want family friendly ski fish boat

[lets_fish]

First post here.I am looking to buy my first boat. Main use would be for fishing with a friend or two and on occasion some water fun with family, probably tubing not so much skiing. I plan on storing the boat at my house so I would like something smaller and manageable by myself. I was looking at 17 - 19 ft open bows but am now wondering if a bass boat might be better. Good for fishing but what about family? I saw a 96 Stratos for sale locally that looked like a pretty good mix between fish/ski/and size. Also a friend had a Triton that he used for fishing and water sports. Any other boats i should be looking at? This boat would be used in Delaware River and some other large freshwater lakes in my area.
Also what is the best time to buy? I'm not in a huge hurry. I have been looking for two years, but only seriously for the past two months but am wondering if i should wait until the winter months to buy? I'm sure in this economy i may get a better deal and selection but then a test ride is out of the question. Thank you.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: want family friendly ski fish boat

ages of children?

 

[QC]

Re: want family friendly ski fish boat

Budget? Personally I think October is the best buying month, season over, not too close to Christmas . . .

 

[109jb]

Re: want family friendly ski fish boat

Based on what you said, I would lean toward a deep V outboard powered boat about 18 foot. I personally like aluminum, but there isn't anything wrong with fiberglass. Since leaning toward fishing, I would go for the flat front deck and just have some cushions made for when you take it pleasure boating. That's just my opinion. As for the bass boats, they stink for pleasure boating in my opinion. They have limited seating, not much freeboard, no sidewall to keep kids from falling out, and riding on the flat decks is not a good idea. Go with a biggish engine for the watersports. Keep in mind that these are just my opinions and are loosely based on what you listed in your original post.

John B.

 

[KCook]

Re: want family friendly ski fish boat

For a fish-n-ski from back in the mid-90s I would keep an eye open for an Ebbtide. They had several models for these.

Kelly Cook

 

[ne7800]

Re: want family friendly ski fish boat

a friend of mine had a 18 foot (i think) starcraft aluminum open bow looked like a bow rider but had a flat deck with a post seat in the middle had i belive a 90 hp merc he used it for fishing and family fun it was a deep V and we took it out on lake Michigan on kind of a choppy day and it handled it pretty good

 

[Pierutrus]

Re: want family friendly ski fish boat

If you could answer TD's question, that's kind of a biggy.
Little kids in Boston Whaler's....ummm

And QC's question....That's another little biggy.

 

[bec1456]

Re: want family friendly ski fish boat

sounds like you want what I just purchased 2 weeks ago. '86 Ebbtide 180 SS fish & ski w/ 200 Merc., power jack plate and ski pole. IMO this boat works perfect for our family of 4, seats pop out and can be moved to several positions for fishing and has plenty of power for tubes or skis. Prices will probably be better later towards winter, but I would definetly test on water. Whatever you choose good luck to you.

 

[triumphrick]

Re: want family friendly ski fish boat

I agree with 109, and stay away from a bass boat. The gunnels are super low and so easy to toss a kid out and over. Not the best family boat.

Right now we are deep in the season, however a lot of boats seem to be up for sale. I bought mine the end of winter after searching for three months. I wanted a fishing boat and there are a ton of them for sale down here.

Have you taken in any boat shows to get a feel of what might suit you and your family? Do you have friends who have a boat that you are comfortable with? Have you considered a boat club..one with a good variety of boats that you are allowed to take out?

Also, if you buy used you may want to enlist the help of a marine surveyor or someone really knowledgeable to have look at what you find.

Hope this helps and welcome aboard!

 

[lets_fish]

Re: want family friendly ski fish boat

well my son is only 2 and i'm not sure at what age i would actually take him in the boat but i have some nieces and nephews in the 12-16 age range. i want to get a boat because i think it would be a good family 'hobby',as my son gets older he could be more involved if he would like. Budget is up to 12k but would be more comfortable around 6-8k. I think i would go for a more expensive boat in a few years when i get a little more experience. I haven't been to any shows but i went to Bass Pro and really like the smaller Tahoes, also went to Sea Ray dealer and like the 175 and 185. I tend to like that style of boat. But is that something I can slip in a river and fish with? Also i'm an hour away from any marinas so i would store the boat on my property, probably covered outside, so i want something that i could maneuver around my house.
I would like maybe a 99 and newer. I see a lot of mid 80's to mid 90's boats for sale that look nice but am a little leary of buying an older boat. I am mechanically inclined (auto body repair tech for 18 years) and i can tear down a car motor and rebuild it but i don't want to buy a repair project. I'm getting a boat to try and relax a little! Thanks!

 

[lets_fish]

Re: want family friendly ski fish boat

A few mentioned ebbtide and i see this on Craiglist.is this the style you mean?
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/boa/789133379.html

 

[109jb]

Re: want family friendly ski fish boat

If you have been to Bass Pro, the type boat I was thinking about is something like the Targa or the Tundra. They have the fishing features that you are looking for and can be used very well for family fun outings. As for the Tahoe or Sea Ray's, they are more pleasure than fish. That's fine if that's what you are thinking the boat will mostly be used for. It sounded like the first post that fishing was the bigger use.

I don't know if you have considered maintenance, but the IO's will require more. Not that there is anything wrong with them, but you should be aware. IO's have essentially the same lower unit as a outboard, but also have the gimbles, bellows, engine compartment blowers... All of these require more attention and maintenance. Additionally, the IO will need to be properly winterized, especially if you live where it freezes. Failure to do this could result in a broken block from trapped water freezing. This winterization can be done by you or a dealer. The dealer will probably get around $500 for this. The IO also has a big hole in the transom that, although unlikely with proper maintenance, could be the source of a leak into the boat. The outboard on the other hand can be winterized by just about anyone and the only mechanical thing to do is remove the air cleaner. Takes me all of about 15 minutes to winterize mine. The outboard is protected from freezing simply by lowering it so that all of the water can drain from the engine. There is also no hole in the transom.

As for your son being 2 years old, my son was in a boat before he was one. Actually, the boat always put him right to sleep. You can get infant life preservers that would roll the child face up in the event of a mishap.

 

[KCook]

Re: want family friendly ski fish boat

A few mentioned ebbtide and i see this on Craiglist.is this the style you mean?
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/boa/789133379.html

Dyna-Trak was the label for Ebbtide's line of fishing boats. In addition they also had (and still do have) a line of conventional bowriders with deep hulls like Sea Ray, etc. Also available with fish-n-ski features.

I'm not going to tell you which style to get, low profile or deep. In my view that is a personal preference. I felt plenty safe in my bass boat. I can also understand that some moms may not.

Kelly