New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

[RollingWanderer]

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

We also have a 19' bow rider with 4.3/alpha 1 combo and will backup what BTMCB said about it being a good combo for tubing, skiing, etc.

It's gonna be a tight fit with 4 adults and 6+ kids. Also, depending on how old the kids are and how well they listen you may want to keep an eye on the freeboard. Boats with a lot of freeboard are (IMO) safer with little kids on board.

-RW

 

[rokrau]

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

I've seen a few mid-nineties inboard boats (Malibu, Centurion, MC) for around 15k on CL lately. Take the usual negotiating range of 20% off and you are getting close...

There are some nice deals out there right now.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

I don't think you'll be happy slalom skiing behind a deck or toon, or 12 person boat of any kind--you may have to sacrifice some of your criteria. I also don't think the other 11 people are going to have much fun watching you ski, and if you give them each a turn, you're up next 3 hours later. and teaching someone to ski behind one often results in axe murders.

If you must get one boat for 12, look into the big Carolina Skiffs, too. They have high sides, good floatation, aren't expensive, run well and hold lots of people.

Remember that a boat for 12 will be expensive to operate, store, and to repower when the time comes.

Keep in mind that a boat rated for X is comfortable for X-3. When it's hot, you don't want to be all stuck together. Children like to move around; guys like to stand. When it's colder, one side of the boat is catching some spray but you can't shift half your passengers to the dry side if you're full to capacity. And 12 people tote a lot of stuff.

This may sound extravagant, but why not consider 2 boats? A cheap old basic skiff for skiing at $3000 and a barge (toon, smaller deck, etc.) at $7,000? The families can hang out, anchor, toodle around while you and two others ski and tube in the vicinity. Someone can go out fishing in the small craft while the rest nap or hang on the beach.

My point is: $10 K, families, 12 bodies, slalom skiing, tubing--a lot of requirements for one vessel. Those children will be bigger before you know it--and will want to bring friends. Some trips (hopefully!) you won't have the whole clan and will be glad to have a smaller option. And more economical.

I've done a lot of large crowd/small boat vacations--whole weeks on an island--and having the options presented by several small boats is great. PLus since you have to buy an older cheaper boat, you it won't be running all the time--you have a spare.

 

[Steve Mahler]

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

Two routes I would investigate; the first is a large bowrider or deck boat. I get it that you dont want a toon - I kindof dislike them my self, even though they are great with a ton of people. Sea Ray has made a 22ft bowrider for years, often with a 5.7 merc, that would be perfect. If you cant find a suitable big bowrider, consider a modest boat and a 3 person jetski. This is what I do, and it is great fun - we anchor the big boat and take the kids for rides and tubing on the jetski - works out great.

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

I have not seen the boat so I can't say for sure but the 196 ss you are interested in while a nice boat is no way going to carry 12 people. A 19 1/2' boat with a molded swimdeck is no way big enough for that. Believe me kids don't just stay put in a boat, yes while underway they must stay on their butts but once stopped here they all come, it can get pretty chaotic quickly. I drive a 20' crownline and there is NO WAY I could jam 12 people aboard. Its rated for 8 and it has the more conventional type rear seating as opposed to the sport seating. My brother however has a larson 22' lxi bowrider and it is rated for 11 it is very well laid out and will fit that # of people but not much else as far as gear, coolers, towells, etc is concerned. I would be surprised if a 196 is rated for 12 but maybe I'm wrong, it would be a sardine run if it were. Look at some of the deck boats or bigger bowriders, think about seating layout, consider a tower they are great for storage of watersports equip and a great learning tool for young kids to get them out of the water. Just don't pull tubes with the tower if you get one.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

Also if you want more room get a center console. All that nice seating in a sofa boat makes it too crowded, especially when you add coolers, toys, beach bags and picnic baskets. You add seating to a CC with bean bag chairs! Anyone who complains about sitting on a towel or cushion can stay home.

 

[mike343]

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

Thanks again for the advice. I've been looking around and found a run-about that seems to fit what I am looking for. It is a 2002 Chaparral 196 SSI with a 5.0 Mercury EFI motor and the Coast Guard plate gives it a capacity of 12 people. I need to go see it in person, but it looks like it is a good fit for what we need.

A 19 foot boat is probably too small for your requirements. When you look at it take as many of the family as you can and see how much space there is. Also, a 5.0 with 12 people isn't going to do what you want.

 

[golf101]

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

I have been in the exact same position you are in. I strongly recommend a deck boat over a pontoon. I recommend getting a 24' boat with a 5.7L (echoing what someone said above, loading up a boat with a 5.0L leads to a noticeable drop off in performance). I would also definitely get duoprop, a boat with a head, and a boat with at least 19 degree deadrise. I had a deck boat that I loved that had a 17 degree deadrise. It was generally great, but when we needed to get back to the marina quickly (sick kid/bad weather coming in), it was hell going across choppy water.

Not certain you can get all that for $10,000, but, if not, I'd stretch a little to try to get it.

BTW, if your kids are small, a wakeboard tower is unnecessary. You can always add that later, and you can save a grand or more by going for a boat without a tower.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

While Golf's advice is good, I question a first-time boater starting with a 24'. That's a lot of boat to operate, trailer, store and maintain. A $10,000 budget is a $7,500 purchase price plus rigging, tax/title for boat and trailer, and insurance before it hits the water--if storage is free.

I think what we have here is the typical situation of mutually exclusive requirements: Price, size, capacity and purposes conflict.

And that's not to say experienced boaters don't try to fit square pegs in round holes, too.

 

[security6]

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

Again, thanks for the great ideas. This gives me a lot to think about. As this is the first boat I am buying, I'm still trying to figure out what I want and what I need. Of course, the Admiral has her own ideas about what we need. Perhaps trying to fit two families on one boat at all times is too much and we should consider having some people hang out on the beach. It is also hard to know how often we'll have other people out with us. I'm leaning towards cutting our requirement for the number of people we have on board and getting a mid-size (20' - 22') bowrider or deck boat.

The only thing I have against pontoon boats is how open they are. I live in Wisconsin and would like to get as much use in as possible, so that means we will be out on some cooler todays. Seems like it would be nice to have a protected area for people to ride in (obviously we would limit the number of people we have out on cooler days).

 

[cwhite6]

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

Check into some of the newer Yamaha jet boats. You can find them used and the 23' ones have pretty high capacities. Not having a I/O opens up a good bit of room in them also. You can easily do whatever watersports you want behind one.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

Hey Cwhite I bet your Carolina Skiff is rated for 6. He could get two (as I suggested, or as someone else said a boat and a jetski). They're great boats, aren't they?

 

[cwhite6]

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

I love my skiff. It is much more rugged and solid than the jon boat I used to have. SO far it has banged off logs and various other objects and keeps ticking. And, I get 28mph GPS with me in it. I don't plan on ever letting it go. Perfect catfish, crappie and all around boat for me.

 

[Cap'n_Half-hitch]

Re: New Used Boat Advice - Lots of Small Children

Home Cookin had a good idea about the two boats. But that requires two tow vehicles. I'm just brainstorming here, but if I were in your situation I might consider one of those pontoons with a little cabin or snap-in enclosures for colder days, and winch a jet ski onto it on warm watersport days.

They aren't ideal, but you can pull a skier with one. Then you could refer to the pontoon as the "mother ship." That in itself would make it worth it.