On the water boating in a lake, what would a typical range be versus the "so called 36 mile range"
GRMS / FRS radios (Cobra Brand for example)
Gotta get past this "range" thing. It's not about power output, it's about the antenna and receiver sensitivity. RF power output doesn't make as much a difference in range as people think. That's just marketing, and neophytes will fall for it ever time.
If you are going to switch from a couple of watts (being generous) GMRS radio to a couple watt VHF radio, you are not going to see a huge difference in range.
If you put up a good external antenna, up high, then you will see a range difference. Won't matter if it's UHF or VHF, it's so much about your antenna system.
If you are just going to switch from a hand held GMRS radio to a hand held VHF radio, you won't see a huge difference. Probably a slight improvement of VHF.
If you are
really concerned about range, you need external antennas up high. If you are just looking to waste money, there's lots of approaches and we can assist with that. But until you get serious about the antenna system, you will be disappointed.
About the only thing you are going to be able to do with GMRS short of adding proper antennas will be to use a repeater, and your low buck radios won't support that. Chasing a few watts of additional power isn't going to resolve this. If there's one thing I could make new guys understand, it's that antennas make the difference. You'll just be chasing your tail if you think RF power alone is going to fix this.