In Reply to: expensive local boats posted by Ross-O on July 21, 2005 at 12:49:55:

better than 90% of the places I took the Giant Stride are never or rarely visited by the commercial boats. Also, my favorite thing to do was to get out early, make a couple of fun dives where the marine life is totally different that what you would expect to see at Catalina or Laguna Beach, get back to the slip, clean up, fill tanks for the next day and be home relaxing around noon.
Of course, the repair and maintenance costs of the last three years of ownership equaled my original purchase price, but experiencing dives most people will never make and having a small circle of great dive buddies who shared the same thrills and desires is priceless. Owning that boat for eight years has put me in a financial pinch, but it was worth every penny.
Next time, I hope to find a cheaper boat. :-)))