What is a good, small boat?

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Cheaper than downhill skiing, more expensive than golf.
 
...Some islands are six to seven hours away, which raises the price even more. Even the local six packs charge close to that for mainland diving. It's an expensive hobby in California.

That is some journey. I live on the south coast of England, six hours and you would be in the French city of Lyon. Typical boat time here is 20 minutes in a RIB or maybe 30 in a hardboat (20 knots max). My usual dive is 15 minutes each way and an hour bottom time. The longest part of the day is the drive to the marina.
 
Just like with diving, boating is different for everyone. It depends on your geographical location, laws in the area, cost and availability of charters, individual situation.

I shake my head when I hear people repeating the "First happiest day is when you buy a boat and the 2nd happiest day when you sell it" or "the best boat is your friend's"

If I ever have to sell my boat is because I messed up financially and can't afford it or I'm too old/sick to use it. Both events will be cause for mourning on my part.

I love my boat, I used it yesterday and the day before and had a blast both days. I couldn't dive yesterday because the seas were too big to make it enjoyable but just the ride out made for a memorable day. We went out the inlet got close tot he dive site and stop a little before getting the suit on. My husband and I looked at each other and realize it was going to be work to deal with the seas, made a U turn and starting a lazy ride back home.

Owning a boat may be the wrong thing if you buy a crappy boat full of issues, can't maintain it properly, or if you have to keep it on a trailer but ramps are not your thing, or the charters around have great price/schedule/space.

For me, having our 23' Parker in the canal behind the house is almost as good as winning a big lottery. Once every year or 2 I wish I could have a bigger boat to fit 6 divers instead of a maximum of 4, but that feeling passes real quick. Even when we would welcome a diver or two, the few friends we have are not available as often as we like to dive.
 
.... Once every year or 2 I wish I could have a bigger boat to fit 6 divers instead of a maximum of 4, but that feeling passes real quick. Even when we would welcome a diver or two, the few friends we have are not available as often as we like to dive.

This is an important consideration. Like you I enjoy boats and see the advantage of having one of your own (just not a small one) but the critical issue is having a group of people you like to dive with that are willing and able to dive with you and share boat duties. 4 people is a good base number and 23 foot is a good size boat.
 
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I have a 15.5 ft Avon inflatable with a 40 HP outboard. It is cramped with 4 divers with 2 tanks each but workable. I have had 4 divers and a pilot but we only had 1 tank each on that trip. Normally we dive 2 people at a time while the other 2 gear up which makes things easier. The large tubes on the Avon make it very stable.
Let me know when you want to dust it off and take it out:)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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