Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

[g_reaper3]

We purchased a cottage on a small lake. It is deep in the center but is shallow and weed/muck around the edges. I would like to get about an 18' boat for skiing and tubing along with some fishing. It will need to cross 100 yards or so of 2-3' water to where it will be docked. What would be the best setup, an outboard, jet boat? I am assuming an inboard type ski boat wont work due to the shallows. I have heard the jet boats can get damaged from weeds/sand. At the same time, I like the idea of not having a prop for someone to get hurt on.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ken

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

I would not use a jet boat if there are weeds involved in your boating area. We blew one up after it sucked up grass from the grass flats on a dual motor Yamaha Exciter. It was not a fun day.

Lots of bowriders available that would work. Also, I like my dual console. It can be used for many purposes and does have back to back seats. You will need that or a rear facing seat for skiing. This is a 20' and only draws 14".

If shopping, here is a link to JD Powers. Keep in mind the newer boats are being affected by plant closings, etc. so a used boat may be a good start.

Welcome aboard and good luck.

http://www.jdpower.com/boats

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

on a small lake why do you need an 18', i would go with a 16 outboard with trim n tilt. it will draft less water, require less HP to do the same job. when we were kids, we had a 19' cobia w/ 115 Johnson, a ski maching. but, we had more fun with 14' homemade wooden boat, with a tiller 15 hp evinrude. it was great for tubing, and other water toys. we could also ski behind it

 

[g_reaper3]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

I was thinking an 18' boat as I was thinking that I would want at least a 150hp engine if it were an outboard. It seems like most smaller boats are 60-115hp and I wasnt sure if that was really enough to pull adults up on 1 ski easily or to tow a couple of tubes at the same time.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

I was thinking an 18' boat as I was thinking that I would want at least a 150hp engine if it were an outboard. It seems like most smaller boats are 60-115hp and I wasnt sure if that was really enough to pull adults up on 1 ski easily or to tow a couple of tubes at the same time.

My 17' deck boat pulls a large 2 person tube with 4-6 people in the boat with a 115HP outboard. If you aren't loading the boat, that size/HP would more than adequately meet your needs.

TDs right on the OB with tilt/trim. The slip my boat is in is left with 1.8ft of water by end of fall and I like the setup I have for the shallow water. That way you can keep your draft with the prop under 2 ft easier.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

a 16 with a 115, will make a great ski boat.

 

[Irv964]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

I am using a 165 Lowe F&S with a 90hp Merc 4 stroke and it is plenty boat enough for our lake. (about 6 miles long and a couple miles wide in places)
We tube, ski, swim and fish out of it and it works great for us.
I am also fairly shallow close to shore, I have to go approx a 100 yrds or more before I can trim down and take off. I am pretty happy with this boat so far (2006 with a 2007 90 Merc) That is the maximum size motor for that boat but the 17 footer can hold a 115 and the 18 footer a 150.
There is usually only 2, sometimes 3 in the boat for tubing and skiing (I am 190lbs, wife 130lbs, friend(s) 120 to 160lbs) I can get 44 mph running a Turning Point 19P Hustler prop with just me in the boat and about a 1/2 tank of fuel. If your interested in my prop result, here it is. Good Luck.........Irv964
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=269778

 

[mickjetblue]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

I'd suggest some consideration about the hull type. A deep v type will need more draft
than a modified v or standard v. A hull with a shallower draft will be more suited.

I agree that a 16-17' boat with a 90-100hp will do what you want.

 

[lkbum]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

I consider a "bay" boat, like a Carolina Skiff. http://www.carolinaskiff.com/skiff/index.html
Low draft, made for shallow water and will pull water toys with no problem. Single hull keeps the weight light. Powered by an outboard "jet drive" by Mercury http://www.mercurymarine.com/engines/jetdrives/fourstroke-jet-outboards.php

 

[lkbum]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

Correction to the previous post. Higher horsepower jet drive... http://www.mercurymarine.com/engines/jetdrives/optimax-jet-outboards.php

 

[g_reaper3]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

I like the idea of a jet boat but I am concerned the shallow mucky weedy area that I cross to the dock will cause issues. Many posters on this site have indicated impeller issues from sediment and weeds. How real is this concern? Is it only older jet boats or all? There are lots of 16-17 foot jet boats by sea doo for sale in my area that seem perfect if not an issue. I assume these would pull skiers and tubes.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

seadoo's are seadon'ts. they been having problems. if you want a jet go yamaha. yes the clogging is a big problem in weedy areas.

 

[lkbum]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

I believe, a "jet boat" has the intake on the bottom of the boat and a "fixed" power plant, much like a jet ski. This makes cleaning out weeds and such a pain. I think the newer generation boats had easier access to the intake for cleaning, but since I've never owned one, I'm not positive. The outboard jet, I've linked are easy to clean. Trim them up and you have easy access to the pump. The problem with a "prop" in shallow water is that the outboard must be in a certain depth so the motor can "pick up" water for cooling. A negative for jets, is that skiing can be a little bit odd because they generate a lot of turbulance behind the jet, and the water behid the boat in the middle of the wake will not be smooth.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

you also want efficiency, the conversion of horsepower from power plant to jet output, is -30 to-40%. Outboard Jet motors are usually rate 90/60 jet. that is a normally a 90hp output for a propped motor, but with the jet conversion, you are only getting a 60hp output from the jet. with a jet, you will burn 30-40% more fuel, to attain the same speed as a propped motor. the same goes for the jet boats.

 

[lkbum]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

You might want to try conventional boat and power and add a trolling motor to get in and out of the shallows/weeds. People on shallow bays in NW Florida do this at low tides to get from their dock to deeper water. Tasha's daddy is correct on effciency, hole shot is worse also. A trolling motor is also nice if you want to tool around in the early morning without creating a lot of racket. You can pick up a hand controlled motor and battery for $150 to $250 depending on thrust.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

You might want to try conventional boat and power and add a trolling motor to get in and out of the shallows/weeds..... You can pick up a hand controlled motor and battery for $150 to $250 depending on thrust.

Ditto that.

I've got a 15' fish-n-ski with 90 horse outboard and it'll yank an adult skier up without even breathing hard.

My son and I also do a lot of fishing, and we've gone up plenty of small, shallow creeks with the trolling motor that larger boats couldn't even dream of.

With no rocks or other obstacles I can maneuver just fine in 2 ft of water with the outboard (tilted up of course). Any rocks, trees, etc. and I'll shut down and deploy the trolling motor.

 

[BF]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

one thing, definitely NOT an inboard/ouboard (I/O). Running them in the shallows with the drive tilted up is very hard on their drive train.

I'd say outboard... depending on how "small" the lake really is would help me on choosing the size. Since your probably going to have to do lots of boarding and starting of skiing out in the deeper parts, whatever size boat, it should have a good boarding ladder. As has been said, you don't need 150 hp to ski... but if you're gonna haul a big gang around in the boat while you ski/tube, extra hp is good.

Another thought, you might want to consider building a floating dock/raft that can be anchored in deep water.... have some lawn chairs/picnic table there for the crew to hang out on while someone else is skiing/tubing... Also make for fun swimming hangout. Obviously isn't a good idea if it's a busy area... but if you're in your own bay, it could be good.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

g reaper 3,

Where in Michigan are you and what lake are you on?

I would also agree with what most everyone else is saying. An outboard is probably the best. Having been on a seadoo when it got completely and helplessly stuck because it sucked up weeds I can tell you it ain't fun. About the only way to get unstuck is to get in the water and reach up under there and yank out all the weeds by hand. That ain't fun. A few weeds floating here and there aren't much of a problem. The real problem is if you need to go through an area where there is thick submergent weeds. You can get an outboard stuck in situations like that also. The huge advantage is that you can put an outboard in reverse to help clear the weeds off the prop. On a jet it is always sucking. Reverse just diverts the water coming out of the nozzle. It stills suck water through the intake and draws the weeds in more.

I like the look of the Hurricane Deck boats...you get a lot of space inside and a pretty small boat overall. I like the open layout like NelsonQs GS 170.

http://www.hurricaneboats.com/hurricaneFDGS172ob.html

Good luck.

 

[05GlastronSX]

Re: Best boat for skiing/tubing on small lake?

take a look at the glastron outboard runabouts. I use mine on a small 250 acre lake in northern wisconsin. Not weedy or shallow really, and i wouldn't buy a different boat for the lake. The 150 is overkill on a 17 foot boat that weighs 1400 lbs dry. I hit about 60 mph with a regular aluminum prop and can pull 3 skiers out with 4 people in the boat still.

It takes about 2,000 rpm to plane, about 1/4 throttle, when alone or with a few people, and if you nail it by yourself, hang on! it pins you in the seat!