First Boat? Or why you’re addicted...

YYZRC

Lockdown extended so I’m desperate for entertainment!

My first boating experiences were on my parents’ 1990 Four Winns 245 Vista in the early 90s:

My first boat was a 2000 Four Winns 268 Vista, purchased by me in 2017 - not sexy, but not a single issue and sold her for a profit:

You??

Handymans342

Nice!!

LaRea

Early 80's, the Admiral was on the water ski team in college.  I didn't know her, and I had never been on a boat.  

'97, moved into a house with a neighborhood yacht club.  Realized what we were missing.

'98, first boat, a Maxum 2400 SCR -- fantastic intro to the boating lifestyle, and we fell head-over-heels in love with it in our late 30's.

'03, brand new Rinker 342, purchased during the Blizzard of '03 on the last day of the Baltimore Boat Show (I'm pretty sure it's the only boat they sold during that show).

'13, upsold to our '07 370, still in the same house and yacht club.

Here's the renaming ceremony for the Maxum in 1998, with the Admiral smashing a bottle of bubbly on the cleat!  (Sorry for blurring the faces.)

Handymans342

Blurr is better than the real thing!! LMAO

Aqua_Aura

Our 280EC is our first boat. Purchased in 2018 from a broker in Portland. Probably will hang on to it for 2-3 more years. 

PickleRick

First boat i remember was a little jon boat my dad bought the family.  I had to be 6 or 7.  He upgraded motors until he could pull my sister and I on a little inflatable toy called a ski bob.

Then we moved up to a 16 ft bass boat.

Around 93 we moved up to a 17 ft bass skier.  

The bass skier with the 150 became "the kids" boat after my parents bought another boat and it was left to sit.  

My first boat was a 1960s west wind 21 sailboat.  A 250 dollar Craigslist boat i spend several years bringing back from the dead.  I had never sailed until I first launched her.

I traded it for a 76 San Juan 26 sailboat.

We then moved to the rinker 235fv and now the bayliner 2859.

I was fortunate and can't remember a summer growing up that we were not either at the beach or lake.  I blame them for my addiction to being on the water.

McGarnicle

First boat was a 00 Chap 260 Signature, owned it for 4 years before giving it to my dad and purchasing a 342. 

Liberty44140

Bought and sold various small sailboats for racing in high school and college. Also had a 15' RIB center console inflatable in college that I bought with my parents.

After college bought a 1967 17' Whaler (2 yrs)

Then moved to a 2000 23' Mako Center Console (8 yrs)

Then moved to 2001 Rinker 310 FV (1 yr)

Then moved to 2006 Rinker 342 EC (4 yrs)

Current is a 2007 Cruisers 390 SC

Willhound

I've had too many boats to list them all, and sadly, not a lot of pics. Most were tin cans anyway. My 270 has been the pinnacle but for the first 45 years of my life I was located in Northern Ontario, 1000's of lakes, none big enough for a cruiser but great Walleye fishing. But where my life long love of boats and the water came from was early memories in the late 60's of my Grandfather's early/mid 60's open fiberglass runabout. It was equipped with an early Merc 1000. First 100HP motor ever mass produced I believe.
6 cylinder inline with triple carbs. Thing was a beast! The pics of the boat below are not that boat, the original sank at the dock in a storm and was ruined. This boat was the replacement. The last 10 years of my Grandfather's life the boat never left dry land but my Dad and I would dutifully pull the cover off, fill a rain barrel with water and run the motor, then fog it and put it away again. After my Grandfather passed it was left until the trees grew up around and it started to rot. About 10 years ago I met a fellow at the Toronto Boat Show that was a member of the Antique and Classic Boat Club of Ontario and after a discussion with my Dad we decided to give him the motor for restoration. Didn't take a dime for it, we just hated to see the motor rot and we certainly weren't going to do anything with it. He did a wonderful job and we are happy knowing that Grandpa's old motor is out there on display to be admired and remembered. He'd be good with that too!

John41

My first boat I purchased in 2015. It was a 1992 19ft bayliner cuddy. It was small but it ran great and got me on the water. In 2019 I upgraded to a Rinker 2004 342 FV. One day I would love to upgrade to a 39 or bigger.

YYZRC

Great story @Willhound!

Aqua_Aura

I love the look of the old Mercury's very cool 😎

davidbrooks

I grew up on the rivers connecting to the Chesapeake and had some great memories with my dad either sailing or crabbing on the Magothy or Severn Rivers.  Our boats were always a bit too small for the bay as it really knocked us around.  It was enough for me though to really get it in my blood.  When my dad died i took some money and bought a 24ft Four Winns bowrider. 




Had it for a year and actually sold it for more than i bought it for.  I had put in some new stuff so i didn't come out ahead but still.  It was all i needed to really be hooked.  The big change was we didn't want to tow a boat.  I actually spent more money towing this boat back and forth to Annapolis than i actually did in fuel for the boat itself.  Got the Rinker 4 yrs ago and never looked back.  It is hard to imagine life without it now.

Spyderweb

@YYZRC, Hey, 2000 4 Winns 268. that's the 1st boat for my daughter and husband!



Our 1st boat was a 1 year old 1985 16' Bayliner cuddy.




Fell in love with boating and bought a new 19' Bayliner cuddy at end of season.



As kids got older and wanted friends to come aboard, we got a new 1992 Bayliner 2452 hardtop (before hardtops were in).





Kept the 24' for 16 years, then bought a new leftover 2007 Bayliner 285 at end of season, 1 year before retirement.




Kept the 28' for 10 years, then decided if we were ever going to get a bigger boat to better accommodate grown up kids and their kids, it's now or never.  And that's when we discovered the 10 year old Rinker 330.



I think we're done.  

Handymans342

My first boat and I made it. 

raybo3

Where are your pants? Did you always go out in just your boxers?

Handymans342

I zoom in my boxers

davidbrooks

Im just looking at the hair. Remember a full head of hair handy?

halifax212

@Handymans342.  love It !

Handymans342

I had women lined up

PickleRick

I totally thought handy was going to post a pic of Noah's ark!


What are those little boats called?  There's a lady in her 70s or 80a who runs around the lake in a little yellow one, I want to call it a sneak boat but im not sure that's the right term.  It has a 9.9 or 15 hp on it and really moves even with kids stuffed in it with her.

Handymans342

Skimmer

Willhound

That model was a Skimmer . But we used to call them SeaFlea's. Likely another trade name.