Too general of a boat question but i still ask

[huskeria]

Hi all,

I have read a ton of information in this forum and don't even own a boat yet. I was going to buy one and posted some questions concerning the boat. It didn't take long for the members here to give me information that made it clear i was making a bad decision.

I know this may be too general of a question but i am wondering if any of you can help me with some suggestions concerning the purchase of a used boat.

The things that are important to me are as follows:

I am interested in something that i can take my kids out fishing with. My wife is interested in taking friends with us and skiing. As this is my boat we have compromised and I will go fishing with the kids, she can take friends, and i will pull her in a tube.

It would be nice to have something that can pull someone behind it and also carry eight or nine people and also and most important allow us to fish.

I would like to do all of this for five thousand or under. I would love to be around $3,500.

I don't mind a boat that isn't perfect. I don't mind doing some work to make it look nice. But time does not allow me to rebuild stringers, floors and the like.

I may be too greedy with my wish list for the dollar amount i want to spend. If so I will put the search off some more. But if there is a general type of boat or brand of boat etc that jumps to your mind that would fit that bill for that price i would appreciate the feedback. I would like to narrow my search in other words.

I have had people try to sell me open bow ski boats and a bayliner rendezvous. I just want to make sure that i don't get too excited about something that is obviously a bad direction to go.

Anyway, input is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Bluegills Unlimited]

Re: Too general of a boat question but i still ask

I would say look for a 18' or 19' Fish & Ski boat with a 125-150hp outboard.

Or maybe a deckboat?

Either would work for what you would want to do, I would say you would be looking to spend more on the $5k end of the spectrum, to get something that needs no critical work to go and be reliable and safe. Especialy since it is the beginning of the season. But it is doable in my opinion

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Too general of a boat question but i still ask

I'll second the vote for looking at deckboats. I have one (that I just sold) and replaced it with another (larger) deckboat.

It seats 10, pulls tubes/skiers, and is great to fish out of. Running a 175HP but you can get by with a little less.

To me, its like a hybrid car. Doesn't excel in one area or another, but is a great combination to support all these requirements.

You're price range will get you one, but it'll be older, and may need a bit of work but that's dependent on the care the current owner has taken.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Too general of a boat question but i still ask

I think you're going to have a hard time fitting 8-9 people in a 18-19' fish/ski boat. Maybe if all you want to do is putter around & do some light tubing a pontoon would suffice? I have a 19' closed bow (not a cuddy) that is really cramped with 6 people. I guess I can see 2-3 more if it were a bowrider, but it'd be tight & you certainly wouldn't go very fast.

Also, you'll want to think about combined weight of passengers too, not just body count. You may be able to cram them in, but your hull may not be rated for it & you run some serious risks from overloading.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Too general of a boat question but i still ask

I'd also state that my *FREE* (boat & trailer were given to me for nothing) boat has cost me well over $3k over the past 2 years getting it right & it *still* doesn't run the way it should. To a large extent, I think you get what you pay for in the $3-5k range, so be prepared. Even with newer, more expensive boats, boating won't ever be cheap.

 

[wildracing22]

Re: Too general of a boat question but i still ask

I found myself looking for practically the exact same thing last year. I knew what i was looking for from the beginning though, Deckboat all the way!!! A deckboat gives you the room of a pontoon but the performance of a v-hull. What more could you want? My boat is 21' but measures out like a 23'. I can carry 10 people, fish off just about all areas of the boat, ski, tube, etc. I have a mercruiser 350 mag mpi and a bravo 3 drive. I have ran it up to around 45mph with 6 people onboard. As for your budget, I think you are probably asking for more problems than you want to deal with around $3500. I would step up the budget alittle, buying a wore out boat will not be any fun.

 

[huskeria]

Re: Too general of a boat question but i still ask

Thanks much for responding. I have an opportunity to by a 26' mid nineties bayliner rendezvous for 5,000. I know the trailer he has under is was purchased last year for $3,000 dollars. He needs the cash. The boat is in good shape other than the trim which is dinged up. The boat holds 13 people which has a cool factor to it but it seem gigantic. And I don't know that a trolling motor could pull something as big as that. Any idea if that is so big as to be ridiculous to expect to be able to fish from?

 

[Bluegills Unlimited]

Re: Too general of a boat question but i still ask

You need a big boat for 8-9 people, which makes the deck boat maybe the most attractive offer. BUT you will never be able to go very fast, or pull tubes and skis when your boat is loaded down with 7 or 8 people. Even if it COULD do it, would it be safe? imo

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Too general of a boat question but i still ask

I think you're going to have a hard time fitting 8-9 people in a 18-19' fish/ski boat. Maybe if all you want to do is putter around & do some light tubing a pontoon would suffice? I have a 19' closed bow (not a cuddy) that is really cramped with 6 people. I guess I can see 2-3 more if it were a bowrider, but it'd be tight & you certainly wouldn't go very fast.

Also, you'll want to think about combined weight of passengers too, not just body count. You may be able to cram them in, but your hull may not be rated for it & you run some serious risks from overloading.

I agree with you here superbenk. I have a 19' deckboat. Seats 10 (will comfortably in my case, but 3-4 are usually small children) and has a 1410lbs capacity so we have to be careful not to count just bodies and overload.

My 17' (running a 115HP outboard) held 4 adults a few munchkins with 1 on a tube and wasn't a speed demon, but met the needs for tubing and cruising quite well. And, I fished out of it with 3 people no problems.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Too general of a boat question but i still ask

Deckboat, period. Almost all fish-n-skis are fine for 2 adults and 2 children, but they aren't good when you have more than 2 full sized adults aboard.

The question I'd give to you is what type of fishing are we talking about? Are you wanting to have a trolling motor on the front to get into the shallows and coves for the bass, or are we talking straightline/trolling for catfish or other deep-water species? The reason I ask is because a boat like the Bayliner may be fine if you just want to straight line fish for hours and even do some night fishing, but you aren't getting back in any small coves with it, and you aren't likely mounting an electric trolling motor on it either. The pocket cruisers are fine for doing just that; cruising/deep water fishing; they aren't good at being water sports-oriented because they take a long time to plane out and have large wakes not suitable for skiing.

The deckboat allows you the ability to fish in the shallows, open layout to carry 8-10 in the rare occassions you need to, and pulls tubes/skiers with relative ease. You can find some decent deckboats in the 5K's, but it's gonna be rough to go lower.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Too general of a boat question but i still ask

Bayliner Rendezvous is a very comfortable and roomy boat. Depending on power it should serve your needs...... if it is equipped with a 150 hp outboard you will top out at a touch under 30 mph.

It will not turn on a dime...... it is a big boat! Just keep that in mind for trailering, launching and retrieving.

 

[huskeria]

Re: Too general of a boat question but i still ask

Yes thanks. I have thought that the right choice was to look at deck boats but wasn't sure. Now i have a better idea. The type of fishing i grew up with is pan fish. Yes I would want to be able to maneuver into more shallow areas and not be stuck in one place all day long. So maybe the 26 foot rendezvous is way too big. The seller said that it doesn't sit low in the water but still, i think its around 4,000 lbs which is a lot to ask of a trolling motor i would imagine.

 

[trejac]

Re: Too general of a boat question but i still ask

"Almost all fish-n-skis are fine for 2 adults and 2 children, but they aren't good when you have more than 2 full sized adults aboard."

Is exactly right. I bought a 19' I/O two years ago for 5K and I tried to put my mother, father, me, my wife and two very small children. It fit everyone but was not comfortable. One time my with my mom and dad in the bow, I backed out of the throttle when my son fell off the tube and the bow almost took on water.

I would look at auctions from marina's. I have a freind that picked up a 31' cubby cruiser for 1K. It is something of a project as the bellows were leaking for a time. But the motors are free and will be water ready for under 5K.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Too general of a boat question but i still ask

generally speaking, a boat rated for X people is comfortable with X-2 for sitting and X-4 for fishing. So don't plan on taking all 9 people fishing! And a boat rated for X, carrying X, will have a hard time with hole shots, etc.

$3,000 for a boat that holds 9-10 will be a boatload of problems and a lot of down time. Are you and your fam,ily OK with the boat being down for weeks at a time? The $3000 would also be a down payment; be ready to double it in the first year.

A boat that holds 9-10 is more expensive to own just sitting there: nisurance, larger storage, taxes, slip fees, etc.

Take a close look at your use--will you typically have that many people on board, or just occasionally? If you have a family of 5 and 5 more trolls who will always want to be on your boat, encourage them to get their own, and yuo'll all have more fun with two travelling together!