Hello & General Questions About Hurricane Deck Boats

[Chef Pa]

Hello,

Just found the Hurricane section and decided to sign up.

Planning on a deck boat purchase sometime before next season (2012) and think Hurricane may be one of the better options. Seems they don't depreciate as quickly as others, and they have standard option packages that seem to fit what I'm looking for. Not new to boating, but never owned my own. For lots of years the FIL had boats and spot at the lake and boats our family always had access to. Fast forward a few years and now they are in their 70's and out of the biz, and I'm 50 with a couple grandkids. Always loved the water and looking forward to having some fun. Looking in the 21'+ range for 12 or 13 pass if possible, and like the option of the fishing seats in the bow.

Would be mostly cruising, tubing, occasional fishing and maybe a skier or two. Average load would be 6 people, 4 adults & two grandkids. Mrs. Pa and I will be doing some trips on our own also, and I want the option of the whole gang, up to 9 if it's feasible. All inland in northern IN, southern MI (used to go to Coldwater, MI lakes years ago), and once or twice annual to Norris in TN.

I would appreciate any comments, including other brands I may wish to consider. Leaning towards I/O for noise (comments?) and also thinking about a rear swim deck if that's an option. Can afford new if I finance but really don't want to do that considering the economy, etc. so I will be looking primarily at used. Let me know if I've missed any key info needed for suggestions, and thanks in advance for any info/comments you can provide.

Regards,
Greg

 

[rays and shine]

Re: Hello & General Questions About Hurricane Deck Boats

Hurricane is a good boat. I owned a Hurricane SS 201 OB from 2003-2006 and I pick up my new Hurricane SD 2400 OB in December. The 201 will hold 10 people according to the sticker and we would often have two families of 4 on the boat 4 adults and 4 kids under 10 yrs old without feeling cramped at all. I would not look at anything smaller than a 20 ft outboard boat with your wish list. With I/O I?d go a foot or more longer to make up for the space.
Since you are looking at I/O you have many other good options other than Hurricane. Sea Ray would be a good other brand to look at, and there are probably more Sea Rays to choose from in the used market. The new four stroke outboards are just as quiet as inboards?do not let noise make the decision for you, but if you do go OB, I?d opt for the four strokes. No swim platform with ob.
Here are some general comments: Get a boat! Whether you get inboard or outboard does not matter, just weigh the pros and cons with each. Like everything else, it?s all about tradeoffs. Since you are up in the colder parts of the country, you may want to consider a boat with a windshield to extend your season. If Ms Pa does not like to be adventurous when nature calls, think about a head or porta potty.

 

[rays and shine]

Re: Hello & General Questions About Hurricane Deck Boats

Hurricane is a good boat. I owned a Hurricane SS 201 OB from 2003-2006 and I pick up my new Hurricane SD 2400 OB in December. The 201 will hold 10 people according to the sticker and we would often have two families of 4 on the boat 4 adults and 4 kids under 10 yrs old without feeling cramped at all. I would not look at anything smaller than a 20 ft outboard boat with your wish list. With I/O I?d go a foot or more longer to make up for the space.
Since you are looking at I/O you have many other good options other than Hurricane. Sea Ray would be a good other brand to look at, and there are probably more Sea Rays to choose from in the used market. The new four stroke outboards are just as quiet as inboards?do not let noise make the decision for you, but if you do go OB, I?d opt for the four strokes. No swim platform with ob.
Here are some general comments: Get a boat! Whether you get inboard or outboard does not matter, just weigh the pros and cons with each. Like everything else, it?s all about tradeoffs. Since you are up in the colder parts of the country, you may want to consider a boat with a windshield to extend your season. If Ms Pa does not like to be adventurous when nature calls, think about a head or porta potty.

 

[Ernest T]

Re: Hello & General Questions About Hurricane Deck Boats

Hurricane is the boat to get if you are looking for a deck boat. There are many different models to choose from, so do some homework. I found out that Hurricane basically uses 2 different hull designs on their boats. Most of the models use a type of tri-hull design, that is great for fresh water where there is not so much rough water to deal with. This platform also makes a great fishing platform since it is very stable when the boat is not moving, and you can ski, wakeboard, etc...........basically an SUV of boat design. I own a 217SD which is just short of 21 feet, and it is a great all around boat. I've put 4 adults and 4 kids on it with no problems, but I'd recommend the 237SD model if you are looking to seat 10 comfortably. I do a fair amount of fishing, and I even have a trolling motor mounted on the bow. My son and daughter wakeboard behind it, and it produces enough wake for intermediate level wakeboarders. It pulls a large tube with no problems, but I haven't tried skiing behind it yet.

Some of the other Sundeck models (even numbers), like the 2000, 2400, 220, etc. have a hull design with a deeper "V" shape more of what you will find with a bow rider. These hulls are better for rougher water, but you will experience more bow rise with them, they have a higher freeboard, which makes for a dryer ride, but makes fishing off them a little more difficult. They are also not as stable moving side to side on the boat when the boat is not moving.

Bottom line is to be sure to take a test ride before you buy. Like mentioned above the newer 4 stroke outboards are very quiet, and much easier to maintain than the inboard engines if you do you own maintenance. The outboard also lets me boat essentially year round, since you don't have to worry about the block freezing like you do with an inboard. You can add a small swim platform to the outboard versions of the Hurricanes, but I have found that we don't use it very often.

Good luck on the purchase!

 

[Chef Pa]

Re: Hello & General Questions About Hurricane Deck Boats

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated. Will probably hit some dealers/boat shows in the next couple of months, just to get some eyes on the options. Online is good for info but I want to get a good feel for what's out there before I pull the trigger. I've also heard there can be some decent deals at the shows, which may help if I decide to go new. Thanks for the comments on the head and hull types. I think the pot will be a must have, but not sure about hull types yet, that will take some thought. Pretty stiff learning curve if I'm going to make next season, but I'll manage. Regardless of the final decision I think this will be a good investment in family fun... Thanks again.

Rays - Congrats on the new boat. Looks like the size range I will be shopping in also. Hope it serves you well.