Is a 30' boat too big for a beginner?

[Spider Girl]

Good advice. Start small and as inexpensively as possible without sacrificing safety. There is enough pressure navigating the lake, the busy docks, and the weekend boat traffic without worrying about a scrape when you inadvertently bump into the docks (or another boat) after coming in too fast!

[Greene's Basin Girl]

There are a couple things to consider. If you traveling out in the broads on L. Winnipesaukee it is best to have a bigger boat. The swells can be very large and a bigger boat should handle better. The con of having a larger boat is when you want to stop at a port, especially on the weekends. The docks fill up quickly and the larger the boat the harder it is to find a spot. There have been many times that our family could not find a spot big enough for or 25 foot boat.

[Rich]

GB Girl has some good advice there

I started with a 27, and at times, and not even 'big' weather, I had found myself crossing the broads and thinking "glad I'm not in a smaller boat". Now with my 38, I just smile and enjoy the splash in the face as the wind blows the water past my bow.

Also, it's a dual edge sword (as she says) when trying to find dock space at the public docks. Many times I've waited a while for room, or if the wind was too strong, just pass by and come back a different day, rather than wait for a spot, as with the wind, I would only consider one side of a dock to not chance banging up my or some other boat.

In the end, I'm much happier with my larger choice. Oh, except when gas was over $4 per gallon!

[Hivolt]

GBG's point was why I was considering the large boat to begin with. When I rented the place of Rattlesnake in September I rented a boat in Wolfeboro and had to cross the broads, fortunately the lake was like glass on the voyage from the marina to the house but in the following days where there was only so much as a slight breeze I found myself getting slammed up and down in the broads.
Now I am sure inexperience played into it as much as the size and shape of the boat but when I returned the boat and was shooting the breeze with the dock hand I mentioned getting tossed around out there and he told me in his opinion 20' was too small for the lake and that in his opinion 23' is about as small as you want to go, not necessarily because of the length but because the hull is a deeper Vee and it made sense to me that it would cut through the water better instead of riding more on top of it.

[Phantom]

The "flip side" to that story is that (without getting stupid) learning to handling the Broads and other area's in a 20'-23' boat from the onset will give you invaluable training & most of all respect !

Also, as a newcomer to the Lake, having a smaller more maneuverable boat allows you to explore the various coves and inlets far better than worrying about how much your drafting on a $150k+ floating condo.

Some 30 years ago we started with a 176 (17.5') Stingray, many boats later a foot added here and there, it was only within the last 2 years that we grew into a 25.5 footer ........ which I feel is more than sufficient for anything that Lake has to through at me...... and we are NOT timid, we go out in most any conditions.

Looking back, silly as it may sound, I somewhat miss those days in the smaller boats when it got beyond "Sporty" and was quite "Nautical" on the way back Saunders Bay from Wolfboro. In a sick sort of way it proved to be a "skills" training session ..... which admittedly sometimes lasted nearly 3 hours for a simple ride (THAT part I do not miss ).



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[Pineedles]

There are many reasons for deciding in favor of a big boat versus a bigger boat. Don't let crossing the broads be a deciding factor. I used to travel from Center Harbor to the Weirs, Alton Bay, and Wolfeboro in my 14' Sears aluminum boat with my 14 hp Scott outboard. Did I go into the Broads when it was stormy? No, I stuck to the shoreline and was perfectly safe.

[Rich]

I think ease of crossing the Broads was an attractive side effect of a larger boat, but was secondary to weekend comfort.

The original question was about spending a weekend on a boat vs buying waterfront property.

From my direct experience, spending a weekend on a 25 to 27 ft boat vs something larger, is like trying to sleep in your SUV for the weekend vs sleeping in your own bed at home. It's a huge comfort difference!

With the smaller 25 to 27 ft boat, we felt more like a homeless person trying to make due with what we had, vs being totally comfortable in the larger boat.

With the smaller boat, you are constantly crawling over each other when hanging below for sleeping or if the weather turns and you are confined to your boat.

With the larger boat, you have some room, a comfortable bed/berth, and don't feel like you're stuck in an SUV for the weekend.

With the smaller boat, while there is nothing wrong with it, just realize that it's somewhat like camping in a small tent all weekend, which is fine at times, but not as comfortable as it could be and may turn off many to the experience if you are spending every weekend on board.

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by Pineedles

There are many reasons for deciding in favor of a big boat versus a bigger boat. Don't let crossing the broads be a deciding factor. I used to travel from Center Harbor to the Weirs, Alton Bay, and Wolfeboro in my 14' Sears aluminum boat with my 14 hp Scott outboard. Did I go into the Broads when it was stormy? No, I stuck to the shoreline and was perfectly safe.

I have a picture in my head of that 6'5 guy in a 14' aluminum thrashing through the Broads.Its a humerous mental picture.

[Pineedles]

I was only 12 years old Bill, and was a mere 6 feet at the time.

OMG, that was 50 years ago. Seems like yesterday.

[NoBozo]

In Real Life, One who wants to fly an "Airliner".... Starts out... learning to fly a Cessna. That's just the way it is. Is this boat discussion any different..?

YES: You need an earned License to fly a plane.

You ONLY need money to buy and drive a Big Boat.

Start small and work your way up to bigger things via experience. . NB

[Island Girl]

I have only had an 18' Larson and the current 20' Grady. Both very used. I am on the broad side of Rattlesnake. The smaller boat is easy to get in and out of my dock, slip and all of the ports on the lake. Though we usually take the jetskiis to the ports.

My boat has a lot of deadrise and a cuddy cabin. This means big waves do not deter travel. I will not, however, go out in very big waves. I think the boat would be fine, but I would be too nervous. I still remember crossing the broads trying to outrun a storm from Wolfeboro to Welch island in 1999. I am not anxious to do that again.

Do you folks with really big boats spend a lot of time on the broads on windy days?

If your real goal is an island property, my suggestion is to rent the various boats to get a feel for what you really want and keep looking for property. If you want the marina life style, then the bigger boat the better for comfort. Just remember the cost of fuel when you and your wife go shopping! (by the way, shopping never gets old for women).

I think my ideal boat size would be 24' for a Rattlesnake Island person.

Enjoy the process... you can always change your mind and sell what you bought and try something else.

[Rich]

I'm jealous of you with the island life! My second choice is my boat and dock life.
If someone wants to stop by and see what weekend living on a boat is about, look me up next season!

As to crossing the Broads when it's windy, some things don't deter me, where in the past I would have sat out the crossing. I don't go looking for big water, but I have more options now.

As an example, one weekend this past July it was incredibly windy, but we wanted to cross the Broads to get to the fireworks show that was being put on by a family in Wolfeboro. Almost no one was out on their boats due to the wind and the waves, but the ride across the broads was almost fun for us. I can still remember getting hit in the face with warm water at the helm several times from crashing waves off the bow being blown back at me.

I would not have taken this trip in a smaller boat.

Is it ice out yet?

[Phantom]

Made the trip to the same spot that night in our 25'

AWESOME night !


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[Woody38]

When we lived on Cape Cod we had a 22' Boston Whaler Revenge. The one with a cabin, v-berths. Great boat for cruising and fishing. There was a chine that went around the bow which would cause the boat to rise when it hit a wave. If my wife ever saw me out in 25-30 kt. winds jumping the chop she would have killed me. Thinking with my ageing body I need to return to that boat.

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic.

[depasseg]

No, a 30' boat (with twin engines) isn't too big for a beginner. I have 2 friends who did that and were fine (they needed a bit of tutoring and practice, but that's the same for a 20' or a 30'). And as was mentioned, a 30' with twins is easier than a 26 with a single.

Now there are other issues with a 30' boat, like finding a slip at a marina and at town docks. But those are a different conversation.

[trfour]

Absolutely not... My early Captainship began with a 41 foot Sonic High Deck SE, with twin 750 HP engines and seeing that all of my many passengers and sometime crew are still around, no broken outdrives or props, or other damage, I consider myself Very fortunate, and rewarding experience here at the Lake, and many other Atlantic seaports. Then if you should ever decide to go with a smaller craft, the learning curve is less. Twin engines are much easier to dock, and you can do a 180 degree turn in place.
As said, on the Lake, make docking plans ahead of time, when possible..