New member, soon to be new boat owner with newb questions

[hot carl]

Hello all,

I am a resident of Saskatchewan, Canada and I am looking to purchase my first boat. I joined this forum in hopes of educating myself and (hopefully) avoiding a number of easily avoidable mistakes as well as some advice.

As I said, i am looking to buy my first boat and i kindly wonder whether any of you have any suggestions.

I am looking for a boat between 18 - 20 feet, approximately $15,000.00, has the capacity to pull a few tubers, a kneeboarder and maybe a waker board and/or skier, and can be fished from.

I was looking at a 2008 Glastron Inc. Mx 175 with a 3.0L, but when i googled reviews, i happened upon this forum and a few mixed reviews regarding the 3 or the 4.3.

I was also looking at a used 20000 yamaha ls2000 jet boat, but a few reviewers said that in or out boards are easier to maintain jet motors, let alone 2 of em.

Based upon the information provided thus far, however scant, I wonder if anyone has any input or suggestions about specific boats or where i can obtain further information.

I am happy to be a member and I look forward to chatting with you all.

 

[Silverbullet555]

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with gnewb questions

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with gnewb questions

You have already identified a couple important things. Budget and some of what you want to do with the boat.

What kind of waters will you be boating on. Large lakes, small lakes, bay?

Yamaha has made huge leaps in their jet boats, but back in 2000 they were pretty rough around the edges. They are more like an i/0 now, but they are still different. Seem to take more horsepower to get the same performance. There is a good yamaha forum somewhere out there on the web that has a lot of info on what to look for and what to be afraid of.

Glastron makes a decent mid-level boat depending on the year. Go as big as you can. Why? Because as big as a boat seems, it gets awfully cramped when there is a cooler, towels, gear and people on board.

We have a 23' boat and I still wish we had 2 more feet. Call 2 foot-itis.

I would look for a bowrider with a 5.0 or 5.7l V-8. Once loaded, boats performance takes a hit.

My first boat was a Monterey 190LS with a VP 5.0GXI. Fun boat that served us well until we upgraded to our current boat.

I wouldn't hesitate to get a Sea Ray, Crownline, Monterey, Cobalt or recent Regal. Those are brands I have experience with.

I didn't like the way Maxums, bayliners or blue-waters were built.

There are other good ones to go with, but the ones listed above are based on my personal experience and there are a lot of brands I have had no experience with.


Oh, and always water test with a full load. If you are happy with the performance when it is loaded to the hilt, you'll be happy when it is empty.

 

[hot carl]

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with gnewb questions

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with gnewb questions

Thanks Silver bullett.

In terms of size, it will be largely used on mid sized lakes (but what i consider mid sized may be small to others).

I have found a few sea doos, but they were in the 14 foot range and only had 4 seats.

For whatever reason, i quite like the yamaha jet boat, but because i will be doing some fishing, i am not sure it is versatile enough for what i want to do or if trolling is possible, and i understand that maintenance issues can wrack up pretty quick.

I actually want the boat for summer fun and recreation so i can pull the kids and myself and cast a few if i feel inclined.

I also suspect i may be somewhat limited in terms of access and availability to a wide variety of boats given that i am smack dab in the prairies.

 

[rallyart]

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with gnewb questions

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with gnewb questions

Take the time now, while the weather is okay, to try riding in a few and you will narrow down what you like or need. When purchasing, always take in to consideration how you will tow and store the boat. Too big and it might not fit or be easy to pull. Too small and you might not fit or have it easy to pull you.
There are many good boats out there with 4.3 engines and I would prefer that to a 3.0.
If you can, always drive the boat before you buy it.

 

[southkogs]

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with gnewb questions

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with gnewb questions

Hi Carl,

My only connection with Saskatchewan is having met two pilots out of Moose Jaw this year. I loved the name of the city so much, I haven't forgotten them (we have a town here in Tennessee called Bucksnort).

I don't know that one of the jet type boats will work well for trolling. I can't imagine the systems lend themselves to that. I'm not crazy about the drives myself anyway.

Are you close enough to an area to get a decent Craigslist of boats to buy? If so, it's worth looking at them over the next month or so. You've got a good budget, so spending some time looking is reasonable. I would even suggest a visit to a couple of local dealers and crawl around the boats to see what you like and don't like. When you find something that seems to fit your needs, make sure you can test it or at least have a mechanic look it over. That's your best chance of finding something solid and reasonable.

 

[HCMQA]

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with gnewb questions

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with gnewb questions

Do you have friends with boats that use them in a similar way to how you see yourself using yours?

All boats are high maintenance and will cost good money.

The yamaha boats are nice and the jets work well. However they are hard to park and don't go slow well. Good shallow draft though.

For what you are describing for use you will most likely be much better served with at least a 4.3 I/O or up bow rider.

My friend has a Maxum 21 foot sport deck with the 5.7 with fuel injection bravo 3 and it is a really nice boat. It has three thrusters and a head. It has all fiberglass stringers.

Another friend has a hurricane 22' fiberglass deck boat with a yamaha 150hp ob and it is sweet holds a ton of people, is really good for fishing and can tow watersports very well. The only thing I do not like about it is it is almost impossible to park it in a slip. It will not turn when going idle slow because the bottom is too flat it just slides. major pain. But if you always trailer it it is a really nice boat.

Both of these were bought in your price range.

 

[The Famous Grouse]

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with gnewb questions

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with gnewb questions

HC, I have been to Saskatchewan many times, my brother-in-law lives in Saskatoon so I am at least familiar with what it looks like round your neck of the woods. I mean prairie.

As I'm in Minnesota, I'll also bring up the point of storage and maintainance.

You are correct in that a jet boat is not going to be very suitable for fishing. Jet boats don't tend to have great control at low speeds and because they have no outdrive that serves as a "rudder" to make the boat track, they tend to be a handful at low speeds when there's a wind. Not that you get any wind in Saskatchewan, but I'm just saying if you did. . . Also, the seating tends not to be very versatile for fishing.

Basically, most jet boats in the class you're looking at are for running fast and shallow. Great if that's all you want to do, but not so great if you want more versatility. I also think you are correct in that maintainance and repair can be an issue. Add to that the consideration are you near a shop that can work on jets at all? Lots of people can work on Yamaha outboards, but the jet drive is a different kettle of fish. You don't want to end up with a boat that you have to drive long distances to get service.

The other thing to consider is winterization. Outboards are going to be significantly easier to properly winterize and this process is easy to repeat so you can continue to use the boat after the first freezes of the season and then just re-winterize after use.

I would suggest looking at some "fish-and-ski" type rigs in both fiberglass and alum with outboard power. Given the cost of fuel up there, I'd really think you'd want to zero in on 4 stroke outboards or HPDI 2 strokes. The old carbed 2 strokers are cheaper, but fuel burn is an issue.

The fish and ski rigs have the advantage of a big interior and a good power to weight ration, plus you get the versatility. The last one I had was an 18 foot Crestliner SST and I had full canvas for that rig such that it was perfectly comfortable even below freezing.

You are correct from what I've seen from other Prairie Province members have posted here in the past, choices are limited. I know every boat I've sold here in MN has attracted multiple calls from MT and SK. I'd suggest looking at as many of a given type of boat as you can, even if they aren't for sale to get an idea.

Hope this helps.

Grouse

 

[hot carl]

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with newb questions

Thank you everyone for taking the time and offering your insights.

By way of an update, I have happened upon the Bayliner brand of boats, and specifically the 175, which i can get within my budget for one that is only 3 years old.

After reading the reviews, it seems that the 175 woudl suite my needs, can pull a tube or a kneeboarder, and is rather "noob friendly" as many reviews say it is a good starter boat.

The design also seems to lend itself well to both ski and fishing.

any thoughts on the bayliner 175? also, silverbullett stated that he didnt like the way it was made--can you offer specifics as to what you dont care for??

 

[H20Rat]

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with newb questions

jet drives are different at slow speed, and they take a little more skill. Once you master that, you wonder how you could actually drive a prop boat, in comparison prop boats are like driving the queen mary around as far as handling!

A jet boat will EASILY out handle a prop boat, no question. Now as far as using it as trolling, I don't see a problem with that. i've trolled behind mine, and the only problem is the merc v6 doesn't exactly like to go slow. She will load up eventually. One of the newer 4 strokes would idle all day long.

As far as winterizing, I have to admit I have no idea about the newer yammies. My jetboat is 100% identical to an outboard for winterizing, with the exception I have stator oil also. The engine itself is self draining, just like an outboard. (well, it IS an outboard engine...)

 

[shout]

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with newb questions

fwiw, I have a 20' cuddy with 3.0L and it has a hard time pulling a "normal size" person out of the water on a wakeboard. If I had it to do over, I would have bought the 4.3L for pulling skiers.

- Shout

 

[Sunsetrider]

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with newb questions

IMO a 175 bow rider is the inland lake "standard" that seems to do th job for 90% of boaters in those areas. That is what everyone has and there is probably good reason for that. Not too big to service or tow or handle, room enough for a few guests or to stretch out in, reasonable cost and easy to sell, easy to find used. As for motor size, a lot of guys here seem to dump on the 3.0 in favour of bigger motors. However you will find that the guys with the 4.3 or larger cry constantly about the cost of gas and the efforts required to keep the tank full. I have a 17.5 foot bow rider with a 3.0 mercruiser on an inland lake and it goes as fast as I could ever want. I will never want to pull 3 skiers behind. With Smart Tabs we can cruise the lake after dinner at a leisurely pace or rush back home to put the BBQ on . . . lots of room for everyone. You won't go wrong.

 

[cribber]

Re: New member, soon to be new boat owner with newb questions

It all depends on how many friends you are going to have with you most of the time. I have a Glastron GT-185 with the 3.0l and with more than 4 people it gets a little cramped. The 3.0l will pull a skier just depends on how many people are in the boat.