Total newbie ?'s

[UncleWillie]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

An online Virtual Show room can be seen at Boattest.com.
Many with full reviews and videos.

 

[Volito]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

Yes I am all over the place of what in want very confused. I am a bit I a speed freak lol

I been looking at the deck boats/open front - baja, tahoe, checkmate, bayliner ...I think one of them will work for us.. Honestly we probably cruise, sun tan, and fish the most. Think we both agreed on type I boat and size around 20 to 24.

 

[emoney]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

Personally, if I was starting over in the process I think I would've rented a few boats to
get a feel for what fits. Sure it may seem expensive on the surface, but it's a lot
cheaper than buying a boat you're not happy with. Also, look for "yacht clubs"
in your area. They're normally no where near as stuffy as the title would suggest and
are usually full of both a lot of different boats and some friendly people willing to
answer questions and give advice. Good luck.

 

[Philster]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

None of these boats are ocean-going boats. Can you duck into the near-shore areas? Sure, via protected inlet. But ocean-going is about experience at the helm.

Most 20' boats can handle a variety of lakes and bays, but there are big lakes and big bays where bigger boats with deep gunwale height is better.

Fishing in salt water behind a barrier island = anything from a 14' boat to a 30' + center console... or, maybe not, depending on which bay, etc. Heading out a hellish natural inlet into ocean = choose your boat wisely.

Yeah, you can run offshore in all sorts of things, but it's best if your years of experience vet this out for you. In other words, if you have to ask, then the answer is 'no', your boat and you are not ocean worthy.

Get a nice all purpose boat to cut your teeth on. Something you can mess up with a few dozen times and gain hours at the helm in small bays and lakes.

 

[The Famous Grouse]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

As others have said, you're all over the place with models you're looking at.

My advice woud be to slow down and spend some time on Craigslist just looking. Not looking as in to buy, looking as in to educate yourself. Get a sense for what's out there, what it looks like, how it would work for you, and the cost.

Focus on what you plan to do with the boat 80% of the time.

A couple of points to consider:

Being a speed freak is good in theory, but here's reality knockin'. In reality when you add in your skill level (or lack thereof), real life water conditions, regulations, and fuel costs, you'll want to get real about your need for speed.

Driving a boat is NOT like driving a car. Fast boats require REAL driver skills. They are heavy, the water is seldom smooth enough to open up without taking a royal beating, and last but not least, fast boats guzzle fuel at a prodigious rate. Miles per gallon? Ha! Try gallons per mile and you'll be closer to the truth.

Secondly, owning a boat north of 18 feet is as much about what you need to buy to tow it as it is which boat to buy. My 22 foot Wellcraft weighs in at just a tad over 4000 pounds dry including the trailer. But now it's time to get real because real boats have real big fuel tanks. In my case, there's over 500 pounds of fuel, water, coolers, water toys, etc on board if the tank is full.

The problem is that I'm very close to the maximum that a mid-size SUV can pull. My Olds Bravada wiht heavy duty towing package is rated for 6000 pounds max. Most light trucks are not rated that high, most are rated for 4-5,000 pounds.

Slow down and think more about what you want and how you'll use, tow, and store it.

Grouse

 

[Aquaman-PSD]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

Although they are not the greatest at choppy water prince craft makes some really nice deck boats now. Also if looking for used look for Grumman, Starcraft, and a few other tinny deck boats. We have one for water rescue and they are very stable and spacious but can still get down at WOT. Here is a picture of the Prince Craft I have my eye on when the funds become available.

 

[Volito]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

Thanks again for all opinions and sharing your knowledge. The more I look the more I get confused "I like so many boats" honesty think 80 % would be cruising , sunning , light fishing. Most likely in lake close to house. Quick trailer rides.

Think my best bet is 20 to 30 k deck boat. Something to go out and enjoy a day.

If need I can upgrade in future

Thanks again any more ideas

 

[Volito]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

opinions on Moneterey 184 FSX and 224 FSX went to lake dealer where docks are and looked at these two. Look pretty good to me "but then again what do i know " lol

 

[Philster]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

Good boats... but which powertrain packages do they have?

 

[Volito]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

Good boats... but which powertrain packages do they have?

224 has a Mercruiser 5.0L V8 MPI CAT ALPHA DRIVE with 260 H.P

184 VOLVO PENTA 4.3L GL V6 WITH 190 HORSEPOWER

 

[theBrownskull]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

Do some more research to see what you and your wife want to do.

I bought a deck boat because I found I wanted more usable room. I can fish from it, wakeboard and tube behind it, cruise with the top up and wash my hands in the sink. I thought about a cuddy but I don't spend that much time on the water usually 5 or 6 hours at the most and then tow it home.

 

[theBrownskull]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

I would go with the 224

 

[theBrownskull]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

The 224 has the 5.0 and you will not regret going with the bigger engine.

 

[Aquaman-PSD]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

he 224 has the 5.0 and you will not regret going with the bigger engine.

Until you go to put fuel in it

 

[theBrownskull]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

I had a 4.3 / 190 hp in my other boat and the gas usage between them was not much different, especially when going fast or pulling a tube. The 4.3 had to work when you had two tubes and 4 teenagers on them.

 

[Aquaman-PSD]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

Thats a good point... same reason V-8 trucks get better milage than V-6's

 

[raptor5618]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

Think you will be happier at the Wallenpaupack. Much larger and lots of launches both public and private. I would not go with anything less than 19 feet though as they seem to get bounced around too much and space is obviously less than a larger boat. Renting a slip is pretty expensive although if you keep it there year round they include putting it into the water and pulling it out as well as winterizing and storage for the winter. Most of the locations that have slips also have picnic areas to hand out at and at least on has a camp ground.

If you decide to two it, make sure you have a strong enough engine because both areas have their share of hills that are much easier with a truck that has enough HP to go up and down without keeping the pedal near the floor. I would suggest getting something that is AWD or 4WD because some ramps can get pretty slimy in the summer.

 

[hostage]

Re: Total newbie ?'s

I hate to say, but after looking at a lot of new boats this year, I would say go used (per-recession). They don't make them like they use to.

-Hostage