Boats.. Who has em? Who LOVES em? Who hates em?

[Eugenio]

"Boats" plural. 39' sailboat, 19' sailing dory, 14' canoe, 13' sailing duck boat, dinghies 10'6", 7'9", 7'8" folding. All of those are wooden. The two inflatable kayaks, one inflatable dinghy, one life raft, one folding 10' sailing dinghy. I've built a couple of small ones too. I guess you could say that I like boats.

Nice! The boat I race on used to be wooden. One spring, after the boat dried up, they placed the boat back in the mooring and left to have a few beers. Couple months later, we had a new fiberglass one with the old rigging.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

Buoyant
Over
Aquatic
Transport

I belong on dry land.

 

[JohnSand]

Nice! The boat I race on used to be wooden. One spring, after the boat dried up, they placed the boat back in the mooring and left to have a few beers. Couple months later, we had a new fiberglass one with the old rigging.

I usually leave the bigger ones in for the winter, pulling them only every other year for bottom paint. Wandering Star is glued strip plank, so she leaks very little. But she's also beamy and heavy, so she doesn't race.

 

[finsfan]

Can I join in even thought its not mine, but I love it?

This is my girlfriends parents boat. Sea Ray 510 Sundancer. The first time I went to boat with them, she just told me they had a boat. I figured it was newer speed boat and we were going to tube or water ski. No, the damn things a yacht!

The most important part though, TWO 600HP CAT DIESEL ENGINES! The thing is a small building but can still move. Here are a few old pictures I found.

Great thread idea! Hopefully one day soon I will have my own boat.

 

[Zuljin]

I don't need no boat. I just swim where I want to go. And if I get tired of swimming, I grab a gator or a shark or something. Maybe a garfish.

Or a canoe or a kayak. Still loving the kayak. Going out Friday.

 

[Jaybird]

Can I join in even thought its not mine, but I love it?

This is my girlfriends parents boat. 2001 Sea Ray 510 Sundancer. The first time I went to OK to boat with them, she just told me they had a boat. I figured it was newer speed boat and we were going to tube or water ski. No, the damn things a yacht! I was a little surprised to say the least. I mean come on, it holds a fricking 3 person jet ski on the back. Its a little over the top, but I wouldnt turn one down if someone offered it to me

The most important part though, TWO 600HP CAT DIESEL ENGINES! The thing is a small building but can still move. Here are a few old pictures I found. The last picture is my girlfriend and I on the left, and a fraternity brother and his GF on the right.

Great thread idea! Hopefully one day soon I will have my own.

YES YES YES YES PLEASE YES! I am in LOVE! Not a HUGE fan of the CAT's they are a little noisy or they seem to be anyway on the BIG boats I have been on, but UHHHhhhh that is a THING OF BEAUTY! My SWMBO and I were looking at This But decided to make a smaller step and go with the 24" Sea Ray first, It is my first cabin and we wanted to see if we liked the idea of them. Maybe next boat...

Cheers
Jay

 

[Setesh]

If that's snow on your boat, that's pretty hard corps. I have 3 kayaks, but they don't see that kind of weather, ever. Took all 3 of them down Weeki Wachi river this past weekend, saw many manatee. It's a 100% spring-fed river, so it's crystal clear.

Words can't describe the depth of my jealousy right now....

 

[finsfan]

YES YES YES YES PLEASE YES! I am in LOVE! Not a HUGE fan of the CAT's they are a little noisy or they seem to be anyway on the BIG boats I have been on, but UHHHhhhh that is a THING OF BEAUTY! My SWMBO and I were looking at This But decided to make a smaller step and go with the 24" Sea Ray first, It is my first cabin and we wanted to see if we liked the idea of them. Maybe next boat...



Cheers

Jay

I doubt I will ever end up owning something that big, but something like you linked would be amazing. :rockin:

I just need to start with anything thoigh.

 

[Jaybird]

I doubt I will ever come close to owning something that big, but something like you linked would be amazing. :rockin:

Yeah I want a 30-34 footer with twin 6 or 8 cyl would great. Maybe bow thrusters..LOL I really like the Regal as well ONE LIKE THIS Is another my wife and I test drove for about a half an hour or so. Love the Regal! Twin 4.3L V6! FAST!
I like my 24' Sea Ray but it really is just a 2 person boat for a few days. We get my 2 boys on there with us over night and it gets REAL small REAL fast!

Cheers
Jay

 

[Curtis2010]

Geez...boats on the brewing forum...I can't get away from them!!!

Spend a lot of my days on boats (both pro and for fun). Love to sail. Hate to work on boats, but its a necessary evil. Have accumulated a small fleet of my own, but did sell two of them last year.

Cruise part of the year and spend part of the year mostly ashore (when I brew beer). Just spent the past few months cruising the San Blas islands of Panama (awesome!). Still aboard my boat in Panama right now.

Currently have a catamaran for cruising and a Hobie 33 just for fun (way fast!)...and a skiff is my "daily driver" (water access only where I live).

 

[Curtis2010]

And more...

 

[Curtis2010]

Dont own it, but every saturday I race one of these guys, gorgeous boats:

Beautiful.

 

[autobaun70]

Here is mine. By far my # 1 hobby. It is a 2000 McKee Craft 18' center console. Motor is a 115 Johnson with the VRO disabled. I used to fish quite a bit, but mainly just cruise with the wife an dogs these days.

If you look close in one of the pics with the dogs you will see the snow on the deck. Had to shovel it out to get out on the water that day. Hard to tell in the picture, but the boat was on plane at the time the picture was taken.







Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Setesh]

Here is mine. By far my # 1 hobby. It is a 2000 McKee Craft 18' center console. Motor is a 115 Johnson with the VRO disabled. I used to fish quite a bit, but mainly just cruise with the wife an dogs these days.

If you look close in one of the pics with the dogs you will see the snow on the deck. Had to shovel it out to get out on the water that day. Hard to tell in the picture, but the boat was on plane at the time the picture was taken.

I love both your boat's name and your avatar picture. :rockin:

 

[autobaun70]

I love both your boat's name and your avatar picture. :rockin:

The boat name is in homage to the many spring/fall afternoons spent sitting on the porch of the Esso Club, in Clemson, right off Lake Hartwell. Busch Light most of the time back then, but still great times. Spent a great deal of time on Hartwell. I have still not figured out why in the world my folks let me keep their boat at school, knowing good and well the shenanigans that would take place. These days, most of my time on the water is on Lake Murray (near Columbia SC).

 

[paperairplane]

Best days for a boater - Saturday and Sunday!

I have a 25' pontoon - best toy I've ever bought. Spend the weekends hanging out at the lake relaxing. It's a big floating patio - I have beer, a grill, tunes... it also gives you an excuse to learn some new knots and call ropes "lines" - and you can play pirate all you want.

Honestly, the real key is to dock the boat so you don't waste all your time loading and unloading. And pay someone to service and store it. Well worth a couple hundred dollars to make the boat something you don't fight all the time.

I have friends that are "lake" friends outside my normal group. Last weekend we had two separate six boat rafts.

I watched Memorial Day fireworks from the middle of a lake.

 

[autobaun70]

Best days for a boater - Saturday and Sunday!

I have a 25' pontoon - best toy I've ever bought. Spend the weekends hanging out at the lake relaxing. It's a big floating patio - I have beer, a grill, tunes... it also gives you an excuse to learn some new knots and call ropes "lines" - and you can play pirate all you want.

Honestly, the real key is to dock the boat so you don't waste all your time loading and unloading. And pay someone to service and store it. Well worth a couple hundred dollars to make the boat something you don't fight all the time.

I have friends that are "lake" friends outside my normal group. Last weekend we had two separate six boat rafts.

I watched Memorial Day fireworks from the middle of a lake.

All very good points. Raftups are the best. My folks, my inlaws, several aunts/uncles, and many many friends are on the water almost every weekend. We typically use a few pontoons as the base for the raftup, and the smaller boats and jet skis come and go. Also, we have all figured out that the "pretty boats" are a giant pain the the arse. If it looks "wife approved" with carpet and tons of creature comforts at the boat show, it will be a maintenance nightmare. Go with either a salt water style boat, or a pontoon, and maintenance will be minimal. Also, I/O's (aka stern drives), are a maintenance nightmare. Outboards are much easier; more expensive, but maintenance is much easier, and no winterization is required.....key when you boat year round. They are also safer to leave in the water (no rubber boots to rot/get eaten by muskrats). If you don't have a lift, or an aluminum hull, bottom paint the thing and let it float.

The only "pain in the arse," thing that I do these days is is lug fuel, typically 20 gallons/weekend in VP speed cans. Worth the effort for the $1/gallon savings vs on the water.

 

[JohnSand]

I like seeing the boats with snow. I sail and paddle most winters, and people think I'm crazy. This winter was just plain too cold though.

 

[troy2000]

The last boat I built, and the one I'm getting ready to build.

 

[JohnSand]

Pretty cool Troy. Is that first a sharpie? pirogue?
I have built a Glen-L Topper (11' sail dinghy), a kayak, a flatiron skiff.

 

[troy2000]

Pretty cool Troy. Is that first a sharpie? pirogue?
I have built a Glen-L Topper (11' sail dinghy), a kayak, a flatiron skiff.

I just call it a flat bottomed canoe; it's probably closer to a pirogue than anything else. I've built several of them over the years. The first one was a Caddo Lake bateau I found in Woodenboat Magazine, and they've kind of evolved over the years.

I think this one is pretty much optimal for what it is; if I built another one I wouldn't really change anything. There's a storage/flotation chamber at each end; the transom, stem and frames are oak; the bottom is 1/4" plywood; the sides are 1x12 pine boards planed down to 1/2"; the gunwales are Douglas fir.

Mainly, I'm pleased that I got the curves right on the sides and bottom this time - if you lean the boat hard, it still goes straight instead of veering off course. My earlier ones tended to swing right if I leaned left, and vice versa.

add: we need pictures of your builds...

 

[passedpawn]

Mainly, I'm pleased that I got the curves right on the sides and bottom this time - if you lean the boat hard, it still goes straight instead of veering off course. My earlier ones tended to swing right if I leaned left, and vice versa.

Funny, that's exactly the action you want in a kayak. They are called the boat's chines in kayak parlance. Being able to steer by leaning (and proper paddling technique) makes rudders unnecessary. My boats have skegs but not rudders.

 

[JohnSand]

The pics are in an album, old school, on paper(!). If I try to scan them and attach them here I am certain to break something. They actually all have good stories: the Topper was my first boat. I sailed it a couple of seasons until I bought bigger. Later I rehabbed it as a rowing dinghy. Until it was stolen off the beach. I kept an eye out though, and one day I saw it on the water. (Some-one's been rowing in my boat, and there he is!) I actually chased him down in my ketch, jumped over and swam to the beach to confront him. He said he'd "found" the boat. I persuaded him to pay me for it (not much). Truly, I was happy to resolve it, and see my boat still being used, 24 years after I built it. The kayak was another Glen-L ply, built it with my Dad. Both he and the boat have crossed the bar. The flatiron I built for a friend, as a birthday gift. No plans, no power tools, lumberyard pine. Took three days, gave years of satisfaction. Last time I saw it, it was aground in backyard, but still had it's shape.
Let me know when you get started on that power cruiser. Looks interesting.

 

[troy2000]

Funny, that's exactly the action you want in a kayak. They are called the boats chines in kayak parlance. Being able to steer by leaning (and proper paddling technique) makes rudders unnecessary. My boats have skegs but not rudders.

Leaning left to go right may work well with a kayak, but it's mostly a nuisance for my purposes. The Blue Rose was built for fishing the calm, still backwaters of the lower Colorado River, and I want her to go where I point her. I don't need to shoot off to one side every time my fishing partner leans over the side or reaches for a beer...

I use paddles mostly while launching, and after I've gotten to a fishing spot. To cover any sort of distance, I fire up either a 1980's electric trolling motor or a 1940's Elgin 2.5 hp outboard. Both bought because they were cheap, not because they were old - although I gotta admit the Elgin just radiates coolness.

 

[passedpawn]

Leaning left to go right may work well with a kayak, but it's mostly a nuisance for my purposes. The Blue Rose was built for fishing the calm, still backwaters of the lower Colorado River, and I want her to go where I point her. I don't need to shoot off to one side every time my fishing partner leans over the side or reaches for a beer...

I use paddles mostly while launching, and after I've gotten to a fishing spot. To cover any sort of distance, I fire up either an electric trolling motor or a 1940's Elgin 2.5 hp outboard.

Guess I didn't read your post well. It would need to be opposite to be useful in kayaking (lean left to go left). I'll shut up now.