Just thought I would put this question out to the local talent here  

Anybody here own a boat, or did in the past?
I am hoping to get some firsthand info before I leap up in size.
Just like I bought the savage to meet my needs, which it did great, oh, and I get to ride here to work again, as they are trying to entice me to stay on, by moving me back to my old location, 30 minute commute instead of 5/6 hours R/T.....
I won’t however  
Anyway, it will be great to ride her again, been late summer last year, last time on her.
As with bikes, the prevailing mindset seems to always go bigger, better, etc, for a lot of reasons.
I think it’s common to boating, as well.
My boat now I really like, have it tuned to my own personal use...
However, the wife wants a bigger boat, again, a common trait with women, they want a guy with a bigger, er, wallet  
We found a 28 foot boat that we could sleep on, etc.
Has a trailer, my new truck would pull it no problem, could keep it in the water during boating season, pull it out and store it off season.
My worry is, it’s 10 foot bigger than my boat now, which allows me to just put it in the water as needed, cheaper, less saltwater effect, etc.
I just have this feeling a bigger boat requires a lot more money and energy, yes, camping on it would be fun, than it’s worth, as a whole.

Anybody with any input, knowing about such adventures, plus/minus, would be appreciated.

Can you please talk to my wife  

Thank you kind sir....

I am batting a thousand.
My wife is gonna be pizzed at you guys  

Just came back from a day on the boat. It's a 4 person super caravelle but is perfect for two. Inflatable, meaning I can take it down to the marina on my GS500, including electric trolling motor battery and transom. Cruises along at 3kph, and makes no noise at all.

It's awesome https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sevylor-Supercaravelle-XR116GTX-Boat-grey/dp/B008AYJYYQ

Raydawg:

Can you get a "floating camping trailer" to pull behind the boat on the nights you want to sleep on the water?

It is good to keep the wife happy and meet her needs......do you have anyplace that rents bigger boats, houseboats, pontoon boats?  Maybe sleeping on the water isn't all that great - might be better to try it before you buy it.

My life wih boats started way back when with an 11' sailboat form my father-in-law. Moved to 14, 22, 27, 35 and finally a lovely Tartan 3700 I we purchased new 10 years ago. Thing I have learned is with each upping in size the work required increases more than the relative gain in length. The big jump in "necessary" effort though was going from 35 to 37 feet. The bigger, the more complicated all the systems become. So now we have our 37 for sale, looking to go down a bit.  In the range you are taking about its still fun to make the move up, it opens whole new possibilities on the water.

The difference in trailering to being in water makes using it much easier and hence you do so much more and use it often. It is a different mind set. Since you can still haul and trailer it, it gives much more possibilites to take it to new and interesting places and launch it and explore.

Since you can haul it, it also means you can get it repaired away from the waterfront, mobile marine mechanics are expensive and it can take much time. But you probably fill your current boat at the local gas station on you way to the water, now you will need to hit the fuel dock and that almost always involves some price shock.

The expenses of slip and such are a consideration but if it works out it's money you will feel is well spent. There is a whole new community you will be part of on your dock and in your marina. But you will have to master getting the boat in and out of the slip with out looking like an idiot or screaming at folks as you bounce off pilings.

My boat is on a mooring, my wife thinks of it as her private island and loves the time she just sits out there in peace and quiet. She often goes there in the evning and takes her laptop and work and hangs out.

Give it a try, if you don't like it you can sell it and go back, knowing more about the whole experience, and that opens your eyes to what you want for the next boat.

In our case we want something a little smaller and much simpler.

Here is the boat I am considering, anybody know of it reliability, etc?

If you look closely you can see my wife is the "Skipper" that is, until it get's honky. But for your considerations, my best friend is a power boater and has had several, I spend much time on his boat and have been to a lot of look overs with him, and spent way to much time in discussion.

What we have found is Bayliners are basically good boats. But there have been exceptions and at some point in the line they are considered throwawys, that is they do the 20 years.

The pictures, it looks clean and in good shape, but they all do. Hire a surveyer and have it inspected and sea trialled, worth every cent. It it's Merc, all the better.

IO's are, in general, less hassle until they go bad. If it's clean with little corrision you are better off. It looks nice and it's of sufficent size and ammenities to provide you a nice weekend cruising experience.

Thing about boats is they are built to 2 different markets, fresh water and sea-worthy. Folks on lakes even big ones, don't often experience the conditions of off shore, in nasties. We regularly race our boat in 25 plus mph winds and 5-8 foot seas, you don't see that as much on lakes. So boats are built to 2 different standards based on where they think they will be used.

The boat you are looking at is a very popular model and I'm sure there has been plenty written and available about it. Check Soundings, they may have reviewed it. Look to Boats US for any problems with it.

It's not a recomendation to buy this specific boat, but if it looks and proves to be good, you will disscover a whole new world of experiences. In boating there is an old adage, If the wife goes along, go for it. In the end many a guy fights the wife over attention to her or the boat. if she is "on board" 3/4ths of the battle is won before you even have an adventure.

Picture is of my wife driving in a race off shore in 25 plus winds and the sea's had just deminished from 4-7 foot. It took a lot of years to get her there, but she has begrudgingly enjoyed most of the ride.