Family of four (two adults, two teens) currently seeking 18-19' 4.3 I/O or Inboard Bow Rider for inland Ohio lake skiing, tubing, fishing and swimming enjoyment. Looking for a clean, solid, and well maintained mid-90's or newer boat to fit our $10K price range. We do love to boat but don't get to do it quite enough to justify a real boat payment and will have two teens learning to boat on it so we'd rather have something where we don't have to go through the Five Stages of Grief every time someone bumps a dock.
Family currently has and enjoys a 1988 85 hp 16' Bayliner Capri. Purchased off someone's lawn for a pocket-change(ish) price. Two summers in children have grown, brought friends, and we are fast outgrowing our cute little boat.
We just missed out on a '96 Four Winns Horizon 190 with a 4.3L Volvo 190 hp -- clean. Had some cosmetic dings (seat cover, speaker cover) but otherwise good. $7800 and it sold before we could even make an offer.
Right now we (think) we know:
We want a 4.3L for pulling a boatload of teens and adults and a large tube.
Def I/O or Inboard.
May lean toward Merc over Volvo for avail of parts
18' minimum for larger passenger capacity
Bow Rider
We are checking
Boattrader
This site
CL
Have feelers out to a marina
If I was your friend knowing little to nothing about boats (just enough to be dangerous) what would you want me to know? (We do have great boating friends and they were great in helping vet the Four Winns - we just got there too late!)
Family currently has and enjoys a 1988 85 hp 16' Bayliner Capri. Purchased off someone's lawn for a pocket-change(ish) price. Two summers in children have grown, brought friends, and we are fast outgrowing our cute little boat.
We just missed out on a '96 Four Winns Horizon 190 with a 4.3L Volvo 190 hp -- clean. Had some cosmetic dings (seat cover, speaker cover) but otherwise good. $7800 and it sold before we could even make an offer.
Right now we (think) we know:
We want a 4.3L for pulling a boatload of teens and adults and a large tube.
Def I/O or Inboard.
May lean toward Merc over Volvo for avail of parts
18' minimum for larger passenger capacity
Bow Rider
We are checking
Boattrader
This site
CL
Have feelers out to a marina
If I was your friend knowing little to nothing about boats (just enough to be dangerous) what would you want me to know? (We do have great boating friends and they were great in helping vet the Four Winns - we just got there too late!)