Older (95?-01?) Bowriders?..what boats should I be looking at in the 21?-22? range?

I?ve been looking around for a nice bow rider for the last few months. I?ve narrowed my search down to low hour (under 500 or so) boats that are 21?-22? long, 305-454 power, something that will seat 8-12 people, and be able to run mid-high 50?s on the top end. Most importantly, I?m trying to find a boat that will handle the rough weekend lake chop from all of the large cruisers and house bouts out on the lake. 1?-2? chop is not that uncommon on the lake that I boat on (Table Rock Lake, MO)?.and the last boat I had would really beat you up in the rough water. I want something that will handle that kind of water.

My price limit it around $15,000. In my price range, I think I?m going to be looking at 95?-01? boats. What were some good bow riders during those years that fit my needs? I really like the Crownline 225 BR?s, and the Baja 212 Islanders. I?ve also seen some very nice Mariah Shabah?s and Rinker Captiva?s with low hours and well below my price limit.

Any recommendations or information would be great!

Thanks

Re: Older (95?-01?) Bowriders?..what boats should I be looking at in the 21?-22? rang

At that age name means little compared to how the boat was stored and maintained. The condition is of most concern. Floors, transom, stringers... then into the motor and cosmetics last.

Re: Older (95?-01?) Bowriders?..what boats should I be looking at in the 21?-22? rang

crabby captain john said:

At that age name means little compared to how the boat was stored and maintained. The condition is of most concern. Floors, transom, stringers... then into the motor and cosmetics last.

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I understand what you are saying....but assuming all are in the same nice shape, what about the handling and ride quality of the different boats. Different hull designs handle different.....some are better for speed, some are better for rough water, some are great for both.

Re: Older (95?-01?) Bowriders?..what boats should I be looking at in the 21?-22? rang

Take a sea trial in the boats you like, then decide which suits your needs.

Re: Older (95?-01?) Bowriders?..what boats should I be looking at in the 21?-22? rang

21-22', 8 to 12 people, high-50's speeds, smooth in chop---

to use an overused movie cliche: You're going to need a bigger boat.


--or some compromise... A boat that size that will do high 50's isn't going to be very smooth in the chop. And a boat with enough deadrise TO ride smooth in choppy water won't do high 50's. And finding ANY 22' boat to comfortably seat 12 people is going to be tough...

After buying the houseboat in '06 we needed something to putt around in, and we bought a new Bayliner 175- Very "adequate" boat, was plenty fast, but not EVEN good on choppy water, and once the grandkids got bigger, it's 7 person cap wasn't cutting it. We looked at 22-24'ers, and the short version of this story is, we swallowed hard, upped our budget, and found a great deal in our Chaparral 260 SSI- And while the payments are a bit bigger for a bit longer, halfway thru our 3rd season with her we still comment on virtually every trip how glad we are that went bigger. We drive it thru 2 and 3 foot waves with barely a bump. Several times we've had her loaded to her 14 person limit and we're not particularly crowded (9+ kids and adults fit EASILY in the bow seats), she handles and rides like a dream, and everyone is ear to ear grins... (here's 7 souls up front with plenty of room for more)



If you can possible buy bigger first, you'll NEVER regret it. If you must stay smaller, IMO your most important consideration is the ride in choppy water. Losing a few mph is definitely worth it...

As for brands, like Cap'n John and others will say, the best kept boat will be your best bet--

Re: Older (95?-01?) Bowriders?..what boats should I be looking at in the 21?-22? rang

There will be very little difference between them. The overall boat weight and hull deadrise angle will be the items of biggest importance for choppy water/ride smoothness. Most all of the runabouts in that size range are going to top out around 50mph, plus or minus 5mph for differences in boat weight and engine packages. Just find one that you like the looks of, has been well maintained, and comes back clean on a marine inspection. Generally, the nicer the brand, the better the seat foam/upholstery, but the maintenance will be the biggest factor in that.

8 adults in a 20-22' boat is going to be cramped and getting close to the weight capacity limits with gear included. You will need a bigger boat for what you are asking. Why do you need it to run 55mph? Most runabouts with a SBC or bigger will come close, but not with 8 people aboard, and you don't want to be running that fast with people in the bow on a busy lake anyway.

A 24-27' runabout is what you need, and definitely with a BBC to push it. 1-2' chop is still going to bounce you around, but the 24'+ will handle it much better than a 20' will.

Re: Older (95?-01?) Bowriders?..what boats should I be looking at in the 21?-22? rang

I agree that a bigger boat would be great for a smooth ride....but I think a 22' boat is plenty big for what I need. The majority of the time I will have 4-6 people in the boat and we will be wake boarding. Not that you can't do that in a 26ft boat, it's just not ideal.

Re: Older (95?-01?) Bowriders?..what boats should I be looking at in the 21?-22? rang

IQRaceworks said:

I understand what you are saying....but assuming all are in the same nice shape, what about the handling and ride quality of the different boats. Different hull designs handle different.....some are better for speed, some are better for rough water, some are great for both.

Click to expand...

While there is a lot of truth to saying "it's all in the maintenance", I was (and still am) amazed at how well my 1995 Cobalt 220 has withstood the test of time (at 700+ hours on the Hobbs). I know the previous owner took good care of her, but I can't help but think that Cobalt's attention to detail made a big difference too. I'm just now getting some small cracks in the vinyl of the sun pad and I've got a dead trim gauge, but everything is original (other than the props) and is in good working and aesthetic order with those two exceptions. The Cobalt hull gives a pretty good ride in rough water too. The only downside would be top end. With the duoprops and a hull designed for a smooth ride, I only get into the mid 40s. But that's fine with me, I'm not in a hurry.

A recent pic from this summer.

Re: Older (95?-01?) Bowriders?..what boats should I be looking at in the 21?-22? rang

Geko45 said:

While there is a lot of truth to saying "it's all in the maintenance", I was (and still am) amazed at how well my 1995 Cobalt 220 has withstood the test of time (at 700+ hours on the Hobbs).

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Part of that, too, is that higher-end boats typically have owners who can afford to make the time and/or money investment to do all of the required maintenance and repairs to keep it in good condition. Cobalt builds a great boat with high quality materials that will withstand abuse better than others, but most people who will drop $50K on a 20' runabout will take care of the investment more than the guy who bought the 20' Bayliner/Tahoe for $25K new. Not always the case, but it does account for some of the reasons that Cobalts/Chris Craft/Formula used boats tend to fare a bit better compared to others.

Re: Older (95?-01?) Bowriders?..what boats should I be looking at in the 21?-22? rang

IQRaceworks said:

I agree that a bigger boat would be great for a smooth ride....but I think a 22' boat is plenty big for what I need. The majority of the time I will have 4-6 people in the boat and we will be wake boarding. Not that you can't do that in a 26ft boat, it's just not ideal.

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Well, finding a boat 22' that will hold 8-12 people while going 55mph and taking 2' chop is pretty much impossible. You've got a list of requirements that don't all fit in one bucket, so to speak. I would be looking at some of the 24' runabouts, as it will give you the little bit of extra space, the capability to wakeboard (with a hefty wake in most cases), and the likelihood that you can find one that will top out around 55mph with the right engine/drive combo.

If you only wanted 6-7 adults (remember they all have gear, purses, beach bags, etc) and 55mph, you'd be set with a 22'er. Slow down to 20-25mph with the bow trimmed up and most of the 1-2' chop will be doable.

I've been getting by on Grand Lake (OK) in a 1976 20'er for many years, but the cruisers/yachts out there have definitely gotten my bow passengers wet a few times even when keeping the bow as high as possible. LOTO and Table Rock have much of the same type of weather/water/watercraft as Grand. If I were to get another runabout, I'd be moving up to a 23-24' boat just to try to keep pace with the "big boys" out there.

Re: Older (95?-01?) Bowriders?..what boats should I be looking at in the 21?-22? rang

After posting above, I remembered what was ALMOST our boat--











===============

Pics were taken in October 2010, it's a 1995 Cobalt 272 bowrider- Wasn't perfect, but was in very fine condition for 15 years old. I took the pics, showed them to the wife, about 3 days later we decided to buy it if the wife liked it in person-- she did-- but it was too late, he'd sold it. Best part was the price, we'd earlier that year bought a motorhome from this place, and the owner was a friend of a friend of ours, and he was willing to let us have this Cobalt for $12,500. I should've just bought it in the first place!

However, we're supremely pleased with our Chap, it all worked out great!

But the whole reason for this post, is simply evidence that yes there are some downright good deals on nice, and larger, boats if you're patient!

And trust me, even though a smaller boat will work out, you will NEVER REGRET the room to lallygag around in a bigger boat!

Re: Older (95?-01?) Bowriders?..what boats should I be looking at in the 21?-22? rang

I was in your shoes 2 months ago. I had It narrowed down to a '01 225 Larson OB, and a '99 Searay 210 sundeck. The searay won that battle. The Larson was a very nice boat but the searay fit our needs just right. 2 adults, 2 kids (4 and 7), water skiing, tubing and wakeboarding, this boat performs very well with my "water sports prop". On a calm day on the river Im getting about 52mph at WOT with my "go fast prop".