Deck boat owners past and present, please give me advice!

[bjennings79]

Looking for my first boat (for the past year) and I think I've decided on a deck boat. Something along the lines of the Hurricane SS188 or the Sun Tracker SD190. I need something that can be a jack of all trades, master of none. I'm looking for a boat for the family + friends, and will be doing a little of everything. I expect there will be a lot of fishing done from the boat, with some occasional tubing. I'm just wondering how you owners feel about your deck boat, especially fishing from it. Would you purchase a fish and ski or some other type of boat if you had it to do over again?

 

[commander315]

Re: Deck boat owners past and present, please give me advice!

fish and skis are nice boats.. depending on which deck boat..fishing can be iffy..maybe look into some fish and skis...(Glastron and Stingray make and made some nice fish and skis btw) good luck !

 

[Shife]

Re: Deck boat owners past and present, please give me advice!

We had a 1988 Four Winns Candia 180, 4.3L OMC Cobra, from '88 to '03. The boat itself gave us very little trouble and we sold it for $10k. It was always kept under a covered hoist and garaged during the winter. Waxed 2x/year with fluids changed spring and fall. We had chronic slow leak down issues with the tilt rams, but this did not affect performance of the boat at all. Ride was terrible in anything lumpy. The boat was great in smooth water for tubing, cruising, etc. We kept the boat at our cabin on Houghton Lake, MI and it was basically bad at everything unless the water was flat. Uncomfortable seating for fishing. We replaced it with a '03 24ft Crest Family Fish DL pontoon and it gets 10x the use the deck boat did. Everyone in the family likes the pontoon so much better than the deck boat that we actually have problems trying to make sure everyone in the family gets their fair share of time with it. Our only mistake with the pontoon was not going big enough on the engine. The 60hp 4 stroke Johnson has been excellent but is short on power when it comes to pulling the kids on a tube or skiing. We should have stuck a 90hp on there.

I would not recommend a deck boat for fishing. The layout is horrible to fish out of. For cruising and tubing they do great on flat water. I also would not recommend one for anything other than small lakes with flat water. Most are built on a tri-hull design and pound something terrible. Since there are always exceptions be sure to shop around and do your research.

I would not hesitate to buy a deck boat for the small lake I live on, but it would not be my first choice. I would not purchase one for use on any lake with enough fetch and area to build a significant sea state. I would choose a fish & ski over a deck boat any day. The Alumacraft Trophy 185 is at the top of my short list if I decide to replace my Blue Fin. If you have a large family to please the larger fish friendly family pontoons are a great choice. We couldn't be happier with ours. Sitting on shore because it is too lumpy for your boat means you bought the wrong tool for the job.

 

[Swishguy]

Re: Deck boat owners past and present, please give me advice!

I bought a lowe 190 Tahiti deck boat new last summer. It came with a 115 4 stroke merc that was underpowered(for me) & the switched to a 150 e-tech. It gets great fuel mileage & hits 50 mph with ease. I hasd 2 pontoon boats before but they were just too slow; ill handling & cumbersome. My deckboat has the best of both worlds. It has a ton of room for people with a lot of storage ; is very quick & handles like any regular boat. The only issue is in big waves there is minimal protection & you can get a little wet. A lot of my buds with open bow fiberglass boats are now seriousely looking at deck boats as they are so versatile.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Deck boat owners past and present, please give me advice!

Looking for my first boat (for the past year) and I think I've decided on a deck boat. Something along the lines of the Hurricane SS188 or the Sun Tracker SD190. I need something that can be a jack of all trades, master of none.

Let me speak from experience as I'm on my 2nd deckboat and just recently purchased the SS188.

The SS188 has a similar hull as the tri-hulls and does hit chop harder than a V hull but I use mine on a midsize lake and don't have much concern with it. Sure it's not a smooth as my V hull on my previous Hurricane deck boat, but I'm happy with it's handling/ride.

As for fishing out if it...No problems. Comes standard with the livewell and with the bow area as large as it is, you can easily mount a trolling motor (dual battery and wiring harness all available from factory as options) and bow mount fishing seats.

I have and do fish from it with no issues. No it's not a fishing boat but you also want a boat to cruise, water ski, tube, etc. This boat sits 10 people and is a great hybrid solution for your requirements.

My only recommendation is go with the 150HP option. (I opted for 200HP) The standard 115HP will do everything except when you load it with people and tube. It'll be slow to get going with that boat.

Check out the Hurricane threads. There are a few posts/pics of different models, etc available that may suit your needs. And, they're a great/well built boat.

 

[bjennings79]

Re: Deck boat owners past and present, please give me advice!

Thanks for the great advice. I have a family of 4, with two small children. We would like room for the 4 of us, plus the occasional couple of family members and friends. We live a half hour from Sam Rayburn, which is over 110K acres. But I'm sure we'll be doing quite a bit of traveling with it as well. We were on a guided trip this morning on a pontoon with a 90 HP Merc and never got over about 20 mph. I just don't think I would be happy with a pontoon on a lake of that size. The fish n ski was what I was originally looking for, but they don't have the room we need. I really don't know that I have any other option at this point. The good thing about the Hurricane is that there is a smallish fishing deck up front with room for 2 seats. I believe there is also another on the back.

NelsonQ, I saw the 188 at a dealership on Lake Livingston over the weekend and they had it priced at just under 24K. I don't remember what motor came with it at that price. Do you have any advice on what price I should shoot for if I go this route?

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Deck boat owners past and present, please give me advice!

NelsonQ, I saw the 188 at a dealership on Lake Livingston over the weekend and they had it priced at just under 24K. I don't remember what motor came with it at that price. Do you have any advice on what price I should shoot for if I go this route?

bjennings.....being in Canada, the pricing would be different however, the list price on that boat (all sold out and only dealer inventory remains) is $17,995 USD with a Yamaha 115 4 stroke included. (http://hurricaneboats.com/boatdeals.cfm)

What isn't included but usually will be part of the package is the boat cover and ski pole. These would be around another $1000 I'd guess.

Throw in about $2k for the trailer (I assume it'll be included) and you're running around $21K. However, without knowing all the features they've add, hard to say. Many dealers include another $1000-$2000 for water preparation fees (includes water test, full 45 gallons of gas, license, hull registration, preparation fees for setup, etc) so their price isn't too far off.

If it has a 150HP or larger, the price difference would easily cover the engine upgrade cost plus the addition of hydraulic steering.

The 115HP will move that boat nicely, but loaded with your family of 4, and another family of four, you can cruise/have fun all day, but won't push 8 people and drag a large tube with ease. If you plan for that, look at moving into a 135 or the recommended 150HP. It will give you the best bang for the buck.

My 200HP Moves that boat over 50MPH and can drag a couple of tubes and lots of people so I'm quite confident the 150HP is the right motor for your possible current and future needs.

 

[bear_69cuda]

Re: Deck boat owners past and present, please give me advice!

Another vote for a Hurricane,

I have a 202 FunDeck GS with Yamaha F150TXR. I can pull tubes, skiers, fish with ease from the front deck (with trolling motor) This boat can do about anything, lots of room, and endless storage. I've had it in heavy chop, and while it's not a v-hull, the rugged hull construction handles it very well. I had 6 on board over Memorial day weekend, full of gear, 52 gal of fuel, 15 gal fresh H2O, both coolers filled, and still was getting 40+ mph GPS with my 17" P prop. The 17" P gave me a very good hole-shot even while pulling tubes and a skier... I wish i could have afforded the F200TXR, but could not justify the extra $4500...

It's the SUV of the boat world...

 

[kenny26]

Re: Deck boat owners past and present, please give me advice!

The newer generation of deckboats now have a 20 degree deadrise like a runabout to help improve the rough water characteristics. I just got a Tahoe 195 I/O and it has fishing pedestals built into the fron and rear swim platforms and integrated fishing rod storage, plus a live well. Its also easy to mount a trolling motor to the front deck if you want. I'm in the same situation as you family of four, 2 kids and #3 on the way. Deckboat makes total sense. The interior room compared to comparably priced runabouts is not even comparable.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Deck boat owners past and present, please give me advice!

The deadrise on the SS188 is 13"

For reference, here is the latest review from Boating World Magazine to give you more insight into the one you're looking at.

http://www.boatingworld.com/boattest/pages/HurricaneSunDeckSport18860fe3c79.aspx

 

[gus13letter]

Re: Deck boat owners past and present, please give me advice!

I too have been looking at the deck boat - Hurricane 202. A friend of mine is willing to make me a great deal on his. I am just skeptical because I see so many say it is a rough ride. Not sure if they are speaking from experiance though....
I will be using it mostly in the Gulf of Mexico around the intercoastal waters and sometimes will be on the gulf side of the islands. What size waves are considered too large for the Hurricane? I am not out for a deep sea fishing boat. More for family. Also I will not be going out if the weather isnt nice either.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Deck boat owners past and present, please give me advice!

I too have been looking at the deck boat - Hurricane 202. A friend of mine is willing to make me a great deal on his. I am just skeptical because I see so many say it is a rough ride. Not sure if they are speaking from experiance though....
I will be using it mostly in the Gulf of Mexico around the intercoastal waters and sometimes will be on the gulf side of the islands. What size waves are considered too large for the Hurricane? I am not out for a deep sea fishing boat. More for family. Also I will not be going out if the weather isnt nice either.

gus13letter.....post a new thread in the Hurricane section. We'll gladly give you some feedback from a series of Hurricane owners.

Add as much specific info available on the boat as possible (I believe you're referencing the SS 202) What year is the boat, etc.

The answer will be depends. I've owned 2 decks boat, one that hits hard and one that runs through chop really nice.

Pic of the hull would be good to understand it (varies by deckboat)

 

[gus13letter]

Re: Deck boat owners past and present, please give me advice!

gus13letter.....post a new thread in the Hurricane section. We'll gladly give you some feedback from a series of Hurricane owners.

Add as much specific info available on the boat as possible (I believe you're referencing the SS 202) What year is the boat, etc.

The answer will be depends. I've owned 2 decks boat, one that hits hard and one that runs through chop really nice.

Pic of the hull would be good to understand it (varies by deckboat)

Ok, thanks. I didnt even see those forums at the bottom. I posted my question here.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?p=2784927#post2784927

Hopefully someone can help me out soon.I was looking to make the deal today.