20 ft boat too small?

[ozenine]

Hi guys, I am new to the inboard/outboards and looking to buy a 2007 Four Winns 200 SS. We love the boat, but we have not seen it in person (It is 300 miles away). I wanted to hear from current 20 footer owners how many people do you usually have in the boat?
We are concerned that it may be a bit small for us.
We have 2 kids, so it is 4 of us the boat 90% of the time. Occasionally we will get 2 more adults and up to 3 kids. We do mostly watersports (tubing, wakeboarding, etc. ) Boat will be stored at the cottage.
What do you think? Too small?

PS, we have sold our 16 footer outboard because it was too small for us. I am not sure if we are going to gt more interior space with 20 ft I/O, seems like sunpad eats up a lot of space. On the positive side, it has much more seating space (16 footer was a more of a fishing boat)

 

[Bayou Dave]

IMHO I think the 4 adults and 3 kids is about the max. 4 adults and 5 kids will not be very comfortable. Better scenario is 2 adults and 2-3 kids.

 

[alldodge]

A nit to small, I would suggest a 23 footer

 

[ozenine]

Thanks guys. We are searching for 220 SS (22 footer) but they are super rare. Then I saw this 20 footer and it is not that far from us and seems to be in excellent shape,. So I have thought I would ask. Back to the 22 search

 

[ahicks]

I'd agree 20' will be tight for more than 4. IMHO, if talking inland lakes, anything over about 20' is getting pretty big for skiing. Not just for the lack of the quick of get up and go that's so desirable, but the sides of the bigger boats start getting pretty tall when climbing in and out of the water. Assuming this cottage is on the water, would everyone have to be in the boat at once?

And last, have you considered a pontoon boat? Though they're a definite compromise when compared to a dedicated 20' ski boat, there's a very good reason the pontoons are gaining in popularity, Something with 100+ horsepower would likely do a pretty good job regarding water sports, but it would excel when it came to toting around a bunch of people.

 

[ozenine]

Thanks ahicks. Yes, the cottage is on the water, so not everyone HAS TO be in the boat at the same time, but I really do not want to regret getting "too small" of the boat in the next few years when the kids will be getting older and bigger
This Four Winns has 300 HP, so I have no doubt it has enough get up and go, it is mostly space that I am concerned about.
My other option is Yamaha Jet 21 footer. IT has really nice design of the back and due to low profile motors does not have such a huge sunpad. Our neighbours have and I think it would be perfect sizewise.

 

[briangcc]

Depends on what you are doing. I had the 2005 Four Winns 200Le and onboard for water sports (ie. tubing) I had the following:

Myself and my wife
Wife's brother and girlfriend
Wife's best friend, hubby and both teenie bopper girls.

With a cooler on board, yes it was a bit tight but we weren't cramped. I wouldn't fish in this configuration but for tubing it was fine. I had the Volvo 270HP V8 on an SX drive and I could still do 50mph with this load.

Routinely this was the boat my cousins and their kiddos would hang out on for boat rides and tubing/swimming. Sure more space would have been better BUT for most of the time it was only 4 of us on board which was ample space for everyone to have their own seat and not trip over anyone.


Boat show season is fast approaching so go and sit in a few with your crew to determine what you need and what you want. Then once that's narrowed down, find the boat.

 

[ozenine]

Thanks Brian. Food for though

 

[jkust]

20 feet with four people is just fine. We have a 22 footer which has a 2 foot swim platform making a total of 24 feet overall.
It is the perfect size for our family of four but when you need to take several more people with, it accommodates a large load well. It is rated for 13 if my memory is right and also like your subject boat, we have the 300hp version which shines with a large load of people and maybe slightly more than needed with a normal load. You will find that the swim platform is some of the most valuable real estate on the boat. We came from a 19 footer previously and the few extra feet makes a noticeable difference especially as my boys have grown into teens. Our summer home is on a large inland lake and the boat lives on our shore on a lift and the nice thing about the over 20 foot class of boat is that you tend to get a richer set of features as well as larger gas tanks. We have a 60 gallon gas tank which is appreciated for example.

 

[82rude]

Pontoons are exploding big time on the market.You want a 350hp pontoon their out there ,250hp,175,40hp all covered.I personally would never buy one as I'm a fisherman and towing around a pontoon is not in the cards but for people with camps on lakes they are the cats rearend.How about a deck boat?

 

[Chris1956]

A 20 foot outboard-powered boat will have a lot more room than that boat with an I/O. Easier to trailer since it will be 1000# lighter than the I/O. My 21 footer has jump seats, back-to-back seats and seats in the bow for 3. Plenty of room for 6 for watersports.

 

[jkust]

I forgot to concur on the pontoon/tritoon thing. The bowrider is going by way of the dinosaur on our lake. People are turning to pontoons and selling their fishing boat and their bowrider for one boat, one boat lift, one insurance policy, one trailer. There's a lot of them with twin 150's and some twin 300's which are now small by today's standards which seem to change yearly. The other boat that is taking over is the $140k surf boat...again, they are all over the place. Many times in the summer, I can be the only bowrider within sight. The modern tritoons that i'd be interested in, something with less than a 300 but more than a 150, that is very contemporary, so not even 5 years old yet, haven't hit the used market en masse around me quite yet. I would struggle to make the jump like some of my neighbors have and their kids complain at their parents for selling their bowriders.

 

[Scott Danforth]

the boat is stored at a cottage. you can always leave a few people at the doc when skiing.

however here is also food for thought

when I had the SeaRay, it was 19' of open-bow bowrider that had my family of 4 on board and at any given time, many times 1-2 extra people along or the 3 dogs. the kids liked sitting in the bow, usually the ex was in the passenger side playing on her phone or something, and at lest one of my buddies or one of the kids friends were along. we picked up these "party-stacker" coolers that were the perfect height to put under the sun-pad in the storage area and the filler-panel that turned the bow into a forward sun-pad. once we anchored, someone would be on the sunpad, so we would deplete the contents of the bow cooler first, then swap coolers once under-way

the skis were kept in the ski locker and the tube was strapped to the rear sundeck

so you may want to check out the 20'

 

[southkogs]

The boats that I've had with my family were 15', 17.5' and 19.5' (current). I've gone out on all of them with the entire load of us (5), plus my golden retriever and a cooler. The biggest difference we noticed was going from the 15' to the 17.5'. We felt like we gained a ton of room on that boat. From the 17 to the 19, we didn't feel quite the gain.

On both the 17 and the 19, with 5 adults (my kids are pretty much all grown) and the (now) labrador retriever, we're cozy but not cramped. We can even tow for skiing and tubing with the full load of us on a 4.0l Merc : drop back to two in the boat and one on skis and it's plenty for amateurs.

At my family cottage, we would either park a pontoon out in the lake and ski/tube off our 15' boat ... or back and forth to the dock swapping people out all day. It gave folks a break, a chance to stretch their legs, get a drink ... return a drink to the appropriate receptacle ... etc., etc.

Make sure you go look at a couple of boats in the size categories you're looking at (even if you have to go to the dealer and look at new ones). You'll get a vibe for the available space between a 20 and a 22. You can also get a vibe as to how it'll moor up at your dock, fit in your garage, etc. That may help the decision along too.

 

[ahicks]

<<<At my family cottage, we would either park a pontoon out in the lake and ski/tube off our 15' boat ... or back and forth to the dock swapping people out all day. It gave folks a break, a chance to stretch their legs, get a drink ... return a drink to the appropriate receptacle ... etc., etc.>>>

This is pretty much how we operate, though we generally keep the party at home when there's more than just a few people/kids involved (which happens frequently). We ski right to/from the dock. Possibly (likely) spoiled, prefer something much lighter than a I/O 20+ footer for skiing. Straight inboard another matter.....

And yes, we see the 100K+ ski boats frequently too. Their priorities and financial situation way different than mine!

After many many years on the lake (since '77) we found as we grew older, demand for skiing dropped way off, and our ski boat was going to winter storage with the same tank of fuel it was put in with. So it was sold. Pontoon was used FAR more often, eve if it meant we were no longer skiing actively.

Today, grand kids are entering the picture (oldest is 6). The pontoon was needing a refurb, so it was refurbed big time, and powered with way more motor than I would have normally put on a pontoon (90hp Honda). That 4 stroke should have plenty of poop to handle a tube, and will idle all day just barely using any fuel to speak of. FWIW, -Al

 

[Maclin]

Usually people can make do with what they have, well witnessed to by previous posts. Since you are starting out fresh there are more options, but really all the same "make do" options are there as well. A 20 footer with swim deck, cooler storage, etc. would probably work when paired with the docking situation where you do not have to have the full complement of weekend party attendees on board. Four Winns are fairly well appointed from 20' on up I think.

If water ever gets rough there on your lake then the bigger the better. If it does get rough and you just don't go out then it does not matter as much. I tend to choose my days, and occasionally have to skip times when I have the desire and time but weather did not line up. When I had the 22 footer I would go out in some junk (my bro nicknamed me Waveslayer) but it was still uncomfortable at times, and trailering could be a challenge.

That brings up another question I have, how often you will trailer the boat and what is the ramp like, that may make a difference as bigger may mean needing a heavier tow vehicle, things like that.

 

[Blind Date]

At my family cottage, we would either park a pontoon out in the lake and ski/tube off our 15' boat ... or back and forth to the dock swapping people out all day. It gave folks a break, a chance to stretch their legs, get a drink ... return a drink to the appropriate receptacle ... etc., etc.

Same here. My experience is that pontoons are absolutely awful for water sports. We'd park ours out on the lake w/people and use the '79 CVX18 for water sports. Otherwise leave people on the dock at the cabin, which in my opinion is kind of the point of owning one.

 

[JASinIL2006]

I sure wouldn't want to be limited to a pontoon if water sports were at all important to your crew. I also think a 20' boat may be sufficient if you have a dock for home base. If you were doing day-long trips and had to pack everyone plus gear plus coolers on the boat, 20' would limit you quite a bit. But if you're heading out from a dock just for cruising and skiing, you may not need 23' or 24' of boat.

 

[ozenine]

Wow, you guys are awesome. So many good points.
Let me see if I can clarify few things.
We are strongly against pontoons. Not because they are bad, I actually love the space, but we do trailer the boat and it makes a difference. Plus pontoons do not have the same agility(turning, carving) as the boats do. I want to enjoy the driving experience and I think AT THIS point V hull is the way to go. I hate how deck boats look. I think they are ugly. Again personal preference. There is a possibility that in 10 years we will have to have a pontoon, but I do not feel old enough to owe one now LOL

Outboards were always my preference. We went to the local boat show and saw a ton to "converted" boats. Basically manufacturer takes a 21 feet I/O and straps an outboard to it. WTF????? They BRAG about huge storage area where the I/O was, but it is still a motor area! Just without the motor. To me the sunpad is a huge waste, we are not sunbathing type, so on my parent's boat it never gets used. Another drawback of the outboard is safety. I like the hidden prop of the I/O, or (what we are leaning to) Jet boat. And finally, based on my previous experience with the outboard, it was annoying to deal with watertoys with the outboard in the way. We fell in love with swim platform and would like one in our next boat.
BTW, we saw an interesting swim platform that wraps around whole outboard. It works but looks a bit strange.

We had a numerous conversations and looks like we are looking for 21-23feet Yamaha Jet. We like the layout of the boat. We like the absence of the sunpad. Looks like the performance is there.

 

[ahicks]

After many years of owning many boats, I found 20' to be the sweet spot for us. Big enough to handle any power (135 - 450hp) or any water you'd likely want on an inland lake. Small enough to maneuver and trailer easily, large enough where there were rarely issues where you become concerned over stability.

No experience with the current generation of (imported) jets. Always preferred a prop, but that was because the jets sucked when pulling skiers out of the water (yes pun intended) taking forever. Then there's the wake issues. Back in the day we used to use 100' ropes to get out of that mess.

Last, though I love the performance of a V hull on a choppy weekend afternoon, the downside is they hunt at cruise speeds, needing constant course correction as your heading wanders from side to side. After a while, that becomes a PIA for the captain. Minor detail but a pain none the less.