Looking to spend 15k on 19-22ft open bow. Suggestions Please!

[bkm]

Sorry for such a vague first post and question because I know boats, like cars, are subjective, and have their own followings.

My wife and I have wanted a boat for a while now and after spending the weekend on my friends '04 Rinker Captiva 192, I'm ready to sell my 85 Sea Ray Seville project and get a newer boat. The Sea Ray just needs way more work than I have time to give it.

So, we've set a budget for around 15k and have decided that a 19-22 foot open bow fits our needs just fine and will fit in my garage, but with so many boats out there, it's making my head spin. I really liked his Rinker and honestly wouldn't have a problem buying the same boat, but maybe in a 212. I have also decided that boats from the 2000's and newer have a way better interior layout than the 80's and 90's boats.

We're located in St. Louis MO and travel to the Ozarks, Kentucky Lake, and have considered pulling it to Gulf Shores during our annual visit there.

Long story short, if you were in my shoes with my budget, what used boat would you look at, and what would you stay away from?

 

[SkiGuy1980]

I've had a couple of Rinkers and was happy with both. Both held up well (even the 26 y/o one I sold last fall). Your 15K will buy a lot of boat (newer/longer/options) compared to say a Chap or a Crown (both great boats but higher end and more dollars). It's a lighter boat and will travel well (we pulled ours from north central Indiana to Cumberland KY several times a year. I'd try to find a 21 footer (212 Captiva) with at least the 5.0 MPI.

I went out last fall with about the same budget in mind. I had my heart set on a 204 Chapparal SS. It was perfect for me (down to the color and the captains call). However, with 2 in college I wasn't wanting to spend cash and found financing through my bank impossible (PNC, what can I say). Anyway... I located a 2016 Crownline and made it back on the water by spring time.

I wish you the best in your search!

 

[badrano]

I just picked up a 2005 Chap 204 SSi with a 2009 5.0L TKS and trailer for 16k. This was a fresh water boat and the trailer was in top shape except for the dry rotted original tires. Pictures can be deceiving, but the pics for this boat showed a very clean and well kept boat. The marina was very helpful in taking some additional pictures for me and answering my questions. I probably went overboard on the questions and pics, but the boat was 4 hrs away from me and I didn't want to make a trip for nothing.

I feel your pain in the sense that there are so many boats for sail out there. For me, I just started to see what was in my home state and budget and worked my way out of the state to a max distance. Eventually I started to narrow down the manufacturers and started to filter the search on those makes. I always seemed to come back to Chap boats because I liked their styling and in the case of the 2005, the styling of the helm really appealed to me.

I would say set your search parameters on boats sites like boattrader, pay close attention to the pictures. In my quest for a boat, some of the pictures, especially the engine compartment, it was obvious some boats weren't taken care of.

To SkiGuy's point, if you're going to trailer it around, weight is important. The 204 is a solid heavy boat (@ 3400lbs dry) and total weight is pushing the upper end of my SUV's rating. I originally was looking to tow no more than 75% but I don't plan on trailering it too many hours from home. It's a good thing I don't live in the hills.

Good luck in your search!

 

[JASinIL2006]

On Lake of the Ozarks, a 22’ boat will ride much better than a 19 footer...

 

[wahlejim]

Start with the basics and build out from there. Lake of the Ozarks, bigger would be my choice with a rather large engine, no smaller than a 5.7

-Floor: All glass with snap in carpet
-Engine: 5.7 or larger, determine if carbed or injected is right for you. Determine make (Volvo or Mercruiser) based on support around you
-Fine tune fit and finish based on whats available I would imagine narrowing it down to a 21-22 ft bowrider with a 5.7 or larger engine, all glass floor and snap in carpet in your price range would make the task much more manageable.

 

[jkust]

A lot to consider. 2000's boats in both the under 20 foot and over 20 foot class took a massive leap forward from the 90's state of the art. For example, a 99 Chaparral is almost a completely different animal in almost every way than their next generation which started as early as the year 2000 and were built the same up to 2008 or so. There's just a lot less wood and rot prone materials in particular above deck and below depending on brand generally speaking in 2000's boats with a few 90's holdovers that took longer to change. I'll ignore that the 90's boats had an older style hull design with an older look about them. I'm talking lake boats here. For LOTO, I'd be looking for the heaviest boat possible for which there is a positive correlation between the cost of the boat when new and the dry weight....same with gas tank size. 15k for an appropriately appointed 22 foot, mid 2000's boat starts to get challenging. What i've found is that 5.7MPI equipped boats tend to be a bit more sought after than what many times was the base 5.0 power in many boats. Sea Ray, I've seen is notorious for underpowering their boats with a 5.0 when it should have been a 5.7 or 6.2. There is a sort of demarcation line between the 20 oot and down size and the over 20 foot where you can pick up few year old 19 foot boat that is practically new with all the latest styling and decor for what a much older 22 foot used boat costs.

 

[bkm]

Thank you guys for the replys. I doubt we'll be on LOTO very much if at all. We've been to Pomme de Terre a few times this year and that is closer to our speed and where we'll probably do most of our boating. We have two groups of friends that store their boats there.

There have been a few 04-05 Regal 2000's for sale locally that have a very nice interior layout and mpi 5.0's. If the weather holds out we might go look at one this weekend.

My wife did say I should also keep the Sea Ray for a river boat, so it's always nice to have a wife who enjoys it as much as I do.

 

[SkiGuy1980]

Hopefully something close fits the bill (save you a lot of travel time). I made so many trips last fall I put over 2000 miles on the car just going to look!

 

[jkust]

Regal is a decent boat....Mid 2000's they were starting to come into their own. I'm assuming we are talking 20 foot and not 22 foot Regals...the 5.0 is a great engine in that size. Keep in mind there's a million others doing what you are doing and they won't care if the weather holds out. The good boats get snatched up quick. The key is to be ready with your research so you recognize it and don't walk away only to realize you had the gem but walked from it while it got snapped up the second you leave. Keep in mind, I'm talking only these two classes of boats....larger boats in some of these brands are much nicer than their smaller boats.

 

[Leardriver]

2002-05 Sea Ray 200 or 210 Sundeck.

 

[jkust]

2002-05 Sea Ray 200 or 210 Sundeck.

Just so long as it isn't a Sea Ray Sport.

 

[hvymtl939]

In my experience, Lake of the Ozarks can be done on a reasonable sized boat. We did the shootout last year on a 21' Rinker Deck boat, and it was rough, but we never felt unsafe. If you're down on normal non-holiday/shootout weekends, just about anything would work.