Having trouble deciding on size of bowrider to get

[cdnNick]

My wife and I have been looking for a boat since the end of last summer, this will be our first boat. My grandparents had a 16' bowrider when I was growing up so it's not all new to me. We had settled on a 17-18' bowrider, something that would be big enough for the rivers and small lakes near us and easy to tow and handle.

But now it looks like we will be moving to Southern Ontario at the end of the year and would probably end up doing most of our boating on Lake St Clair and the Detroit River. Lake St Clair is a big lake compared to what is around our home and much more wind and from what I gather can be very busy with boat traffic. We still want to proceed with getting a boat but now I'm wondering if we would not be happy in an 18' on a big lake.

So would an 18' be a good choice still or will it be sitting on the trailer most of the time because it's too rough? We have 2 small kids and plan to cruise, tube and maybe some fishing.

Thanks in advance.

 

[oldjeep]

19 ft usually gets you a lot higher out of the water. The 17's and 18's - at least the bayliners are not something that I'd want to mess with in rougher water. Although if you intend to fish out of it I'd consider a cross-over fishing boat. They typically have higher sides and carpet or flooring that is mean to dal with fish scuzz.

 

[drrpm]

Shorter boats are also narrower in beam. Once one gets to the 20 foot range beam maxes out at 8'6" for trailer boats. Those extra inches in width make a difference in stability and room in the boat. A boat in the 20-22 foot range will be much more capable than one in the 17-18 foot range.

 

[muskyfins]

longer boats also ride smoother. Plus you can skip the first round of the dreaded disease known as twofootitis

 

[Natesms]

I would suggest moving up to the 20 - 22 ft range. As others have mentioned you can get a wider beam, deeper hull and a significantly more stable ride. I moved from a 19' with a 7.5' beam to a 19.5' with a 8.5' beam and there was a significant difference of usable cockpit and improved ride.

In my experience handling a 20 - 22 foot boat is not much/any more difficult than a 16 -18 footer. They will weigh more so take your tow vehicle into account.

 

[TexMonty]

Hull design/weight also makes a big difference. I have had a 18 foot with semi-deep vee with V8 IO, a 20 foot deck boat with 115 OB and now a 24 foot (actually about 22 plus swim deck) deep vee with V8 IO. The 20 foot deck boat would beat you to death, the 18 foot semi-vee did much better and of course the larger deep vee I have now handles about anything on a Texas lake.

 

[cdnNick]

I was thinking a 19' would be the minimum, right now I am having trouble finding anything that fits into our budget. Many nice boats over budget of course, we will be purchasing a pickup truck so the tow vehicle should be ok.

We were initially looking at a Regal 1800 which I know is heavier and wider than many other 18' but not sure if it would be any better in rough water. I do remember looking at a Sea Ray 19' last year and it was much deeper than the Bayliners but it was also a lot more expensive.

 

[JASinIL2006]

I boat on the Mississippi River and on a small-to-medium sized lake in a 19 footer. On stretches of the river with a long fetch, on breezy days there can be quite a chop generated. You can get tossed around enough that it's not a fun ride in a 19' boat. I think a 21'-22' boat would ride quite a bit better.

 

[cdnNick]

Just curious but would a 22-24' pontoon boat be any better, my wife really wants to go that route but I keep saying it would be a pain to trailer and wouldn't be good on rough water, would I be correct?

TexMonty: Interesting comment about the deck boat but I guess the hull isn't as deep has a bowrider, I never thought of that before.

 

[muskyfins]

I ran a pontoon on a 3000 acre lake in Northern Wisconsin for many years. That lake could develop quite a bot of chop and some decent rollers. A 24 foorter would do OK-about the same as 19' bowrider, but your passengers run a slightly higher risk of being wet. Pontoons are super roomy. Make sure she has enough power. Ours was under powered and it was noticeable on rough and windy days.

 

[southkogs]

I've seen 'toons on both St. Clair and the Detroit River. I've also been told by a friend down in Florida that Pontoons handle rough water much better than one would expect them to. Maybe rent one on St. Clair a couple times to see if you like it: that lake can get a little busy and choppy sometimes (at least in my experience).

That said, I'm more in the 20'+ V hull camp. Not as roomy as a pontoon, but I think a little more capable hull for the bigger water.

 

[cdnNick]

We rented a 21' pontoon in Florida, it was interesting once we went from the back waters to the the shoreline in the Gulf Of Mexico. Not sure how much an extra 3' would help but I would rather have a V hull.

 

[keith2k455]

I boat on the IL river and there can be some quite large boats ( 40') barges and large chop. My boat does well, can usually run at whatever speed I want, but sometimes I have to slow down and make sure I hit the chop right. I would say, if you're concerned, go for size and get enough motor to get on plane in the rough waters.

 

[cdnNick]

So if we focus our search on a 19-20' would a 4.3L give us good performance? We don't really want to go fast down the lake but enough power to get on plane with say 4 adults and 4 small kids at the most. Most of the time it will be 2 adults and 2 kids.

 

[roffey]

I have a 19.8 foot and a 4.3 is lots of power. If it were me I would go with the 4.3 over the 3.0, better of with extra power and not use it than to regret the lack of power.

 

[cdnNick]

The 3L is out for sure, we rented a 19' with one and it was a dog. Felt lifeless.

I think the 5L might be too much but since I've never owned one I have no clue.

 

[roffey]

.... and I wind this boat out all the time and love it.

 

[rengnath]

Are you looking at new or used? If new, I'd look in to a 19' with the new 4.5l Mercruiser.

The biggest issue I had when looking for a boat were the jumps in pricing. I wanted a newer boat (less than 3 years old) to save the most on depreciation while still finding a vessel that was quite new to prevent big issues. My choice came down to an 11' Bayliner 175 3.0 and an 11 Bayliner 185 3.0. The 175 came with a factory fishing package. Both boats were within $1,000.

I went with the 185 for the size, however I sacrificed on the power/size ratio. To get a 185 with a 4.3 of the same age, it would have been $3-4k more, and I was already out of my budget. It comes down to how much you're willing to spend.

That being said, I'm happy I went with the 185 because I use it 95% of the time on Lake Michigan. The 175 bow sits very low in the water and would not take a 2' chop very well.

Comparing the Bayliner lineup, a 175, 185 and 195:
175 - 17' 6" with a 6' 11" beam
185 - 18' 1" with a 7' 8" beam
195 - 19' 0" with a 7' 11" beam

The beams make the biggest difference in stability, IMO. I'd take a 6 inches of beam over a foot of length. If you can afford the power, it will help out in rough waters when you are constantly getting on and off the throttle. With my underpowered 185, I find myself having to get in to it early and stay on it a little longer which sometimes comes back to bite me while in rough seas. For this year's big upgrade, I'm putting on hydraulic trim tabs on to help out in choppy water.

Just my .02. Good luck with your choice!

 

[cdnNick]

We are looking for used, it would be easy if new my wife already picked out her favorite at this years boat show. She liked the Four Winns H190.

I think I'll hunt for a 4.3, I think that will serve us well in a 19'.

 

[JASinIL2006]

The 3L is out for sure, we rented a 19' with one and it was a dog. Felt lifeless.

I think the 5L might be too much but since I've never owned one I have no clue.

We have a 19' with 350 Mag (essentially a 5.7L) and it is a good amount of power. I don't think a 5.0L would be too much. You would be able to jump up and go, and if you planned on doing much in the way of skiing, tubing, etc., you'd have good holeshot power. Lots of 19' with 4.3s, though, so you wouldn't be underpowered with that. A 5.0 would be OK, too, though.