Open or Closed Bow? 16' or 18'?

[59Thompson]

Am seeing some fall deals pop up on CL and eBay and combined with all the good restorations and recommendations I've seen on this site am getting tin fever. Looking for something lightweight to tow with a V6 Dodge Caravan, capable of holding six but usually four, joyriding and fishing in rivers and lakes, occasional tubing, fits in garage and actually leaves room to work on it. What are your thoughts on the SS vs. a Jupiter i.e. is there some advantage to the closed bow? It looks like the SS bowrider seats could be made into some great lockable storage/seats. Don't know if putting occasional 300 lbs of passengers up there causes them to not ride as smooth/stable as a closed bow with weight in back. Also I see the 16s are around 300lbs lighter than the 18s. I'd appreciate your thoughts/experience. Regards, John

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Open or Closed Bow? 16' or 18'?

Welcome to the site 59thompson, we all have tin fever in the starcraft club

You are in good company. I'd recommend an SS over a Jupiter for your stated reasons. Bow seating rides fine and allows 6 to be comfy even on a 16' like the one I'm getting(link below).

The advantage of an 18' versus 16' are going to be fuel tank capacity, beam/stability, total weight capacity and smoother ride. I opted for the 16' SS because I'm hoping it will fit in my garage.

Good luck in your search and let us know what you find

 

[DI35]

Re: Open or Closed Bow? 16' or 18'?

Myself, thought that 16' was enough
found an 18' and will never go back
Open or closed bow? my thoughts wonder
I`ve not had an open bow, but I found a closed
bow Holiday
79 V5 I/O
good for fishing, great for toobing and as a pleasure
craft perfect
as far as getting in the garage
you`ll make room


http://s714.photobucket.com/albums/ww148/DI35/

 

[86 century]

Re: Open or Closed Bow? 16' or 18'?

Just bought a 18' ss last week for $900 put it in the water that day. Also have a 18' american same as a holliday (or close but glass) the ss has tons more room.

 

[Captmills]

Re: Open or Closed Bow? 16' or 18'?

I have a 16' Nassau closed bow, I tow it with a Ford Ranger w/3.0 V6 The weight for the V6 seems about right, didn't want to put to much strain on the truck after adding gear etc. I have had an open bow boat and the disadvantage of the open bow is that they are wetter than the closed bow and I would put gear in the front making it heavier and prone to plowing. got caught once in a wave from a large sport fisher and almost sucked the boat under (inconsiderate you know what) So the trade off seems to be better for me to have the closed(drier,more stable) but I will miss the ability to fish from the front of the boat...my 2 cents worth, Steven

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Open or Closed Bow? 16' or 18'?

Love my Jupiter but really really wanted an open bow. Much better use of space. There wasn't much you could do with the under bow area on the Jupiter besides a little storage. I mounted my 12 gallon fuel tank under there. I will say, the 18' SS is a more substantial boat in EVERY way as compared to the 16'. Wider, longer (obviously), taller. It's up to you whether you want the 16 or the 18 but I'd definitely go with the open bow.

 

[pmillar]

Re: Open or Closed Bow? 16' or 18'?

Keep in mind you can always get a snap on bow cover and have the best of both worlds. (kinda)

 

[starcrafter65]

Re: Open or Closed Bow? 16' or 18'?

Am seeing some fall deals pop up on CL and eBay and combined with all the good restorations and recommendations I've seen on this site am getting tin fever. Looking for something lightweight to tow with a V6 Dodge Caravan, capable of holding six but usually four, joyriding and fishing in rivers and lakes, occasional tubing, fits in garage and actually leaves room to work on it. What are your thoughts on the SS vs. a Jupiter i.e. is there some advantage to the closed bow? It looks like the SS bowrider seats could be made into some great lockable storage/seats. Don't know if putting occasional 300 lbs of passengers up there causes them to not ride as smooth/stable as a closed bow with weight in back. Also I see the 16s are around 300lbs lighter than the 18s. I'd appreciate your thoughts/experience. Regards, John

Bigger is ALWAYS better - save yourself 2 years and just get the 20!!!

I had a 16' Nassau - and as we seem to agree the 18' is TWICE the boat - so get the 18'


Clark

 

[hibbert6]

Re: Open or Closed Bow? 16' or 18'?

I have a 15' tri hull with a 65hp outboard. Tows with our mini-van no problem. It seems to have more usable space than most 16-17 foot v-hulls. The open bow area can hold 4 kids or 2 adults, with seating for 4 behind the windshield. If I just have 3 or 4 people, then we sometimes put the cooler up front and we all sit in seats - and we can open the cooler without having to pull it out from beneath the bow.

The downside - the boat just feels small. Everything seems miniature. My wife and I are 5'6" and under 150#. We're fine in this boat with our 10 year old son and one buddy. But bigger people feel cramped, and we're tripping over one another's feet. While I'd like a bigger boat, as seldom as we use the one we have now I can't justify having to buy a real tow vehicle that gets less than 15mpg.

Check the weight on both boats, add 200# for gear and the ice chest, and compare it with the tow capacity of your Caravan. It might make the decision for you.

Dave