Need help--boat for wife

[boatneck]

I posted a similar message on the Engines/Motors forum--got some good advice then realized maybe the right forum should be this one. Anyway, here goes. We're new to power boats. I've sailed for some years on the Chesapeake Bay (25 ft keelboat) and both my wife and I have had the Coast Guard auxiliary course. We have neighbors who have power poats (ProLine, Bayliner, etc) and have ridden with them. My wife does NOT like sailing and would like a powerboat to cruise the rivers and creeks of the Bay area. We've looked at a number of used boats and decided that for reliability and safety, an outboard motor and a Boston Whaler looks good. But they are pricey. A local dealer sells Hurricane deck boats. Are they a reasonable option? They sure seem to be less expensive, but I can't find much info about them from people who have owned them. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[RPM]

Re: Need help--boat for wife

I have a 1990 25' Boston Whaler Revenge with T-200 Mercury Outboards in excellent original condition. Asking $22,500. You can reach me by email or at 920-236-4220 and can see it at http://www.perfmarine.net I also have a new 19' SeaSprite Deckboat with a 4.3 EFI volvo for sale on a trailer for 20k<br /> <br />Rod<br /><br />rod@perfmarine.net

 

[Philby]

Re: Need help--boat for wife

Boat for Wife ??<br /><br />That seems like a fair swap.<br /><br />Can she cook ?

 

[Rex]

Re: Need help--boat for wife

PLUS $10,000 TO GO.<br />JUST A JOKE

 

[boatneck]

Re: Need help--boat for wife

Thanks, RPM for the offer, but when I clicked on the URL, my computer crashed. So unless it's some wonder boat I'm not going to do that again.<br /><br />And Thanks Philby, great chuckles and laughs. My wife can cook and she wants to know where you live!<br /><br />Who pays whom, RexA?<br /><br />We plan to check out the Hurricane and Wellcraft boats which the local guy also sells. All this stuff is ringing $$$$.

 

[JB]

Re: Need help--boat for wife

Ahoy,. Boatneck. Don't be swayed. Stick to the Whaler. Only a suicidal crackpot would take a deckboat on the bay and risk weather change.<br /><br />Red sky at night. . .<br />JB

 

[Philby]

Re: Need help--boat for wife

Sunny old England Rex !<br /><br />My boat AND a tow truck !?!

 

[Chum Slick]

Re: Need help--boat for wife

Boatneck,<br /> I have never owned a deck boat but I have spent a bit of time fishing from one. I have a bud that has a 23 ft Hurricane deck boat with a 115 hp outboard that he keeps slipped in Chincoteague and uses all around the bays and inlets of Chincoteague, Asapreague, and Watchapreague Islands. Email me at foosballpaul@yahoo.com and I can give you his phone number. He has spent the biggest part of the past 45 years on the water around Chincoteague and the Chesapeake Bay area and is very knowledgable about different types of boats used on the bay. I do agree that Whalers are a great boat especially in rough water. I have a 24 ft Mako so I am partial to Makos. I also have a 20 SandPiper Pontoon that I take in the bay area around the mouth of the Potomac and Patuxent Rivers and I don't think of myself as suicidal; I do keep an eye on the weather and know my and my boats limitations. Type of boat you decide on depends on what part of the bay you will be cruising and primary use of the boat.<br /><br />Keep the Bait in the Slick......

 

[BillT111]

Re: Need help--boat for wife

Hi Boatneck,<br /><br />I live in Oklahoma and we have a place at Lake Eufaula in the eastern side of the state. I have had several fishing/bass type boats and the wife hated them all. We are looking at the Hurricane's as well.<br />They have a pretty good reputation and ride nice. Your wife will have good "creature " comforts on a hurricane, they have nice interiors and most seem to have removeable carpets for easy cleaning. I'd get her out on a test drive/ride and be sure to go on a day when you have some "good chop" on the water. Some deckboats have such shallow "v" hulls they tend to spray alot when in choppy water. Our next boat will be a deck style rig, but am still looking at a few more prands as well. Lowe seems to be just OK, Princecraft makes a nice one. I think Crestliner makes one too..you have lots of choices..Just be sure not to get one thats underpowered for your needs!!! i have a friend buy a fiberglass deck and with 6 on board it barely does 30mph.<br /><br />Good luck and enjoy the test ride!!! BillT111@aol.com

 

[boatneck]

Re: Need help--boat for wife

Well, we did it! My wife and I took a test ride on a Hurricane GS188 today and froze since it was 42 deg F and blowing like crazy. The dealer guy took us out on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Great Wicomico and it was pretty choppy and very windy. BUT, the ride was smooth and DRY! We bought the boat -- Yamaha EFI 115 four-stroke. We were really pleased with the boat and ride--hydraulic steering, digital depth gauge, etc. She really liked the spaciousness and nice layout of seating.<br /><br />Want to say big THANKS to all who responded to my questions, and my wife is looking up where Manchester, England is. This is one terrific web site--lots of knowledgeable boaters here. Thanks again.<br /><br />Boatneck

 

[Chum Slick]

Re: Need help--boat for wife

Congrats on the new Hurricane. I apologize for not responding to your email with my friend's phone number. He just left for Florida and won't be back until May. Hope you and the misses enjoy the Cane, they are good boats. Is the Great Wicomico and the Wicomico that runs to Salisbury the same river? If so you are almost due east of where I put out (Point Lookout). Have to get together this spring for some bay fishing.

 

[boatneck]

Re: Need help--boat for wife

Chumslick, we are on the Great Wicomico which is on the Virginia side of the Bay south of the Windmill Pt light. We're probably quite a ways from where you are. Thanks for the offer of the advice of your friend, but now we are into the Hurricane at any rate.<br /><br />Boatneck with Hurricane wife

 

[Richard RG]

Re: Need help--boat for wife

Your wife probably wants a dry ride and stable platform with a lot of storage space. Plus of course, safety. Check out the Day-5 Tunnel hulls. Day-5.com<br />Richard RG