Bay boat for family lake use?

[Longwood]

Hello,

Forum newbie, been stalking though. Great site.

I'm looking for some feedback on the idea of buying a Bay boat for 50/50 fishing and family fun use on big lake Lanier in GA.

I'm considering a Key West 216 Bay Reef or the 246 Bay Reef.

Here's a little about our intended use. Family of 4. Me, wife, 2 kids...7 and 3. The wife is a heck of a bass fisher and wants to sit/stand on deck for hours and cast. The Striper fishing on this lake is also amazing. The kids are water rats.

Important

• Shore line trolling motor fishing from front and rear deck
• 7' rod storage
• Family fun, tubing, beaching, cove floating and swimming
• Occasional trolling for striper
• Also important to be able to be stored in my drive under boat garage

A few things that I am considering is that I want to be able to handle the shallows as well as deal with the big rollers on a big lake. The fish and ski's built on a bass boat platform don't seem to handle the mid lake terrain very well.

The downsides to a bay boat seem to be limited seating, no wind screen for passengers, and not much storage.

Any input would be appreciated.

Ian

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

Those KWs don't look like good family boats to me. I like the aluminum fish/skis better than the fiberglass ones. The glass ones typically look like the just slapped a trolling motor on a ski boat. I like just about all the tin boat manufacturers fish/ski offerings.

 

[Longwood]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

For clarification,

In my OP, I stated that I do not want a fish/ski.
Here is the style of boat that I am considering.

the 21'
http://www.keywestboatsinc.com/boats/show/id/32

The 24
http://www.keywestboatsinc.com/boats/show/id/8

Believe me, I know that these are not exactly family oriented boats, but that doesn't meant that we can't pull a tube, pack a lunch and find a beach or hang in a cove on them.

Any additional feedback on this option or a suggestion of something else that I should consider would be very helpful.

Thanks.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

You didn't want a fish/ski based on a BASS boat, which I totally understand. I was referring more to the "walleye" type boat style.

http://www.starcraftmarine.com/Show...91&Type=Aluminum&Series=Fishmaster&Model=2100

 

[dingbat]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

1. No freeboard to speak off. Will not take kindly to big water

2. A 14" draft isn't anything to get excited about. My Deep vee has the same draft

3. The layout of the cockpit is horrible. Most of the back of the boat is taken up by molded in boxes. Would make trolling a total pain if you can?t get to the back of the boat.

4. Why bother with an elevated casting deck with you only have 12? of freeboard to begin with? Just chops up an already poor deck layout even more. How many times are you going to walk off, or fall over that step?

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

Dingbat makes some excellent points even if its not what you wanted to hear. He has never steered my wrong.

 

[tcgobucks]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

I am by no means qualified to tell you what to buy, as I've never boated on an ocean or Lake Lanier....BUT....I did spend 5 days on Watts Bar Lake with a friend who has this...

http://www.carolinaskiff.com/cgibin...&user_num=1&template=_publish_listing_SC.html

He leaves it in Florida from November thru March and has taken it 30+ miles out into the Gulf. 4 adults, 4 or 5 kids and a couple of tubes with room to spare.

 

[Longwood]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

You didn't want a fish/ski based on a BASS boat, which I totally understand. I was referring more to the "walleye" type boat style.

http://www.starcraftmarine.com/Show...91&Type=Aluminum&Series=Fishmaster&Model=2100

Thanks very much for the example of what you were speaking in favor of. I miss understood your post to say that you thought I did want a fish/ski. Although I am kind of asking if a Bay boat would serve well as a fish ski. I would definitely consider the style that you suggested.

 

[mandopickr]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

You could make the 216 BR work, by using the jump seats in the back, and the cushions for the front. The family I bought my 196 BR from did exactly that.

If I wanted a Key West to do both though, I would look at the 211cc, with better seating and some more room plus a small potty room. It still a very nice fishing boat, the biggest difference being the casting deck.

www.keywestboats.com/boats/show/id/31

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

I'm not really a CC fan but I kinda like that one you just posted mandopickr!

 

[Longwood]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

All good points indeed. I'm certainly not just looking for people to agree with me just I can sell myself on the idea. I just have not come up with another option that is mostly conducive to fishing but can serve double duty to bring the kids aboard and have some fun.

I agree with all of the points below regarding the Key West 246 Bay reef.
Although the 216 seems to be a slightly different animal.
Edit: the 216 and 246 have the same transom and deadrise.

1. No freeboard to speak off. Will not take kindly to big water

2. A 14" draft isn't anything to get excited about. My Deep vee has the same draft

3. The layout of the cockpit is horrible. Most of the back of the boat is taken up by molded in boxes. Would make trolling a total pain if you can?t get to the back of the boat.

4. Why bother with an elevated casting deck with you only have 12? of freeboard to begin with? Just chops up an already poor deck layout even more. How many times are you going to walk off, or fall over that step?

Here are some specs on the 216 BR
Length: 21'6"
Beam: 8'6"
Transom: 25"
Approx. Weight: 2100 lb
Fuel Capacity: 80 gallons
Max HP: 250 hp
Recommended HP: 150-250 hp
Dead Rise: 19 degree
Draft: 12"

Here are some pics of one on a trailer.
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/270376-thank-you-everyone-assistance-purchase-used-key-west-216-bay-reef-pics.html

The bay boat format does not give as much freeboard or cockpit space as a CC, but the deck for and aft are important because the wife wants to spend lot's of time like this.

The boat will likely never see any salt water and I might have given the impression of Lake Lanier being "big water". It's certainly not great lake size. It's more like this with 692 miles of shore line.

What else might I look at that will have a deck seat bow and stern?

I've read a lot of reviews and posts about the 216's having good choppy water and small seas handling and that it's a very versatile boat for different types of fishing.

I'm still wondering if a bay boat can serve as 30% fun with 70% fishing.

Thanks again.

 

[Longwood]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

You could make the 216 BR work, by using the jump seats in the back, and the cushions for the front. The family I bought my 196 BR from did exactly that.

If I wanted a Key West to do both though, I would look at the 211cc, with better seating and some more room plus a small potty room. It still a very nice fishing boat, the biggest difference being the casting deck.

www.keywestboats.com/boats/show/id/31

That 211CC is awesome. It's just not very conducive to bass fishing without fore and aft deck seating and trolling motor friendliness.

 

[spudshaft]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

Look at the other KW offerings, and also CSkiff and Sea Hunt. No need to limit yourself to bay boats. Although aluminum has many good points, nobody has those except relocated yankees

 

[dingbat]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

Better built boat, a better cockpit layout and it still has seating for four. One of the best "fishing" layouts on the market. Locally, the 23' SE is a favorite among the fly fishing enthusiast. That should tell you how much usable space these boat have.



http://www.parkerboats.net/pages/boat_lineup/boat_detail.jsp?boatid=21

 

[blifsey]

Re: Bay boat for family lake use?

We are somewhat considering moving from our 20' bowrider I/O to a boat that would be better suited for fishing and to take to Savannah and other salt water areas. I've looked at several bay boats and one that looks nice for family outings is the Tidewater Bay Max. They have a 21' and 24' model with a removable backrest that converts rear deck to a bench seat.

If you want to look at a deeper V CC, Sea Hunt Ultra's have a similar rear bench.

Another option you might want to look into is the Dual Console models from the CC manufacturers. Both the Tidewater and Sea Hunt models have a rear bench that converts to a rear deck.

To me, if you're having to compromise and need include the "family recreation" factor, a rear bench is better than the rear jump seats.