Bigger Boat

steve mcintire

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Feb 10, 2014
Messages
39
My first boat is an 1985 Strarcraft 15ft and a !996 Mariner 60. I am ready for something bigger, We are retired and cost is big, so we don't mind an older craft. Tin vs fiberglass? What to look for. I am a carpenter by trade and can DIY on small repairs. I use some input on the no-nos of buying used
Thanks in advance.
Steve McIntire
 

aspeck

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
May 29, 2003
Messages
18,588
2 footitis happens quite often, so figure out how big you want your boat and add 2 more feet to it! :faint2: Kidding, but not really. It happens to all of us. There is no "right size" or "Right type" of boat for everyone. Before anyone can really help you we need to know what you plan on using the boat for primarily and secondarily. How many people, how often, what type of water (lake, river, bay, ocean), how swift might the water be (currents/tides), do you need it covered or uncovered, overnights, etc. How fast do you want to travel on the water. Before you buy you need to sit down and figure out what you want to do on the water. Since you already own a boat you should have a decent idea.

As far as material for the boat, there are guys on here that will crucify you if it isn't tin and others that will cringe at a rust bucket and it has to be wood or fiberglass. Again, that comes down to usage, size, etc. Each type of build has its pluses and minuses. There isn't a right answer or a one size fits all.

So give us some more info and maybe we can help you out. And there is nothing wrong with used as long as you are careful in your selection.
 

steve mcintire

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Feb 10, 2014
Messages
39
We live in southern Iowa and the local lakes run around 900 acres. At the 100 mile range from home we have 4K to 7K. Most of the time its just me and my first mate of 43 years. With grand kids on the way I am looking at safely seating 8. on occasion. With the Ozarks and the lakes of Minn. only a days drive away, our dream boat would be deep enough to handle some inland rough water in an emergency with enough room to "camp out" on for a couple of days with enough power to pull a skier and could be towed behind my 2005 Ford Explorer for 8-10 hours. Am I living in a dream? Any input will help.
Thanks
Steve McIntire
 

SeaDooSam

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 15, 2016
Messages
575
Hmm, a Ford Explorer I believe is only rated to tow 3500lbs. In that kind of range you are looking at maybe a 19ft bowrider fully loaded with all gear, fuel, etc.
others may differ in opinion but I don't know how much bigger you would be able to tow.
IMO 8 people on a 19 footer is doable, but others will disagree. If it is just the two of you most of the time, 19 ft should be more than suitable. Chaparrals tend to ride Pretty nice IMO compared to Bayliners at least.
I would suggest a v8 for a 19 ft fiberglass bowrider.

Just my .02
 

ezmobee

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
Messages
23,767
I have an 18' aluminum Starcraft SS and a big heavy dual console 20'. We have a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a Hemi. It tows the Starcraft just fine and the bigger boat ok but I wouldn't want to tow it far especially with other people and cargo in it. An 18-20' aluminum might be the ticket for you. We had 4 adults and 4 young kids on each boat lots of times with no issues.
 

R055

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2015
Messages
579
Hmm, a Ford Explorer I believe is only rated to tow 3500lbs. In that kind of range you are looking at maybe a 19ft bowrider fully loaded with all gear, fuel, etc.
others may differ in opinion but I don't know how much bigger you would be able to tow.
IMO 8 people on a 19 footer is doable, but others will disagree. If it is just the two of you most of the time, 19 ft should be more than suitable. Chaparrals tend to ride Pretty nice IMO compared to Bayliners at least.
I would suggest a v8 for a 19 ft fiberglass bowrider.

Just my .02

A 19 foot chaparral is going to weight 4000+, that might be fine if the lake is close but will not work for towing over passes or up inclines with a Ford Explorer with a 3500 tow rating.
 

mr 88

Commander
Joined
Nov 3, 2010
Messages
2,115
You say you want to camp out for a couple days ,that translates to a cuddy cabin. That takes up seating which your saying may be 8 people on some days. Not going to happen on anything under 21 feet unless its a bowrider. There are not a lot of used 21' aluminum cuddys on the market , and with a decent load you are going to need a V-8 to pull a skier. There are a lot of glass boats with cuddys in that size range BUT your up against the towing capacity with your Explorer. I would look up the towing capacity of your ride with what ever engine is in it. Then pick out a 21 cuddy and go to NADA.com and see what the boat weighs. Most glass boats in the 21' range will weigh out pretty close to each other with the same V8 or V6 power plant so you have a base point to start with.
 

s.hadley81

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Messages
245
It all depends on what engine and rear axle ratio you have in the explorer. They are rated to tow from #3500 up to #7000 depending on engine, rear axle ratio and tow package. I know my 02 with an v6 with an 3.73 ratio and the tow package is rated for up to #5500.That being said I've towed around #4000 with mine going short distances on occasion and that's about all I would wanna do without having brakes on the trailer. If you look at the label on your drivers side door it should give the capacity but if not look at your axle code (45 = 3.55, 46 = 3.73.) , what engine you have and if your explorer has the optional tow package then match it up in your owners manual
 

s.hadley81

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Messages
245
One other thing to look at is the receiver on the explorer if it has an 1 1/4" receiver the hitch is only rated for #3500 so even if the truck can handle you'll have to swap the receiver to a 2" class 3 or 4 to tow over #3500 (if the truck can handle it).
 

airshot

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jul 22, 2008
Messages
4,219
I was in a similar situation a number of years back. I went from a small 16' runabout and moved into a 22' StarCraft Islander cuddy and never regretted it. Wife feels comfortable as it is wide and deep. Light weight so easy to tow and it will handle some rough water and keep you dry. Being an aluminum hull it is quite easy on fuel for a boat. Better yet I don't have to worry about rotting stringers or expensive glass repairs, rivets are cheap and easy. Just like me operating costs are important in order to be able to go more often and alum is cheaper to insure...When it all boils down to cost effective boating you just cant beat a well built aluminum hull.
 

southkogs

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Messages
14,785
I don't personally like cuddy's there's enough room to sleep ... if ya' gotta'. But they're kinda' cramped sleepin' ... and kinda' cramped in the cockpit. But you won't tow a bigger cruiser with your vehicle. Unless you're really wanting something to ski/tube behind, I'd look into a pontoon with camper canvas. It'll be a booger on the trailer, but you could purchase the boat one year and the canvas another year ... spread the cost out ... and have a good size boat for lotsa' grand kids.

:welcome: Welcome Aboard
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
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Jul 23, 2011
Messages
47,297
A budget of $4k - $7k will most likely be a project boat if its fiberglass

an aluminum boat like a starcraft or similar would have minimal wood (something you could repair in a weekend for under a few hundred).

Since your going to be trailering and your ford explorer is limited on towing capacity, I would lean towards a tinny.

spent my formative boating years with aluminum boats being towed everywhere and camping/boating/fishing/skiing. most of the gear (including bikes when I was a kid) were placed in the boat for the trip. if we took the truck, we stayed in the camper. if we took the car, we tented it. 4 coolers, 100 lbs of ice, food and beverages for a 4 day weekend. chainsaw for cutting up downed trees for firewood. nearly everything in milk crates to facilitate fast loading, etc. the crates also worked to put the coolers up a bit higher at the camp site. top of the cooler had a piece of nylon screwed to it to use as a fillet board

when looking at boats, use the guide http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gene...eeding-help-buying-a-boat-a-buyer-s-checklist

as to the type of boat - bow rider, dual council, utility, cuddy, etc. only you can determine that.
 

Pusher

Lieutenant
Joined
Sep 2, 2014
Messages
1,273
That ford explorer shouldn't be the reason you settle for less than the dream boat should it? Couldn't you sell it and get a V8 pretty comparably priced, then set the boat purchase back a couple months for savings replenishment?
 

bashr52

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
413
2 footitis is real :). I started out with a 13.3 boston whaler, and then went up to a 15 ft tri-hull. Add in 2 dogs, and 2 adults with fishing gear and it got tight quick, (let alone if there were more people fishing). I wanted to upgrade to something in the 17-19 ft max range just for the extra room, but I ended up with a 21' and am glad I did.
 

jkust

Rear Admiral
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
4,942
A 19 foot chaparral is going to weight 4000+, that might be fine if the lake is close but will not work for towing over passes or up inclines with a Ford Explorer with a 3500 tow rating.


The dry weight of my previous Chaparral which was 18'3" excluding the swim platform was over 3000lbs plus the relatively heavy duty trailer and you are well over 4000lbs with it wet on a trailer. There are plenty of other brands with 19 foot LOA that are built far lighter and would get you much closer to the 3500lb mark if that is what the OP is really wanting to do. A little secret is that I towed the above boat with a 3500lb capacity minivan (that was the max capacity even with the tow package) for the first summer I owned it before I quickly purchased a real tow vehicle. I towed long and short distances, the van had over 100k miles on it at the time. As it turned out, it struggled with any intown towing because of the stop and go, did fine on the highway (but wouldn't have done any emergency maneuvers well had we actually had a worst case scenario) and with good tires, did suprisingly decent at even bad condition ramps. The van had air springs which leveled out the rear which without those, It would have been very low in the rear. Your truck based explorer is like a million times better than that unibody, 185hp minivan I had towed with. Amazingly after beating the van up for a whole season pulling the boat, It never had any drivetrain issues as I kept the van for several years afterward as a daily driver.
 

Texasmark

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
14,544
My experience with a couple dozen under my belt is this: On land they are all too big, on the water too small. Hidden rot had been my concern so I went for alum besides being lighter needing less power to run and less to tow. However the lighter part is not your friend in a bad chop or good sized seas so you have to take the good with the bad or choose which. On buying new, most were glass. Later produced boats that have wood eliminated would be sought out by me if interested in glass in an older boat.
 
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