Having trouble deciding on size of bowrider to get

Rentaltux

Seaman
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Messages
72
I think that weight is much more important when deciding on engine size than length. My old boat, Tahoe Q6 (21.5ft) had a 4.3 w/Alpha and would do circles around my new boat Crownline E2 with 377 Mag 6.2L w/Bravo3... at least outta the hole... ;-) My E2 is only a foot longer but weighs darn near twice as much. I have been in heavy19-20 footers with a 5.0 that were terrible. Just more things to consider IMHO

R
 

TexMonty

Seaman
Joined
Dec 26, 2014
Messages
65
As I saw someone here state - and agree with anything drivable - you ever heard of anyone complaining they have too much power - NO!!!! I know one mistake don't make - don't sacrifice and settle on something you are not sure of because of budget - if you need to save a little longer do it, but don't settle for something you are not sure will meet your needs. All that does is put you to selling what you bought to upgrade to something you will be happy with and that's is a waste of time and money. Been there done that and it always costs me.
 

airshot

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jul 22, 2008
Messages
4,216
You might consider an aluminum hull rather than glass, go faster and farther with less horsepower. No rot to deal with, transom is the only concern but easy to replace. Rivets are much easier to repair than a hole in a glass hull and rotten stringers in glass makes the boat junk. Aluminum hulls are much easier to trailer and hold their value much better in the long haul. I have a 22' alum hull with a 3.0 and hit 34mph (GPS) with 4 adults and avg 5-6mpg at normal cruising speed (22mph).
I tow my boat with a 2000 blazer with a 4.3 v6 with no issues. Just a thought here!!
 

cdnNick

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
132
That is true about never having too much, doesn't mean it has to be used but it would be there if needed.

I can't say I have seen too many aluminum boats around here that weren't fishing boats, we have no interest in a fishing boat.
 

Texasmark

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
14,544
In the water the boat is never big enough. On the trailer it's never small enough. 18' of boat is not very much for big water especially if it is not designed for such.....high flared bow do deflect the waves, solid deck with windshield, high freeboard (sides) and 20-25" transom cutout where the engine mounts. A deep V hull helps too for a soft ride even though it costs you more to push it.....you'll pay the extra gas gladly. BTDT
 
Last edited:

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
47,296
not sure on how old of a boat you are looking for. I picked up my 2002 SeaRay 190 in 2008 for $5k less than local simply by driving down to Missouri from Wisconsin - moral of the story, look around, there are great deals for those that look, they just may be a bit away

the boat was 8'6" wide for a beam, and with the 5.0 would pull skiiers and hit 50mph. I still wanted more power though.

I would continue to look for a 19' or larger boat. compare specs, and look up to a state or two away.

you will find your boat. Good luck
 

Texasmark

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
14,544
not sure on how old of a boat you are looking for. I picked up my 2002 SeaRay 190 in 2008 for $5k less than local simply by driving down to Missouri from Wisconsin - moral of the story, look around, there are great deals for those that look, they just may be a bit away

the boat was 8'6" wide for a beam, and with the 5.0 would pull skiiers and hit 50mph. I still wanted more power though.

I would continue to look for a 19' or larger boat. compare specs, and look up to a state or two away.

you will find your boat. Good luck

Scott, you mean 86" on the beam don't you? I had a friend with an 18' Sea Ray, 165 Mercruiser, closed bow (but no flare but that was ok for it), deep V silky smooth ride, I think I got it to 45 with 3 of us in the boat while he was getting his trailer which he didn't know I was going to take it for a spin while he went ashore, many years ago. But he forgave me as it gave him an opportunity to see his boat perform. Well I couldn't resist. He hogged the helm and I wanted to put it through it's paces and I am an edge dweller of sorts (no upside down cliff climbing thank you). My relationship with the badge. One fine boat from the inside out.
 

cdnNick

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
132
I've been looking all over Ontario and Quebec, I'm in Ottawa, Canada. Lots more choices in the US but we don't want to deal with importing a boat and the dollar is pretty weak right now.

We just really he to find something before the start of the season.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
47,296
Scott, you mean 86" on the beam don't you? I had a friend with an 18' Sea Ray, 165 Mercruiser, closed bow (but no flare but that was ok for it), deep V silky smooth ride, I think I got it to 45 with 3 of us in the boat while he was getting his trailer which he didn't know I was going to take it for a spin while he went ashore, many years ago. But he forgave me as it gave him an opportunity to see his boat perform. Well I couldn't resist. He hogged the helm and I wanted to put it through it's paces and I am an edge dweller of sorts (no upside down cliff climbing thank you). My relationship with the badge. One fine boat from the inside out.

no, 101.75" to be exact outside edge of rub rail, to outside edge of rub rail. 8',6". the following year with the new combined bayliner/searay molds they dropped the width back down. my 190 was 6" wider than my current Cruisers
 

cdnNick

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
132
I keep seeing wakeboard boats listed that much cheaper then the equivalent bowrider, any reason they don't seem to hold their value as well? They certainly are more expensive to buy brand new. Seen a Malibu and Moomba 20' that were newer and cheaper then many of the bowriders I have seen, but I know basically nothing about this kind of boat.
 

Slip Away

Lieutenant
Joined
May 11, 2010
Messages
1,431
Wakeboard boats will handle VERY little chop. Generally shallow draft, only made for calm lakes and watersports.
Unless that is what you want to do, keep your search to V-hull runabouts.
 
Last edited:

cdnNick

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
132
No that's not what I want, I just noticed them because of the age and price made them stand out. No use to us if they can't handle rough water, I might as well take my chances with an 18' V hull.
 

NYBo

Admiral
Joined
Oct 23, 2008
Messages
7,107
Also consider dual consoles. They are laid out like bowriders but with more freeboard to handle rougher water.
 

cdnNick

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
132
So I was digging around looking for some 19' bowriders and made a short list then looked up their specs and found that many of them where barely any bigger then the Bayliner 185 we liked. Most were only an inch or two wider and some were almost the same length as the 185.

Here are a few of the ones we liked that were in our budget, we haven't viewed any as they are all long drives away.
2005 Larson 190 SEi
2004 Glastron sx195
2001 Seaswirl 195

The Larson has a 7'10" beam compared to the the Glastron beam of 7'8" but the Glastron is a foot longer. Both are basically the same price look to be similar condition in the photos. The Glastron is close by compared to the 5 hour drive of the Larson.

The biggest one I found was a 2000 Mariah 202, but it's over budget by a fair bit, it does look very nice though, probably the nicest of all of them. Do they make Mariah boats in North America still? I could only find stuff about them in UK.
 

ssobol

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
503
I did the Detroit River with a 16' RIB. You just have to pick the right days to go out. The bigger boat may give you the option on more days, but there will still be some days that boating would be unwise/uncomfortable and better to stay in.

There will be days when a 30' boat won't be enough on Lake St. Claire. You have to decide where the trade off lies between the cost of the boat versus the likely number of days you will be able to use it.
 
Last edited:

Slip Away

Lieutenant
Joined
May 11, 2010
Messages
1,431
The UK stuff about Mariah is just a link to import the boats direct to the UK from Florida.
More Mariah info here.

The “Original” Mariah Boats Inc. was closed on May 23, 2001. While the true reason for the plant closing still remains a mystery, there were union issues as well as financial problems that could have played a part in this. In 2002, Sea Fox Boats Inc. purchased the Mariah name, trademarks, and remainder of the fiberglass molds for boats up to 25ft. They have redesigned the boats, and have re-released Mariah Boats as an affordable entry-level boat. As of2014, I believe they have not made any new boats. Future of the brand is currently in limbo.
 
Last edited:

cdnNick

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
132
Are they a quality boat? Are parts are to find for them? I found a 2003 19' Mariah has everything we are looking for.

Not sure if we would be better off with a boat maker that is still in business or if it doesn't really matter much.
 

southkogs

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Messages
14,783
Are they a quality boat? Are parts are to find for them?
Condition will be key for you: Hull construction does matter, but in a 10 year old boat what matters more is how the hull was cared for. "Parts" for the hull are no issue: manufacturer for my hull has been gone for nearly 20 years and I can fix things as needed.

Parts for the drive are a different matter, but again manufacturer for my drive has been gone about as long as the hull guys and I can still (sorta') keep things going.

A lower "quality" manufactured hull in good condition trumps a premium manufactured hull that's been neglected.
 

cdnNick

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
132
Thanks for the advice, we are waiting for more photos but it looks like it's in good condition for it's age.
 
Top