Hi all,

My wife and I purchased a 1993 280 Express last week and we piloted it from a marina on Cayuga Lake, NY, through the canal system, to Seneca Lake, Watkins Glen, NY. This is our first cruiser; we have owned a variety of ~19-20" open bow boats that we used in North Texas lakes. My first impressions, after the trip are: BIGGER, SLOWER, more comfortable, and the slow speed handling is very similar to our previous I/Os. I had the vessel surveyed prior to purchasing, and am pretty happy with it so far.

We plan to use the vessel as a weekend "camper", and have equipped it with a portable 10K BTU AC, a 410W inverter to drive a fan, LED "party" lights, and to charge our phones while we are on the bridge. I'll be replacing/repairing the fridge and stereo in short order, as the fridge died 7 hours into the shakedown cruise and the stereo is dated. We have a 1yr old female boxer to round out the permanent crew, and are just experiencing the good and bad of marina life.

I'm looking forward to meeting other members, learning about the ins and outs of boat ownership, and am very open to advice!