Late 90’s -2000 bowrider/deck suggestions for newbie?

[makey98]

Hello all! Nice forum here. I have throwing around the idea of a boat for 15k?. I always hear about people regretting buying a boat and my thought is it would be worth the fun times with the family If it wasn’t a financial burden. My solution was to find a boat that I could pay cash for and allocate 2k a year for 2 years for all gas, maintenance, insurance etc. At the end of two years my wife and I could see how much we used it , how much money we spent and decide if we want to continue or sell the boat for a minor loss. I have a pole barn to put a boat in for winter and I have a late tow vehicle, 2015 f-250.

If I had my druthers I would buy a nice 19 footer bow rider but I think I need something bigger. However, in my search I am realizing I may be under priced. I have 3 kids and my wife’s best friend is her sister who has 4 young kids. It would be nice if we could all out together. Plus her parents occasionally. That is a lot of stinking people on a boat. That would probably be once or twice a year so it seems somewhat silly to have that be the limiter but I am going to have a hard time getttinf my wife onboard if her family can’t join occasionally.

Is that unrealistic? 23 foot boat work? Any suggestions on models/ years to look for? Bow rider, deck boat, ski boat? Early stages here, new to boating and haven’t taken a safety course yet, which I will do before any purchase. Lastly , seems like outboard is best for maint, cost, noise and value but 90-s to 2000 bowriders don’t seem to have those back then like they do now... any thoughts welcome. Thanks!!

 

[ahicks]

Any thoughts welcome, soooo. 4 adults and 7 children, coupled with the occasional older couple along for the ride is bordering on unrealistic expectations regarding anything but a pontoon boat, and you'll be pushing it then.

Cramming that many kids in a boat, expecting them to remain motionless while the boat is under way, is asking for an awful lot - in my experience anyway.

In my younger days, when faced with a similar situation, we would often head for a park with a beach on an inland lake. Set it up like a big picnic, and take the kids out for a ride in smaller groups that our 16-20' boats could handle more easily. Kids loved it, and we didn't need anything exotic to try and carry everything/everyone at once.

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[southkogs]

Another thought - First Boat = learning curve. I don't really know why, but it seems to me people have a harder time learning all the basics of operation when the boats are bigger than 22'. Getting a barge big enough for the crowd you're talking is going to be a big learning curve. Don't get me wrong, plenty of people learn it that way and do fine really. But it seems to be the harder route.

Have you rented anything to try it out at all?

 

[makey98]

Good points on both too many people and learning curve. Maybe the smarter (and cheaper) solution is to get a 19-21 footer and just manage groups of people.. I live in Indiana and there are a couple reservoirs around ranging from 4-10k acres and a really nice uncrossed one with 12k acres and no houses about 2 1/2 hours away Some of those places have access to a park area for a staging area but the closest ones all have houses on them and are busy. Primary use would be summer tubing and cruising but also have nice spring and fall weather where we could go fishing with just me and the kids to get more use out of it. Taking a huge 23 foot boat every time to go fishing seems unneccessary as well. I haven’t seen any place around here to rent a power boat, only pontoons.

 

[Lowlysubaruguy]

Look for a 19.5 spectrum with the 4.3 V6 mercruiser. While im biased and have owned one since 97 its more boat for the size than anything else out there. Super deep V lots of freeboard 50 MPH with 6 adults and gear I fish with 5 to 6 guys in very rough water and pull skiiers all day long in it. Ive upgraded to a 26 foot CC but my kids who are now in there 20s use this boat as often as possible and I still fish out of it. Very fuel efficient. One thing most will have rotted flooring and wood. I can state for a fact my boats worth almost as much as I paid for it today as when I bought it in 97. My interior was rebuilt from the foam up and in a manner they will last another 20 years. The 4.3 is a great engine as well. I have had so few issues with this boat. Ive read some negative reviews about its thin hull but ive never had an issue and I beat my boat hard Columbia river is about as rough as water gets 5 foot waves rolling up current. They handle extreemly well for the size and amount of wieght they can carry.

 

[makey98]

If I had my way, would get something like this. Love these old school boats, not really practical for what I need ???

 

[JimS123]

I always hear about people regretting buying a boat and my thought is it would be worth the fun times with the family If it wasn’t a financial burden.

Yes, lots of those people around. Personally, if I can't have a boat to spend precious family time on, then just shoot me.

Your financial burden comment is the reason for the type people you identified. Many people buy what may look nice but only because its cheap.....and that's all they can afford. When the boat don't run and the shop says $1000 repair, then they regret it. Or, they find out the kids don't want to come after the 2nd time, so the boat sits in the driveway, uncovered, and after another 2 years its almost worthless.

Your boat size and budget isn't realistic. Also, an 18 year old boat could very well be beyond its useful economical life. Oh yeah, there are gems out there, but few and far between.

Buy a newer outboard no frills pontoon and you may find it fits your needs.

 

[makey98]

Yes, lots of those people around. Personally, if I can't have a boat to spend precious family time on, then just shoot me.

....Your boat size and budget isn't realistic.

....Buy a newer outboard no frills pontoon and you may find it fits your needs.

Agreed on the first comment!!

Agreed on the budget, maybe 20-25k is more likely, but not if I go down to a 19-20 footer right, those seem be around in that range in 2007-2010 years.

Pontoon has no interest to me.

Thanks for for the advice!!

 

[tpenfield]

:welcome:

9+ people is a fairly big number on a boat. Bow riders are only comfortable at about 2/3 of their people capacity rating.

What waters are we talking? Small lakes, big lakes, ocean/bays?

For 9 -12 people, I'd be thinking a 26 footer - you are going to need an enclosed head (restroom), because the kiddos and women are gonna want to use the facilities.

If you are on the ocean or bays, then I would not recommend a bow rider, get a cuddy cabin.

Do some searching to see what $15-20K in asking price can get you and then feel free to post for some more opinions.

 

[JimS123]

Pontoon has no interest to me.

Nor to me. Just no fun factor or appeal.

My 19 footer (9 capacity) has run with 4 adults and 4 pre-teens. That was a chore. The boat handled it OK but just no room to walk around.

Just remember the bigger you go, the more gas $, the bigger tow vehicle needed and the more maintenance $.

 

[briangcc]

In my 20' Four Winns I had 6 adults and 2 teenagers. Just enough space for tubing and that's it. You really weren't moving around any. I couldn't imagine cramming any more into my boat comfortably. 23' isn't that much greater in size so I think that's undersized as well. Engine wise, if you're dead set on a bowrider, you're looking at a large (and thirsty) V8 to move that number of people and give ample performance for skiing/tubing.

Given the number of occupants I'd be looking at a newer Tri-Toon with a large outboard as that's about the only thing that's going to give you the space so you're not tripping over one another.


**Current boat at 19' I wouldn't even think of having any more than my immediate family - 3 kids (6yrs, 4yrs, 9mo) and my wife. It's tight once I get a cooler onboard for drinks/snacks.

 

[ahicks]

If I had my way, would get something like this. Love these old school boats, not really practical for what I need ???

Not practical because it won't hold enough people, or some other reason? You've seen the bow rider versions of this type (ski) boat, right? You're budget and some shopping around should be able to land you a pretty nice late model boat like that.

 

[JASinIL2006]

If you are talking about that many people (11 or more) a 19'-21' boat will be too cramped unless you're leaving some folks on shore and making runs with a subset of the larger group. I have a 19' and for days where most of us will be on the boat (e.g., a day on the river), 4-5 is the most I'd take. For daylong outings, you have to remember there will be a cooler or two for drinks and food, beach bags with towels, sunscreen, etc., and whatever tubes/skies/wakeboards and accoutrements are brought along. That stuff all takes room, and as others have said, if you're on a boat all day, you want to have enough room that you can get up and move a bit.

Unless you're willing to follow Ted's advice and look at something like a 26 footer - probably not the best starter boat, especially if you'll be trailering it - you need to adjust your expectations or plan to have some sort of base where you can drop off people so some can go boating. Boating to a docking/beaching spot in a 23' boat with 11 people for 30-45 minutes would be bearable, but much longer than that and you'll be tired of falling over each other.

 

[jkust]

There is a disconnect between your expectations and the reality of boating. As an example, my first bowrider was an 18 footer and my two kids grew up with that boat...it became too small for the four of us as boys simply don't sit still. We then moved to a 24 footer as the boys became pre teens and that is just right for the four of us and a couple of guests occasionally though the boat is rated for 13. It is just very uncomfortable to be on a boat with a ton of people aboard. I say that as our summer home is on a large lake and we aren't forced to be out all day as it is. I can't imagine trailering to a body of water and being stuck with so many people all day, especially in laws and relatives. Heck, I bought the neighbors house too just so guests would have a place to stay and not crowd us even though we have six bedrooms...we just hate being uncomfortable for even a second. That is why so many on my lake have now moved to high power, large pontoons and my 24 foot bowrider is quickly becoming a thing of the past, nobody wants to be uncomfortable.

 

[tpenfield]

I went to a 33 footer and finally got a boat that will do 10-12 people without feeling cramped.

 

[makey98]

Not practical because it won't hold enough people, or some other reason? You've seen the bow rider versions of this type (ski) boat, right? You're budget and some shopping around should be able to land you a pretty nice late model boat like that.

Well after all these posts it has me thinking that a smaller 20-21 foot boat is more practical and cheaper so better value, and maybe I need to give up on the idea of 9-10 people on a boat.. Some of the newer outboard bow riders like the searay 210 Ob and Monterey m45 have more space for the size and it may be more manageable but those are out of my price range right now. I don’t think my first boat should be a 40k boat.

I like the look of this ski boat but I was saying it was impracical because it is smaller and old, assuming it would need more repairs,etc. also I don’t really understand the difference between a ski boat and a bow rider?? These old ski boats like this an various MasterCraft/nautilus style had motors in the middle of the boat so less wake and pretty efficicent use of power, right?? But are they practical or well riding/forgiving in a choppy lake/reservoir? Is the hull shape dramatically different and how is the performance different? The difference between the classifications of ski boat/wakeboard boat/bowrider/runabout aren’t clear to me.

 

[tpenfield]

A 'ski boat' is not going to do well in the chop. They will tend to have a flatter bottom for better planing.

The better boats in the chop will have a deep V hull 22-24 degrees, and lots of engine to push it up out of the water.

 

[ahicks]

Well after all these posts it has me thinking that a smaller 20-21 foot boat is more practical and cheaper so better value, and maybe I need to give up on the idea of 9-10 people on a boat.. Some of the newer outboard bow riders like the searay 210 Ob and Monterey m45 have more space for the size and it may be more manageable but those are out of my price range right now. I don’t think my first boat should be a 40k boat.

I like the look of this ski boat but I was saying it was impracical because it is smaller and old, assuming it would need more repairs,etc. also I don’t really understand the difference between a ski boat and a bow rider?? These old ski boats like this an various MasterCraft/nautilus style had motors in the middle of the boat so less wake and pretty efficicent use of power, right?? But are they practical or well riding/forgiving in a choppy lake/reservoir? Is the hull shape dramatically different and how is the performance different? The difference between the classifications of ski boat/wakeboard boat/bowrider/runabout aren’t clear to me.

I was coming from a slightly different direction. Ski boats come with a closed off bow area -OR- the with the bow area opened up to allow extra seating (for a couple of adults or maybe 3-4 children). You're correct in that they are not designed to handle or ride all that great in rougher conditions, though they do well in the busy (weekend) chop found on busy smaller lakes.

Knowing what kind of water you plan on spending the majority of your time on will help make a call on how much boat you need. 22-24' boats designed for open water are not particularly attractive to boaters using only inland lakes, and vice versa, boats that do well on inland lakes may not be real attractive to folks spending a lot of time on open water....

 

[makey98]

I live in Indiana so our lake system is not great. The ones within and hour are crowded during summer on weekends, but not bad during the week and in early spring and fall fishing weather great. Couple natural lakes and a couple big reservoirs. Looking at the list, there are a couple in the 2000 acre to 4000 acre range, one that is 5000, one that is 8000 and one that is 10000 acres. There are a dozen or so lakes under 900 acres..

 

[briangcc]

Well after all these posts it has me thinking that a smaller 20-21 foot boat is more practical and cheaper so better value, and maybe I need to give up on the idea of 9-10 people on a boat.. Some of the newer outboard bow riders like the searay 210 Ob and Monterey m45 have more space for the size and it may be more manageable but those are out of my price range right now. I don’t think my first boat should be a 40k boat.

I like the look of this ski boat but I was saying it was impracical because it is smaller and old, assuming it would need more repairs,etc. also I don’t really understand the difference between a ski boat and a bow rider?? These old ski boats like this an various MasterCraft/nautilus style had motors in the middle of the boat so less wake and pretty efficicent use of power, right?? But are they practical or well riding/forgiving in a choppy lake/reservoir? Is the hull shape dramatically different and how is the performance different? The difference between the classifications of ski boat/wakeboard boat/bowrider/runabout aren’t clear to me.

Generally speaking, and there are exceptions, ski boats are true inboards. The rudder, shaft, and prop are under the keel of the boat. As such, you smack a rock pile or stump and you might be able to limp it back to shore but odds are you are getting towed back to shore. Get something wrapped around the prop, such as a stray anchor line, and you're diving under the boat (or pulling it onto a trailer) to correct the issue. These are purpose built boats for skiing/wakeboarding.

Bowriders/runabouts/ski&fish - generally I/o's but can be had with outboard power. If you hit something, generally easier to work on as the outdrive tips up so that you can see what you are working on. Prop changes are easier when in the water. Something gets wrapped around the prop and you can generally manage it as well. I liken them to the SUV's of boating as they aren't built for one specific task but do many things OK.

Pontoons - can be had in either configuration and I liken them to minivans. Can get the job done but more built towards laid back cruising. Notable exceptions are high powered tri-toons.


As for your first boat being 40k...Mine was a brand new, ordered, 99 Bayliner Capri 1800LS. I forget the cost but it was brand spanking new...with warranty. I personally like warranties as in the event something happens its generally covered.

If you're still unsure, check out discoverboating.com for more information on the various types of boats.