Trying to find the right boat for the wife and I?

[hostage]

So we have a nice 19ft Cuddy that the wife and I purchased a few years ago. We went camping in it during Labor Day weekend and she said she wasn't a big fan of it. She doesn't mind camping for for 1 night in it, so it feels like having a cuddy is a moot point. I initially got the boat to do water sports and as all my friends are dorks or dads I have very few people that have the time or interest in coming out.

What I am thinking is looking at a boat that I could do scuba diving and be able to sleep in comfortably. When we trailer up to the 1000 islands, the wakes from other boats really made us feel very uncomfortable when we went out into the river. Would a larger boat give us a bit more stability? So I am thinking of a cabin crusier that we can go camping in that can be trailer able or a larger boat that we could travel the coast of Lake Ontario.

We were tossing the idea of getting a camper, though why not get a boat that does both for us. I would like the boat to have enough room in the stern section to give divers enough room to gear up, so maybe something with fishing in mind.

Thanks in advance,

Hostage

 

[matt167]

Re: Trying to find the right boat for the wife and I?

How about a Starcraft Chieftan 25'. They have a full cabin/ salon, altho smaller, but they have a huge cockpit for fishing/ diving, and are great rough water boats

 

[rbh]

Re: Trying to find the right boat for the wife and I?

Regardless of what you get for a boat, make sure you get a full camper top that you can stand up under (square back and front not sloped)
It just adds to the living area so much.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Trying to find the right boat for the wife and I?

Maybe a 26 foot walk-around . . .

It would do the scuba thing OK, handle rougher conditions and have enough space and facilities for an overnight.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Trying to find the right boat for the wife and I?

Parker pilothouse. Full cabin in the front; lots of workspace in the back. Like a deadrise. A good solid serious boat.

You have some conflicts on your wish list, as often happens. To get comfy for the wifey, you need size, which makes it more of a chore to trailer and at the ramp. The more comforts, the less working space.

Overnighting on a small boat is like backpacking, not car camping.

A goood alternative for many is to buy a camper and a smaller open boat--maybe a 17-19' whaler, proline, parker, privateer or carolina skiff?