How far would you travel when looking for your next boat? Depending on your priorities this could be a very complex answer when taking so many things into account. On the other hand, knowing exactly what you want in that dreamboat can make that decision very easy.
Before the Internet came along with digital listings with so many pictures and videos available for your inspection, we relied mostly on printed ads or the occasional for sale sign taped to the hull in the marina or yard. Now you can simply go to an online website and type in the make and model you want with all the specifics you care to include and viola, there displayed on your screen is the boat of your dreams!
Maybe. Pictures don’t always show all the details and written descriptions may leave out information you need to make an informed decision. I have made some long trips only to be disappointed by what I have seen up close.
I would bet most, if not all of us buying a boat make the trip to see in person what you get for your hard earned money. Our first boat, a 1989 Rampage 31, we purchased in 1996 out of Monmouth Beach, New Jersey. A few trips back and forth and it was ours, sailing it back to Patchogue with my dad. It was a beautiful day and we spent most of the ride up in the Tuna Tower enjoying the view.
After a couple of years with the Rampage I got the dreaded “few footitis” disease and started looking around. I dragged my family to Maine to see a 32 Hatteras (up and back in one day), to Annapolis to see a 35 Bertram (water in the starboard engine oil, down and back in one day), Brooklyn to see another 35 Bertram (total disaster), Florida for a 32 Hatteras, Martha’s Vineyard for a 30 Black Watch, Hilton Head for a 33 Tiara flybridge that had sunk but was not disclosed, and a few others I can’t remember.
Being a marine mechanic I did not shy away from bigger projects. At one point I found a 33 Tiara flybridge up near Boston. It had twin gas engines and I figured I could put diesels in it. It would be a great project for my boys and me. I found a pair of Cummins 210 hp 6BT diesels up in Maine and bought them after making a deal for the Tiara. Two weeks later the Tiara owner called and said he could not sell his boat. After a few choice words with him I put the engines up for sale and sold them for cost.
Our second boat was a 1989 35 Egg Harbor purchased in Merrick Long Island. An easy ride to see the boat from East Northport, and an easy delivery to Mattituck where we have docked all our boats so far. After a year of that my wife had had it with the amount of upkeep needed for the interior and teak. I had planned another diesel swap and before that could happen college for my oldest son came into play. One day we were out on the boat and a jet ski passed us. Kathy said we should get a smaller boat and a jet ski. The Egg was sold and we looked for a smaller boat, and a jet ski.
After looking around I found a 1996 28 Pursuit with twin V8 inboards, in Maryland. We drove down to see it and purchased it, having it trucked to Mattituck soon after. I found a used jet ski in Patchogue and we enjoyed them for a few years. Then one day the marina owners son showed us a 1999 30 Pursuit Express. It seemed perfect for us and we took a test ride out in the Peconic Bay on a fairly snotty day. We were sold on this boat having a good-sized cabin and amenities. But it had gas engines and I wanted diesels. I found one in Huntington and after twenty years we just sold that boat.
So how far would I go to find our “dream boat”? Last year we went to Alexandria Bay on the Saint Lawrence River for our new to us 06 Tiara Open. It served two purposes, it is a larger boat than our 30 Pursuit and we wanted to travel on the Erie Canal.
All of this pales in comparison to my good friend, who a few years back purchased a larger Tiara in Florida and had a captain run it up north. And yet he topped that this year, purchasing another Tiara in Newport Beach, California. Now you may think this is a little far to get the boat of your dreams, especially from a monetary point of view. It is not cheap to truck a forty something foot boat across the country but under the right conditions it makes perfect sense.
My friend wanted a particular set up on this model Tiara, and had looked at most of them on the east coast. In his own words, “maintenance was lacking”. After coolers were not serviced, oil changes put off, hoses were deteriorated and in general these expensive boats were neglected. Estimates of required maintenance exceeded thirty thousand dollars. Looking online he found the exact boat he wanted, with fewer hours by far and all required maintenance completed. To top it all off it was priced lower to begin with. Factoring in the cost to truck this boat across the country (roughly the same as the maintenance for the boats closer to home) he still came out ahead! From what I have seen in pictures and what he tells me the boat is like new.
So, you have to ask yourself, how far would you go?
