MONEY PIT!!!

[Brandon]

I will be bringing my pontoon home on Wednesday, all I seem to ever hear from everyone is about how they are money pits. I am sure you have heard the expression the two best days of my life are the day I bought a boat and the day I sold it. I was just curious of what you guys thought about boats being money pits. I just dont see it if your boat is sound, and of course a pontoon, I could see it a little more in a ski boat.

I have two kids ( 5 and 9 months) and I just cant see where it will be a money pit as long as the engine holds up.

do you guys think boats are money pits?

[timmac]

It does depend on its age and if one can do most their own repairs..

Some boats do have $12000 motors, outboards that go bad, lots of extra equipment and upgrades adds to more problems and such.

I guess thats why I went for a new toon with simplicity, not fancy but easy and cheap to repair..

[MattS]

In my opinion, any hobby or toy can be a money pit depending on how much you wish to keep upgrading or updating. There is also the possibility of getting an undependable motor (you have to work really hard to get an undependable boat!) that you end up having worked on quite a bit. Also, from my personal experience, anything you need to get for your boat may cost 'X', add 'marine' to the front of it and it costs 'X times 2'.

I've had a pontoon boat in the past that sat on my dock and it was great. After the initial investment in the boat, trolling motor, grill and a few other items, it didn't cost much but maintenance and gas. On the other hand, I had some neighbors that were constantly looking for the next thing to add to their boat, and that is where your 'toy' can become an 'expense'.

Hope this helps!

Matt
Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia
2008 Sylvan Mandalay 8523
2010 Honda 115

[Bamby]

If a person is willing to take the time and energy to properly take care of the boat, almost everything will give you years of enjoyment. But if you are the type that pulls into the Marina and ties her off, leaving it uncovered and the dirt and sunscreen baking into the upholstery until the following weekend when you're ready to use the boat again. Your own negligence has created your very own 'Money Pit".

[dockholiday]

Most of the money I have spent on toons has been replacing covers. The extra stuff I have added to my current boat was second bimini an perko switch (2nd battery). Most outboards today are very reliable, provided you do routine maintenance. Oh I did have an issue with the ethanol (cost a few hundred) but now use the marine stabil so that hopefully will prevent that. Actually today boats are holding their value well especially toons, from what I am hearing from auctions. Once you get the basics, safety equipment, life jackets etc. Not much to purchase after that. Now if you go out an buy a boat that has been abused an not properly maintained it could turn into a money pit, much like an abused or not maintained used car. My rule of thumb is if you only use your boat on Memorial Day an 4 th of July it might be time to sell it. No sense insuring something 12 months of the year an using it two days out of the year.

doc

[lakerunner]

Money pits, NO. What else can you do where you can include friends and family for a day or weekend of swimming, fishing and just getting reacquainted.
The best days quote to me is the best day is the day you get a boat and next best is when you trade it in for a new one.

[newlights]

I have had 3 boats and to be honest wouldnt do without one now! This is my forst toon and my first experience renting a slip at a marina. The marina I rent form is fantastic and courteous, as well as beutifull. THe convienence of being able to step onto my boat untie it and pull away is amazing and worth it all. This boat has cost me some money but I have been fixing it up as I purchased one that needed some tlc. Once my major expenses are done which should be this weekend. I will still come out having paid less than the boat is worth IMO so moneypit.. Nah not unless you make it one. Woth it? Definitly!

[FloterBoter]

get the manual for your motor, read it and do as much maintenance and repair yourself as you can.
then it will not be a money pit.

if you take it to a good, honest mechanic all the time, it will cost you a lot.

if you take it to a dealer all the time, you might as well sell it now before you lose your house and truck.

[martys]

My first boat was a little 10' jon boat with a 7hp Ted Williams engine, about 42 years ago at age 10. It has been fun ever since. Yes, there's maintenance and cost but what's the value of a great time with your family and friends.

[LTB Racing]

IMO which is based on many years of fixing boats.. The BEST thing you can do to prevent your boat from giving you problems is...USE IT. Lack of use accounts for a solid 85% of the repairs I do on a daily basis and the ones who use their boats the most are typically the ones who have the least amount of trouble. Even if you cant take it out and use it regularly, at least start it on the hose and let it run for 15-20 mins weekly or at least bi-weekly ...meanwhile steer the motor, turn on all the lights, radio, pumps(just dont let pumps run dry for long)...that is the best defense you have to prevent headaches.

[Turd Tracker]

If you wanna play you gotta pay!

[katieclooney]

I plan on buying a new toon come this offseason, the dealer will obviously have warranties and such on it.
I am single and by no means mechanical, so I was planning on taking it to the dealer for services. (around here I know they charge around $100 for oil changes...craziness) I would love to take to it to Joe Mechanic but if I have it serviced outside of the shop, couldnt that void the warranty down the line?

[timmac]

I plan on buying a new toon come this offseason, the dealer will obviously have warranties and such on it.
I am single and by no means mechanical, so I was planning on taking it to the dealer for services. (around here I know they charge around $100 for oil changes...craziness) I would love to take to it to Joe Mechanic but if I have it serviced outside of the shop, couldnt that void the warranty down the line?

Any shop that is certified by the warranty or manufacture can do the work, as to the cost with the new dealer to me is not that much if the boat is new, they can't charge much beyond the normal service, repairs are taken care of during warranty period, once the warranty is up than you can look around for savings.

Which brings me to this, be careful of certain mechanic shops out there, my wife's uncle sold his bass boat with a 150hp merc, his mechanic told him that the motor need overhauled because of the problems, did not want to spend $10,000 for a new motor or 1000's for a overhaul, so he sold it cheap to a guy that fixes boat, well low and behold the motor did not need a overhaul, the guy called him back in 3 months and told him what was wrong and it would have only cost around 1500 bucks or less to get it running like new again, now he feels sick because he did not get a 2nd opinion,, Shop around and don't settle for the 1st high price repair...

[limulus]

Our pontoon boat is the only boat we have ever owned. It is considered an inexpensive boat and has been nothing but reliable since we bought it new in 2007. It is a simple Bentley with a 115HP Mercury motor and there aren't a lot of fancy gadgets to cause problems. However, I have spent money on tubes, skis and some gadgets that are supposed to make it go faster.

[toondog]

I have two kids ( 5 and 9 months) and I just cant see where it will be a money pit as long as the engine holds up.

If you take proper care of it you will only occasionally have a large repair bill. Unless you got a lemon, those will be few and far between.
Hey...what price can you put on memories? I practically watched my kids grow up on my toon.