yet...but I do have her committment to go look! And as we all know, that is half the battle. I don't know if I can personally live with the 240 Sundancer...it is a nice boat and it is a sundancer. But it is small. And...no genset. So you have to use a portable generator and set it out in the walk thru from the cockpit to the swimdeck and hook it up with a pigtail to run the a/c. And...it won't run more than the a/c unless you shut down the a/c to run something else. And we all know a/c is scarce on the SX240! I wanted to be able to visit places other jetboaters visited, and maintain my friendships. If I try to find a 280 Sundancer (the one they have is under contract), then I will not be able to do that...it is a 9.5' beam and weighs in too heavy to be towing too often, and changing lakes locally is a $600 adventure, not counting the liftout if you don't have a trailer.

Anyway...hoping for miracles and a more concise picture in my mind before moving forward. Thoughts?

 

[4x15mph]

If you do go the Searay route, there is someone that I work with that is selling her 27' sundancer. She lives in Missouri. PM me if you want me to get her in touch with you.

 

[Boat Crazy]

Dealers love Lookers. Lookers turn into buyers. Good luck on your search.

 

[Topper232]

Glad to hear that you're at least looking. Can't wait to see what you decide on

 

[SCSTWG]

Wow. Two entirely different styles of boating. A bunch of my friends have sold their cruisers and gone to bowriders. The cost to own, maintain, and operate really wore on them....especially given the limited season here. Mind you, these are people that have 6-figure jobs and have a few extra discretionary dollars. Most recently our CFO sold his 32' Sundancer and bought a 22' Sea Ray open bow and seems very happy with his decision. All that said, if you want to sleep on the boat, a Yamaha doesn't fit the bill. Looking forward to this decision process.

 

[Zarrella]

My thinking....,you should have both.....lol

 

[Lspeedss]

@txav8r Sounds like you have run your lists of Pros and Cons. You are serious about this. It'll be great to get you back in a boat. Sucks you can't have a huge easy trailerable cruiser with lots of speed and maneuvers like a jet.
My experience with people and boats is this and some may agree.. The bigger the boat the more it sits still. House boats are tied to docks for decades..Cruisers sit for weeks and get to make a run or two up the lake and back..them park for weeks again..runabouts get a lot of use all the time.. like you guys we get quite hot and humid out there. Its amazing the level of sweat and sunscreen you can used to during the season. A/C would be nice.
You have quite the difficult decision. Hopefully the Mrs.can set you on the right path..
.then again HUGE Cruiser loaded and a couple of jet skis could cure all your needs.
Again good luck..

 

[jawsf16]

Somebody's got a little boat fever, eh Mel! I really like that 310 Sundancer, but I am not sure I could park it on one lake and be happy. I think cruisers are made for big lakes or the coast. Maybe Texoma? A trailerable large cruiser would be awesome for sure...

 

[Bruce]

We looked at a Sundancer 38 and an older 460 in Branson last week. If you can't trailer it then it might as well be big enough to sleep comfortably and bring friends. Both had low hours and were in the same price range or less than a new 280.

Boat shopping is fun so enjoy it!

 

[HawkTX]

Have fun shopping! Can't wait to see what you end up with.

 

[Gym]

Go big or go home. Really though Mel, you're in a good position as you know all about the Yamahas so you're decision is basically, do I want the creature comforts that would allow me to spend weekends on the boat or do I want to continue with day trips? You will no doubt handle most of the maintenance yourself and yes, a bigger boat comes with bigger expense but you will make it work. It's too bad SeaRay didn't go forward with their jet plans though.

 

[itsdgm]

Mel, glad to see you might be getting back in the game. Good luck with your decision. Maybe you could take pics and start a Jetboaters.net poll and let us decide. We're willing to spend your money!!! Enjoy the shopping.

 

[primedoc]

@txav8r This was a consideration for me early in the decision making process. With the kids we needed a boat that would pull a tube, but also need water sports capability in the not so distant future. I would have loved the convenience, luxury and especially A/C of a cruiser. For me the two biggest pros of the cruiser would be sleeping on the water and A/C. We have a 5th wheel camper so I decided that we would just get an all season shaded camp site at the lake (complete with dock). It's not sleeping on the water, but rather next to the water and although we have no A/C on the boat we are never more than a quick boat ride back to cold A/C and comfortable beds. I think that I got the best of both worlds, but I guess I won't know until we really test out all of my theories this Summer.

 

[Julian]

I thought that you needed special permits in most states to trailer anything over 8 1/2 feet wide?? I'm sure we have someone on this forum that can educate this wide load ignorant boater!

 

[jcyamaharider]

How exciting Mel!! Boat shopping was one of most stressful and enjoyable times.

 

[jdiaz78]

I think you should buy one of those other jet boats to expand your knowledge and let us know how they run. Just an idea

 

[TonkaTuff]

The Ebtide 2700 ss looks pretty sharp. Weight once loaded, I'm sure will press the limits of your trucks towing capacity.

http://www.ebbtideboats.com/ShowBoat.asp?sBoat=2600&tab=2

 

[motorboater]

They thought of maintaining a big cruiser, paying for a slip, etc gives me the willies. Having a nice lightweight trailer boat like the Yamaha is so easy.

 

[sk380]

I have a cruiser on Lake Powell in Utah and it is a different type of boating for sure but our lake is huge so it makes sense for us. We take it out and anchor in a cove for several days with kayak, paddleboard and inflatable dinghy. We also take our hiking boots and fishing rods so there is always something to do. The cruiser goes fast enough for water sports but the wake is definitely not ideal and I am too old for that anyway. We initially thought about a towable size but that just creates a whole set of issues that we didn't want to be involved with. It is a big decision and it depends on what you really want to do on the water. If you have friends with the ski boat then go for the cruiser.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Stick with the smaller more manageable yamaha. Big boats are nice but your options of where you go and who can work on it are much smaller. Adding AC and a geni only add cost and headache for the benefit of sipping a glass of vino in the cabin.