So I currently have a '93 Four Winns 215 Sundowner:
I purchased it this spring, and although it took a lot of initial work, I've got it looking nice and running beautifully and it's been a great boat.
There's a lot of things I like about it, however, I've since realized that it is not really perfect for my needs.
All I really use the cabin for is storage, and it's not very practical going up and down into it to get to coolers, bags etc. The toilet is located under the center cushion in the cabin, and usually there's too much crap down there for it to be easily accessible, so most people just jump in the water. The bow is not terribly comfortable to lay on, and the anchor locker is relatively difficult to access. So the closed-bow aspect of the boat is largely a waste of space for me.
Also, the cockpit setup consists of two swivel captains chairs and a large rear bench, so there is only really seating for ~6 people.
My boat also does not have snap-out carpet, which means when things get spilled on the carpet, the stains can become permanent and cleaning is much more difficult/involved.
My boating consists of hanging out all day with 4-8 friends, usually on a large inland lake (Lake St. Clair), and some tubing/wakeboarding. I wanted a cuddy because the lake can get fairly rough (2-3ft chop) and a closed bow boat is generally a deeper V, more "seaworthy" boat. I have been quite impressed with how my current boat handles rough water; however I'm finding that the impracticality of the closed bow far outweighs its rough water capabilities, but that is still important to me because I do intend on using the boat on large bodies of water, for instance the Great Lakes.
So, I'm thinking that it may make sense for me to switch over to something like either a traditional open-bow, deck-type or even a dual console boat.
My wish list would be:
21-24ft.
Open bow
Ability to "comfortably" handle 2-3 footers
Enclosed head
Lots of storage
Easily accessed anchor
Snap-out carpet
Quality build
Now, there are plenty of new boats that match my needs perfectly; something like this would be absolutely perfect:
Or a dual console:
However, my budget is only ~$10k, and it seems that they simply didn't start making boats like this long enough ago to be affordable; most are either traditional bowriders (sit fairly low in the water, no enclosed head, etc.), full out deck boats (very shallow deadrise, poor build quality etc.), or full out fishing boats (very little seating, live wells, etc.).
Any suggestions on a particular older boat that would fit my needs, that would come in around $10k?
The closest I've found is something like this Rinker:
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1998-Rinker-232br-101823579
But they seem to be quite uncommon.
Any suggestions on a particular boat that would fit my needs?
Any input is welcome,
Thanks!
I purchased it this spring, and although it took a lot of initial work, I've got it looking nice and running beautifully and it's been a great boat.
There's a lot of things I like about it, however, I've since realized that it is not really perfect for my needs.
All I really use the cabin for is storage, and it's not very practical going up and down into it to get to coolers, bags etc. The toilet is located under the center cushion in the cabin, and usually there's too much crap down there for it to be easily accessible, so most people just jump in the water. The bow is not terribly comfortable to lay on, and the anchor locker is relatively difficult to access. So the closed-bow aspect of the boat is largely a waste of space for me.
Also, the cockpit setup consists of two swivel captains chairs and a large rear bench, so there is only really seating for ~6 people.
My boat also does not have snap-out carpet, which means when things get spilled on the carpet, the stains can become permanent and cleaning is much more difficult/involved.
My boating consists of hanging out all day with 4-8 friends, usually on a large inland lake (Lake St. Clair), and some tubing/wakeboarding. I wanted a cuddy because the lake can get fairly rough (2-3ft chop) and a closed bow boat is generally a deeper V, more "seaworthy" boat. I have been quite impressed with how my current boat handles rough water; however I'm finding that the impracticality of the closed bow far outweighs its rough water capabilities, but that is still important to me because I do intend on using the boat on large bodies of water, for instance the Great Lakes.
So, I'm thinking that it may make sense for me to switch over to something like either a traditional open-bow, deck-type or even a dual console boat.
My wish list would be:
21-24ft.
Open bow
Ability to "comfortably" handle 2-3 footers
Enclosed head
Lots of storage
Easily accessed anchor
Snap-out carpet
Quality build
Now, there are plenty of new boats that match my needs perfectly; something like this would be absolutely perfect:
Or a dual console:
However, my budget is only ~$10k, and it seems that they simply didn't start making boats like this long enough ago to be affordable; most are either traditional bowriders (sit fairly low in the water, no enclosed head, etc.), full out deck boats (very shallow deadrise, poor build quality etc.), or full out fishing boats (very little seating, live wells, etc.).
Any suggestions on a particular older boat that would fit my needs, that would come in around $10k?
The closest I've found is something like this Rinker:
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1998-Rinker-232br-101823579
But they seem to be quite uncommon.
Any suggestions on a particular boat that would fit my needs?
Any input is welcome,
Thanks!
