First time boat buyer/owner

amynbill

amynbill

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 22, 2007
Messages
242
Hello all.

Ok, so I grew up with boats, but never my responsibility, nor did I have a say in what was purchased.

My wife and I (and the 3 kids) want something simple. We figure we need to seat 8-9 people, and the boat will mostly be used for watersports, and of course just cruising up an down the river. So power will probably be a concern.

I think I prefer outboard engine, as it was always a nightmare when my parents (and friends I know) had a problem with the engine. But advice appreciated.

Boat will 90% of the time be used for lake use (huge lake in CT), and we will be launching it to use (live 1 mile from private town boat ramp)

So...I know this is probably a pretty mundane and lame q...lol...and I am the 5000th person to ask "what is the best boat" for the money.....but.....

We were thinking of the bayliner 195...possibly a sea ray...

So...fill me with knowledge and feedback!

Thank you to all who can help us with this important purchase!
 
W

watermellonI

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 23, 2007
Messages
224
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

Welcome to Iboats,
your gonna get a few replies on this but I personallly would look into something closer to a deck boat with a full keel, like a hurricane, not trying to advertise for anyone but that type of boat gives you lots of room for a lot of people, and you have the added feature of speed for skiing/tubing.
If you try to get 6 or 8 people on 19' your not gonna have a lot of room for moving around, or swimming.
 
Silvertip

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,762
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

8 or 9 people on a 19-er will very likely put the load over the limit for the boat as well. You need to adjust the boat size upward or the number of people downward. Or go for a high powered pontoon.
 
B

bertos

Cadet
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Messages
24
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

I ran into the same problem on my first boat. But i luck out and found some cheap boats and it took me till i bought my 3rd one to really realized the one i really like and fit all my needs from tubing to taking my wife on a midnight cruise well good luck and happy boating.
 
S

Solittle

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Apr 28, 2002
Messages
7,518
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

My 23' CC will comfortably handle six.

When thinking about alternatives also consider your tow vehicle assuming you are looking for a trailerable rig.
 
C

Campylobacter

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 4, 2007
Messages
503
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

May not be "simple", but I second the deck boat comment.

I have a Hurricane 195, OB motor. It has about as much room as you can get in a 19 footer. The coast guard plate reads 10 person capacity, but really unless most of them are kids 8 is more realistic (the one time we actually had 10 onboard 7 of them were kids).

It can take up to 200 hp, but we only have 140 and thats plenty to ski, wakeboard, tube, etc. Its fairly easy to trailer, and even fits in our (detached) garage.

Good luck.
 
M

mattttt25

Commander
Joined
Sep 29, 2002
Messages
2,661
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

as others said, that's a lot of people, even for a 30 footer. but for what you plan to use it for, go with a 23' deck boat. will handle the water sports and offer the most seating for it's size. should have a 8-10 person capacity, obviously check before purchasing. good luck-
 
SpinnerBait_Nut

SpinnerBait_Nut

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 25, 2002
Messages
17,651
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

Whatever you do, don't get to small a boat or motor or you will not be satisfied.
 
QC

QC

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Messages
22,783
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

Also, despite the many benefits of an Outboard, if you plan on hanging out on the water, kids swimming etc. Go with an I/O. There is just too much stuff in the way on the transom with an OB. I love them, crave them, but . . . for a family boat I am pretty convinced that I/O's will make momma and the kids happier, and it will be safer for them when jumping in and out etc. If you can keep your crowd down below 8, take a serious look at the new Bayliner 205. With the 5.0 MPI it is just simply perfect. Fast, nimble and new boater proof :D

Also, my standard new trailer boater tip is to go hang out on a launch ramp with your wife. Without the boat!!! Get a couple of chairs and an ice chest and watch the fun. You'll quickly figure out who has it right and who doesn't. Copy the good ones ;)
 
Mark42

Mark42

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Oct 8, 2003
Messages
9,334
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

With 8 or 9 people in a 19 foot boat you will not be able to do much more than tow a tube. Forget about skiing.
 
O

OhWellcraft

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 22, 2007
Messages
277
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

I know you stated that you wanted to stay in the 19' range but I would have to agree with others in that if you had 7-8 people on a19' it would be too tight to enjoy. If you don't like the deck boat idea you might have to go bigger in fiberglass. My brother in law whom I boat with often has a larson lxi 22.5' open bow and it is rated for 11 passengers. It has a 350 with a duoprop which is plenty of power for water sports even loaded with people. Tow vehicle may present an issue however, I don't know how well a 1/2 ton pickup would do with it unless it was a very short flat distance. I drive a 19.5 Wellcraft cuddy with a 235 outboard on it I quite like it but I have young kids who don't mind hanging out in the cuddy. It will seat six out back and carry plenty of gear in the cuddy for 3-4 days on the lake so it works out well for us but as the kids get older and want to start inviting friends to come along we might be forced to look at a open bow thats a bit bigger. If it is just you the wife and 3 kids a 19' open bow would be fine but much more than that and you start to get limited quickly.
 
amynbill

amynbill

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 22, 2007
Messages
242
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

Wow, thanks all for the responses. Please do not take my absence as rude or not checking in, I have done so a few times, with very little time to reply.

We have decided, I believe on the Sea Ray sport 205, with the larger 5.0, 260 hp I/O.

We are going to Bassett boats in CT, westbrook to check out the models, and we will be ordering from the book so we can choose options etc.

Any thoughts on this boat? Seems Sea Ray has great feedback.

The other choice was four winns H200, but they have yet to get back to me after requesting information twice on the site.

Thanks!!!
 
amynbill

amynbill

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 22, 2007
Messages
242
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

Oh sorry....

Towing is covered. We have a Nissan Armada ("off road model" V8 315 hp, 9000 lb towing capacity). Towing and launching is no problem, I have vast experience with those items.
 
J

Jdubb16

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Sep 19, 2007
Messages
49
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

Amynbill,

I just got done comparing a similar Sea Ray to the boat we are getting. We decided to go with a Chaparral SSi 210. We were able to get more boat for the money. We test ran both and I looked into every nook and crannie I could and I thought the Chaparral was built a little better. That coupled with the choice of Vovlo or Merc (we are going with vovlo for cheaper maintenance int he long run) and the fact my final prices was $2K less, I was sold.

Do you have a local Chaparral dealer you could go to and look.

You are welcome to email me with any question about pricing, I do not like posting that openly in forum. jw@smandf.com

Either way you will be pleased because you have a boat you will enjoy for years to come.

Jon
 
amynbill

amynbill

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 22, 2007
Messages
242
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

Jdubb16 said:
Amynbill,

I just got done comparing a similar Sea Ray to the boat we are getting. We decided to go with a Chaparral SSi 210. We were able to get more boat for the money. We test ran both and I looked into every nook and crannie I could and I thought the Chaparral was built a little better. That coupled with the choice of Vovlo or Merc (we are going with vovlo for cheaper maintenance int he long run) and the fact my final prices was $2K less, I was sold.

Do you have a local Chaparral dealer you could go to and look.

You are welcome to email me with any question about pricing, I do not like posting that openly in forum. jw@smandf.com

Either way you will be pleased because you have a boat you will enjoy for years to come.

Jon
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input!

The local dealer for this company sucks. That is the problem. I had to write them off for that reason, whereas I have only heard good things about the dealer for Sea Ray.
 
J

Jdubb16

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Sep 19, 2007
Messages
49
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

That's too bad, but the dealer is a very important part of a good boating experience. Are there not any other dealers within your 'purchasing radius'?

Happy shopping

Jon
 
amynbill

amynbill

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 22, 2007
Messages
242
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

Jdubb16 said:
That's too bad, but the dealer is a very important part of a good boating experience. Are there not any other dealers within your 'purchasing radius'?

Happy shopping

Jon
Click to expand...
No, not for that manufacturer. As it is, the dealer I will be using for the sea ray is 40 miles away, but dont have much of a choice with my location:)
 
K

KCook

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jan 24, 2002
Messages
1,624
Re: First time boat buyer/owner

"they have yet to get back to me after requesting information twice on the site."

Sorry to say, but that is not unusual. The boating biz in many ways is "old school". Not anywhere near as up to speed on Web marketing as car dealers are. Many, maybe even most, boat dealers do not pay attention to E-mail or online stuff. Inconvenient, but I would not rule these dealers out as being inferior.

Kelly
 
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