Saw my first 26X this weekend.....boat shopping thoughts

[Sibyl]

I liked it a lot. I need to find one in the water somewhere though! I don't know, it's just hard for me to relate to a boat when it's on land. Every one I've called about is on a trailer. The one I looked at was nice, but it was a little older than what I was looking for. The interior room was surprising to me, I expected it to be more cramped. I guess it helps that I'm 5'4".

I was wondering about a survey.....I got one done when I bought my first boat, but it seems like that's not done with trailer boats?

I just found a 19 listed near me also, I am going to try and go see that as well. I know I would like the X much better, but for just one person it would be nice to have a smaller boat. And the slip cost with a 19 would be low enough that I don't need to rush selling my current boat. I wouldn't keep it forever, but I am not willing to give it away.....with the 19 I wouldn't be as pressured to sell. Most boaters have 2 footitis......I'm seriously considering downsizing by 7 feet! It may be too small, we'll see.

There is a 2000 X with an older (1990) 2-stroke 90hp Yamaha that I am also thinking of looking at. The price on that boat is pretty cheap, but I guess that's cause the engine isn't that desireable.

The problem is, most of the other X's are at least a 2 hr drive away, and I hate driving. Especially when you get there and you see stuff that doesn't show up in pictures. I went through all that last time I went boat shopping. The best was the boat that had obviously had a foot of water in it at least once.

The final problem is a single woman is often not considered a serious boat buyer. I have had this happen even with the M. Went to the dealer, wanted to see the Macgregor. He couldn't really get rid of me fast enough. Tossed a brochure at me and left. Has never answered any emails I sent asking if they got one in yet. It's a minor annoyance, but still an annoyance.

The other option I am considering is joining the 26M timeshare club. They are supposedly adding a NY boat soon, that may be a good option for me right now, especially since I'm working on a transfer to VA and they have a boat there too.

Ah well.......at least all the shopping gives me something to do!

Gail

[Paul S]

I liked it a lot. I need to find one in the water somewhere though! I don't know, it's just hard for me to relate to a boat when it's on land. Every one I've called about is on a trailer. The one I looked at was nice, but it was a little older than what I was looking for. The interior room was surprising to me, I expected it to be more cramped. I guess it helps that I'm 5'4".

I was wondering about a survey.....I got one done when I bought my first boat, but it seems like that's not done with trailer boats?

I just found a 19 listed near me also, I am going to try and go see that as well. I know I would like the X much better, but for just one person it would be nice to have a smaller boat. And the slip cost with a 19 would be low enough that I don't need to rush selling my current boat. I wouldn't keep it forever, but I am not willing to give it away.....with the 19 I wouldn't be as pressured to sell. Most boaters have 2 footitis......I'm seriously considering downsizing by 7 feet! It may be too small, we'll see.

There is a 2000 X with an older (1990) 2-stroke 90hp Yamaha that I am also thinking of looking at. The price on that boat is pretty cheap, but I guess that's cause the engine isn't that desireable.

The problem is, most of the other X's are at least a 2 hr drive away, and I hate driving. Especially when you get there and you see stuff that doesn't show up in pictures. I went through all that last time I went boat shopping. The best was the boat that had obviously had a foot of water in it at least once.

The final problem is a single woman is often not considered a serious boat buyer. I have had this happen even with the M. Went to the dealer, wanted to see the Macgregor. He couldn't really get rid of me fast enough. Tossed a brochure at me and left. Has never answered any emails I sent asking if they got one in yet. It's a minor annoyance, but still an annoyance.

The other option I am considering is joining the 26M timeshare club. They are supposedly adding a NY boat soon, that may be a good option for me right now, especially since I'm working on a transfer to VA and they have a boat there too.

Ah well.......at least all the shopping gives me something to do!

Gail

Our ownership experience has been less than optimal to say the least. You can read about that in older threads if you like. If you decide on a purchase, just don't expect perfection. Our boat was less than perfect, but from what I hear, that is par for the course. We like (and are the minority here) the 03/04 M interior. Have not seen the 05 to comment. Looks a bit hokey to me, but it may work.

The Macgregor timeshare put on by Havencraft/New Millenium is a great value. No maintenance, nothing to service or store, no trailer to service/store, no registration or insurance costs. No waxing, bottom painting. Always on new boats, as they are the demo boats for the dealer. Not sure how often they will be rotated out.

Downside- they are not your boat. You can not modify it to your needs. I have modified our boat a lot, with a lot more to do. If it does not have the equipment you need, you have to bring along. You may need to bring sheets, blankets, towels, foul weather gear, etc. When you decide you do not want to participate in the club, you have nothing to show for it other than memories or pictures. At least with ownership, you own the boat and get some value back when you sell it.

You are still responsible for the boat. If you damage it, you have to pay for the repair. No different than renting a car.

We used the dealer's boat in FL, and it was lightly equiped at the time. It was in December and it was mighty cold out (40's) at night and we had no blankets. We did not think that far ahead.


Paul

[Jesse Days Pacific Star 2]

Sorry to hear about your experience thus far Gail. Our dealer in Seattle are the nicest folks. Blue Water Yachts is run by a married coule in their 50's? (Todd and Cheryl)

Nicest caring supportive people you'll ever come across. The service was excellent.

Good luck in your search,

Jesse Days
Pacific Star II

[Terry Chiccino]

Hey, I second the Blue Water Yachts is a great organization! Cheryl is a doll. Call her up and she can answer any question you might have about the 26X for sure! I bought my boat 2nd hand (it was originally sold by BWY) and I still call up and ask Cheryl questions! They got the answers on the Mac's.

[Sibyl]

Thanks for the replies!

Paul,
I'm buying (if I buy) used so I don't expect perfection. If I bought new I would expect better than what you got. I like the 03/04 M interior layout better too, but I still like the X most of all. Well, I only have pics of the M's to base that on, so I shouldn't be too hasty there.

I am going to call Otho tonight or tomorrow and find out just where the NY boat is gonna be based. It might really be a great idea. My boat is almost 30 yrs old.....I am tired of constantly fixing stuff. I have to find new winter storage and a new marina for next summer. This is all a hassle.

On the other hand, the total freedom to be on my boat whenever I want is hard to give up.

Definitely choices to think about.

Terry and Jesse........
Maybe I'll just buy one from BWY and have them deliver it! They have some nice accessories too.

Oh well, gonna try calling the guy w/ the 19 again.

Thanks for the support.

Gail

[Tom Spohn]

BWY currently has my 98 that I just traded in and another really clean 97 for sale. Don't know what the cost of transport to the RH coast would be, but these people are tops in their business. Best Wishes for a successful purchase.

[Paul S]

Gail,

Find out anything from Otho? Next time you talk with him, tell him I said Hi.....

Paul

[Don B]

A 19 foot slip ? Is that a NY thing ? The smallest slip I could find was 29 ft min. I have to pay the difference. Basically I could put a 29 foot in the slip and it would not cost me any more per year. But than this is in Oriental, NC. I can't remember what the min was when I had a small boat on the Mohawk River in NY.

Oh and by the way it is over two hours just to get to Oriental from Raleigh but at least I have the better half to grumble to.

-Don B

[dclark]

Around here a 25' slip is about the smallest. But it doesn't really matter because you pay for the length of the boat not the slip. But they also won't let you put a 26' boat in a 36' slip. In any case, my marina charges $8.50 a foot. So at 26' it's $221/month and at 19' it's $161.50. And yes, a 19' boat can be sitting in a slip of the same size os the 26' next to him and the 19'er will pay $59.50 less per month for exactly the same slip.

[Don B]

I pay for length of boat but..... there is a 30 foot minimum.

So... I am forced to pay for a Mac 30X.

Kinda sucks.

Of course they could have told us a 30 foot boat was the minimum and to look elsewhere.

I have also heard stories where you pay based on your draft.

You would make me drag out the contract as now I am PO'd. I thought it was 28 foot not 30 foot.

Oh well !! At any rate it is $660.00 per qtr plus dock box at $75.00 per year.

That includes club house with fridge,microwave, cable tv in two large comfortable rooms, plenty of seating and large open porch with rockers and aderondack chairs over looking the Neuse. Full shower facility, coin washer and dryer,
Pump out available, outdoor swimming pool located near a 2nd set of bathrooms. The club house is not very many years old and is very nice.
SHore power is free as well as water,

What I don't like is there is no boat ramp at the marina and no place to store the trailer.

-Don B

[mgg4]

Around our place, you pay for the length of the boat, or the length of the slip, which ever is more. So if you have a 26' boat in a 25' slip, you pay for 26'. If you have a 19' boat in a 25' slip, you pay for 25.

--Mark

[Scott]

This thread of slip costs seems to come up every month or two but I never tire of saying how much it pi$$ me off that I pay $1750 for a year slip no prorate, and $350 drystore for my trailer and when I pull my boat in the winter.

They aerate the marina, I may leave my boat in this winter so I can sail on indian summers. The lake only freezes for about a month.

Oh yeah, its gone up every year since I bought the mac!

[Jeff S]

Wow, I consider myself fortunate for my slip fees listening to you guys. I looked at slip fees in SoCal and was shocked a bit. Being on a military base has its benefits (being in Iraq for 6 months wasn't one of them)- but the difference between the base here in North Carolina and Camp Pendleton in SoCal is pretty significant cost wise. ($65/month flat rate versus $6.5/ft in SoCal). What do other people pay in SoCal?

[Sibyl]

I pay a flat rate for my slip at the place I am now, it's $1085 for the summer. But there are no amenities, I have to run a 50' hose for water and I think 100' extension cord for electric when I need it. I don't plan to be there next year no matter what anyway.

Most places around here charge by the foot for the season, I got quoted $85/ft from the last place I checked.

A couple other marinas charge by the beam width of the slip. My 10.5' beam would have put me in a 12' slip and that would have been a lot of money.

But we have a lot of houses on canals in this area, and folks often rent out the spots behind them pretty cheaply. Usually the max is 21' in those spots.

Paul, I did talk to Otho earlier today.....the NYC boat is gonna be farther north on the Hudson near the Tappan Zee bridge. That's a bit far for me. But I am going to visit the VA dealership next month. I'm visiting my best friend and she lives about an hour from there. When I talk to him again I'll tell him you said "Hi".

I'm listing my current boat with a broker tomorrow.

Gail

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

Gail - I do not broker, take boats on consignment, or take trade-ins, so I am not trying to get your business.
If you are going to list your boat with a broker, read the fine print. Be especially leary of one who wants to take your boat "on consignment". Shortly after I started my boat business, I was talking to another dealer while doing a boat show, and he told me how to make some money. Don't take trade-ins, take a boat "on consignment". Once you have their boat, make little or no attempt to sell it. A potential customer may be drawn in because you have that particular boat, but badmouth it and switch them to one of your own boats. Meanwhile, you are getting a monthly fee for supposedly showing his boat and keeping it on your lot. As I said, I do not take boats on consignment.