Boat or RV? EDIT: Decision made!

[BestMomEver]

Hubby will be retiring soon and we are trying to figure out what we want to be/do. We can’t decide between a small travel trailer and a party party barge (pontoon boat). There are pros and cons that are applicable to both (I will list) but I want to know hat you guys would do.

Boat... we live on the Gulf of Mexico. There are endless bodies of water to explore. We can cruise the Alabama river, fish in the Gulf, or just sit in the bay and watch the sunset. I grew up on the water. I love it. I’m not too fond of lakes and rivers but I’ve swam in (or explored) almost every salt water bayou and inlet near the Gulf. Hubby loves to do the same although he grew up on fresh water ponds and lakes.o_O

RV... we love to travel. I’ve been lots of places but there is so much to see in the great big US of A. I would love to just hook up and go. We could even go to a campground where there is water to fish in. There are lots of those around here. I don’t think we would ever drag a RV to California but who knows? The cool thing is, with an RV you can stop at every little nook and cranny and see stuff.

Btw.... we have a truck that will pull either as long as it’s not too big. And we are looking at stuff not too big. 20’ max for boat (preferably 18’) and about the same for RV. It will likely be just Hubby and I. Both cost about the same, give or take a few $1000.

We really want the opinions of anyone that will give them.... chime in folks!

 

[Jon Fishman]

Neither, if it were me.

Boat if I had a gun to my head!

 

[BestMomEver]

Neither, if it were me.

Boat if I had a gun to my head!

We’ve heard people say, “The best days are are the ones when you buy a RV and/or boat and when you sell them.” We have considered doing nothing but we both love to explore and get out and about. I would enjoy either. Certainly, the boat will see more use because of where we live but I want to go/see places too.

 

[Jon Fishman]

We’ve heard people say, “The best days are are the ones when you buy a RV and/or boat and when you sell them.” We have considered doing nothing but we both love to explore and get out and about. I would enjoy either. Certainly, the boat will see more use because of where we live but I want to go/see places too.

I go places, and I don’t own an RV......

 

[BestMomEver]

I go places, and I don’t own an RV......

Me too... it’s just something I’ve always wanted to do. Have you had a RV or boat?

 

[Edp251]

I have owned both over the years and am mostly a boat person, as per my profile picture. Have family in Pensacola and Mobile so somewhat familiar. In general, my vote would be boat because of the mobility and freedom. If you camp, you are more or less stuck with whomever camps near you. In a boat, you just pull anchor and move to another spot.

Would not downplay the physicality of getting a party barge on/off a trailer though. To be realistic, as you shop, picture yourself trying to load it on to the trailer during a gulf coast thunderstorm with horizontal wind and lightning...

Last thing is that a lot of the accessory stuff, cookware, barware, sleeping cushions and mats, coolers etc will all work for both. Best of luck and enjoy!

 

[John Neuzil]

Boat. Express cruiser or small motor yacht or trawler. You can travel alot of places and live on the boat. Best of both worlds. Check out the great loop. Your on the coast and can go alot of places.

 

[BestMomEver]

Boat. Express cruiser or small motor yacht or trawler. You can travel alot of places and live on the boat. Best of both worlds. Check out the great loop. Your on the coast and can go alot of places.

I would love to have one of those. We just don’t want to go that big. My dad had boats ranging from skiffs and ski boats all the way to 61’ deep sea fishing boats. Love boats but I don’t want anything big. I’d have to pay for a marina slip... I wouldn’t want to haul those around!

 

[BestMomEver]

I have owned both over the years and am mostly a boat person, as per my profile picture. Have family in Pensacola and Mobile so somewhat familiar. In general, my vote would be boat because of the mobility and freedom. If you camp, you are more or less stuck with whomever camps near you. In a boat, you just pull anchor and move to another spot.

Would not downplay the physicality of getting a party barge on/off a trailer though. To be realistic, as you shop, picture yourself trying to load it on to the trailer during a gulf coast thunderstorm with horizontal wind and lightning...

Last thing is that a lot of the accessory stuff, cookware, barware, sleeping cushions and mats, coolers etc will all work for both. Best of luck and enjoy!

Thanks! Weather is a good point, but applies to any boat. Not just a pontoon. Do your relatives live on the water?

 

[ImGoingCoastal]

I vote boat.

Traveling can easily be accomplished with a tent or a hotel room. You could always rent a cabin for a fraction of the price. And traveling requires a lot more of a time commitment. I realize you'll be retired and ready to roam but my Dad said he got busier after retirement which as I understand is a common trend.

While you can rent a boat, it's not as easy and common as renting lodging. Plus, having your own is much more convenient.

That said, remember that BOAT stands for Break Out Another Thousand.

I have an 18.5' Nitro fish and ski and I love it. Before I moved overseas, I used it often. Now that I'm back, I'm just waiting to get it back from my parents (it was stored there while I was gone). I can't wait to get it back and for my daughter to become old enough to take her for a spin! (It'll be a while, she's only 2 weeks old today! Haha)

IMO, from your post, it sounded to me like you were leaning towards boat. I would say go with your gut ultimately, you know you best.

 

[AZRipp]

A boat is a hole in the water you throw money into. An RV is a hole on the land you throw money into. LoL Then again, this hobby can be a pretty deep hole as well.

 

[clm65]

I vote boat as well. I also live on the GOM, and can’t see myself ever being without one.

 

[BestMomEver]

I vote boat.

Traveling can easily be accomplished with a tent or a hotel room. You could always rent a cabin for a fraction of the price. And traveling requires a lot more of a time commitment. I realize you'll be retired and ready to roam but my Dad said he got busier after retirement which as I understand is a common trend.

While you can rent a boat, it's not as easy and common as renting lodging. Plus, having your own is much more convenient.

That said, remember that BOAT stands for Break Out Another Thousand.

I have an 18.5' Nitro fish and ski and I love it. Before I moved overseas, I used it often. Now that I'm back, I'm just waiting to get it back from my parents (it was stored there while I was gone). I can't wait to get it back and for my daughter to become old enough to take her for a spin! (It'll be a while, she's only 2 weeks old today! Haha)

IMO, from your post, it sounded to me like you were leaning towards boat. I would say go with your gut ultimately, you know you best.

My dad used to say, “ a boat is a hole in the water, surrounded by wood, into which one dumps money.” I get the money thing. And you’re right that we can travel without an RV. But if I want to travel to Austin (or wherever) I want to see stuff between here and there. Making hotel reservations is hard if you don’t know when you’ll get there.

As for things to during retirement, we have plenty of stuff to keep us busy. People have been asking hubby what he’s going to do and he’s replied, “anything I want to!” But most of it is work around the house. We consider it necessary (or at least desirable) but I don’t think any of it sounds fun. I am leaning towards a boat mainly because we’ll use it more.

 

[BestMomEver]

I vote boat as well. I also live on the GOM, and can’t see myself ever being without one.

Where in Florida do you live?

 

[flyline]

I have one of each both are expensive to buy and fix when broke and both are equally as fun. But for me I would say boat all day

 

[Lear31a]

Have Both. 5th wheel and boat. Do your home work on what you want. Don't jump at the first thing you see. Best advise, rent one any try it out first. Worst thing that can be done, is impulse buy the first thing you see, you will never get out of it with out a big loss $ after you find out your do not like it. Walk into the shallow water first, don't do a cannon ball into the deep end of the pool.

 

[lbacha]

I vote Boat, I live in Cleveland and we are on the water almost every day in the summer


This is our little cruiser with a nice cuddly for sleeping

If you tie a raft off the back it’s like having a pontoon boat

 

[Katrina71]

Why not get both? A small reasonable version of both.

 

[clm65]

Where in Florida do you live?

Crystal River. It's a small town about 80 miles north of Tampa.

 

[Sailingeric]

I would say boat but have you looked at a cruising boat if you want to travel. I do a lot of sailing and most of it has been in the Bahamas out of Ft Lauderdale and the Caribbean. Once you cross the Gulf Stream the Bahamas and most of the Caribbean is nearly line of sight navigation. But before you commit to a boat or RV, rent one first for a week or so to try it out. You could charter a boat in the Bahamas, or Miami and go down to the Keys or rent and RV and go up to Tennessee or Georgia and get feel of how they drive or pull if you go the trailer route.