FM, How do you like the Tahoe in the style? I imagine it handles rough water a little better than my deck style. I looked at the Q6 but was tired of the walk thru windshield. I only have the windscreen on mine and it really opens up the boat. I only wish I had this boat when my kids were little and they used to sleep on the boat all of the time.

It does ride well in rough water, at least the rough water we get around here. We have always had bow riders excepet for one small fishing boat way back when. I like the swim platform on this boat, it's huge. I also love the fact that I can fit the kneeoard and wakeboard in the ski locker.

That is a big plus. Our ski locker is on the large side also. What I lack in aft swim platform I make up for in the bow. I really like the larger aft platform though, we hardly ever use the one on the bow.

What size motor in yours, 3.0 or 4.6?

Did you buy yours from a Bass Pro shop? If so, how has your service been?

We have the 4.3. We bought ours used, and I have not had to take it in for service so I cannot comment. I have heard horror stories about service at the Bass Pro dealers and the one we have in Nashville is not famous for qick service. That being said Tracker is a very popular brand in these parts and are several dealers and service centers within a 45 minute drive. I have heard that where Bass pro fails the others are very competative and treat thier customers great.

I'd LOVE to shoot fireworks off the upper deck nose, but George and the other park rangers would be on me quicker than a Nicole Richie jail sentence...

No can shoot any fireworks that leave the ground in this state...

They wouldn't technically be leaving the ground, FR!

Nope. It's about 7 miles from home to the marina @ 30mpg in the car. Then 7 miles from the marina to where we anchor for the weekend @ 1mpg in the boat.

14 miles round trip in the boat=$45
14 miles round trip in the car = $5

Time spent relaxing before the wedding.......PRICELESS!!

Sure can Love all the responses...

I like the way when you guys calculate cost, you don't add in the actual cost of the boat itself, insurance, maintenance, accessories, slip fees, tow vehicle costs, or the fact that you may only go to an amusement park once a year but you would spend that on boating twice a month with ease.

Still worth it, in my eyes, but to equate boating with a weekend trip to the movies is naive.

How about the price of the car that takes you to the movies?

Yeah, but it takes me to work too...

Other hidden costs:
I bet if you are making payments on your boat, you never exceed boating trips vs. total number of payments, so I'm thinking that it costs about one payment (or more) per trip out on the boat.

Now if you are going to say making payments is foolish, and you should only own a boat if you pay cash for it, that's cool.

But lets say you have $50k tied up in your boat. At 7% interest, thats $3500/year your money could have been earning..

So if you go out 20x per year you paid about $170 per trip in lost interest on your money. Maybe your boat is worth more, or less, and maybe you can get more, or less in interest, but you get the idea.

Don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but sometimes reality and boating seem to part company around here.

I defend my original statement, that boating is expensive unless you inherited your boat and don't have to maitain it or pay for fuel, or you have a nice little 14ft rowboat/sailboat.

I bet the REAL cost of boating for people on this board is about $500/hour for every hour that is on your engine clock; maybe substantially more.

I never equate the use of my boats in terms of money.

Only enjoyment...

The truck that takes my boat to the water takes me to work as well. If we did choose indoor activities (movies, shopping ect...) we would do them multiple times a weekend or month as well. Our boat is paid for and the insurance is very reasonable (less than $200 a year),and I do all the maintenace myself. We bought the boat with disposable income (the same income that is spent on every toher hobby) that would have gone towards a trip of cruise or who knows what else and it would still be spent and gone. I think when it comes to entertianment dollars all comparisons are fair.

I understand the 'hidden cost' debate, but we all made the deal, we bought the boat, and all that comes with OWNING it.

This topic is about USING the boat, and the costs of doing so vs. the costs of choosing another form of entertainment, such as dinner and a movie or a day at the amusement park.

So, the hidden cost debate doesn't really apply, because, if you choose to go to the amusement park, you're still making those boat payments!