cuddy or bowrider

[joebeadg]

I wanted a small 16' bowrider, now I see a nice GW invader 20' CC for under 5g, looks interesting. I'm in central fl, will be on river, lakes and maybe west or east coast occasionaly. Any advice? Thank you, Joe

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

For me a bowrider on a small boat is the best. No wasted space.

 

[767Captain]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

If you want to fish, a center console or walkaround is by far the best choice. If you just want to goof around, doesn't really matter. Big difference between a bowrider and a cuddy boat though. I wouldn't think the two are really comparable.

 

[Tubingluvr]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

I have always had a bow rider, sitting up front while cruising is the best.
I have 6 kids and they are always fighting over who gets to ride up front.
Keep in mind though if you plan on venturing out to open water a bow rider will take on water when in a lot of chop and if you take on too much water the bilge will not be able to pump it fast enough.

 

[ziggy]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

depends on what ya think you'll do with the boat. i grew up with my dad's bowrider. worked great for what we did. mostly water skiing. i was in my teens at the time. had a cabin with our own beach ft. it worked perfect. once in a while it'd get fishing duty or a slow cruise but mostly water sports.

these days i've got a interesting boat. it has a sliding hardtop. i've used it to ski, fish, and cruise in. now that i'm much older, the cruising is most important. i only got one kid and he's off on his own so it's ony me and the gf. we've also found that we can camp/sleep, whatever ya wanna call it on board the boat we've got now. it provides full cover. these days, i just can't say how nice it is to be able to get out of the weather, be it rain, cold, wind or all three. the cover is great. really makes going out a whole different ball game compared to a bow rider. i also like the closed bow for the sea worthiness of the design.

so to me, kinda depends on what ya want to do with your boat. if i ever get a lot of money, my next boat will likely be a cabin cruiser... i like being able to take taller surf and be out of the weather... but that's what i've found out about me, you may be different...

 

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

Do you have small children, if so, it might be better to go with the cuddy cabin. I know how quickly this Florida weather can change. If no small kids, bowrider is always good. I personally like cuddy cabins, for camping out, but go figure, I got a bowrider. I like the bowrider, but if there was a cuddy in the same condition and for the same price as this one, I would have gone with the cuddy.

 

[mike343]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

"I have 6 kids and they are always fighting over who gets to ride up front."

My grandkids do too, but with a 22ft deckboat we can handle 6.

 

[madurodave]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

CUDDY! Love it!

 

[this forum wont let me]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

Bowrider for me love it. No matter what you will have a boat and you will love it good luck.

 

[scutly]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

this is how i decided on cuddy over bowrider. either one you can ski or tube with and im not a hard core fisherman but still would like room for 2 to fish.

1: do i need room for 6-8 people on board or like 4-5 while hangin out?
2: do i want to spend whole day baking in sun or have a small but clean and comfy spot for 2 people to cool off and chill for a while private like.
3: do i need a porta potty?
4: will i occasionally want to overnight on the boat?
5: is the water im boating in mainly calm or mainly chop?

answer those questions and you will know what boat to buy

 

[jdlough]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

On the other hand, you're in Florida. From what I hear, them cuddy nooks can get awfully hot in the Florida sun.

I have a bowrider with a canvas snap-on bow cover. It would supply shade for little kids, and I suppose almost enough privacy for a portapotty. With the canvas off, it is a nice space for a couple of folks while cruising, and is a nice extra spot for a fisherman while anchored or drifting.

scutly does make some good points with his questions, but most folks I know end up not using the cuddy much.

 

[mziegler]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

I had a 20' Bayliner cuddy for 4 years until my kids no longer wanted to ride in our boat because they wanted to ride in the bow of my brother-in-law's boat. So now I have a 1988 Four Winns Horizon 200 open bow and love it. I do not regret having the cuddy when we did, but it was time to upgrade to a bow rider. One thing to consider is if you want to haul 5-6 people, you can do it in a cuddy, but they will all be in the back of the boat making it really difficult to get on plane.

 

[skargo]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

Any chance of rough water a cuddy is the only way to go. Try stuffing your bow with each and you'll have your answer. Of course, my wife and I go boating to get AWAY from the crowds, not bring 10 people along with us on a small boat.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

Also a little different around the docks. Bowriders are much easier to dock if you have someone up front to throw a line. With a cuddy you'll have to sharpen your low speed/docking skills.

 

[skargo]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

Also a little different around the docks. Bowriders are much easier to dock if you have someone up front to throw a line. With a cuddy you'll have to sharpen your low speed/docking skills.

I have no problem docking my cuddy when I'm solo, sharpening skills is a good thing!

Plus, where do you "get busy" at in a bow rider?

 

[scutly]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

I have no problem docking my cuddy when I'm solo, sharpening skills is a good thing!

Plus, where do you "get busy" at in a bow rider?

EXACTLY! . i understand that the cuddy size on a 19 or 20 is more like a pup tent, but on my 23 i have plenty room for just about any kinda chillin out i want to do in private.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

Personally, wouldn't ever own a cuddy. Not nough room to even turn around in the bow, and I don't want to have to crawl to get to a resting place. If chop is bad enough to need a cuddy cabin because of waves crashing over, you probably shouldn't be out in it. You can always get a canvas cover for the bow riders if you want shade, although baking in the South 100 degree heat is not my idea of fun.

If you want a place to rest, get a day cruiser around 26 or 27 ft. Then you actually get a bed and bathroom for privacy!

I'll add one more thing that a 16' open bow and a 20' cuddy are hard to compare because you have about the same amount of usable space in each. Compare an 18 or 20ft bow rider to a similar size cuddy and the BR wins hands down.

 

[Tommy Monsoon]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

Personally, wouldn't ever own a cuddy. Not nough room to even turn around in the bow, and I don't want to have to crawl to get to a resting place. If chop is bad enough to need a cuddy cabin because of waves crashing over, you probably shouldn't be out in it. You can always get a canvas cover for the bow riders if you want shade, although baking in the South 100 degree heat is not my idea of fun.

If you want a place to rest, get a day cruiser around 26 or 27 ft. Then you actually get a bed and bathroom for privacy!

I'll add one more thing that a 16' open bow and a 20' cuddy are hard to compare because you have about the same amount of usable space in each. Compare an 18 or 20ft bow rider to a similar size cuddy and the BR wins hands down.

Cruiser all the way!

 

[joebeadg]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

Tanks for all the replies guys, I still may go eithwer way, I think when I find a great boat at a great price , I'll buy it, whether its a cuddy or a BR. Any other opions are welcome too.

 

[ziggy]

Re: cuddy or bowrider

while i don't have a cuddy or a br. i do have a boat that was designed outside the box of the norm... it's a closed bow sliding hardtop w/ aft curtain...

max cap. is 6. works best with 2 which happens to be my normal load..

two fold down beds. normal back to back seating. very comfortable to sleep on.

note it's been raining in this pic. the aft curtain is saturated. yes it got a little damp inside, but it was mostly dry. dry enough to be comfortable anyways. it rained for 3 or 4 hours on me. hard at times too.

and yep, i've gone/been out in the stuff when i shouldn't have been. not by design and the closed bow was a saving grace. i stuffed it multiple times...
all this in 19'

one more..

open for them sun shining daze....

so there are other options. boats come in many different verities... many of which are most unique in their own way..