Originally Posted by Oceana
Originally Posted by Diane Campbell
I looked up the Cobalts on the web - very pretty boats!
Hate to burst your bubble but they just don't look suitable for this environment.

Diane-

Please explain why?

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Before coming here I'd used a rowboat to go out on inland lakes in Michigan and flipped over a few canoes but that was about it. We moved to a place 5 miles north of San Pedro and for many years the only mode of transport was by boat. We learned some hilarious lessons, and some expensive ones as well adapting to this new way of getting around. After 20 years I've owned quite a few boats, and have driven a few I did not own. None have been larger commercial ones, none with two engines, but I have come to feel like a decent captain in this limited environment. Given that background, here is my advice - take it in context, and enjoy your move to Belize!

Center consoles are what most folks want here because the boat weight balances better - I think that your boat is like a car with a driver sitting on one side of the boat. I had one like that and because I often traveled in it solo I ended up carrying some cement blocks in it to place on the "passenger" side for balance.

Having the option to comfortably stand rather than sit low in a chair to drive the boat is also a good thing - being forced to sit low whist going through chop is hard on the lower back.
Driving a former water-ski boat with a snazzy bucket seat, followed by a whaler with a low-height console and a "chair" taught me this one.

Windshields get taken off most boats around here pretty quickly (on purpose) - they get foggy really fast and block the view. Owning three boats outfitted windshields taught me this one.

For whatever reason, pretty much every small-boat with an inboard that comes into the area ends up not working out for the owner. Having never had an inboard I can't personally tell you why they fail, but looking around here you won't see many on the water. This is purely observation - no personal experience.

Inside the reef, going up and down the eastern shore of the island is perhaps the most common route we travel. Should you also do this, you will find that you are running abeam to the seas much of the time. Depending on how deep your v-hull is, you can end up with the current grabbing the deeper hull and pitching you to an uncomfortable angle - into the waves. This makes for a wet ride, and difficulty steering. Unfortunately this happens when the water is at its roughest, when it's nice to have more not less control of your boat.
Owning a somewhat higher end Pursuit taught me this one. I have no idea if this is a part of the design of your boat, but with such a deep draft I am thinking it may be a factor for you.

I now own a McKee craft - shallow draft, hard to park/tie up (without damage to the boat) due to corners on the front, but with most of the rest of the problem areas eliminated. Rough ride in heavy chop but a dry boat, fast and easy to handle. I find it hits 80% of my wants and needs list which for a multi-purpose boat is pretty good.

Try to get a self-bailing boat if possible - in some of our heavier rains the auto bilge can run your battery down to nothing, and sometimes they get seaweed or something stuck in them --- a sunken boat is a real bummer. We seem to have three or four boat-sinker rains a year. If you are able to have a boat-lift then this is not a worry, but most of us don't have them for whatever reason.

Boats are holes in the water into which you pour money - but they sure are fun. Just hoping you get the right one for the circumstances. Looking around you see more panga-style boats than anything - they were designed by the Mexican Navy for waters such as our own --- looking back, had I used my head I'd have gotten one of those, but I think we buy boats with our hearts not our heads.