Re: deckboat which one is best
This is going to come off more technical or picky (and long winded) than I probably want it to, so I?ll apologize now, but I thought it might help to be clear as to what a ?deck boat? design really is and what it means. I did a ton of research prior to making the decision to buy my current boat and I found that many manufacturers claim to have a ?deck boat?, but often it?s just a modified bow rider.
When you talk about ?deck boats? in the technical term, usually it describes a hull design that enables the bow of the boat to be ?equally as wide? (or very close to as wide) as the stern. This design is what gives you the extra deck room over a bow-rider, especially in the front seating area. Many manufacturers have a psudo-deck boat design. Often they just widen the gunnels at and near the bow to give the boat a wider appearance and add a front deck platform area, but this does little or nothing in truly physically expanding the front seating area. This is because those manufacturers use the same or similar hull as their bow riders. It?s only the deck half (top half) of the mold that is different.
Deck boats usually have a much flatter hull (for example, mine has a 12.5 degree deadrise, some go as high as 16 degrees, bow riders are often around 20 degrees or greater). That flatter hull design has a number of advantages like; very stable ride at all speeds (or none), getting on plane quicker, (which benefits many watersports), and being able to stay on plane at slower speeds (good for beginners) to name a few. Flatter hulls can give you a rougher ride in choppy water, but my experience has been that it has a much greater effect on boats under 21 feet. I have been very impressed and VERY satisfied in the performance of my 23 footer in some of the pretty choppy waters I experienced on Lake George (as hurricane Irene was working her way up north). It seems that displacement and size makes a big difference on how the hull performs in rougher waters. However, these hulls are not designed for open seas.
Most of the boats listed in this thread are very good makes and models. I would say that although the Chaparral Sunesta is a very cool boat, its design is not really a deck boat. Its bow is not the same width as the stern and it has a 20 degree deadrise. So in my opinion, that model is a good example of a modified bow rider, but it?s not really a ?deck boat?. So you will need to make the ultimate decision to want the benefits of room and performance of a deck boat or be satisfied with a modified bow rider.
When buying used, ?YES?, condition is usually more important than brand. Replacement parts availability for both boat and powertrain is another strong consideration. Long discontinued models run the risk of limited parts availability in the future (especially for replacement boat parts).
Finally, to address your original question (?finally? your probably saying!), I would say most true deck boats are in the middle to mid-high quality range (Four Winns, Hurricane, Tahoe, etc.). If you want higher quality, those manufacturers mostly build the modified bow rider (Regal, Sea Ray, Chaparral, etc.).
Ultimately, you?re looking for a really fun boat!.
