Boat or RV ?

Never owned either? Oh boy! I got rid of my boat in favor of TT, we get more use out of it as a family.

Many places where you can fly and rent an RV by the week and see if it is what you want. Advantage in flying is that most of your time is spent traveling around a scenic area and not driving across the country. After renting one or two RV's you will also know a lot more firsthand about what you want in an "RV" whether it be a Class A, B, C, or a travel trailer.

Boats are more limiting unless you leave in the southeast part of the USA where there is the inland waterway and lots of lakes and other areas to boat-camp. Important to also know your limitations and match the boat to your capabilities and lack of experience. Boat weight goes up disproportionately to the length and the heavier the boat the more than can go wrong and the greater the chance of injury for a novice. There are Power Squadron and Coast Guard Auxilary classes that are a great place to start your education.

Mistakes with either an RV or a boat purchase can be very costly and advice on forums is not going to take you very far. Need to get your toes into the water and learn through direct experience.

I take it that when you say BOAT you mean a real boat, one that can be cruised, perhaps even to places like the Bahamas, not a dinky trailer boat that does not live on the water & is not for cruising.

Boats are waay more expensive to buy & operate than any RV. $200,000 really does not buy much of a boat, even a used 38-40' trawler. Most boats big enough to live on measure fuel in how many gallons are burned per mile rather than miles per gallon.

Maintenance is much higher than any RV class. Marina fees are charged on the per foot basis. You had better be pretty handy at fixing things yourself when out on a boat. There is no roadside assistance & the consequences of a breakdown can be catastrophic not simply inconvenient as it is with a RV.

Yes, I do own a boat. Only a 32'er, single diesel powered, but it has all the systems of a RV & more to take care of.

My view is, if you get somewhere where there is water & you get the boating itch, rent one. Much cheaper.

bustoff wrote:
We are finally retired. We can't decide which between a boat or a class A motorhome.

We have never owned either one.

Anyone ever been here and how did you decide ? Are you happy with your choice ?

Why choose? Both:)

I have owned a 30 ft SeaRay sundancer. It is a small motor home. Had it wet slipped and it was great. Very costly. $300/month slip Fee which included water and elec. twin 350 gassers. Burned 40 gal/hr at WOT which was about 40MPH so 1 mile per gallon. not much better at 25 mph cruise.

Moved on to a TC and dually. Will pull the bass boat now. Class A will do the same.

Cost of fuel got me out of the large boats.

bustoff wrote:
Not certain, but I think part of the dilemma with the RV is that the idea was mentioned to us from a friend who has never owned an RV. By that I mean our initial impression of RV life was that of striking out on the open road and experiencing the wide open frontiers out west.

After investigating a little, it sounds more like traveling from one crammed RV park to another and living in close proximity to other people, their kids, their pets and their noise. We already live in a sub-division with zero lot lines and all the nuisances that come along with that. Don't get me wrong, we are not anti-social; we love people. But we also love peace and quiet. If RV life means living in a crowded campground, it makes me wonder what is the attraction ?

We never stay in crowded noisy campgrounds, though they do exist. Having said this, camping is not for everybody. Some folks are not drawn to it and would rather stay in motels, etc. Boating is also not for everyone, me included. We love RV'ing and have never had the desire to own a boat.

They are both good options but very different. We have had both - sailboats that we raced on Lake Erie and a small Sprinter-based class B van. When we retired we finally gave up the big sailboats partly because the racing season impinged on our travel plans and partly because I finally got tired of racing. So now we have a canoe to maintain our interest in being on the water together with the RV.

Before you jump into either a boat or an RV, perhaps you should sit back and think about what kinds of activities you enjoy doing. Then contemplate whether either a boat or an RV will provide a means of doing those things. There are a lot of hassles with either boats or RV's so neither will be worth while if you don't get something special out of it.

I agree with your concerns about going to a crowded RV park and being close to neighbors that you might not like. The answer to that is to use the RV as a base to live in and to spend your time doing the things you enjoy. For example, we like the outdoors and travel to National Parks or other places where we can indulge our interests.

Personally, I suspect that I would get tired of motorboats very quickly unless I was interested in either fishing or water skiing. Driving around in circles on a little lake can get old in a hurry.

I have a few friends who have boats. Take a sailboat. Slap a new bottom job on it, new sails because the old ones got trashed, rebuild the motor, fix rotted wood, fiberglass repairs, marine generators, electrical systems, plumbing, macerator pumps, slip fees... To boot, when something breaks, anything "marine" means expensive.

Of course, both RVs and boats will have their value killed by a leak, boats just a lot faster if it sinks.

bustoff wrote:
Not certain, but I think part of the dilemma with the RV is that the idea was mentioned to us from a friend who has never owned an RV. By that I mean our initial impression of RV life was that of striking out on the open road and experiencing the wide open frontiers out west.

After investigating a little, it sounds more like traveling from one crammed RV park to another and living in close proximity to other people, their kids, their pets and their noise. We already live in a sub-division with zero lot lines and all the nuisances that come along with that. Don't get me wrong, we are not anti-social; we love people. But we also love peace and quiet. If RV life means living in a crowded campground, it makes me wonder what is the attraction ?

Oh but you DON'T have to be crammed into a campground with others on top of you, especially out west. Many RVers are into boondocking, camping under the stars without connections to electricity, water, & sewer. An RV with a generator will allow you to camp in national forest campgrounds or even anywhere on national forest property and other places "out on the range".

When we camped at Grand Teton Nat'l Park (Gros Ventre CG) near Jackson Hole, WY the campground didn't have hookups. We'd head out every morning to go find a trail to hike (of which there are many). Yes, we'd pass a few others out there, but usually it was just us and nature, plus some excellent scenery. You can get as lost as you want out west and in many other places around the country if you investigate those locations.

You certainly can find those crowded campgrounds like KOAs and others where there's "fun" for everyone, especially the kiddos that are running around like screaming banhees, dogs barking when their owners leave them alone in the camper, or the "friendly" neighbor that wants to come over just to say hi and overstays the welcome. Ask around on the campgrounds thread, or better yet, the Public Lands, Boondocking, and Dry Camping thread for those quiet nature type spaces you may have in mind. I guarantee you that marinas can be even more crowded than many campgrounds.

Not certain, but I think part of the dilemma with the RV is that the idea was mentioned to us from a friend who has never owned an RV. By that I mean our initial impression of RV life was that of striking out on the open road and experiencing the wide open frontiers out west.

After investigating a little, it sounds more like traveling from one crammed RV park to another and living in close proximity to other people, their kids, their pets and their noise. We already live in a sub-division with zero lot lines and all the nuisances that come along with that. Don't get me wrong, we are not anti-social; we love people. But we also love peace and quiet. If RV life means living in a crowded campground, it makes me wonder what is the attraction ?

bustoff wrote:
We are finally retired. We can't decide which between a boat or a class A motorhome.

We have never owned either one.

Anyone ever been here and how did you decide ? Are you happy with your choice ?

I have both. What type of boat are you thinking of?
RV, You can go more places, less weather dependent, learning curve not as steep.
Boat, I am a large boat sailor at heart. Steep learning curve, weather dependent, dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. Have to be more self-sufficient.Costly to upkeep, tons of gear.
I like my RV I love my boat.If you have a sailors heart nothing comes close to a well sorted out boat but they are not for everyone.It is one thing to break down alongside the road it is another to break down on the water far from shore. It depends on your skills and mind set.