Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

[swick]

I've been looking at Bass Boats trying to find a great deal for under $2000. I'm still looking. As it turns out there are many many bowriders for $1000 & up. I want to use this boat in the everglades, my wife wants room enough for our 3 kids.

The bass boat would be my preference, but what do you think about a bowrider instead, more comfort maybe? Cheaper? What about maintenance? And most importantly is it suitable for the everglades (depth wise)?

 

[Thad]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

OK, I'll play. I voted before I read your post.

No that I know the story, I will say I voted for br/comfort. Because it is. I could not go with best because I will never fish out of my br for bass, and on the same token I will never take the family out on my fishing boat.

Seeing how the wife wants to take the THREE kids along, a bass boat is NOT going to work. Even if they were older.
There is no where for the wife and kids to hang out or relax in these types of boats. The fore and aft decks are at the top of a shallow boat. There is seating, in a big bass boat, for three. Maybe four on some. On the other hand, it is hard to get a br in the places where the big fish are. There is a slight compromise, a fish-n-ski. A bowrider with a troller and stowable pedestal seat, yet open bow for the fam to relax on the way to and fro. A large enough cockpit for them to eat, play tan, whatever, while you fish. That being said, a fishing boat of any kind will never beat the comfort of a bowrider.

 

[cgd7777777]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

bass boats arent real kid friendly sides are really low and you dont want one to fall out and feed the gators
check out the fish n ski boats kinda a combination of both
my buddy just bought a new Nitro fish n ski and its an awsome boat

 

[swick]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

Yeah its funny, a month or so ago I told the wife i wanted to buy a little jon boat and trolling motor. She immediately thought it was selfish I guess. Told me it was a waiste of money. I took her to bass pro shops and showed her the new ones and explained everything to her. She took a liking to the bass boats while we were there. It will be a fishing boat, for use in the everglades. I will probably take my daughters out here and there, but mostly my son who is 8 and some of his friends. I have a limited amount of space to put the boat so anything bigger than 17' is too big and unnecessary. Hence the original idea of the 14' jon boat, I could throw it behind my shed and never worry about it taking up any room. If I bought a jon boat I probably would get one without a trailer for that reason alone, but now we're looking at "more room/ seats." Still a fishin boat though, and I'd prefer to keep it under $2000 or up to $3000 for something "real nice."

 

[204 Escape]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

I'd suggest looking at a f/s deck boat.

 

[swick]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

what does f/s stand for?

 

[wildspeed]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

what does f/s stand for?

fish ans ski

and if you really want to be 5 on the boat and be able to move or fish you better look at 17'+

A DC (dual console), F/S, or B/R are in my opinion your best choice if you want to fish and have some decent sitting space.
Try to look for no carpet or one you can snap out if you plan to do some serious fishing,

 

[swick]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

fish n ski- I shoulda figured that out :redface: I'm looking at some. I figure if its a fam day out, you can count fishing out of the question, but if its a fishin day out it will be at least 2-3 of us. Fish n ski's are nice, may have to pay more for one though. Unless people are advertising their boats fish n ski's are pretty similar to bowriders aren't they?

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

In my opinion I do not fish in my Bowrider at all nor does anyone else for that matter, My boat is a pleasure craft for going out and camping and having fun, The reason I will tell you is because here in the southern state the humidity and heat last longer for a longer season of flies, The biting flies aren't to bad themselves on the bowrider but if you are going to have fish,blood,bait guts, etc.. the flies will be all over you and your family in a heart beat and make for a bad trip out on your boat, even if family wasn't out with you when you went fishing the flies will still be all over the next time you took her out too. If we want to fish we use a fishing boat, for pleasure the bowrider, We even burn any left over food or paperplate and napkins in the fire just to keep the flies down to a minimum too, I am only speaking for here in W Kentucky, Might be different elsewhere.

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

I fish off my bowrider all day long, while the wifey lounges on the back bench or sun deck. If the weather kicks up we put the snap on cover over the bow which keeps most water out if the wave brakes over the bow, and gives some weather protection while headed back to shore...I figure in some of the stuff we've been through a bass boat would have sunk.

That said, to each their own, I really need a downrigger and a trolling motor, but just can't bring myself to mounting one to my pretty bowrider. As others have said, a 17' boat is gonna be a bit cramped for four people as well. So get two boats....



ian

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

I have a Glastron 175 that serves double duty as a family tubing boat, and fishing boat. For tubing, family cruises, etc., I am really happy. We have 3 kids (8, 6, and 4). So far, the 17.5' boat has felt big enough. My in-laws have a place on a nearby lake - so I will take a group out tubing, then come back and take another group - I'll often take my whole family of 5 out tubing with 2 other relatives. It is a little tight, but I think it is fine for tubing trips out from a cottage. If we were ever spending an entire day just on the boat, it would be a different story. Of course, I would assume you aren't tubing in the Everglades!

For fishing, I would say it is OK. I ended up putting the trolling motor on the swim platform with a removeable Minn Kota mount. So, I have the puck through-bolted, and leave just the puck there when tubing with the kids. I built a casting deck on the bow, and remove one of the cushions when fishing. I through-bolted some white rod holders in too. The setup works well if I am drift fishing, or just cruising flats. If I am perch fishing with my kids, it is fine too. However, the stern-mounted trolling motor doesn't work that great for bass fishing around docks...I can do it if there is little wind. My biggest regret with the whole setup is not having a bow-mounted trolling motor. I've seen them on open bow boats like mine, but it seems to require some custom glass work to get the mounts installed.

Hopefully this info helps. Let me know if I can answer any specific questions...

 

[swick]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

sounds like a good set up, I'm thinking something like this now: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Repo...ats?hash=item45ed8da71f&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

 

[kyudizky]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

Swick,
Looks like a great boat at an awesome price.

I have a '91 Stratos F/S 17.5' I paid 3500 for about a month ago, its in great shape and the 90HP johnson tht goes 45 mph and runs like a top (at least right know). I have two small children and so far we love the boat. It is the exact same set up as the Sprint your looking at. Best of both world, it'll seat up to 7, 5 very comfortable, and when your fishing, your on the bow or the stern, which is exactly like a standard bass boat, not as much rod-tackle storage as a regular bass boat, I'll gladly sacrifice that though since my wife likes the F/S setup. The full walk thru windshield is nice for her and the kids to be behind . We do have to be mindful of my 2 yr old staying in the cockpit area as the bow and stern have low gunwales (sides), again just like a bass boat.

I say scoop it up, and enjoy, the whole family!

 

[LIQUID PROZAC]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

i fish off my bowrider while wife and kid lounges or swims-- kid and wife will fish with me too

 

[packman35]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

I'd stay away from that Force motor that's on the Sprint you are looking at. Trouble waiting to happen. They're not made anymore and parts/service are getting harder to find.

 

[wildspeed]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

sounds like a good set up, I'm thinking something like this now: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Repo...ats?hash=item45ed8da71f&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

Being in florida I think you will be tempted to navigate salted water also (gulf, intercoastal....) those bass boat hull aren't very chops friendly....a little deeper V-hull will help

 

[packman35]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

BTW, I have a Four Winns Freedom 180 set up as a F/S. Works great for both. Plenty of room for the family and plenty of room to fish. I am going to build a bow platform to mount a pedestal seat to over the winter.

 

[coolbikeguy]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

I'd stay away from that Force motor that's on the Sprint you are looking at. Trouble waiting to happen. They're not made anymore and parts/service are getting harder to find.

my local merc dealer says parts for the force are no issue at all since they share a majority of merc parts. and werent they bulit by merc ??

 

[32251]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

my local merc dealer says parts for the force are no issue at all since they share a majority of merc parts. and werent they bulit by merc ??

The Force motor is an old Chrysler design that was used as a budget line of motors with a paint job and a Mercury Force cowl added when the company that owned Mercury acquired the Chrysler Marine brand. If you do not do your own mechanic stuff you better have some money saved for repairs when that motor needs it. I just got a very nice Sylvan deep Vhull fishing boat with a Force 40hp motor for $650. I am trying to get it in dependable shape doing the work myself...impeller, gear lube, carb rebuild.....wiring...that is where I will have to have a mechanic. You are right about the parts, they are out there and not cheap, but not a rip off either. If you get the boat and the motor runs good, then you best keep your speed marginal and not push that motor too hard for too long. At modest levels it might serve you well, but not at WOT speeds for all day.

Koolbikeguy is right...beware...there are mechanics who won't even work on the Force motors anymore. I talked to one the other day about my wiring and he said he avoids them. He is not the first I have heard of that does not have good things to say about them.

Go to Craigslist for the largest metro area close to you. Boat prices are at rock bottom right now. There are all sorts of boats for sale there. Incredible bargains especially on runabouts. The fishing boats seem to hold value much better than the toys. When economic times get tough, the toys are sold cheap.

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

I don't buy that a bow rider can't run as shallow as a bass boat..up to a point I suppose. I don't know what the minimum draft is on a bass boat, but mine drafts fine in about 16" of water with the drive up, I can idle in trailer position if need be. Found this out as a dock I used a couple weekends ago was about 50' into the shallows with a max depth of 2'. With a trolling motor I could go anywhere on my boat with 4 adults and a full tank of fuel. I guess some bowriders run deeper, but it's all about hull design.

Ian