Help me with my boat research?

[FlyingHigh]

As others have mentioned, buy the boat that best suits your ‘main’ needs. Boats burn lotsa fuel and maintenance, insurance and gadgets aren’t cheap either. It is not a cheap hobby so expect to continue to spend at least $1k per year on maintenance/upgrades. I’m $900 on top of that for boat insurance and another $50 for the trailer annually.

Went on a boat camping trip with buddy recently. His 20’ Outlaw with a 240 SJ was burning 14 gallons/hr on the lake cruising at 23-24mph and I was burning 3.5 GPH with an 18’ kingfisher with 115hp outboard prop job at same speed. Both with similar loads but his boat is way heavier and packs more fuel. My point being, he’s burning 56litres/hr on a lake, that will increase significantly pushing upstream on a river. At $1.50/litre these days, your $100-$150/day in fuel on the river could be way out to lunch depending what you buy.

Just an FYI so there’s no surprises when your costs are potentially higher than expected

Good points to keep in mind. I thought the sportjet was supposed to be better on fuel. I'm hoping a smaller lighter boat will burn less gas. I've seen posts from people running boats like the Explorer 162 and 172 with outboards say they can run all day on a tank of fuel. Other forums have guys reporting 6 to 10gph depending on size of boat and how fast they run. I certainly need to research it.

I'm fully ready for the insurance, maintenance and upkeep costs. My only real concern is the fuel. If $300 - $400 /day is typical I may have to reconsider a river boat. Again, this is where the research comes in. I'm looking forward to meeting folks at the local club to talk with them.