New Boat Recommendations

[sunnski]

I am thinking about purchasing a runabout ski boat, it will be used in Lake Tahoe, CA and we will mostly be using it for family fun and occasional skiing etc.

I want something around 21' with a V8 (need it for the altitude) and seats 8+.

I have used Sea Rays and Four Winns along with some others on normal lakes. Any ideas on the best boats for my use?

There are a lot of manufactures out there and I can't drive all of them so I am looking to narrow down the choices.

Chapapral, Cobalt, Crownline, Four Winns, Sea Ray, Tahoe, Monterey, Regal + others I am sure.

Thanks for your opinion.

Ralph

 

[5150abf]

Re: New Boat Recommendations

Look into Azure, they are the fiberglass side of Bennngton Marine.

Very good boats and you won't find a better warranty anywhere.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: New Boat Recommendations

Chris Craft Deckboats.

 

[AZSenza]

Re: New Boat Recommendations

Hi! Hey I know you want a V8. Its a must have for me too. Anyways. my last boat, an 85 17' 4 Winns had a Merc 5.7 shoehorned into it with an Alpha 1 leg and swinging a big stainless prop. The cool part is the drive was the original 4 banger drive with the 1:98 ratio. This ratio was also listed as a high altitude ratio (we boat at 1500 feet on up) That thing had an incredible holeshot as well as a 4800 RPM top speed of 56mph on GPS. I guess my point is, V8 YES but keep an eye on the ratio too, the norm for a V8 is around 1:50 in an Alpha, higher altitudes can handle the higher 1:98 better.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: New Boat Recommendations

Doesn't get any better than a Cobalt IMO.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: New Boat Recommendations

Chapapral, Cobalt, Crownline, Four Winns, Sea Ray, Tahoe, Monterey, Regal + others I am sure.

The only one that seems out of place in that list is Tahoe. Tahoe is a pricepoint manufacturer. They build a less expensive boat than all the others in your list.

As far as the others go I would rank them something like this.

Cobalt
Monterey
Four Winns
Regal
Crownline
SeaRay
Chaparral

They are all good boats. They all rank high on quality. There are many others. I would suggest you find what dealers in your area offer. Having a good dealer to support you is almost as important as having a good boat. I would suggest that you find a good dealer that has a good product and then work on a deal with them.

 

[sunnski]

Re: New Boat Recommendations

Thanks for the info so far.

There are no dealers in the Lake Tahoe area that do service too. So I will be going to Reno, NV about 1 hour away. So, in reality having the best made boat would be the best of both worlds since taking it somewhere to get fixed is a hassle.

PS: the lake is at 6500' thanks for the info on the prop. Keep sending me your comments.

 

[tmh]

Re: New Boat Recommendations

So many brands....we could all list our favorites, but what do you really want?

What's the price range? New only or considering used? More "flashy" or more practical? Speed oriented or a smoother ride in chop? Head needed/wanted?

8+ people on a regular basis, 21' is pretty small. You can do it, but it's on the tight side. 22+ may be better. Like Four Winns F224 - my favorite in that size range. Their SL222 is also great. Haven't ridden in those yet though, just based on looking at shows.

 

[Action]

Re: New Boat Recommendations

Don't count out Glastron! They just came out with a new GLS line that can run with the best of them! (Of course I am bias)

 

[ziggy]

Re: New Boat Recommendations

in two years of boat shows. the only boat that stood out amongst the crowd was chris-craft. all the others looked very similar to each other. to me.

 

[Action]

Re: New Boat Recommendations

in two years of boat shows. the only boat that stood out amongst the crowd was chris-craft. all the others looked very similar to each other. to me.

It should it is one of the most expensive brand's in the group! Beautiful boats, lots of passion in the design, very European looking.

 

[ziggy]

Re: New Boat Recommendations

guess i just thought that since the op was talking some pretty high line boats, cobalt, crownline, four winns, etc. that money was probably not an issue. and if i was gonna spend that kinda bread. i'd want just what you described.

Beautiful boats, lots of passion in the design, very European looking.

i just went to the web site. i'm still drooling... man, thems some sweet boats..

 

[Action]

Re: New Boat Recommendations

guess i just thought that since the op was talking some pretty high line boats, cobalt, crownline, four winns, etc. that money was probably not an issue. and if i was gonna spend that kinda bread. i'd want just what you described. i just went to the web site. i'm still drooling... man, thems some sweet boats..

I agree I was at a cottage show the other weekend and they had a fleet of Chris Craft models, wow is all I can say!