1st boat. Need your advice on a small boat that will fit in a one car garage.?

Question

I plan on purchasing a small boat that will be able to be towed by a 4 cylinder sedan, fit in a one car garage, have at least a center console and cost less than 5k. I'm not interested in a jetski.. I want a first boat to learn on. And go down the coast and bays here in SoCal.

I was looking at small whalers and RIBS.. What other boats should I consider?

Answer 1

At this price you will be looking for a used boat. I assume that you are going fishing. Get a 18' if you can, with about 70-90 hp.

A used Boston Whaler would be great, but don't get hung up on brand. Just look for structural integrity, and signs of care buy the owner. You might check with some boat dealers as some take trade-ins.

At this price you may have to do a lot of looking, but do not be discouraged.

While you are looking for a boat, check with your library and get a book on small boat handling, and get acquainted with charts and knots and all the other details. Forearmed is better than not!

I highly recommend that you get a depth-finder and a really good compass, along with charts of the waters you plan to sail. Makes things much easier.

Regards,

Dan

Answer 2

You're not going to get a centre console boat and motor for under 5K that you would want to go out in.

Look for a recent model tiller-steer Zodiac with a proper trailer and a good outboard.

I just bought a 2007 310S, new trailer, and 4 Hp Merc for $4600.

V

Answer 3

Well they have a variety of used boats for sale that can be like 10- 15 feet with center console so look around there is also there is awesome big Jon boats. They have like 16ft and pretty big bow for waves. The best thing you could do is just keep is outside with a full cover on it so you can get a bit bigger one. But I do warn you outboard motors are Pretty expensive. But no matter what small boat you are going to buy they all need outboards so. The bigger the boat the farther you can go out in the bay but the bigger and more expensive motor. But i would suggest buying a used outboard since it is your first boat. One last thing is that if you buy one make sure is it a v-hull because if it is flat you could easily flip it in big waves and high winds. Last thing if you plan to go out pretty far get a radio and a backup outboard. That is why you see big offshore boats with 2 or 3 engines because if 1 or 2 fails they still got 1 to get back.

Answer 4

Remember that its not the boat you are trying to fit in the garage; its the trailer. I have an 18 foot boat but the trailer is 23 feet. Some trailers have retract tungs that reduce that a foot or two. In every case the trailer will be larger than the boat sitting on it.