Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

[jacknbella]

Ladies and Gentlemen, like many of you, I was having a difficult time choosing which make and model best meets my needs. I've read numerous posts on this very subject and many of you chimed in with your opinions and other facts to help each individual make the best decision. However, I've taken my boat buying decision to the next level so I thought I would share my story. Has anyone ever heard of a PUGH matrix (yes, I'm an engineer with too much time on my hands)? Whenever the best choice is difficult to find, creating a pugh matrix may shed some light as to which choice is really "best". If you want to take a look at the Pugh matrix attached to this post, you will see I narrowed down my choices to 7 brands of bow rider boats in the 22'-23' range, located in the top rows. In the left-most column, I identified criteria which is important to me then weighted them accordingly from 5 being the most important to 1 being the least. I then went thru and judged each boat based on the categories I felt important to me. To help me "judge" these boats, I spent many hours researching each boat, as well as, reading posts in this forum. When finished, the clear winner showed itself and I felt good I made the "best" decision based on what was important to me. Fortunately, my wife agreed with my opinions (whew!) so that made the whole process much more fun.

I'm open to all comments, good and bad.

Thanks in advance!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

i could have told you that with out all that work, but i have a Chris Craft 230.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

Interesting and detailed analysis. You've done your homework, now its time to enjoy the boat.

I think you've made a great informed decision

 

[Backyardhockey]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

Wow! You didn't have a coin to flip, eh?

 

[jacknbella]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

I knew I wanted the Four Winns upfront too, however, I needed to convince the wife (it also helped me "feel good" about my decision) and she needed "proof", so to speak.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

I knew I wanted the Four Winns upfront too, however, I needed to convince the wife (it also helped me "feel good" about my decision) and she needed "proof", so to speak.

Its also nice to step back and be sure its the best for your needs and not a knee jerk "I need a boat and I'll buy that one on sale"

Sure it may be overkill, but now you and the wife have peace of mind in that you both chose the best boat to meet your needs.

Funny, I do similar analysis on small things, but not as much on the bigger spends (like boats, cars) as I should...:redface:

 

[BaileysBoat]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

I like the method.

For the sake of arguement, Regarding "weight on trailer", one might argue heavier is better, better ride, stronger, safer.That would give the SeaRay a higher score of 20 for weight, with the others scoring the same, final score of 85.

Trailer finish ? I would look at the quality, of the trailer (brakes, tires, capacity etc).

Took me 5 years to buy a boat, good luck and enjoy.

 

[jacknbella]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

Thanks for the comments! For us, weight on trailer is extremely important because our tow vehicle has a weight limit so we don't want to MAX it out if we don't have to. If the wife would let me buy a new F150 and not some stinking SUV (GMC Envoy), weight on trailer would be a non-issue. I guess gas mileage comes into play as well, however, you may be right about greater stability with heavier boats.

Trailer construction is less important because most new bow riders in the 22 foot range have pretty good trailers with descent braking systems. However, if you have more information or other things to look for, I'm all ears!!!

Thanks again!!

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

A very unique solution to the buying decision. I hope that the price section includes all the boats being similarly equipped.

One area that I noticed that you did not include is the handling/ride of each boat. One may ride better in chop than an another. Back when I bought our deck boat, it was very good for what we needed at the time. But then, our lake got really rough and it doesn't handle the extreme waves, so the Bosslady doesn't feel safe in it anymore. On the other hand, I got the go ahead to get a new one.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

i cannot recommend aluminum or galvanized trailer enough, painted is pretty with the boat, but a bad investment. brakes both axles, with the Envoy.

 

[haskindm]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

It seems to me that you made your decision and then created the matrix to support the decision. You wanted a low cost, lightweight, VP powered, bowrider, with a specific seating arrangement, sold by a convenient dealer. Doesn't take a matrix to figure that out and the matrix did not help you decide. The decision was made when you decided the weight of various items on your matrix. I agree it was probably a useful tool in showing your wife that the boat you picked out met the compromises that you were willing to make. This is akin to Consumer reports deciding on the results of their test and then creating a test to ensure those results, or 60-minutes deciding that GM gas tanks will explode and then using rocket engines to demonstrate that they do!

 

[jacknbella]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

SSHHHHH!!! Don't tell my wife!!!

 

[haskindm]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

Sorry. But if she has lived with you for awhile she probably already knows! A tool like that would very much appeal to my wife. She doesn't do well with emotional decisions and picking a boat is a very emotional decision. The boat either "rings your chime" or it doesn't. Anythiing that makes it "look" like a rational decision, she would embrace.

 

[jacknbella]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

No really, we created it prior to picking out a boat, believe it or not. I created it shortly after my wife said she wanted to buy the Tahoe so I had to think of something to sway her away from that decision. At the time, Four Winns wasn't even included in our original Pugh matrix so we started looking at different makes and models then became overly confused because they all started to look the same. Then I joined iBoats and got even more confused because everyone had their own opinions based on their own experiences. It's kinda like Ford vs. Chevy or John Deere vs. Caterpillar. Who really is best???

Thanks for the comments though!

 

[jacknbella]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

Hey Tashasdaddy, I would like to know more about trailer features/construction like you mentioned. Could you send me a link so I can do some research of my own?

Thanks!

 

[KCook]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

I agree with OldePharte, some other factors that would count high for other shoppers were left out. Also, clearly Brand Reputation was a key factor, and few of us will agree completely on those.

Kelly

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

Painted trailer tend to rust over time, especially in critical places. this is my reason for recommending Galvanized or Aluminum trailer. Brakes on both axles, the reason being, you are towing quite a load.
Boat 3700lbs
Trailer 1300lbs
fuel 300lbs
gear 300lbs

total 5600lbs.

you need these brakes inorder to stop the load. this much weight will make that Envoy quiver trying to stop.

i tow the same load (Chris Craft 230) with a surburban, i have hydrolic brakes and disc brakes on all 4 trailer wheels.

here are the state laws on towing, and towing weights. towing load in IL without brakes is 3,000lbs, so you are required to have brakes on the trailer.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=222830

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Deciding Which New Bow Rider to Buy - HOW TO

this may help you even more, seeing 3 of the boats listed are Brunswick boats.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=281533