[Hivolt]

Thanks for all the great replies and none of it was taken as criticism, this is exactly why I posted this. The moment "it got real" in the showroom was the moment I knew I had ZERO idea what I was getting into along with ZERO plan and I think I would've regretted they way I went about it if I went through.

Sorta off topic....

Do you have someone helping you evaluate the boats you're interested in? The way your posts read (to me at least), with what is seemingly a limited set of mechanical skills, you may have unknowingly dodged a bullet in the off chance this marina was trying dump a turd on you. Your description of the sales team demeanor, the comment about having that feeling that there wouldn't be support after the sale, etc.

Maybe thank your lucky stars instead of stressing!

I did not. I had spent about a month reading up on what to look for in a used boat and made a long checklist. Still not a replacement for having a real survey done but I felt confident that I had ruled out any major problems with the boat. My set of mechanical skills are actually very strong but my time can become very limited at a moments notice involving work so strong dealer support was something I was looking for if I had issues but couldn't make it to the lake to resolve them in person.

My first thought was why a 25 ft cabin cruiser for your first buy? Why not something smaller that you can trailer behind your current vehicle? Seems like an expensive option for “a couple of spins for the rest of the season.” You said you didn’t have family or friends on the lake. Remember, you can’t overnight in your cruiser at a public dock.


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My intention with this was as an intermediate solution to spending weekends at the lake when I wasn't renting a place. This of course involved a slip which I was aware of but wasn't planning on it this season. I was hoping to be able to store it for a fee the rest of the season and figure out the slip situation over the winter.

HiVolt,

I know exactly how you feel. I believe that I even know the dealer that you were working with, and I probably even know the parallel parking slip that they wanted to rent to you.

I had the same issues with them when buying my first and second boat from them. When you start shopping with them, they tell how much you will love doing business with them, as they always take care of their customers....

…. but then when you find a boat that you want from them and start getting into the details of the sale, oops, that's when their story changes as 'unfortunately" it's a consignment boat, so now they can't/won't do A, B, C, D and E, if you want F, G, H and I, they can do it, but it will cost you extra! Of course, all these things were mentioned up front as some of the free wonderful services that they said you would enjoy as a customer of theirs (sound familiar??).

Somehow they like to tell you that they are doing the person a favor by trying to sell a consignment boat to you. And all those pre-sales promises are withdrawn. After talking to them about selling my first boat, which they sold to me, they charge a considerable consignment fee. So it's not a favor at all! I sold my first boat myself, and pocketed their 'favor' into my bank account to help fun the next boat.

I could tell you a lot of stories about the deal and the crappy sales person that handled it (he's since no longer working there). I was considering walking away from the deal several times due to his lies, misrepresentations and broken promises. After emailing and talking to the management, they didn't even take the time to respond to me. The only person that was half decent at the time was their service manager.

People who buy a new boat from them tend to love them, but I've heard horror stories too, so you may be smarter to find a new dealer.

Unfortunately, at the lake there is a limited supply of dealers, and they know it. Lots of people have good luck buying elsewhere, even after factoring in the price of transporting a boat to the lake.


There's also a limited supply of slips on the lake right now, and as the size of the boat goes up, the number of available slips goes down. If you have a 21 foot or smaller boat, almost every slip on the lake can accommodate you, once you get to 25 foot or larger, the number of slips goes down considerably.

If you're dead set on a boat of this size (which I think is a good size for the lake, 25 ft or larger, my first was 27ft), then start now looking for a slip while you're shopping for a boat.

Don't give up, I'm sure you'll find what you want.

It was a gut wrenching feeling when they are talking to you like this consignment is a waste if their time even with probably collecting 10-11%, if they felt that way before the sale was complete I couldn't even imagine what it would be like if you really needed them later on. Especially being green like I am. After discussing things with the wife I think we will probably start looking for a slip in the Gilford area, maybe MVYC before we pull the trigger on a boat. A marina that is somewhat central to the western part of the lake with easy access for me coming from the Spaulding.

If your long term goal is island living, a cabin cruiser isn't ideal. You'll find yourself lugging around furniture, lumber, garbage etc. I find a 24-26' bow rider with storm canvas to work best on an island. You'll also eventually want the closest possible slip to your island location. You sure don't want to have to cross open water when you arrive at dusk on a Friday night

My plan if an island property came available was to have my own small pontoon work barge just for said reasons, as wasteful as that may seem....My neighbors would probably love me though.

HiVolt -

Not sure exactly what you are after ,,,,, But I believe this can be a two for one -- boat & possible slip. I know for a fact that the boat is PRISTINE! (no I am not the seller)

But as Jazzman say's -- not an island boat !

https://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums...?do=ad&id=9487

That's very nice, tell him to wait until the spring to sell it .

A boat club might have some advantages. You get to use a variety of boats without worrying about the in and out costs of moving from one boat to another. You can take it for a week if you rent someplace or get a different boat if you want to go skiing/tubing one day and take out a family group. Not renting a place? Operate out of the club docks. These folks often sell their rentals at the end of the season with good pricing.

https://www.lakesregion.org/american-boat-club-of-nh/

The story of my life around the lake seems to be of almost pulling the trigger. I was in conversation with Kurt before the start of last season and I came very close to signing up but I just didn't think I would make it up there enough last summer to warrant the price as we were moving into a new house. However If I cannot obtain a slip They make a strong case and check a lot of my boxes.

Don't buy a slip until you know what island your going to settle into. Your slip purchase could end up being to far from your potential camp. Also, depending on where you slip the boat, some places with slips could have size limitations on the boat.

I would likely buy a large slip, something capable of accomodating a 36' or greater boat

All good advise, I don't mean this as a criticism, but I would really work on the whole plan before buying the boat. You don't want to have to buy twice. You could loose a ton of money. Like others said the only reason for the Cabin cruiser would be to live at your slip, I would think you'd sell it when you buy the property, Unless it's an enclosed helm, all weather work horse.

no criticism taken. My intentions have been to live aboard the boat when I found a slip, and if by enclosed helm you mean camper canvas then yes my intentions were to buy a boat with a helm I could enclose.