1st Boat - Need suggestions for powerful bowrider - FW Horizon, SR Sundeck,select ...

Z

zoom007

Recruit
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
5
Hi guys,

This is my 1st post and my first time in a boating community. (Complete NOOB here :))

Well I will start by introducing myself and situation. We have a house on the beach (Med Sea) and always wanted to have a boat, water ski, have some fun on the water however always feared the hassle of having a boat. After riding with some friends having some bowriders I noticed that the fun was worth the hassle which is not that bad as I was imagining. I am not in a hurry as I would like to make my buy for next summer so I am reading up and checking prices.

Basicaly, i started by looking for 30" to 40" cruisers live Bavaria 30 Sport or Sealine S25 however I realized that I would never get my wife to sleep in a small cabin (you know wives :p) and we would not travel by boat. It's finally more to have fun during the day, water skiing, tubing, take friends over, have a nice ride on the coast and have a good sun bath.

I did a list of brands that make these type of boats and to be honest choosing a boat has nothing to do with choosing cars :confused: so much brands, models, specifications and I feel lost in this realm as much as I know my stuff with cars.

I guess the perfect boat I found for me is something like a Four Winns Horizon 310 with 31" with a twin Volvo Penta or medcruiser of 320hp. The design is awesome, the boat is big/impressive as I wanted to take a BMB or Sealine, this one isn't too small. It offers a day berth for a lil nap and seems to take at least 8 people. Well the thing is I want to please myself and have a big, beatiful and powerful boat that I would like to ride and also be fun for sports. Budget is not an issue however it should be worth it. The Four winns Horizon is amazing and make me day dream however 100k$ is a bit too much for a bowrider.

My questions are:
- what are the types of boat I should look for? (NoCabins or Cuddy)
- what size would be good? would 26" and bigger work fine or would it be too big for sports?
- what size of engine? too small or too big? what kind of engine as I heard about IO overboat and others?
- What is the biggest size I can trail as it would be good to store it when not used? I would only use it during summer and sometimes during the year.
- I am considering a used boat if it's a good deal. what year would be too old? I think not older than 2003.
- How many hours on the engine would be acceptable?
- what brands would you recommend?

I am interested in FW horizon or Sea reay sport,sundeck or select. I also heard about Chaparral and I liked these on there website: sunesta 274, SSX 276, SSX 256. What would you recommend from these or others?

I know I am a talker but understand that I am a newbie and very excited about this buy :D Please send me your suggestions, answers to my questions and whatever advise that could help me find a suitable boat.

Cheers,
 
K

KCook

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jan 24, 2002
Messages
1,624
Re: 1st Boat - Need suggestions for powerful bowrider - FW Horizon, SR Sundeck,select

A lot of topics for one thread. But very briefly:

- what are the types of boat - Bowriders, they are easier to sell than deckboats.

- what size - For recreational skiing up to about 24'. Bigger boats will also work for other watersports. Over 26' will need twin motors, which I do not recommend for a first boat.

- what size of engine - For watersports bigger is better. For a boat for cruising only you could get away with a slightly smaller size that burns slightly less fuel. Generally the most "powerful" US built boats are out of favor in Europe because they use so much fuel.

- What is the biggest size I can trail - Here in the US it is common practice to trailer boats up to about the 26' size. Note that big boats are extra heavy boats, need an extra powerful truck to tow them. And you may find a marina that offers "dry" storage. Then you would not need to trailer you boat around the roads.

- I am considering a used boat if it's a good deal. - Good way to save a lot of money. Would help, however, if you knew somebody with boating experience to assist you in this.

- How many hours on the engine - Very roughly 50 hours per year for the age of the boat.

- what brands - Lots of choices. Different boaters have different favorites.

Here are links to some more threads that may help -

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=32229

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=212479

http://www.boatingabc.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=1&Number=54985

Kelly Cook
 
Z

zoom007

Recruit
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
5
Re: 1st Boat - Need suggestions for powerful bowrider - FW Horizon, SR Sundeck,select

Today I did my homework, read millions of threads and articles about boating. So now I know all the boat types, the hull types, the engine types and much more :) (very proud of what I learned today)

So I guess I need definitely a Bowrider or a Deckboat or even a jet boat. From what I have read bowriders are faster than deckboats and handle better so it would work better for me. I have heard good stuff about jet engines but was curious that I didnt read about anybody interested in jet boats when looing for bow riders. I guess a big bowrider from 25' to 28' would work good for me. And also I wouldnt go below 2003. Was wondering if with a bowrider that size I would be able to water ski and wake board? Also is 300HP+ enough or should I go to the 375HP and 425HP versions? I also set myself a limit of $50k (already half the budget saved :) I am on the right track!!!)

I have done some search on boats.com for some used boats and found this:
Chaparral SSI 260 from $32,000 2004
Four winns 250 Horizon from $36,000 2005
Monterey 268SS from $40,000 2003
Regal 2600 from $42,000 2004
Crownline 270BR from $44,000 2005
Sea Ray 270 SLX/Sundeck from $45,000 2005

Formula, Cobalt over $50,000
No used Doral, Bayliner, Maxum, Sessa found

Any recommendations from the results I got?
 
K

KCook

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jan 24, 2002
Messages
1,624
Re: 1st Boat - Need suggestions for powerful bowrider - FW Horizon, SR Sundeck,select

Big boats with jet drives are a specialty that only a few Italian builders cater to. More likely to find a RIB type in that size with a jet than a conventional bowrider.

It is certainly possible to water ski with boats that big. But you will want to avoid the wake. So serious skiers would not select a boat so big.

Assuming the boats listed all have the same motor, equipment, and are in the same condition (all unlikely BTW), then I would pick the Chap and FW as the best prices. With the Crownline and Monterey as the highest prices, for what they are.

Kelly
 
orion25

orion25

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 7, 2007
Messages
386
Re: 1st Boat - Need suggestions for powerful bowrider - FW Horizon, SR Sundeck,select

I would say the Four Winns is a good choice. Also take a look at the Caravelle 267 Bowrider. Great boat. I have a friend with a Caravelle inteceptor and it is an awesome boat.
 
Z

zoom007

Recruit
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
5
Re: 1st Boat - Need suggestions for powerful bowrider - FW Horizon, SR Sundeck,select

I guess I would be 80%+ of the time cruising and the rest of the time trying myself at water ski or giving a hard time to friends on the tub :) So I would say a big bowrider would be confortable for cruising and big enough to get a bunch of friends over. On the otherside it's powerful enough to get somebody out of the water.

I like the Chap and FW would keep looking into these lines. The question of the day is I have to check if I can get these brands serviced in Morocco. Otherwise I would like to grab a used one from spain or south of france so if you can recommend any websites specialized in europe, spain or france used boats. I know that because of the exchange rate I might get a better deal by buying one from the US but wouldnt be easy to try it so I am still checking these routes.
 
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