Before I bought my first boat, I'd only been on a boat once that I could remember, and that was when I was 8 years old or so. The decision to buy a boat was based on talking with my friend about water skiing. Sounded like fun--and my friend's dad just happened to be selling his boat. I wasn't rich, the boat was adequate and cheap enough. The first day on the water was my first experience whatsoever with boating. I towed it okay, we launched okay, got out okay, I drove the boat okay, got my friend up on skis the first try okay, pulled him the right speed okay, got the rope back to him okay when he crashed & burned, retrieved him okay, put it on shore without hitting the prop okay, we trailered it okay, got it home okay...

Pretty much everything went okay!

My point of this story is, having zero experience I just tried to use some common sense and did what I thought I needed to do. If I'd been a bit richer, and the boat had been say, a 23' cuddy rather than a 17' runabout, I really don't think anything about my learning experience would've been different.

Entirely different topic. But just for the sake of keeping this "fair and balanced" I would rather pay for the repairs on a banged up single prop drive than a banged up dual prop drive.

KISS Kelly

Fair Point.

Alot of boats in the smaller sizes do not need to spend the money for a Duo-Prop, IMO.

What size? Smaller than 20ft? 19? 18? Bigger?

KCook - You said one thing that I think is critical regardless of boat size; training. My introduction to sailing involved actual lessons, classroom and on-the-water. My power boat purchase came with minimal training (basically a test ride). Fortunately I was able to apply much of my sail training to powerboating when it came to safety. I think boat size is secondary to proper training. With limited training I'm sticking with my vote that a smaller boat is probably better for most new boaters.

About the only part of my sailing experience that I could apply to the power boat was putting the thing on the beach. Every thing else just seemed completely different. Of course dodging the traffic on the water did not change.

Kelly

What is a good size for a first car? Power?

I've seen parents buy a new M3 for the first car, which I think is foolish, but hey, it's their kid's life...

My first boat was a 24 foot 250hp pontoon boat.

It think that in most cases the question is irrelevant. As long as you pay attention and learn well, your first boat should be the boat that fits your lifestyle/boating needs the best.

Another one from the jet guy.
Just so happens I know a guy (fairly close to me), Taylor boat owner, very rare Bowrider, who'se previous owner removed the jet and 454 (Sacrilidge!!!) and replaced it with a B3 and a 454 Magnum Mercruiser package.

Not quite my level of acceleration, but DARNED close. That thing has a serious bite on the water, and in a 2,300 pound hull (including power/drive).
We did not line them up this spring, but joked arround about doing it over a beer and dinner.

Since I do on the water training with new boat owners, I thought I would throw in my 2 cents.

I find that people have more trouble with docking and slow speed manuevering the smaller boats, and require more time in training.

The reason I feel this happens, is that the boat moves and reacts quickly to any mistakes the new boat owner make. Larger boats react slower and usually give the operator a chance to correct a mistake.

The biggest problem is that many new boat owners buy a boat that really doesn't fit their needs.

I've had many people that I've trained on one boat, switch within a month or two to a larger boat, as the original was too small for their needs, but they didn't think they could handle a larger boat.

I've had 2 just this year that traded up within a week after our training.

1 bought an 18 foot outboard bowrider, but really just wanted a pontoon so she could take out alot of people, the other bought a 21 cuddy that they thought their family of four could spend weekends (Friday-Sunday) on every weekend, they traded up to a 25 foot Aft Cabin.

Sorry I rambled on, I just think it's more important to buy the boat that fits your needs, rather than get a boat that doesn't fit your needs for training purposes.

I saved the best for last - one of my customers - never boated before or been on a boat bought a 34' Crownline for his first boat. He did 10 hours of training with me.

Two weeks later he traded in his brand new 34' Crownline for a 48' Sea Ray. He's doing great with it and has never looked back

It must have been interesting making all that hardware fit. I would have thought it weighed a heck of a lot more and would have been somewhat slower and deeper in the water at the stern.

Rowboat.

For extra credit remove the oarlocks ...

Well PH, he gets to run a pretty aggressive blade pitch as he has not much weight to push, without sacrificing the holeshot much. It may sit a bit deeper, but the BR is similarly high-sided to mine, an inch or so isn't much difference. I'll have to try to examine the floating more closely next time.

His biggest problem is handling as the fwd portion of the hull is unsupported my any structural foam backing, and is a good deal thinner glass layup than mine is. Thump the fwd part of the V and you watch it flex under your fist.

Mine doesn't, makes his have some "odd" steering characteristics in a corner. Next time we meet (didn't think of it at the time), going to suggest he try removing the front interior for access and spray-expando-foam behind it all, to stiffen it up properly. Shouldn't add a lot of pounds, and a squirley boat I really don't like.

Mine was before I replaced the carpet, not anyhting I would call dangerous, just had to be paid attention to. Would not hold certain corner angles at certain speeds. Would either widen slightly (like understeer in a car) or pull inside some (oversteer).
I found all 3 cross-frames (front and back of the back seat and under the dash in front of the feet) cracked loose from the hull over the end foot of span, 2 worse than a foot. Replaced and remounted all 3, bedded better and 'glassed in much more solidly, and her eratic "hunting" for a line in a corner went copmpletely away.
Hull flex.

I voted for "rubbish". I think the limiting factor for many is money. If budget wasn't a concern, I believe that any boat can be handled with the proper amount of common sense, practice, and training if needed. Any engine/drive could also be maintained as well.

My sister and BIL just bought their first boat which was a used 24' aft cabin with a Volvo SX drive. They went with the 24' over a larger boat becuase they wanted to spend time at the dock and it was the nicest boat for the money. Had they more to spend they would have probably looked at the 27-30 range. After bumping the dock once or twice he is able to pull in and out of his slip without issue.

If budget wasn't a constraint for our family I would probably be looking at a 30-32' with twin inbords.