Is a 30' boat too big for a beginner?

[Hivolt]

As some of you know I have a total of about 15 hours boating experience, all on Winni. My goal of finding a piece of property by the spring isn't looking attainable so I was considering buying a cabin boat, renting a slip and spending weekends up there next year, that would give me more time to scope the lake out and figure out exactly where I want to buy as well.

I am mostly worried about maneuverability in and out of the slip and in and out of public docking. Most I have looked at are twin engine which I imagine would be easier because you can spin them on their axis other than that I have no twin engine experience

My previous experience was on a 20' bow rider.

As always, all input is greatly appreciated and thoughtfully considered.

[TiltonBB]

That is a lot of boat for a first boat. You will have a lot of "white knuckle" moments trying to dock. When you don't do well, more weight equals more damage.

Make sure you have the slip secured before you buy the boat. Slips are getting more difficult to find, especially when the boat size gets larger.

Good luck.

[icg56]

30' depends on needs. Some use them as tenders.

[Loub52]

Originally Posted by Hivolt

As some of you know I have a total of about 15 hours boating experience, all on Winni. My goal of finding a piece of property by the spring isn't looking attainable so I was considering buying a cabin boat, renting a slip and spending weekends up there next year, that would give me more time to scope the lake out and figure out exactly where I want to buy as well.

I am mostly worried about maneuverability in and out of the slip and in and out of public docking. Most I have looked at are twin engine which I imagine would be easier because you can spin them on their axis other than that I have no twin engine experience

My previous experience was on a 20' bow rider.

As always, all input is greatly appreciated and thoughtfully considered.

Though I've only been boating on Winni for a short time, aside from your home port, you'll find yourself spending longer than you would prefer finding a spot to dock at any of the lakes 5 major ports with a boat of that length during the high season.

Regarding boat length as it relates to pilot experience, there are numerous pro's around the lake that can help with getting you more comfortable with your boat for a fee.

[Descant]

My family had a 30 footer when I was a kid. By the time I was 13, I could operate independently. It was a matter of height for this boat, not age ( I was short).
Twin inboards are pretty easy. Twin outdrives might as well be single engine. Not even 10 years later, my wife (who had learned twin screws) learned to drive our 26' single inboard, the hardest in my opinion). Later, we went back to twins.
It was always fun to go to Wolfeboro and Meredith and have my wife drive right up between two docks and past four boats to tie up at an inner dock and have bystanders agape while she drove a 37 footer. Twin engines. So easy. Even more fun was watching bystanders as she backed out. 12" on either side was plenty. I digress.
Any thirty foot (+)twin inboard should be easy to drive, dock, anchor., etc. There is a lot of advice on this forum about driving, navigating, docking, etc. Most of it is pretty good, but you have to isolate the advice to what applies to you as a "larger boat". You will draw more, anchor differently, have deck hands, etc..
And a lot depends on home port, Wolfeboro, Meredith, Gilford., Paugus Bay. Other ports focus more on smaller boats.
PM me and give a phone. Happy to chat.

[Resident 2B]

30 foot is doable, but you should get some 1 on 1 training.

Finding a slip is a real issue. You need to have something locked up before you commit to the boat. You will also need shore power with a cruiser and access to a pump-out facility close to you.

Do not forget to factor in the cost of fuel. The per gallon price has been low, but a 30 foot boat with any beam over 9 foot drinks a lot of fuel while on plane.

Good luck!

R2B

[Blue Thunder]

Never mind the size of the boat. A wife who can dock, launch, and back up a trailer is PRICELESS!!!! I've got one! ....sorry, back to the topic at hand. 😎

[dickiej]

You getting her a new chain saw for Christmas?

[Biggd]

That's a lot of boat for a first time boater. You will spend a lot of time at the marina on weekends. If you can get on the water during the week you can get a lot of quality practice time. I don't know how you feel about pontoon boats but you can get them with a full enclosure for sleeping and you can go a little smaller because they have more room.

[8gv]

Much like an airplane, take offs and landings will require instruction and practice.

Hire a pro to train you.

[Descant]

Is American Boat Club still in business? The website comes up, but doesn't seem to have been updated since 2014.. Their variety of boats might give some options for the OP. They picture a cruiser, but don't list it in the inventory.

[Liquorish]

Hivolt, after having lived on our boat(s), 32-43 ft, for 12+ summers I can say positively get the 30 footer, especially if you'll have kids or family staying overnight, it gets cramped quickly. We've always found fellow dockmates to be extremely helpful, docking becomes second nature. As the boat gets larger you just have to become a bit more patient, as waiting for a parking space can take a while. Good luck !

[Hivolt]

Thank you all for the replies, after more spec crunching I am realizing that combined with being new, the difficulty it will be in finding a slip and the fact I will need a tow vehicle upgrade if I go that big, I think I am going to look in the 24-26 foot range, It's just me and the Mrs. and our two dogs. I don't know if any that size have a shower or regular toilet or a galley of any sort but regardless I think there will be too many "accessories" that will have to be purchased in addition to that size of a boat.

Plus the thought of docking a boat that big in a marina frankly makes me throw up a little bit.

Either way I think professional lessons are in my future, that seems like the reasonable and prudent thing to do.

[Barney Bear]

I believe that most, if not all, marinas have full toilet and shower facilities. ⚓️

[Descant]

If you're going to rent a slip, you don't need a trailer. If you're going to bring the boat home for winter storage there are companies who will do trhis for you. Much easier and cheaper than buying a new truck.
Some marinas have dog restrictions. We have a neighbor (dockmate) who lives on a 26' Sea Ray Sundancer for weekends. Other manufacturers have similar models, so you should be able to find a used one. Once you buy a house you may not need a liveaboard, but guests often get a kick out of sleeping on a boat and it can make a great guest house.

[AmericanBoatClub]

Originally Posted by Descant

Is American Boat Club still in business? The website comes up, but doesn't seem to have been updated since 2014.. Their variety of boats might give some options for the OP. They picture a cruiser, but don't list it in the inventory.

We sure are still in business

The boat inventory changes over time. We traded in the 240 Sundancer, it was not getting enough use and was a little top heavy. It also had a bravo 3 drive, bad idea in the boat club

Our most popular boats are the pontoon boats and bow riders, so that is what we tend to buy. With boat slips next to impossible to find the boat club is a good option to get out on the water. You get unlimited access to all the boats in the club for $600 one time initiation fee and a $3900 annual fee. It is roughly the cost of renting a slip. IMHO it is a steal. More information can be found http://akwamarina.com/page/american-boat-club or http://americanboatclubnh.com/
We also have active FB and instagram accounts.

[kawishiwi]

Originally Posted by Hivolt

Thank you all for the replies, after more spec crunching I am realizing that combined with being new, the difficulty it will be in finding a slip and the fact I will need a tow vehicle upgrade if I go that big, I think I am going to look in the 24-26 foot range, It's just me and the Mrs. and our two dogs. I don't know if any that size have a shower or regular toilet or a galley of any sort but regardless I think there will be too many "accessories" that will have to be purchased in addition to that size of a boat.

Plus the thought of docking a boat that big in a marina frankly makes me throw up a little bit.

Either way I think professional lessons are in my future, that seems like the reasonable and prudent thing to do.

If you move quickly you can buy a slip at Quayside Yacht club for a 24-26 ft for 40 to 45k, or rent the same for around 2400. Live aboards allowed, bath/showers provided, pump out, gas, cable tv, etc on site.

[Rattletrap]

Check the classified section of the forum for a slip

[Dave R]

Hivolt,

I think a 30 footer with twin engines is easier to dock than a 25 footer with a single engine. That said, neither is terribly challenging. I'd be happy to teach you to dock if you want some instruction.

I highly recommend getting something you can tow and spend multiple nights aboard. My wife and I tow our 25 footer all over the north east and have a blast exploring new bodies of water on 2 to 7 day trips. Winnipesaukee is our "home lake", but we've cruised the Hudson River from Saugerties to NYC, Lake George, 1000 Islands, Southern Maine and NH coasts, Chesapeake Bay, Potomac River, Lake Champlain, Narragansett Bay, and Sebago/Long Lake/Songo River (multiple times). Outside NH, you can drop anchor and spend the night anywhere you want. It's fantastic.

[Hivolt]

Originally Posted by Dave R

Hivolt,

I think a 30 footer with twin engines is easier to dock than a 25 footer with a single engine. That said, neither is terribly challenging. I'd be happy to teach you to dock if you want some instruction.

I highly recommend getting something you can tow and spend multiple nights aboard. My wife and I tow our 25 footer all over the north east and have a blast exploring new bodies of water on 2 to 7 day trips. Winnipesaukee is our "home lake", but we've cruised the Hudson River from Saugerties to NYC, Lake George, 1000 Islands, Southern Maine and NH coasts, Chesapeake Bay, Potomac River, Lake Champlain, Narragansett Bay, and Sebago/Long Lake/Songo River (multiple times). Outside NH, you can drop anchor and spend the night anywhere you want. It's fantastic.

Thank you Dave, that is an extremely nice gesture. After much consideration I think I am going the boat club route this year just so I can get hours at the helm. Boating was never a family tradition and I don't know why the heck I took up the hobby but alas, here I am.

Another year will give me time to figure out exactly what I need, which a lot will depend on whether I end up with an island or mainland camp.

[Biggd]

Thats actually a great idea. This way you get to try out different boats and see property from the lake. If you get a house on the lake you may not want or need such a big boat.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

[Rich]

A few years ago I started with a 27ft single engine boat. The idea was similar to yours, a weekend retreat. After a year, we decided that we loved it, and then moved to a 38ft boat with twin engines to have more comfort for sleeping, etc.

We love it. You can learn to operate the boat in time. Just go slow. I still do!

We come up every Thursday or Friday and spend the whole weekend, even if we never leave the dock. It's like having a summer camp. Sometimes we go out on other boats, sometimes we take people out with us. Of course having a slip at a nice place helps a lot!

Trailering a boat gives you access to many other boating destinations. But my boats were to large to be trailered. Not a problem for us, as we love the lake.

My thought is that with a rental or day boat you miss more than half of the experience, but it depends on what you are looking for.

Good luck with your choice.

[Hivolt]

I am figuring that the better half is going to want to do all the touristy stuff at all the major ports of call until she gets sick of it, in the mean time I can base my boat purchase the following year on what the real estate market looks like and so on. This would also give me time to putt around and check out all the different marinas and see which I like most of I go the route you did. Sorry about being so all over the place in this thread.

Originally Posted by Rich

A few years ago I started with a 27ft single engine boat. The idea was similar to yours, a weekend retreat. After a year, we decided that we loved it, and then moved to a 38ft boat with twin engines to have more comfort for sleeping, etc.

We love it. You can learn to operate the boat in time. Just go slow. I still do!

We come up every Thursday or Friday and spend the whole weekend, even if we never leave the dock. It's like having a summer camp. Sometimes we go out on other boats, sometimes we take people out with us. Of course having a slip at a nice place helps a lot!

Trailering a boat gives you access to many other boating destinations. But my boats were to large to be trailered. Not a problem for us, as we love the lake.

My thought is that with a rental or day boat you miss more than half of the experience, but it depends on what you are looking for.

Good luck with your choice.

[Rich]

No worries, it's all good. My first boat was almost a throw away, we lovingly referred to it as the "oldy moldy", because it was both old and very moldy. Every thing leaked on it so whenever it rained, the interior got wet, hence the mold.

The idea was to start with an inexpensive boat to see if my GF enjoyed boating. So I got a project boat for short money to try it. If she didn't like it, I would be out about the same cost of rentals or the boat club. But we were able to sleep aboard at will, which we could never do with a rental. In the end I fixed up the leaks, and sold it for about what I paid. So it was a good way to start for us.

Just enjoy whatever you do, have fun, make friends, share the good times and the lake.

[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 ).



.

[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 !


.

[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..