can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

i'm new to saltwater boating, so i'm not sure of whats the big difference between saltwater and freshwater boats. from what i understand you want a hull that can withstand rougher water and fiberglass instead of carpeting. i'm looking for a fish and ski type boat. if possible i want one that can go in fresh or saltwater. i figure i will spend most time in the bay tho. can something like a sea ray 195fx go saltwater?

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

Have you looked at bay boats?

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

go to the website for Sea Hunt and look at the variety of boat styles they have, as examples. All are good for salt water, some for calm inshore and some for bigger water.
You mention "the bay." Don't know which one. But don't assume a "bay boat" is a good design for any "bay" any more than a "lake boat" is fine in the middle of Lake Erie in a storm. They are better for protected water. Likewise, a hull made for rough water is a consideration based on the body of water, not its flavor.
IMO all boats should be made for salt water boating, that is, its fittings, engines and electrical parts able to withstand exposure to salt water and salt air. Most are. Any one that is not made that way is substandard regardless of where you plan to use it, and is not a smart buy.
As for carpet v. hard deck, that isn't a salt water question either. Carpeting is highly impractical in a boat. If you are a boater willing to restrict your use, and want to spend time effort and money keeping it covered when not in use, fine. All the boaters I know would say it's not worth it. The convenience of a low maintenance boat means more time using it, and no worries about how you use it, and a hard deck does not adversely impact "pleasure boating" or family use at all; it improves it if anything.
Based on your question, I suggest you look for a used 17-19' center console with bow seating, minimal upholstery and with an outboard. Hands down the most popular multi-purpose family boat among experienced boaters.
Give us your location and you may have folks here who know your waters specifically and can advise you better.

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

Another nice family oriented boat are Dual Consoles. More of a bowrider layout on a center console hull.

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

Home Cookin' is right on. A 17-19' CC is exactly what I'm saving up for to use here in SD Bay and a few miles offshore.

Also someone said "which bay?" Right, are you talking Long Beach Harbor or Chesapeake Bay? Two totally different animals.
(The Chesapeake being the wild animal )

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

To answer the SeaRay part of the question, yes they can go in saltwater, I have one and that is what it is in most of the time, mine has no carpet and you really do not want carpet, first boat had it, gets full of dirt. I use my boat for whatever I want to do, but when fishing I keep rags on board to clean up blood, the mud and other saltwater residue will come off with soap and water when you get home. Is my boat ideal for all the things I do, no it is not ideal for fishing, too much nice stuff, but I still use for whatever just more careful than if I had what is being recommended to you. If I could afford it I would buy a fishing boat and have the best of both worlds. No one boat will be ideal for everything you want to do, most will do everything you want to do.

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

wow. thanks for the responses. i'm in the virginia beach area, so it would be the Chesapeake bay. i'm actually not sure how far out i would want to go. i'm assuming it would all be inshore? what comes to mind is fishing around the tunnels, but then again i'm yet to know where the fishing spots are using a boat. to me it seems fiberglass flooring would be the most practical so you could just rinse everything out. it just seems that all the fish and ski boats i've really seen were carpeted. center console was actually on my list as well. i just lean more towards the fish and ski because i like the sporty set up.

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

I am a first time boat buyer. I am looking at getting a Tahoe QtSF (Fish $ Ski). What are your thoughts on Tahoes and I am looking at taking it to the beach once or twice a year. Can anybody give me there opinion on 1. Tahoe Boats. 2. How it will do in salt water a few times a year?

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

I'm a bit north of you and can give you one piece of good advice-Don't let the word "bay" fool you into thinking it doesn't get rough. Bays can pick up and get nasty real fast on you. They react to local weather alot faster than the ocean usually will. I can't tell you how many times I've gone out in the Raritan in a nasty 3 foot chop only to round Sandy Hook and find the ocean is laying down like a lake. With that being said, I agree with the above posts you're probably better off with a center console or bowrider. Take a walk through some local marina and look at the boats that are slipped. You'll prbably find that boats in your range are usually pretty similar in design. There's usually a good reason for that. Where I am there's mostly Walkarounds and Center Consoles. Both are designed to handle the chop pretty well.

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

as much as i drive over the bridge, i definitely know how rough it can get. i'm just not sure what type of boat can take what. i've spent all my life on lakes in jon boats lol. i'm loooking at bowriders online now, and they look pretty much like the fish and ski. so what specifically do i need to be looking for? like a certain size hull or something?

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

latemp said:

as much as i drive over the bridge, i definitely know how rough it can get. i'm just not sure what type of boat can take what. i've spent all my life on lakes in jon boats lol. i'm loooking at bowriders online now, and they look pretty much like the fish and ski. so what specifically do i need to be looking for? like a certain size hull or something?

Click to expand...

Just took a look at the boat you are asking about (probably should have done that first). I've seen a good deal of boats like that out in the Raritan and even around Sandy Hook in the Atlantic. I believe that boat is designed to throw a bigger wake for tubing and such, but I could be wrong. Bottom line is it will be ok in the bay for you on nicer days. If it's snotty you'll get knocked around a bit, but there's very few boats in that size that won't quite honestly. My Wellcraft V20 was pretty solid at running through the chop, but nothing is going to turn a 2' chop into glass when you're dealing with boats in this range. With the right weather and conditions that boat will be perfectly fine. Just make sure it will fit all your needs.

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

I hope I wan't intruding on Latemp's original question. Thanks for the advise!

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

I'm not stuck on that particular boat as much as that style of boat. i basically just want something a little sporty like this, with maybe a couple fishing seats an spot for trolling motor (i see some models have them and some dont). how far out have you seen them go?(i'm not even sure how far out i'm looking at going, i figure spots like oil rigs are offshore) i figure i will start out with a used boat like this one to learn the ropes. then maybe someday get one of those nice size center consoles to take fishing to the next level.

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

You are in my home town; 53 years in salt water.
I would never recommend the typical bow rider around here.
The dual console (I have one) is a good compromise lay-out; look at the Sea Hunt Ultra for an example. No carpet, either.
Go walk around the marinas. Look across the water at the boats tied up at people's houses.
The Chesapeake Bay can be peaceful and can be crazy; you need to learn your weather and which systems do what, and be aware of the effect of tide opposing the wind. But when it's crazy there's miles of protected water, dn with a boat on a trailer, easy to get to it.

I suggest you stay away from the bay boat design (note how flat the gunwales are) and instead look for the deep V with a spoon. OR look at the cathedral hull like on a Boston Whaler or Carolina Skiff. Both of those boats (at opposite ends of the $$ range) are great boats for the Chesapeake Bay, but there is some compromise between smooth ride and safety/stability.

Go to Tidalfish.com and join; go to the "Virginia Angler" forum. That's your best source for local info. Go window shopping at Norfolk Marine even if you aren't buying new, but be considerate of the salesman's time.

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

Oil rigs are way offshore, and would require a much different animal. I live on the Gulf of Mexico and I see every type of boat you can imagine in the water. Everything from 8' canoes to 80' Cruisers. Get the boat that you like the best, however, consider the fact that center console boats tend to sell a little quicker, should the need to replace it or just get rid of it. Nothing sells quicker, around here anyway and I'd imagine up there as well, as a 19-21' Center Console with say a 150hp Yamaha. Plus, they're versatile enough to take the family out pleasure boating, but also do some serious fishing.

When it comes to the Atlantic, in your case, just know your limitations. If you decide to buy a bass boat, for instance, I'd personally not venture more than a 1/2 mile offshore, although I'm sure plenty of guys will come on giving you stories about 20 miles out, etc. etc. But the shallowness of those boats tends to be the problem, in that even in "calm seas", the waves can lap 1'-2'. Plus, the water splashing you constantly will quickly turn off the wife, hence dampening your boating experience!

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

Bass boats won't even work in the rivers around here.

On the first page of Craigslist there are several that would do, for example:
http://norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/2388353887.html

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/2387532082.html

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/2386865736.html

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

i like the grady white. thats a decent price too, even though its kind of old. so dual console, is that a different type or same as center console, but just a dual version?

i'm not looking to go way off shore any time soon, but just out of curiosity, how far out is an average oil rig, and what kind of boat would you need to get there?

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

OK, first thing is that boat will be downright useless for fishing in the Chesapeake. I somehow completely missed that requirement. Lifting in a small largemouth on a lake is one thing. Pulling in a Bluefish/Striper/Fluke/Drum when it's flopping around and all bloody is a whole different animal. You need a deck if you're going to fish. If you are dead set on that size of a boat and must have a cuddy, I would consider looking for a Wellcraft V20, or a boat in the same fashion with decent deck space to fish.

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

Looking online, the wellcraft and the grady kind of look the same. whats the difference? i'm starting to get the feeling maybe i should just give in to a center console.

Re: can the avaerage fish and ski boats go saltwater?

latemp said:

i like the grady white. thats a decent price too, even though its kind of old. so dual console, is that a different type or same as center console, but just a dual version

Click to expand...

Center Console has the helm in center of boat. Among other pluses, this keeps sides clear to move from front to back while fishing (nothing to interfere) and allows you to stand while running in rougher conditions (you can flex knees to absorb bouncing).

Dual Consoles are setup more like a bowrider with a steering/control helm on right, passenger seating on left and pass through to bow between. The bow may have more of a seating setup with room for your legs and there is usually some type of rear seating available.

If you go to the Sea Hunt website (just do google for sea hunt boats), read their description of Triton (mostly fishing) and Ultra (fishing with "family" features) center console models and Escape dual console models. They have lots of nice pictures to help see the difference also.