When purchasing a boat, it's a good idea to find out about the boat you intend to purchase. Since we were so impulsive, we did it the other way around. We saw the boat we wanted for the price we wanted and jumped. We knew next to nothing about boat ownership. I will be talking about that more in a future post.
Where do you keep the boat? We live in a community that has a storage yard. Since we didn't have room at our house, we went with that option. No big deal, right? We later learned that it is much easier to keep the boat at a marina in a slip space. We tried dry storage (keeping your boat on land on the trailer) but having a slip space is definitely the way to go. The amount you pay depends on how big your boat is. For a 28' boat, the price is around $1000 (upstate NY, finger lakes region). This also depends on your location (state and city). When you have your boat trailered on land, plan to spend anywhere from 15-30 minutes getting your boat in the water (included time to hook the trailer up to your vehicle and getting it in the water). Researching marinas is very easy with the internet. If at all possible, I encourage you to see the marina in person. Find out what amenities it has and how it feels to be there. NY Marinas
Where do you go with your boat? We live near a river and have a few lakes near by. Since the boat launch was free in our community, we decided to put it in the water there. Its a good idea to find out about boat launches in your area. NY State Boat Launches Most have charges but there are some free launches almost everywhere. Its a good idea to get a map of the area. Definitely lake maps. For example, Oneida Lake is notorious for having many obstacles and depth changes. Here is another useful link for state maps. Lake Contour Maps If you have a trailer for your boat, you may want to drive the trailer to the lake of your choice and explore from there. The speed limit used to be 5 mph in populated areas, 30 mph elsewhere. It takes a lot longer to travel by boat but the destination isn't always the goal when boating.
Boater tip- SLOW DOWN when passing a dock that has a boat and when passing under a bridge. If an angry property owner is making wild gestures and throwing rocks at you, chances are, you didn't slow down enough. Boater Etiquette
Canals? If you plan to enter a canal system, you will want to purchase your canal pass. They have weekend passes and season passes. If you think you will be traveling through the locks more than a few times, go for the season pass. The price depends on how big your boat is. Going through the canals is one of my favorite things on a boat. NY Canal System
Once you have your boat in the water, you drive to your destination. Depending on the location, you could take short drives to watch the sunset, for example. Or take a longer drive for a day on the lake. On the lake you can do great things like water skiing, tubing, or relaxing. You can drop anchor and stay over night (having a generator on board is a must!) or you can check in to a marina. They have what's called transient docking. Its like a hotel on your boat. You can rent a slip space for a night or more. This is great because you can use their facilities- bathroom, shower, land. Sometimes they have a shore car or bike that boaters can borrow for short periods. This is a great opportunity to meet your fellow boaters too.
My favorite thing to do- drift on a calm lake and relax. Frosty beverage optional!
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