Deck boat vs. Bowrider

[superbenk]

We were looking at a Bayliner 217 deck boat today at the dealer & it got me thinking about the differences between a deck boat & bow rider. Obviously the deck boat provides more amenities and room for people, but what about performance & handling? Can anyone enlighten me on the major differences other than the obvious?

 

[reddogg]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

Deck boats are a nice ride on good calm water, but they can be rough riding when the weather picks up. They do have more room and are generally more stable. A bow rider is basically a v hull with an open bow and behaves like one. Really you have 2 differant hull designes here both with pro's and con's. I currantly have a deck boat and I love it for the room and stability. she's awsome on rivers and lakes where waves aren't to big, but when i take her into the gulf i have to be careful. a bow rider of similar size will handle the rougher weather better, but not have the space and nice amenities.

Red

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

+2 on the above. I started looking around our lake after reading about deck boats, and they are very, very popular. Most boats here are Stardecks, but we don't have a Starcraft dealer anywhere around.

I wouldn't want to run them in the open ocean, but they're great in protected waters and rivers.

 

[redone4x4]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

alot of deckboats dont have windshields. a BIG thing when weather gets rough. thats the biggest difference i have noticed. but, some of them do have glass just not alot of them

 

[four winns 214]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

I have a Four Winns 214 deckboat. It has a very nice layout with lots of room and amenities, but it doesn't handle like a V-hull boat. I also own a 21' Sea Ray cuddy so I can make a direct comparison. By cutting the wheel and bumping in and out of FWD and REV, I can spin the cuddy around in about its own length in tight quarters. In a crowded anchorage or around a dock, that's a nice feature. My 21' Four Winns deckboat just won't do that. I have a neighbor who fancies himself as an expert boat handler. He was going to show me how to handle the deckboat at a restaurant dock one evening. It humbled him.

If you routinely carry a lot of people and need things like an enclosed head, the deckboat is the way to go

 

[45Auto]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

All of you guys are obviously new to this forum. If you had been on here any length of time you would know that the only type of boat to have is a center console. Your whole problem is you're messing around with those comfortable "sofa boats" with all the conveniences that make boating fun - you don't have a REAL boat!

 

[Chet labrozzi]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

Just made the switch from V hull to a deck boat. The lake where I am at the deck boat is outstanding as the lake doesn't get all that rough. The waves are max 2 to 3 feet, the deck boat is much nicer for hauling people, room and space however if speed etc is an issue i'd stay with the v hall... I previously had a 20 foot bowrider and went to a 24 foot deck boat. I would not go back to the bowrider at this time!

 

[cobra1476]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

I did the same switchthis year between an 18' bowrider and a 21' deck boat. Comfort is definitely a deck boats advantage. Performance it would have to be 100% bowrider.

I boat on a lake and a bay, I would feel 1000% safer on a bowrider than a deck on a bay. You cant cut through waves or even wakes on a deck as easy as a bowrider. Sometime it almost feels like you are "riding the wave".

For some reason this year with this new deck boat I have been caught in 2 fast moving storms and the last one was the scariest. Racing back to the dock with 4ft waves slamming into the boat, I couldn't get the boat to go anywhere.

On the lake, the deckboat is great since there are no big waves like a bay.

So the biggest factor I had never considered before I bought the thing was where exactly I was boating.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

If you routinely carry a lot of people and need things like an enclosed head, the deckboat is the way to go

Many bowriders have enclosed heads as well, you just don't see most of them until you're in the 23-24' range.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

We do nearly 100% of our boating on lakes & occasionally on the Delaware river north of Philly (fresh water). I don't really see us going into any open water or venture even that far into any bays (maybe the north end of the Chesapeake someday). Most of our boating is on the man made lakes in eastern PA and the Finger Lakes on vacation.

From everything I'm reading so far, the deck boat definitely sounds like it might be a good fit for us. I was looking at the Sea Ray brochure today and noticed their deck boats look more like bowriders than what Bayliner offers. Any other good brands I should look at? Probably something in the more economy class if new. I don't see many decent deck boats used.

Gotta say, the Yamaha jet boats are really cool looking too!

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

hey 45auto what do you like about the center console my dad loves them and i was thinking for my next boat. getting a center console vs a cuddy cabin boat.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

Back when we had enough kids to fill a station wagon, we kept moving up in boat size. We liked to water ski and seems the lakes were always rough (2-3'). Found a couple of vendors with 21' with 200 Hp that would do 40 mph and thought about it for a long time but considering the cost/upkeep/fuel and all of that boat in addition to the tow vehicle and all, trying to raise a large family, I decided against it. We stayed with our 18' trihull and 125 hp engine.

Mark

 

[cobra1476]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

We do nearly 100% of our boating on lakes & occasionally on the Delaware river north of Philly (fresh water). I don't really see us going into any open water or venture even that far into any bays (maybe the north end of the Chesapeake someday). Most of our boating is on the man made lakes in eastern PA and the Finger Lakes on vacation.

From everything I'm reading so far, the deck boat definitely sounds like it might be a good fit for us. I was looking at the Sea Ray brochure today and noticed their deck boats look more like bowriders than what Bayliner offers. Any other good brands I should look at? Probably something in the more economy class if new. I don't see many decent deck boats used.

Gotta say, the Yamaha jet boats are really cool looking too!

If a deck boat is your choice. Starcraft or Hurricane are good ones. I own a starcraft and it is definitely very spacious! I compared it with the same length searay, and the searay wasn't open enough. The bow area was very tight.

 

[lkbum]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

Deck Boat = minivan
Non Deck Boat = not a minivan

 

[reddogg]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

One other thing i'll add is that if you go with the deck boat, don't skimp on the motor. With a good powerful motor, you can pull tubers, wakeboards, skiers, etc. An under powered deck boat sux.

Red

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

The deck boat I was looking at didn't have toons, it had a streamlined, pointed bow slight semi-v hull. On the deck, it was laid out like a toon. Very very functional and very fast. It was so big and wide that the almost flat hull was not a (rough riding) problem in 2-3' water.

Mark

 

[superbenk]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

The deck boat I was looking at didn't have toons, it had a streamlined, pointed bow slight semi-v hull. On the deck, it was laid out like a toon. Very very functional and very fast. It was so big and wide that the almost flat hull was not a (rough riding) problem in 2-3' water.

Mark

I'm definitely not talking about pontoon boats (dual or tri-toon). I'm talking specifically about V-hull deck boats Bayliner 217 or Sea Ray 240 Sundeck for example. They pretty much look like bowriders with a more people-friendly interior.

 

[lkbum]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider

Bayliner 217 or Sea Ray 240 Sundeck for example.

From a recent Boating Mag article on Popular Boats (www.boatingmag.com)
The People?s Choice: Sea Ray 240 Sundeck
You don?t have to be first, you just have to get it right. That?s what happened with this boat, a longtime favorite of many.

In the ?90s, fiberglass deck boats were the logical successors of aluminum pontoons. Offering similar features to ?toons, they looked more like boats. But the ride hadn?t improved. Designers were sticking with catamarans and trihulls. While good for floating a deck load of partiers, they had to boogie back to the marina when the lake got choppy.

The next generation came in ?94 with the Godfrey Hurricane Fundeck 246, the first to use a true V-hull. It still had a squared-off front deck, but also a well-rounded bow. Sea Ray followed, improving the breed in ?96 with the 240 Sundeck. It was a winner, but was soon reshaped into the boat we know today. It can still hold 10, but now with the comforts of a full-width windshield and a finer hull.

Its popularity made it an instant classic. It?s unlikely that any one model sold more units, and this is probably more than some companies put out for their full line. Numbers speak for themselves, and that says: Here?s a cult worth joining.

 

[hrdwrkingacguy]

Re: Deck boat vs. Bowrider



That is our deckboat...2010 glastron 215 gt...It has a VP 5.0 GXiC-J 270hp...I can get it to do 57mph(on the GPS) with 4 people...It does "OK" in rougher water...but it is coast guard rated for 13 people...