Best River boat?

[cmhouser]

Just curious what makes the best boat for bigger rivers? I have a friend who enjoy's getting out on the St Croix river here in WI/MN. For those that haven't been there - a LOT of big power boats cruise up and down which can produce some pretty heavy waves. Some parts of the river are deep and others are a little shallow here and there.

Any idea's or experiences to pass on for a good boat that can handle a good size wake but be versitile and easy enough to load/retrieve on a busy day?

 

[ovrrdrive]

Re: Best River boat?

Will you guys be fishing or just riding?

Pull any skiiers?

Budget?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Best River boat?

you will need to include ALOT more details

 

[grahamh]

Re: Best River boat?

Like everyone said, more info is needed....


But I know where I am you can get older trihulls for next to nothing...they suck in any kind of chop, but if you're just looking for a cheap, stable boat to mess around with on the river they would work well.

But really, it depends on what you're looking to do with the boat.

 

[stylesabu]

Re: Best River boat?

I have a 16' sylvan deep v that handles lake michigan and rivers as shallow as 1ft in spots.but like the others said, budget, needs, purpose what do you want it to do?

 

[cmhouser]

Re: Best River boat?

I'm sorry... I should have been more specific. At the time I felt like I was but looking back - not even close.

To the point I'd say he wants a good cruiser that he can ski and tube behind that will handle bigger wakes/waves but be fairly easy to load and not real large. He'd like to spend 2-3.5k (I know it's not much to work with but has potential). Ideally 4-6 adults could at least comfortably cruise and not be too uncomfortable. He's interested in something a little older and isn't opposed to the potential problems that could occur over something new/newer.

I personally liked an older Glastron (as that's what I almost bought) = v-hull i/o that had a 140 Merc - '72 V-165 (although I think it was a V-164) that I saw on craigslist but what do I know (no - I really mean... what do I know = very little). It was clean, had a longtime owner and supposedly had a great engine - don't they all. But if it's true it could be decent - right?

Please rip me if I am retarded. Or rip me for stress relief.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Best River boat?

funny- I was reading the 1st few lines from your 2nd post and said to myself" Glastron"
great older boats if not rotted IMHO

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Best River boat?

With that budget you pretty much take what you can find that isn't rotted and is sporting a non-obsolete powerplant.

Or I could get ultra-specific: the perfect boat is an 18' Starcraft SS with the V5 hull design

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Best River boat?

With that budget you pretty much take what you can find that isn't rotted and is sporting a non-obsolete powerplant.

Or I could get ultra-specific: the perfect boat is an 18' Starcraft SS with the V5 hull design

LOL a good one!

 

[grego]

Re: Best River boat?

place a "wanted" add in your newspaper.

 

[stylesabu]

Re: Best River boat?

so there you have it ezmobee has the right boat

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Best River boat?

Inflatable. Had to be said.

 

[Wheelhouse]

Re: Best River boat?

The boat you're looking for is seting beside my house. It belongs to my bil, he said that I could use it for two weeks at Lake Havasu on the Colorado River if I would tow it back to the San Francisco area. This boat is a North River. It is about 18 ft.in length and is a wide body. It has a 150 hp. and a 8 hp. both Yamahas. It has an almost flat bottom and is billed as a river boat. He used to have a jet unit that would replace the lower prop unit when he used it in the shallow rivers. He got rid of the jet because it almost broke him buying fuel. As I said I used this boat for two weeks and it used less fuel than my 90 hp. Honda would have used. The North River has Sea Star hydrolic steering and the overall quality and construction makes my 2005 Crestliner look and handle like a model T. The North River is For Sale and I would love to have this boat but I can't afford to dump my Crestliner and buy this one.