Yes, we bought a boat! We have been looking for a boat for about 8 months, off and on. We knew we wanted a boat we could use in Fort Myers during the winter as the weather is amazing and there are so many places you can go by boat from here.
When we first started boat shopping, we were looking for a cabin cruiser that would accommodate the two of us plus our two dogs for weekend getaways. Or maybe a week trip down to the Keys.
We started our search by looking at older models. We found a 2001 Four Winns that we loved. We put an offer in on it but after some back and forth, just couldn’t make it work with the seller on price. The next boat we put an offer in on ended up being a huge dud once we did the inspection and sea trial. There were too many issues that would take way too much time and money to fix. We dodged a bullet on the next boat we had our eyes on as the inspector caught some issues with the engines before he even began his inspection. He was kind enough not to charge us, which we appreciate.
After a few months of dreaming of owning a boat, we had put the whole idea behind us and got on with life. We really thought we had put the whole boat buying idea to bed and then we were invited out with friends for a cruise on their Cutwater 30. We immediately fell in love with the pocket yacht, trawler-style cruiser, and (re) started our search on Boattrader.com.
And now, just a few months after that cruise on the river, we are owners of a Cutwater C28. This boat is NOTHING like the boats we were looking at when we started our search, and we absolutely love it! She is decked out with beautiful teak and holly interior, has a decent-sized bath with a shower, a comfy bed, a great galley layout, lots of seating on the transom, and so much more. It’s the perfect boat for us.
We hope to spend a few weekends on the boat before we leave for our summer road trip. It’s been so fun cruising up and down the river and literally getting our feet wet with a whole new way of travel. Dave has some experience with boats, but I have only been on a boat a handful of times, which I have to admit is a little unnerving. There is quite the learning curve, but I’m up for the challenge. I’ve been practicing my boat knots and brushing up on boat lingo and it’s been a blast so far. I’m looking forward to more adventures on the soon-to-be-renamed boat of ours.
