Mark42
Fleet Admiral
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2003
- Messages
- 9,334
Re: advice for 14' boat
My boat is 14' 6". I can pull it up on the beach myself, and it's even easier with two people. It can be towed with a class 1 tow hitch, but I use a class II on my car just to be safe. The bumper hitch on the suv works fine too. You can find lots of older boats that will fit your needs that are well maintained. The Tri-Hulls may work well for you because they are often bow riders even in small sizes, very stable on the water both moving and at rest. They are excellent all around boats for lakes and rivers. They don't perform quite as well on bay waters because they bounce and don't cut the waves as well as the V's do. But it's something to think about. A used classic in good shape will save you $$$ that you can put to use on a new outboard for safety and reliability.<br /><br />Something like this '72 Asrto Bow Rider from the iBoats Classifieds maybe? $1200 15 foot tri hull. Sell the 80hp Merc and buy a nice new(er) 40 or 50 that won't suck the gas so much!<br />
<br /><br />Of course I am a little biased toward older classics, but what did you expect? 
My boat is 14' 6". I can pull it up on the beach myself, and it's even easier with two people. It can be towed with a class 1 tow hitch, but I use a class II on my car just to be safe. The bumper hitch on the suv works fine too. You can find lots of older boats that will fit your needs that are well maintained. The Tri-Hulls may work well for you because they are often bow riders even in small sizes, very stable on the water both moving and at rest. They are excellent all around boats for lakes and rivers. They don't perform quite as well on bay waters because they bounce and don't cut the waves as well as the V's do. But it's something to think about. A used classic in good shape will save you $$$ that you can put to use on a new outboard for safety and reliability.<br /><br />Something like this '72 Asrto Bow Rider from the iBoats Classifieds maybe? $1200 15 foot tri hull. Sell the 80hp Merc and buy a nice new(er) 40 or 50 that won't suck the gas so much!<br />