[2011E90ZCP]

Anybody on here a boater? I got a 18' Monterey bowrider a couple years ago. Too small so I'm now looking at either 2011 23' SeaDoo Challenger 230 or a 2006 Azure deck boat. I'm torn between the pros and cons of a jet boat vs typical prop driven boat. Anyone have opinions? I boat in a good size inland lake (Brookville Lake in Indiana).

Also, go ahead and post up your boats. Id love to see what everyone is rocking on the water.

[SickGTR]

Originally Posted by sitzlejd

Anybody on here a boater? I got a 18' Monterey bowrider a couple years ago. Too small so I'm now looking at either 2011 23' SeaDoo Challenger 230 or a 2006 Azure deck boat. I'm torn between the pros and cons of a jet boat vs typical prop driven boat. Anyone have opinions? I boat in a good size inland lake (Brookville Lake in Indiana).

Also, go ahead and post up your boats. Id love to see what everyone is rocking on the water.

I had a 26 commander signature 5 years ago. Kills me I don't have that boat anymore. T and A every weekend😝😳. They are a west coast boat but I had it delivered to Jersey. Check them out. I loved how it looked like a bad ass speed boat but you also got the mid cabin and bow ride. 70+ MPH

[minn19]

I have a 21 foot Yamaha 212S jet boat for the lakes around my house.

[Alfisti]

There's an old saying, if you want to have a small fortune, start with a large fortune and buy a boat.

[DocL]

I have a Regal 2860. It's great when it's up and running, but every other time I take it out something needs to be repaired. It's causing me too much stress that I think I'm going to sell it.

[Murf993]

I have a weakness for boats, and probably need to get rid of one.....

[rebekahb]

Originally Posted by Murf993

I have a weakness for boats, and probably need to get rid of one.....

So does my husband. The 17' Key West is a good river boat. For me to go in the lake it has to be dead calm. We got caught in that little boat one time and it was awful. It's like riding in a small bathtub compared to our bigger boat.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

There's an old saying, if you want to have a small fortune, start with a large fortune and buy a boat.

A couple bought a yacht, then invited all of their friends over for a big party.

A year later the couple sold the boat, then invited all of their friends over for a big party.

[2011E90ZCP]

Originally Posted by minn19

I have a 21 foot Yamaha 212S jet boat for the lakes around my house.

How do you like the jet? Have you ever had a prop boat? I'd love to hear your thoughts on pros and cons of jets vs props.

The jet boat is newer and I like the layout more. The prop boat is just more comfortable to me from a maintenance/operation standpoint. Not sure how it will be getting a jet boat worked on. Way less mechanics around here know them. The jet boat is about $4k cheaper though...

[2011E90ZCP]

And I have to LOL at M3 owners making jokes about boat maintenance costs! You have to pay to play. I don't even think twice about the cost to operate. The love far outweighs it.

[M5Rick]

Never been into boats apart from jet ski's and messing around on a row boat on the Serpentine.

[Tommy-G]

Living on the Gulf I want a boat so bad. My wife says we will never use it, I think we will use it all the time instead of our normal weekend activities but my car wont tow it, I can't store it at home b/c of HOA and I don't know the 1st thing about boats so instead....I'll watch from the beach

[rebekahb]

Originally Posted by Tommy-G

Living on the Gulf I want a boat so bad. My wife says we will never use it, I think we will use it all the time instead of our normal weekend activities but my car wont tow it, I can't store it at home b/c of HOA and I don't know the 1st thing about boats so instead....I'll watch from the beach

Smart. Just rent one every now and then.

[Tommy-G]

Originally Posted by rebekahb

Smart. Just rent one every now and then.

Yup, I guess thats my extent of boating and hoeing

[happyjack]

have been a boater my entire life (my dad was / remains an avid fisherman) and the last 20-ish years have included a huge investment in my time and money in boating / fishing that has returned at least an equivalent amount of joy to me an my family.

boating is the single biggest reason that i have never tracked my own car.

edit: and the single biggest reason i dont own a bigger boat is my love of bimmers.

my current sled.

[rebekahb]

Check out a boat forum. There are quite a few out there. They would be better versed to let you know about maintenance.

We were in the power boating scene for a while (still have one). I've been kind of over it. Having to wash clean, & flush the motors after each use (stored in a warehouse) sucks. I love boating but enjoy our friends Formula with shade and AC more these days.

[2011E90ZCP]

Yeah I'm reading on the forums too. I just value the opinions of the M3 community plus I wanted to see all your boats. Enthusiasm translating over to other vehicles is interesting.

My biggest takeaway right now is keeping a jet boat in an in-water slip seems complicated/troublesome. Need to look into that more. I love keeping my boat in water.

[Bruuuce]

I have had a couple jet boats in the past. Think shallow water river boats for the most part. This is when I lived in the NW and did allot of fishing activities out of them.

The caveats to jet boats, the main one is there is no neutral. If the engine is running there is thrust. The neutral with thrust is the bucket 1/2 up and 1/2 down or something similar. That is not 100% neutral. Then you still have side to side thrust goin on, so you can't just put it in neutral and not tend to the wheel and throttle.
I am sure you know that, but I would drive both types to make a decision about jet vs prop.

The great think about the jets I had is they ran in less than 6" of water. I don't think the recreational jets are set up that way, but have not looked at them in quite some time.

Boats are fun, I need another one soon. Thinking of the inflatable catamarans for where I live now. A little 14" with a small outboard would be quite fun for nocking around on the hooch...

[happyjack]

Originally Posted by sitzlejd

And I have to LOL at M3 owners making jokes about boat maintenance costs! You have to pay to play. I don't even think twice about the cost to operate. The love far outweighs it.

i think your best bet is to look at the most popular boats in the area that you boat and determine which best fits your needs. talk to other owners at the docks and figure out what they like and dont like about their boats. i could offer advice, but my experience on the chesapeake bay -- which is closer to a more saltwater boating environment than a lake -- may not mirror the type of boating you do (or want to do) in your area.

[ryan stewart]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

A couple bought a yacht, then invited all of their friends over for a big party.

A year later the couple sold the boat, then invited all of their friends over for a big party.

That is the joke among all of the owners I know, "The two best days of a boat owners life is the day they buy it and the day they sell it."

Ive got the best situation, I KNOW people with boats. Its just like pools..

[dreamingat30fps]

Anyone watch that Youtube channel that just shows videos of people at the docks? Shit makes me want to NEVER own a boat.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by dreamingat30fps

Anyone watch that Youtube channel that just shows videos of people at the docks? Shit makes me want to NEVER own a boat.

They call this boating at a nearby lake.