Deck Boat Brand Recommendations

[bmgreene85]

We want to buy a deck boat and were wondering about manufactures. We want OB, 18-23', going to be used for casual boating, and would like under 25K. We test drove a Hurricane and have also been told that Sea Ray is a good brand. Are there any other brands that someone would recommend? Or brands to avoid? Any help is very much appreciated! Thank you

 

[Leardriver]

The outboard part will trip you up. They went away from a popularity standpoint in the 1970's. You can find them, of course, but you limit your choices.
Sea Ray Sundecks are awesome, so are Four Winns Funships.

 

[Maclin]

Outboards are making a comeback, but only recently so many deckboat with OB's are still up in price. They are around.

 

[southkogs]

I've run the outboard Hurricane 20'. If I were looking for a boat as you describe, I'd probably be leaning toward the Hurricanes.

 

[bmgreene85]

Thank you all very much for the help, I appreciate it!

 

[ezmobee]

The outboard part will trip you up. They went away from a popularity standpoint in the 1970's. You can find them, of course, but you limit your choices.

Yeah this bit is definitely outdated. At the Baltimore Boat Show last year (granted it is a more salty area where OB's may have had increased popularity anyway) I/O's were GONE! It was unbelievable and the change happened quickly. Pretty much everything but cruisers had a big 4-stroke outboard hanging off the back of it. Even sleek looking luxury bowriders. Outboard. The dealers I spoke to said they can still order I/O's but people wanted the outboards. I think it's a combination of quieter more powerful outboards being available and having to put emissions controls on I/O's which dug a bit into their $/HP advantage. And deckboats have always been mostly outboards.

 

[Leardriver]

Maybe newer boat shows are showing a resurgence, but since the OP is talking about used boats, and his price range puts him in the 10-15 year old range, I see I/O's in my area at about a 20-1 advantage over outboards.
I am an outboard fan, for the easy freeze-proofing and therefore longer boating season, but they are a rare sight used in Colorado.

 

[dhardest]

We have a 2007 Glastron DS215 (21') with a VP 5.0 GXi (270HP) and have always been happy with it. Only thing is that it's an I/O, so maybe you're not interested. But this one comes with an optional very large swim platform on the back (adds about 3-4 feet on the back), so it's great for families with kids or even for us moms/dads to hang out. And it's fast (though we normally don't use it at top speed) - ~55MPH. (But maybe that's typical of deck boats.)

 

[Drb007]

I have a 17 year old Harris FloteDek 22ft deck boat that we love. It has a VolvoPenta I/O. Goes 50mph unloaded, pulls tubes/skiers all day, and is nice and quiet for "pontooning" or the evening booze cruise.

 

[BRICH1260]

If you can do an I/O, Chaparral`s Sunesta line is a very nice boat.