Blog focuses on a first-time boat buyer with growing family. Highlighting fun with family and friends and all of the decisions that need to be made when buying a boat.

SHE-DOO on Buying Boat Insurance

Posted on July 17, 2012

by She-Doo

Insurance…a wise and necessary investment.  As I continue on my path to boat ownership, I want to ensure that my  Sea-Doo boat will be covered in the case of an accident so I started my research and learned some very interesting facts!

Boat insurance is very similar to home or car insurance.  A boat policy will cover the boat for liability if someone is injured, coverage for damage that my boat inflicts on others (docks, boats, etc.) or coverage for physical damage for my boat if I were to hit something or run aground.  If I want more comprehensive coverage I would need to purchase an additional policy (theft, fire, flood, etc.).

One of the first things I learned is that there are two different types of policies: Agreed Value and Market Value.

-Agreed Value: the insurer and insuree agree on the value of the boat upfront, sort of like the sticker price on a car.  If something happens to the boat, then you would be reimbursed for the agreed value.

-Market Value: market value is for the actual market value of the boat.  If I purchase market value, the insurance company will depreciate the boat as time passes.

I chose to quote Agreed Value, since the boat will be brand new and I will be financing the boat. I also opted to include my trailer and marine electronics in my policy. This raised the rate a bit, but gives me much greater peace of mind knowing that my investment will be fully protected.

We went over the discounts available and I receive a few such as boaters license discount, original owner and I intend to pay in full.  I checked with my home insurance company and they offer a recreational vehicle option, but found a more competitive rate with another insurer.  Most companies will offer discounts when bundling insurance, but my insurance company’s discount did not mirror the rates I received with another company.

I found some excellent on-line resources that helped to educate me on the process including:

Discoverboating.com

Boatingmag.com

Sportfishingmag.com

Many companies offer marine insurance. My recommendation is to check with your home owner’s or auto insurance provider first as well as doing some competitive analysis.  Some of the most well-know carriers include: Progressive, Boat US, Allstate, Geico and State Farm.

Any insurance words of wisdom?  Any pitfalls or good things that you have experienced?  All advise welcome!

SHE DOO is actually Mrs. JA and she is indeed a full-time, working mom of three and is quickly being immersed into the boating life. She will be taking an everyday consumer approach to the entire boat buying process. SHE DOO will be a ongoing segment at OnBoard taking you with her along the journey as she progresses through the process of looking for the right boat, purchasing the right boat, learning the proper boating procedures and operations, real life experiences on the water with her family and everything else there is to know about making the most out of the boating experience and the Sea-Doo LIFE. Her immediate thoughts are how to entertain her 17, 15 and 10 year olds and friends as she sees them being on the water as a much better alternative than them being on the streets.

 

 

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SHE-DOO ON BOAT STORAGE: To Store or not to Store…That is the Question

Posted on June 26, 2012

by She-Doo

As we inch closer to our boat purchase, I am in full-blown preparation mode for my new Sea-Doo boat!

We have decided on the model that we wish to purchase…it is the Sea-Doo Challenger 230 SE.  This is the top of the line Sea-Doo Challenger model that offers some additional perks such as a bow and cockpit cover, stainless steel cup holders, 4-speaker stereo system, ECO mode and more.

Our decision is also based on available space.  My family is only 5 people, but three of those 5 people are over 6 foot tall.  Add in a few teenage friends and the extra space in this boat will go to great use!  The storage is also a huge plus for me.  Most of our trips will be day trips on the river where we will head to Sebastian Inlet or up and down the Florida waterways, so I plan to pack food, clothes, etc., enough for all of us!

Now that we have the boat decision made, we have to figure out the other decisions, the first one is storage.

We have a few options to store our boat…at our house, an on-water slip in a local marina or in rack storage.  I have already ruled out an on-water slip.  This is a big investment for us and I do not want the salt water prevalent in all of our bodies of water in Florida to do any damage to the hull of the boat.  I also am concerned that water-born creatures will attempt to call my new Sea-Doo home and I have heard horror stories of miniscule animals damaging boats stored in the water. That leaves us with storing the boat at home, on the side of the house and towing it each time we want to use it, or in a local dry-dock storage facility.

I called a few local storage facilities that use high and dry fork lifts to pull the boat out of the water and store in their multi-level storage facility.  The beauty to this type of storage would be that we would just have to call ahead or show up at the dock and the boat would be waiting for us to load up and go. The closest facility is a family owned and operated full-service marina, so we wouldn’t have to worry about fueling or cleaning the boat afterwards. They are already set up to help us with everything we need to prepare for a day on the water and to get the boat ready for storage post boating.  The quotes I received came in around $250 per month for a 23-foot boat.  This price is much more affordable than I would have imagined.  This is very high on my consideration list as I see it as the easiest way for me to get out on the water, quickly and with little advance preparation.

The other option is to store the boat at our house.  We can store it on the side of the house, but we do not have a covered storage area appropriate for the boat.  We live in a mature housing development and there is no possibility for adding space to the house or adding on a garage to store the boat.  This option presents us with the least expensive option, but also a bit more work. We would tow the boat to our intended launch ramp, launch at the dock, clean it post boating near the ramp and then bring it back home.  For this option we will need to ensure we have adequate experience towing a boat (I don’t, but my husband does) and will have to allow advance time for boat preparation to get out on the water.  Less expensive yes….however, also more work.

The storage debate is still being waged in our household…I am advocating for the dry storage and my husband is advocating for the beside-the-house storage—I will let you know who wins this one!

Where do you store your boat? Are you a fan of one or the other options?  If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Would love to hear your ideas. Also, please let me know if there are other storage solutions that I have not researched.

SHE DOO is actually Mrs. JA and she is indeed a full-time, working mom of three and is quickly being immersed into the boating life. She will be taking an everyday consumer approach to the entire boat buying process. SHE DOO will be a ongoing segment at OnBoard taking you with her along the journey as she progresses through the process of looking for the right boat, purchasing the right boat, learning the proper boating procedures and operations, real life experiences on the water with her family and everything else there is to know about making the most out of the boating experience and the Sea-Doo LIFE. Her immediate thoughts are how to entertain her 17, 15 and 10 year olds and friends as she sees them being on the water as a much better alternative than them being on the streets.

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SHE DOO TEST RIDE: On the Water in a Sea-Doo 210 SP

Posted on May 24, 2012

by She-Doo

As we get closer to our boat decision, we decided to take advantage of the Sea-Doo Life Test Ride Tour as the first stop was in our local area.  The tour gave us the opportunity to get out on the water in one of the Sea-Doo boats, a 210 SP.

The 210 SP has a lot of cool features in 21-foot package.   I especially liked the layout of the cockpit, the double bucket seats are nice and I plan to claim one of them if this is the model we decide on!  I can already hear the calls of “shotgun” and arguments of who gets the second best seat on the boat-maybe I will have my name embroidered on this second cockpit seat!

We took the whole family along for the test ride as we would be enjoying our time on the water with everyone and always will have friends or family in tow.  The 210 SP has seating for eight adults—my boys are already approaching adult size so we all five fit nicely into the 210 SP with room to spare for friends and family.

The maneuverability of this boat is outstanding! I have heard many people discussing the benefits of stern drives vs. jet drives and, as a new boater, I find the jet drive very simple to maneuver and operate.

The iTC controls (intelligent Throttle Controls) are great features.  One of my favorites is Eco Mode.  The cost of a day on the water is important to me and this feature will help us save gas and ensure the boat is operating at the most efficient speed for our touring.  Most of our rides will be on the Indian River and there are hundreds of islands to explore and great on-water restaurant destinations to visit.  One of our primary destinations, the Sebastian River Inlet, is about 45 minutes away by car.  On busy summer weekends hundreds of boats will stop on the sandbar and enjoy a big boat party—really looking forward to being able to join them!  My plan is to chill in the Transat seats and enjoy the view!

Docking mode is another HUGE feature.  One of my biggest concerns is learning how to dock and trailer the boat. My husband has many years of on-water experience, but the rest of us are still novices!  Just the stress of trying to load or dock at a busy ramp/marina gives me angst.  This feature makes it so that, even I, could dock or load the boat by lowering the power delivery system.  Even if I made a minor mistake (accelerated too quickly or whatever) Docking Mode makes it so that the power is limited to 3500 RPM for easier handling.

My kids were very concerned about the ability to tow them on wake boards and in an inner tube.  The SP has an Arch Tower with a bimini top that keeps the wake riders up on the water.  The prop-less drive will help me relax (in those cool Transat seats) while the kids jump off the boat or get back on after towing. We also have a few low bridges to maneuver on our way out to the River; the ability to easily lower the tower will be a huge feature.

The closed loop cooling system is also a strong selling point to me.  All Sea-Doo boats have this feature and will help me protect my investment by not cooling the engine by outside water.  Our rivers all run into the ocean and the salt water damages EVERYTHING around here.  I feel confident that a Sea-Doo boat will help me alleviate the potential salt-water damage.

Overall, taking the Sea-Doo SP 210 out for a spin helped me get the true feel of the boat and the features that are important or will become important to me, and my family, to help us enjoy our time on the water.   The Test Ride Tour is continuing in many markets throughout the US through the beginning of August.  Check out the dates and markets by visiting www.seadoodemo.com.

The Sea-Doo 210 SP ready to take us on our Test Ride!

Taking baby steps but each one gets us closer to being able to spend all of the time we want out on the water…..

 

SHE DOO is actually Mrs. JA and she is indeed a full-time, working mom of three and is quickly being immersed into the boating life. She will be taking an everyday consumer approach to the entire boat buying process. SHE DOO will be a ongoing segment at OnBoard taking you with her along the journey as she progresses through the process of looking for the right boat, purchasing the right boat, learning the proper boating procedures and operations, real life experiences on the water with her family and everything else there is to know about making the most out of the boating experience and the Sea-Doo LIFE. Her immediate thoughts are how to entertain her 17, 15 and 10 year olds and friends as she sees them being on the water as a much better alternative than them being on the streets.

 

 

 

 

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SHE DOO GOES TO SCHOOL: All about Boater Safety and Education

Posted on March 15, 2012

by She-Doo

In my quest to embrace the boating lifestyle and become an official boating family, I decided that we would be proactive and obtain our boater safety cards and start to prepare for the eventual purchase of a new Sea-Doo boat or watercraft.  Plus, my 15 and 17-year-old sons are thoroughly enjoying our friends’ new Sea-Doo WAKE 155 watercraft (as often as they can) and I want to ensure that they are aware of the marine environment and are safe, responsible, and aware boaters.

In the state of Florida you can legally ride a Sea-Doo personal watercraft at 14 (check you local laws as every district varies)….something that they regularly remind me when requiring them to take a boater safety course!  I don’t know if you remember yourself as a teenager, but I am sure you remember that you knew everything (as they think they do)!  As a parent, I will also, eventually, allow them to take the boat out on their own and I want to ensure that they posses the proper skills and boating etiquette and regulations knowledge.

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SHE-DOO GOES SHOPPING: The excitement of the Miami International Boat Show

Posted on February 21, 2012

by She-Doo

It was a beautiful, sunny Miami day on Thursday when I headed to the Miami International Boat Show.  The Miami Boat Show is held at three separate locations: the Miami Beach Convention Center, the Sea Isle Marina (huge yachts on the water) and Strictly Sail which is held at Miamarina Bayside.

Yes, this is a personal submarine.

As I was walking down aisle after aisle of the boat show I quickly realized that I am a true beginner when it comes to having a deep understanding of recreational boating or the pieces involved in choosing and buying a boat.  There were many aisles of boats, watercraft, parts, outboards, propellers, life rafts, anchors, decking, navigational equipment, and even a personal submarine…it was truly overwhelming, but also exciting!

I have been researching purchasing a runabout style boat for my family of five and all the friends that go along with that, and wanted to ensure that I am making the right type of engine decision…the jet boats interest me for their ease of entry into the market, safety aspects, and the advanced technologies that make for a simple, fun day of the water. My first stop was to talk to popular boat companies representing outboard boats and stern drive boats.  Each of the manufacturers that I visited extolled the virtues of their respective technology, but each also had some positive things to say about jet technology.  In some areas, jet technology just couldn’t be beat: safety (no props—huge with kids jumping off of and getting in and out of the boat), space (the engine in the stern drives takes up a ton of useable open space) and performance.  Other areas were about the same (gas usage) and towing features.  After speaking with comparable manufacturers I was further convinced that a water jet propelled boat will fit my family’s needs and lifestyle the best.

Next, I compared the two leading water jet propelled boat brands and inquired about the differences between their boats and Sea-Doo boats.  The only real difference the sales person of the other brand could explain was that their boats were traditional and that they were happy to give up a good amount of cockpit space to offer a transom lounge area. . . I thought to myself, I will probably spend more time in the boat than on the back, so this was a minor aspect to weigh. The also mentioned their strength in salt water usage.  This was not a strong point of distinction to me.  Sea-Doo has a closed loop cooling system that uses coolant, as opposed to salt or fresh water, to protect the engine from corrosion from salt water. The Sea-Doo sales person told it to me this way, “Would you put salt water into the radiator of you car? Why do it in a boat when you have the option of getting a boat with closed loop cooling with antifreeze running through its engine’s veins?” That made a lot of sense.

After spending a few hours in competitive research mode, I decided to spend some time looking more closely at the Sea-Doo models.  Sea-Doo had five boats at the show: a 150 Speedster, a 180 SP, a 210 Challenger S, a 230 Challenger and a 230 WAKE.

I loved the color of the 150 Speedster, the Lucky Green popped! However, the speedster looks fun but with a family of five, one of us would be stuck on the beach. My teenage sons would love it for this reason — they would want to take it out without mom, dad and their little sister — but that is not why we want to purchase a family boat!

The colors, graphics and lines of the 230 WAKE are intriguing.  I liked the features of the 230 WAKE: lights, additional speakers, arch tower, LCD touch screen, and I liked the overall size of the 230 WAKE.  This one is still on my ‘potential’ list.  My kids love to be towed and would like the wake-specific features, so this one is ranked high on my list.

The Challenger family is where my heart is and I am conflicted over the 210 Challenger SE and the 230 Challenger SE.  The 180 Challenger is a good family starter boat and would have been a good choice had we ventured into boating when the kids were younger.  At this point my teenage sons are 6’ and 6’3” respectively, add a few friends and my daughter and her friends and you can easily see why a few more feet quickly becomes attractive! Each has similar features but also slight differences.

Sea-Doo 210 Challenger SE


210 Challenger SE:  This boat is very roomy inside for being 21-feet on the outside and has tons of storage. One of the highlight features is the Transat seats on the swim platform.  We live in Florida and plan to spend a lot of time on lakes and the inter-coastal waterways. There are a lot of sandbars where everyone hangs out—on a busy weekend you will find 50 boats lined up on a sand bar with everyone enjoying the water.  I plan to spend a lot of time lounging in these Transat seats at the sand bar and feel like this feature was made especially for me! I like the extra speakers and accessibility from the swim deck storage on the back of the boat as well.

Sea-Doo 230 Challenger

 

230 Challenger SE:  This one is probably number one on my list. I like the size of the boat. It’s listed as a 23-foot boat but closer to 24-feet; I like the roominess and the size of the open bow.  The bow is one of the reasons that it is so high on my list….I envision arguments about who gets to sit in the bow as a regular occurrence. Just like they argue over the front seat of the car, the larger bow space on this model should help overcome these objections!   I like the swim platform and the swim platform mat, which makes for safer and more comfortable entry and exit of the boat.  I like the twin engines, removable cooler, storage…I just have to convince my family that this is the one.

After spending time at the boat show, I am encouraged and have a clearer vision of the boats that we are interested in.  Next step will be family discussions to determine which one is THE ONE.  Wish me luck.

SHE DOO is actually Mrs. Julie A and she is indeed a full-time, working mom of three and is quickly being immersed into the boating life. She will be taking an everyday consumer approach to the entire boat buying process. SHE DOO will be a ongoing segment at OnBoard taking you with her along the journey as she progresses through the process of looking for the right boat, purchasing the right boat, learning the proper boating procedures and operations, real life experiences on the water with her family and everything else there is to know about making the most out of the boating experience and the Sea-Doo LIFE. Her immediate thoughts are how to entertain her 16, 15 and 10 year olds and friends as she sees them being on the water as a much better alternative than them being on the streets.

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A MOM’S GUIDE TO ENTERING THE SEA-DOO LIFE: Dreaming of the Water…and Buying a Boat

Posted on January 26, 2012

by She-Doo

The adrenaline rush of the boat skimming across the water, cutting through the wake, the kids laughing in the bow enjoying every minute of it was enlightening.  This is FUN on the water!

Last weekend a good friend of mine took my family out on their boat, it was a Sea-Doo 230 WAKE.  They are an avid watersports family and we are a fledgling watersports family. My kids all enjoy surfing, swimming, riding Sea-Doo watercrafts and love to spend time on the water.  The day we spent on the water in our friend’s boat excited me about the prospect of buying our own Sea-Doo boat!

 

The features of the boat made it look ‘easy’ (but so did the driver, he has years of boating experience)…and it got me thinking about buying a boat.  My three kids are ages 10-16, a wide span of interests and ideas, but spending time on the water is something that we can all agree on. I look at it that it’s better to have them on the water than on the streets.

First, and foremost, I realized (as I was getting my first driving lesson) that I know nothing about the maritime rules and regulations, boating restrictions, size and amenities that would work for our family, insurance, costs…the list goes on and on.   I quickly understood that I needed to start doing my homework.  Before I can be comfortable behind the wheel, I have a lot to learn!  It is important to me to learn everything that I can, so I can take the kids out with (or without my husband).  He spends a lot of time on the golf course and I want to feel confident enough to take the kids, friends and family out on the water even if he’s chasing birdies on the back nine.

I am basically starting from scratch but I do know I want a boat with space, is versatile, easy to use, and of course it has to look great! My first stop was the Internet to conduct research on our local waterways.  We live in Florida, so waterways are abundant.  The closest rivers are the Indian and Banana Rivers—this is where I plan to spend most of my time on the water. I quickly found a local boating website that outlined the local waterways, nautical charts, navigation maps, water-accessible restaurants, boat ramps and more.

After reviewing many of the forum posts, I realized that I need to obtain a boating license and should take a boating safety course course. I found an excellent resource at TakeMeFishing.org.  They have a database that lists all of the boat class offerings throughout the nation, including my little town! Perfect. I also found out that when I pass my Florida boater safety course, it would make me eligible for discounts on my boat (or PWC) insurance. Bonus!   Every state, province and country has different boating regulations and licensing procedures, so I recommend doing your homework in advance.  My goal is to get my license once we actually figure out what boat will best suit our boating needs, so that we (the whole family) are ready to go when the boat is delivered!

Next stop….the Miami International Boat Show

SHE DOO is actually Mrs. Julie A and she is indeed a full-time, working mom of three and is quickly being immersed into the boating life. She will be taking an everyday consumer approach to the entire boat buying process. SHE DOO will be a ongoing segment at OnBoard taking you with her along the journey as she progresses through the process of looking for the right boat, purchasing the right boat, learning the proper boating procedures and operations, real life experiences on the water with her family and everything else there is to know about making the most out of the boating experience and the Sea-Doo LIFE. Her immediate thoughts are how to entertain her 16, 14 and 10 year olds and friends as she sees them being on the water as a much better alternative than them being on the streets.

Join She Doo OnBoard every month for her progression into the Sea-Doo LIFE.

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