My wife grew up on boats and has been kind of agitating to get one for years. I have come around to the point where I am seriously considering it. I have many questions and I'm hoping there are boaters here who can help me.
1. The boat will need to be based at a lake because I've no place to keep it at home and no desire to trailer it. I live in Greensboro. I am looking for good information on slips for rent and marinas who will store and maintain the boat for me.
2. Which lake? Probably boils down to Badin, High Rock, or maybe Smith Mountain. Needs to be close to home so we can get to and from the boat easily, so about an hour or hour and a half from GSO is the max to get to the marina where the boat lives.
3. Dealers that you have had good or bad experiences with.
4. The boat will probably be a moderately priced triple log pontoon suitable for partying, family stuff and possibly towing a skier. Good brands? Brands I should stay away from?
5. Other general tips and advice. I plan to take a Power Squadron or similar boating safety course.
First, determine the lake you want to be on and the marina you will use. Marinas can be strange places with their own cultures - hedonistic, family oriented, community picnics, or maybe just a place to keep boats where nobody knows anyone else.
Next, ask the marina about the boat mechanics that service the boats they store. Also get some advice from some of the other boat owners at the marina. Figure out what boats are common on the lake and figure out why that is the case.
Then ask the marina and the mechanic for some boat suggestions, including the possibility of any boats that are for sale.
Finally, if there is a rental or club option on the lake where you want to be, that is a great choice to make sure you want to buy and maintain a boat. It is a big commitment. Insurance, maintenance and storage will probably set you back a couple thousand a year.
FWIW, I have a SeaRay Sundeck 240 that I keep on Lake James. My wife and girls like the bathroom on board. In my mind, it is the perfect boat for hanging out and a good enough boat for pulling a wakeboard or skier. Some of the tri-toons are nice. Every boat has trade offs. I have an entirely different (and more modest) boat for fishing, designed for inshore saltwater flats and marshes.