Opinions please

Wife and I are in the process of researching cruisers.

I'm on my 4th boat. 3 of which have been inboard ski boats with either PCM or Indmar V-8's. The last has a V-drive with Hurth transmission. Others were direct Velvet drive.
Being into tournament skiing we run these boats hard and have to do quite a bit of maintainence and repair ourselves. So replacing gauges, impellers, prop shafts, strut bearings, steering cables, fuel pumps, sending units and stuff like that is easy. Overhauled a few engines and trans along the way as well, but limited hull repairs. My ski club now supplies a new boat every two years so mine is getting very little use so I'm considering letter her go.
Our family in my younger days had a 32 foot wood single screw cruiser, 272 Y block Ford, I forget the brand but a mid 50's vintage. I rebuilt the engine and trans and we ran it a few years until the aluminum (bad design) manifolds burned out and wrecked the engine again. Ended up junking the boat as back then you couldn't give the things away.
I'm laying this groundwork so you'll know my experience, or lack there-of for cruisers.
I have access to our family dock which is big enough to park a 35-40' cruiser along side in an inland lake. The goal would be to have a cruiser kept there and used weekends until retirement rolls around and moving it to the ICW for loop cruising.
The problem we're having is cost vs return. A mid 80's Carver or simliar can be had in the 30-50K range but I'm not real crazy about the designs with that Winnabago look. Sea Ray offers some good sleek looking choices but I'm into a more traditional looking cruiser such as the older Chris Craft. To get a traditional look in a newer crusier gets you into very high end boats. Some Trojans and a few other brands offer some decent designs in the 70's and 80's.
Personally I was thinking of a 1960's Woodie CC and give her a major overhaul for the living quarters, use the drive train until it rags out and retro fit it with diesel power when it's time to take her to the ICW in about 10 years. Other options are to go with a newer 80's glass boat but after checking prices it would have to be a pretty ragged out vessel requiring extensive refurbishing. The Woodie would have about 25K invested while a glassy could top 50K easily even though both would still have the older gas engines. I just don't think gas for that size boat is the way to go anymore. $$$
I like the idea of a glass hull but woodies have been around for hundreds of years and a retro fit of diesels would put her in line with the glassy cost wise. I also like V or direct drive rather than stern drives.
It's a tough call for me so I'm asking those of you that have experience in either to share some insight into these choices.
Or any other valuable insights you have.
Thanks in advance.

 

Well, a wooden boat is hard to get your money back out of it. Also I doubt I would trust most wooden boats for an ICW trip. Here is what I think, your on a lake. Buy a houseboat with Vdrives. There are many good ones around. They have a shallow draft, excellent for lakes. Some have very good top speeds. The gibsons are mid to upper thirties. After initial depreciation they hold there value real well. They aren't pretty but sure are fun for large groups. When you are ready to retire sell it at no loss or possibly a profit and buy a craft more suitable for the ICW trip that is already on or near that body of water.
Here is a guy that specializes in Houseboats
http://members.aol.com/theheadpirate/Boats_Listed.htm
Here is a 43 Burns craft for $32,000
http://www.thepiratesplace.com/burnscraft43meas.htm
And here is my "new" 50 ft houseboat that I purchased after selling my 1965 38FT owens Grananda
http://www.houseboatingworld.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1900&PN=1
It's an awesome boat that planes easily with small chevys and hardly rocks or rolls at anchor.

 

thats a nice houseboat woodboot

 

Thanks. It still needs a lot of work. I don't have all the electrical connections back on the flying bridge after the move. I also don't have the port engine back together. I had to change the flywheel. I specifically looked for the ring on the correct side and still got it wrong. So I gotta pull it and change flywheels again. These burns crafts are known fpor their heavy hand laid glass. It is very thick and heavy. The tag reads "16 net" I assume it was 16 tons when built.

 

"The tag reads "16 net" I assume it was 16 tons when built."

The Gross or Net tonage for the Coast Guard admeasurement system is a measure of VOLUME only , and has ZERO to do with the displacement (actual weight).

The ICW is quite easy to travel , only one 35 mile stretch of real water NYC to Manasquan Inlet , so a house boat could easily chose a fine day , and be able to do the MUD Run, anywhere on the ICW in a Loop back to the starting place.

Its been done with a 13ft Whaler,and camping gear.

FAST FRED

FAST FRED

 

My friend nearly sunk two houseboats here on the Chesapeake let alone in real water. I wouldn't dare take one out in real water. With that said I wouldn't trade my houseboat for my cruiser. I actually had a terrible nightmare last night that I traded even up, my burns for a pristine example of my Owens Granada. Boy was my wife ticked.

 

Not trading up?

I was glancing through our paper this weekend, three cruisers for sale and 7 or 8 house boats, two of which said they'd trade for a cruiser. To each his own I guess.
House boats are cool and all but not my thing. We have a house at the lake and a Pontoon for taking groups out.
A Cruiser is a boat, a house boat is a mobile home that floats. Each has a purpose and a fan following.

But as the saying go's "Whatever floats your boat"

 

I couldn't wait for you to respond I knew that you had the same disdain for houseboats that I used to have. I always liked the way cruisers looked and felt they were real boats. What I couldn't figure though is why all the good parties were always on the house boat and few gravitated to my cruiser. When I approached it with an open mind is when it changed. First off I wasn't talking pontoon boats. I am talking fast house boats that make great cruisers. Just think about a 42 ft gibson with twin 7.4s and Vdrives. Semi V and mid to upper thirties top speed. Cruising speeds in upper twenties. Most cruiser have a deep V. They draw more water, are slower and use much more fuel. Then you have the crew aspect. Picture an aft cabine style. When you go down below you feel trapped. A cruising houseboat is all open inside creating a lovely atmosphere to interact with guests. These cruising houseboats will take a three or four foot chop easily as well. Now if you regularly encounter 8 ft seas then a cruiser is a better option. If your on a lake there is no contest. The only reason to choose a cruiser is a built in opinion that house boats are not real boats and since you are a real captain you can not own a boat that isn't a real boat

 

House party

Actually this could work out fine, I'll park my Cruiser along side your house boat, enjoy the party and go back to my cruiser afterward

No real distain for them, just not my thing. Anything on the water is a good thing, with maybe the exception of jet ski's. My skiing background prevents me from liking them. Always screwing up the slalom course

The reason for the Cruiser "is" for the more intimate feel they have about them. An aft cabin with 6.5 ft head room is plenty for those of us under 6'. At 5'-7 it's fine with me. But I could see real problems for taller people.
Stored at the lake house it will be primarily the wife and I with occasional guests doing day cruises and some overnight fishing trips. Our lake has 1000 miles of shoreline so exploring and cruising it is fun. I do it limited now with my ski boat or Pontoon but without facilities it takes some of the fun out of it. Once taken to the ICW the Cruiser would be mostly the two of us for weekends and week trips port to port looping.

The two best days of a boaters life are?....

 

I understand how you feel, that's what I used to do. I too always thought they were not my thing. Like I said though, you have a higher cruising speed, lower fuel consumption and more space as well as an extremely stable boat on the hook. You sacrifice rough water ability but who wants to be out in 8 footers anyway? I wish you well finding a boat to which you could be proud. If you are every in the Chesapeake Bay maybe after I pass you, you could tie up off mine and we could hang out
Here is what I sold http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...rency=USD&access=Public&listing_id=31624&url=

 

Very nice looking Cruiser. Nice touch having the Chiltons repair book by the engine Needed I'm sure with those engines. Chryslers? Can't really tell. That's the type boat I'd refit with diesels or PCM 351's. But she's a classic design. Well done on the interior.
I could understand the house boat if that's your water access or you entertain a lot. Everyone's situation is different.

The funny thing about boats is it's all specialized but many will do the same function. Take fishing,
Bass Boat.
Pontoon.
Jon.
Center Console with down riggers.
Fish and Ski.

Why do you need a 200hp bass boat when a Jon with a trolling motor serves the same function? The fish doesn't care.
Then again why does someone fishing in a boat cast as close to shore as possible while the shore fisherman cast as far out as possible?

I was hoping more would chine in on my original post for opinions but... :?:

 

Well that wasn't my actual boat. I didn't have a photo handy. Mine had 327 Chevys. I had to put a 350 on the one side. I wasn't trying to hog your thread. I just felt that we had taken similar paths. Me always owning cruisers and prefering wooden boats most of my life. I thought maybe you might be open to at least investigate. Hopefully someone else will jump in.

 

Houseboats

There's been several articles in waterski magazines about renting houseboats and using them for a base for a week or two. Looked like lots of fun.
A fellow ski bum bought one a few years back to do just that. Ran into to many problems to materialize. Ended up selling it without ever sailing her.
A shame as we we're all looking forward to it.

Woodboat, since you've done the cruiser scene the houseboat probably fits your situation well. I've wanted another cruiser ever since we scrapped the "Marsha" many years ago.
I'd like to ask these locals wanting to trade for Cruisers what their thinking is. Curious about their reasoning after your "sells" pitch.

The one aspect I've considered in all this is with fuel prices going through the roof I may end up with a sail boat Or flying/driving to said destination and chartering in a boat. You can charter a lot of boats for the price of a Cruiser.
Reason for the Cruiser at the lake house is to enjoy now, re-fit as we like over time so when it's taken to the ICW we know her Bow to Stern, have what we like and like what we have.
But sometimes wanting something and the reality of having it are quite different. The reason I ask for opinions and I do thank you for yours.

 

House boat is not a bad thing,

After all most of the 60 to 85 ft Trumphys were "House boats" (sez Trumphy).

If ONLY they weren't wood!


FAST FRED