Moving to St. Petersburg, sell the boat and get something different?
 

Hello all, I am moving from Los Angeles to St. Petersburg, Florida this summer. I currently own a 2016 Sanger V215S that I bought brand new with about 100 hours on it. I will likely live on the water in St. Pete with a dock in the back yard. I'm trying to figure out how much of a PITA the 26-29" draft is going to be and if it is a horrible idea to use that particular boat in the salt.

I do a bit of everything (Slalom, Wakeboard and Surf) and my wife exclusively surfs. I also plan to use it in the intercoastal/bay, with some trips to inland lakes thrown in sporadically. I don't think keeping the Sanger makes sense (correct me if I'm wrong please). I do love the boat, but we have been looking at all kinds of options in the $100k range with saltwater packages. Unfortunately that mostly limits us to the Nautique GS20 (loved it) 210 (meh), Tige RZX20 and ZX21 (loved them both) and the Mastercraft NXT/XT 20/21/22 (I grew up on MC Prostars, and as much as it pains me to say this, I didn't care for the new ones). I know Heydey makes a saltwater setup, but I can't get over the looks of those. I've also thought about being really out there and going Yamaha 255XE, but I am extremely skeptical about a Jet Boat for surfing, though the 1'7" draft is tempting.

If anyone has experience in the Tampa area I'd appreciate it, or insight about running a boat in salt/shallower water. Thanks!

No experience on your question but i would think the market for Sangers in FL would be way worse than it is in CA. Probably get much better money out of it in CA plus save on the cost to bring it across the country. If it was me i'd look for something like a used X46 SS in that area.

A used X46 SS is a good choice. The GS20 would not bed bad either. You may also want to check out a new Moomba which can be had in your price range. I believe the Raptor motor has closed cooling. I think you can get a galvanized trailer as an option.

I'd love to find a well kept used SS boat, but they appear to be tough to find. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places. I will do my homework on the X46 though!

I would not worry too much about your draft. Since your not trying to fish. I would find the biggest boat you can and look used for sure. Lake Seminole is close if you want freshwater.

What about a Tige Z3 with Saltwater Package?

There are so many different and varied boating opportunities in that area and a lot of water. Salt, brackish, fresh, big water, back water, cruising, sand bars, inland lakes...you may want to wait until you get settled to figure out the right boat. As in a prior post, your Sanger will get top dollar in Cali but not here but your available alternate options will be limitless. When thinking St. Pete, I think you are going to need 2 different boats and with $100k budget you can do it by buying used.