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Newb needs advice and opinions!

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Natural9, May 28, 2017.

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  1. Natural9, May 28, 2017
    #1
    Natural9

    Natural9 New Member

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    May 23, 2017
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    Location:
    Texas
    I want to start out with saying that I appreciate all advice or constructive criticism. I appreciate everyone taking their time to read this and offer their opinions based on their experience.

    My wife and I are 36-39 respectively, we have a 9 year old son. My love of boating started when my dad passed down an 18' tri hull with an o/b motor when I was 14 years old. I've had a 21' ski boat, a 38' Sea Ray, a 24' ski boat and now we have a Formula 48.

    I am creating this thread because we are thinking about purchasing a Viking Princess V70.

    We use our boat 3 times a month but she is only an hour away. The majority of the time the 3 of us cruise (Lake Travis) 10-15 knots to a Cove where we spend the day, jet skiing and swimming, then motor back to the slip. We take our boat to dinner a few times a month, we had brunch this morning. Every other month we will cruise further up to an isolated area for a 2-3 night stay on the hook. Sometimes this is with a large group and other times it will be the 3 of us.

    Here is where we need some serious input!

    We live near Austin and 100% of our boating has been in freshwater lakes. We have no knowledge of the ICW, tides, currents, northerlies, etc. If we decide to make this change, we will want to be on the Texas coast so we can get to her every other weekend.

    We are leaning toward Waterford Harbor and Kemah boardwalk. We spent this weekend driving down and visiting both locations.

    We prefer Waterford because the marina has better storm
    Protection and there seems to be more cruisers. Waterford Yacht Club do various cruises together, this would help to build confidence and knowledge of the different areas.

    We like Kemah Boardwalk Marina
    (KBM) for activities available to our son. There are plenty of weekends when I am working on the boat, and we stay slipped. My family can enjoy those activities while we are performing needed tasks. KBM has a lot of options for a walk to dinner / entertainment / hotels when we have larger parties in for a visit.

    I would like to hear from people that cruise or have stayed in these areas and have knowledge of Galveston Bay. I imagine we can cruise to redfish for a day on the hook, maybe take a small boat fishing while my wife naps. As we become more confident in the area we can venture out further for extended stays .

    I don't currently dive but my ultimate goal would be to take our friends to Flower Garden or anything else that might be in that area.

    I am not opposed to Port A, CC, or anywhere along Texas but we don't know what is available by boat until we get there and start using it .

    I know I am leaving out a ton of needed information so blast away and I will answer as fast as possible.

    Thank You-Scott
  2. Capt J, May 28, 2017
    #2
    Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I'd go for a Sunseeker over a VSC. Better build quality, ride, and performance. That being said you'll need to either go smaller or larger than 70' .

    I would get the boat first and do some trips to those respective area's then figure out where you want to keep it long term. OR, you don't even need to keep it anywhere long term and just keep moving it around and around as you see fit....monthly, quarterly, etc. I've been to most of those areas in Texas and none of them wowed ,me, but then again, I didn't spend much time in each place either. The longer the contract is at most marinas the cheaper your dockage usually is.
  3. ranger58sb, May 29, 2017
    #3
    ranger58sb

    ranger58sb Senior member

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    Location:
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    Why 70'?

    -Chris
  4. Natural9, May 29, 2017
    #4
    Natural9

    Natural9 New Member

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    Location:
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    We purchased the 48 from my business partner when he purchased the V70. He ordered a 9 month, very extensive refit in 2015, and only used her a few times. He and I will partner on both with the caveat that we can get her close enough to use her more often. He will use the Formula most of the time and we will claim the Princess. If it were not for this arrangement we would stay on Lake Travis with our 250 Hour Freshwater Formula. Our original plan was to transport the 48 to the coast after our son was off to college then start exploring new areas or entertain the loop.
  5. d_meister, May 29, 2017
    #5
    d_meister

    d_meister Senior Member

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    Location:
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    I would suggest that the single most important requirement for piloting in your target areas is a comfortable knowledge of the rules of the road, Following that, develop your communications abilities on the VHF radio. The Gulf Intracoastal is unique in that the commercial traffic is everywhere, coming from all directions, and you need to be able to anticipate what traffic is doing and where you fit in.
    I worked a year in Rockport, Texas and really enjoyed that area. Port Aransas is a very enjoyable environment, too. That whole area is known as the Texas Riviera. It looks like it might be an easier drive from Austin, as well.
  6. Natural9, May 29, 2017
    #6
    Natural9

    Natural9 New Member

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    Thank you for the input! I agree completely, I will get my OUPV or take some classes promptly. I currently hold a fix wing and rotary wing private pilots license. I am very comfortable on the radio, albeit the water will be different than the air! We are planning on doing an owner assist from Florida to Texas, I will Familiarize myself with the boat systems and the subjects you listed above. Thank you for your valuable input.
  7. Natural9, May 29, 2017
    #7
    Natural9

    Natural9 New Member

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    D_meister-

    When you were in Rockport and Port A what type of boating did y'all do? Thanks-Scott
  8. ranger58sb, May 29, 2017
    #8
    ranger58sb

    ranger58sb Senior member

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    You're saying the V70 meets your specific requirements? You like it? Or it just happens to be the bigger boat that you can access?

    Nothing wrong with the latter, of course. Just wondering if it's not overkill for 2½ persons... and whether your insurance company will sign off on you skippering that size boat. (Could well be a non-issue, only mentioning it just in case...)


    Since there's sea time involved, getting a license isn't usually something you can just do in a week or two. But certainly training in various formats will be a very good thing.

    It's sort of a leap to jump from inland lakes to coastal ocean, and it's a similar leap to jump from 48' to 7o'. Not at all un-doable (?), but it may complicate things for you by taking two big leaps at the same time.

    OTOH... many have made those leaps, so the only showstoppers probably have to do with the amount of effort you're willing to put in...

    -Chris
  9. d_meister, May 29, 2017
    #9
    d_meister

    d_meister Senior Member

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    You're welcome, Scott.
    I actually did very little boating. I was project manager on a refit of a Hurricane Katrina boat. When the job was complete, I took it from Rockport to New Orleans to be shipped to the West Coast. For a West Coast captain to be suddenly immersed in the regional customs was a real eye-opener. I had done the Atlantic Intracoastal a few times prior to that, but it is another story when a pushed lightering barge comes out of a bayou crossing. AIS would have been really helpful, then. Radio shorthand has it's regional variations, too. On the Gulf, every vessel was talking to every other vessel they encountered, whereas the Atlantic was more of an as-needed basis. Throw in all of the regional accents of the Gulf states, and there's a lot of charm that's unique to the area.
    I haven't been in the area for several years, so AIS may have toned down the surprises, by now.
    Try to make the Oyster festival in Rockport, it's great fun. The Texas Women's Anglers Tournement (you can work out the acronym) may be of interest if your wife is an angler. It's a great time to be in the area.
  10. bobhorn, May 29, 2017
    #10
    bobhorn

    bobhorn Member

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    AIS is a tremendous help on the Gulf Coast ICW. Some of those Cajun accents are really something.
  11. bobhorn, May 30, 2017
    #11
    bobhorn

    bobhorn Member

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    We've been in Waterford Harbor on and off since '98. No complaints. Kemah Boardwalk is a zoo during the summer months. The marina is gated but the boardwalk itself is wall to wall people and the traffic is wall to wall cars.