Come on down to the boat show this weekend and buy a boat from me damnit. Thursday-Sunday at the Charlotte convention center. 

The best way for some much needed r&r for anyone starts on a boat!  Also the reason I haven't been riding much these days. Damn boats. They are like bikes everyone needs at least one!

Boats and bikes for me. But boats pay for the bikes. So more people need more boats!  I need another bike

best day of my boat owning life was the day I sold the damn thing.

A boat is a hole in the water where you pour money.

Woods Rider wrote on 02/05/14 at 2:20am:

Everything is expensive no matter what you get into.  It's not that bad if you take care of it and have a good dealer to help. That money you put into it will be fun spending!  You can't take it with you so leave someone a nice boat

The trails are wet, it's been cold.  It's still a good idea to buy a boat this weekend!  If you have nothing else to do, it's still just fun to look. 

You guys suck on here, where are the boaters who also ride?

+1 for the boaters who also ride. 

Grew up sailing on LKN with my family. Lake Norman Sailing Club in Denver. Parents loved it but I never really got into it as I've always liked engines and not having to "work" when I'm out enjoying the water haha. Out of it for right now until I quit moving around so much but I am still jonesing to re-rig and refinish an older Mako 21 or 23 as one of my next major projects. 

I'd say 90% of the issues I have seen friends/family have with their boats was from not keeping up on the maintenance seasonally. I had a buddy in college who inherited his parents' Bayliner and one winter in Boone he didn't go through it as thorougly as I thought he should before putting it up (covering it with a tarp). Gave him hell all winter and then in the spring, the day we were going out to put it in the water for the first time, I pulled the engine cover and popped the main fuse out of the ignition. Needless to say he was REALLY nervous when it wouldn't fire. We all had a good laugh though after I confessed to what was going on.

I will pipe up.  Grew up on Kerr Scott riding anything that would float, moved to CLT in '81 and found my way back to the water in '96 on my 3rd boat since then, an '08 Centurion with 680 almost trouble free hours (Tally did some Mercruiser warranty work on an exhaust gasket...wonderful experience I might add).  A buddy (yo Paddy G)talked me into trying a MTB 2+ years ago and I've been addicted ever since.

Woods Rider wrote on 02/06/14 at 6:07pm:

Sounds like you are use to something little different than lake boating.  It's all recreation around here, unless the recreation of boating is how your family makes their living.  Wannabe boaters or not, we live in one of the best inland locations for boating in the country.  Some people just love the water even if their day job keeps them off the water.  

So who will I see at the boat show?  Not sounding like woods rider will be there. 

Actually I'm sending one of my co-workers to the show.
He is in the market for something under 25' for family use. He is searching for a boat that does it all, tube/wake board/fish and just cruise around. It's his first boat and is totally new to boating.  btalley wrote on 02/07/14 at 4:59am: