UtahBoating
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2008
- Messages
- 102
Good morning forum,
Earlier this year we purchased an older Bayliner with an outboard motor on it for cheap. This was done to test the waters of boating to see if it is something we would like to take up. We have enjoyed boating immensely and used this old boat over 15 times and counting this year - just bought the boat in July btw. Since it is an activity the entire family enjoys we want to to upgrade to a better boat with more power. Something we can hopefully hang on to for several years and continue to enjoy.
Here is the dilemma. Not sure what to buy. I have been looking at older ski tow boats (Mastercraft, Correct Craft, Malibu, etc) and have really convinced myself I want to find one of these classic boats that has been cared for. I like the idea of the large engine that is easy to get to and work on and they have the ability to tow anything we will ever need to tow. Also it seems the inboards hold their value better than a traditional i/o.
My wife wants a traditional i/o type open bow boat as that is what she grew up with and our cheap Bayliner is an open bow also. My understanding is an i/o type runabout drives nicer in choppy water and also provides more room in the boat as there is no engine mounted right in the middle of the floor. Also the open bow is huge for her as she loves riding up there. As you know most of the older ski boats were all closed bow.
Most of the boating we do consists of cruising around the lake, floating, swimming, pulling tubes, and I would ultimately like to try slalom again as I haven't done it for over 15 years (so that may not be realistic at my age). I don't have any interest in wake surfing. I am a pretty mechanical guy and can do most of my own maintenance with proper books and direction. A small concern of mine is the outdrives on an i/o seem to require more maintenance.
What boat would you buy?
Earlier this year we purchased an older Bayliner with an outboard motor on it for cheap. This was done to test the waters of boating to see if it is something we would like to take up. We have enjoyed boating immensely and used this old boat over 15 times and counting this year - just bought the boat in July btw. Since it is an activity the entire family enjoys we want to to upgrade to a better boat with more power. Something we can hopefully hang on to for several years and continue to enjoy.
Here is the dilemma. Not sure what to buy. I have been looking at older ski tow boats (Mastercraft, Correct Craft, Malibu, etc) and have really convinced myself I want to find one of these classic boats that has been cared for. I like the idea of the large engine that is easy to get to and work on and they have the ability to tow anything we will ever need to tow. Also it seems the inboards hold their value better than a traditional i/o.
My wife wants a traditional i/o type open bow boat as that is what she grew up with and our cheap Bayliner is an open bow also. My understanding is an i/o type runabout drives nicer in choppy water and also provides more room in the boat as there is no engine mounted right in the middle of the floor. Also the open bow is huge for her as she loves riding up there. As you know most of the older ski boats were all closed bow.
Most of the boating we do consists of cruising around the lake, floating, swimming, pulling tubes, and I would ultimately like to try slalom again as I haven't done it for over 15 years (so that may not be realistic at my age). I don't have any interest in wake surfing. I am a pretty mechanical guy and can do most of my own maintenance with proper books and direction. A small concern of mine is the outdrives on an i/o seem to require more maintenance.
What boat would you buy?
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