Fishing and Skiing - Aluminum or glass Dilemma

[petriw]

We are faced with a dilemma not unfamiliar too many families. We like fishing, tubing and skiing. We are in Canada. We have lots of lakes but many of them can be quite rocky. I have had two glass boats and one tin boat. Both glass boats sustained some dings. Seems to me tin boats are a lot more expensive than glass ones, about 25% here. So glass it may have to be. Alternately I can buy a tin boat with a smaller motor hoping to upsize to more power later on. Looking at a 04 Tracker pro guide V 16 with a Honda 50. I can buy an 07 Bayliner 175 here for the same price.

Can someone tell me what they think is a better plan. I don't want to undersize on power and regret it later on. At the same time i don't want to get stuck with a boat I can't launch myself if I want to go fishing and the kids have left home.

Love to hear your thoughts on this.

Wade in Saskatchewan....the province with 100,000 lakes.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Fishing and Skiing - Aluminum or glass Dilemma

You didn't say what kind of motor the Bayliner has, but I'd go with the Tracker. That Honda 50 will have a good resale value if you decide to upgrade.

 

[petriw]

Re: Fishing and Skiing - Aluminum or glass Dilemma

The Bayliner has a 3.0 litre 135 horse Mercruiser.

 

[petriw]

Re: Fishing and Skiing - Aluminum or glass Dilemma

Don't know if the 50 has enough power to pull the kids around the lake.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Fishing and Skiing - Aluminum or glass Dilemma

There's a reason the bayliner is cheaper (newer boat, bigger engine for the same price) than the tracker, I'm not saying bayliner is a bad boat... but if you'll look at the main boat questions, you'll see lots of posts about people having a lot of problems with bayliners.
Look at the first 5 or so pages.
http://forums.iboats.com/forumdisplay.php?f=11

You get what you pay for.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Fishing and Skiing - Aluminum or glass Dilemma

A pylon on a 150 HP bass boat is great for skiing and tubing. I have an 88 tracker with a 150 XR4 on it I paid 5 grand for. It's been very good on both counts, not to mention it's crazy fun fast.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: Fishing and Skiing - Aluminum or glass Dilemma

There's another issue you should consider - and that's how each boat rides. And certainly you should spend some time in them both in the real world conditions of your lake.

For instance (and my intention isn't to insult anyone's boat!) my family have found that aluminum boats of the size you are considering tend to pound a good deal when running in a chop. My step father has a gorgeous Crestliner with a Merc Verado on it (I think an 18 footer; 175 hp). It goes like stink but we call it The Crashliner for the harshness of the ride. Probably a factor of both the (relative) lightness as well as the shallow v of the hull design.

Shown here in foreground...

I would also not worry about glass versus tin just because the lake has a rocky bottom or shore. Here in Ontario lots of lakes are just ice-scooped hollows out of good ol Canadian Shield granite (note shoreline above...). Not soft! Anyway, fibreglass still enjoys healthy popularity here despite those conditions. Chances are you will ding your prop and skeg first anyway - and you've got both of those on whatever boat you choose.

As for launching solo - again I wouldn't let that drive your decision too much in the size of boat you are looking for. If you haven't done much of it, don't worry - experience and practice will have you solo launching either one in no time.

Other random thoughts...

I lived with a Mercruiser 3.0 for ten years in a 17ft SeaRay and loved it. Simple to maintain, easy on gas, and bullletproof. Just don't expect to set any speed records. And if you are expecting to pull big skiers, launches can be a bit leisurely.

Don't see how you could go wrong with the Honda either (love them 4 stroker outboards!), although it has - obviously - about half the power of the Merc.

Anyway - above all - I'd say spend some time on the water in both boats and bring the family. Handling, ergonomics, spousal and offspring preferences and many other factors just can't be judged by reading an ad or sitting in it on the trailer making engine noises...(although that's how I like to spend time if I can't get on the water...)

Good luck - and keep us posted!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Fishing and Skiing - Aluminum or glass Dilemma

There's a reason the bayliner is cheaper (newer boat, bigger engine for the same price) than the tracker, I'm not saying bayliner is a bad boat... but if you'll look at the main boat questions, you'll see lots of posts about people having a lot of problems with bayliners.
Look at the first 5 or so pages.
http://forums.iboats.com/forumdisplay.php?f=11

You get what you pay for.

Did you not happen to notice the other boat being considered?

 

[wa_ssv197]

Re: Fishing and Skiing - Aluminum or glass Dilemma

I grew up skiing behind a BlueFin with a Force 50. By the time I was 15 I was too big to ski behind it, I would pull the back end of the boat when cutting the wake.

Our neighbor has a Lund with a Honda 150 on it and they wakeboard and surf behind it.

All depends on your needs and budget.

 

[DaveM]

Re: Fishing and Skiing - Aluminum or glass Dilemma

I grew up skiing behind a BlueFin with a Force 50. By the time I was 15 I was too big to ski behind it, I would pull the back end of the boat when cutting the wake.

Our neighbor has a Lund with a Honda 150 on it and they wakeboard and surf behind it.

All depends on your needs and budget.

Surfing behind an outboard? Really? Yikes!

Both boats seem a bit under powered for adult slalom skiing. Personally, I would go with the Tracker as it will probably do a bit better for HP vs. weight ratio. I have been known to slalom behind a 16' tinny with an 85 HP Merc. It worked, but was not outstanding.

 

[phone sails]

Re: Fishing and Skiing - Aluminum or glass Dilemma

Surfing behind an outboard? Really? Yikes!

Both boats seem a bit under powered for adult slalom skiing. Personally, I would go with the Tracker as it will probably do a bit better for HP vs. weight ratio. I have been known to slalom behind a 16' tinny with an 85 HP Merc. It worked, but was not outstanding.

what is the difference ..outboard or i/o they both have props,to cut you up,,,

 

[UpperBay]

Re: Fishing and Skiing - Aluminum or glass Dilemma

I recently purchased a 05 Tracker Pro Guide 16 with a Mercury 50 hp 2 stroke. It's only rated for a 60 hp Max. Fastest I have had it was 29mph by gps. Usually around 25 mph WOT. Thats with two adults & 11 yr and 4 year old. It's really sluggish taking off with the oem 10.5 13p prop. It does get on plane fairly easy though. The Tracker Targa is rated for a much larger motor. I don't have much experience with boats so take that for what it's worth. I think the pro guide is a nice fishing boat, but I don't think you could pull a ski well with it.

I am very happy with my boat though. I bought it to mainly fish & crab with. Something I could take out several times a week after work & launch quickly & easily by myself. Occasionally taking the family out also.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Fishing and Skiing - Aluminum or glass Dilemma

Having started my skiing fun at the age of around 15 with a 14' wooden boat and a Rude 18 hp, having adequate hp can really make for a stellar day vs a ho-hum ride. We didn't know any better back then and we were lucky to afford what we had. The "big" engine of the day was a 35 hp OMC or a Merc 55 @ 40 hp.

The 50 is really small for the things you mention and I would discount it on that ground alone especially when it sounds like you want to load up the boat with family so that all can enjoy the aquatic activities, rather than staying on the bank until their time to ride.

Deciding to upgrade later can get to be a big deal with all involved in reconfiguring for the new engine and off loading the old engine/controls on someone else.....just ought to do it right the first time, enjoy what you bought, and save the hassle later on.

I don't know what year Bayliner you are talking about, nor it's current condition. I knew of problems early on with the brand (early '70's era) which I understand have been resolved and they really turn out some pretty boats now in their sales catalogs.

The 135 Merc is a fine engine and very reliable. 135 prop rated hp on a 17.5 ft boat with the right prop and you are in for a day's fun.

I have had glass and alum (Starcraft 18' Holiday I/O years ago, and current 17' bass boat). I have dinged the alum boats and they stay dented. The glass boats either blew off the impact with nothing but a slight scratch, or resulted in gel coat dings which I repaired to reasonable satisfaction.

I have fished alone a lot of my life and have figured out how to launch and retrieve alone including the Starcraft with high sides and closed bow with solid windshield, a Caravelle tri-hull glass with 125 Johnson, and others down to the current 17' boat with a 90 Merc., in all kinds of weather and keep my feet dry in doing so.

Back in the days of the (my) family fun you mentioned, It got to be a big deal for me to be able to run the speeds needed for suitable family fun with the water toys. I liked to slalom at around 35 mph and I weighed 200+#. The ability of the hull to slice through chop and other boat's wakes was of paramount importance. The Caravelle with deep V and sponsons rather than a semiV with sponsons, and reasonable boat weight made all the difference in the world. A deep V single hull of today would do even better as the sponsons kept you dry, but did add some rough riding....in those days, they only offered a bow rider in a tri-hull and only later did the BIA followers get their act together and offered a deep V with bow riding capabilities.


My vote, all things equal, would be the Bayliner, hands down.

Good Luck,

Mark