What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

[Merrill]

I have my classic 16' wooden boat on ebay right now. I would like to replace it with a 18-20' glass runabout. I'm looking for something in the 1985 to 1995 range. What brands should I look for and what brands should I stay away from? Any advice would be welcome. Thanks

 

[bayman]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

Merrill,<br /><br />There are many factors to look at, here are a few of those:<br /><br />What do you want to use the boat for (fishing, water skiing, diving, wakeboarding, cruising etc..)? What type of water do you go boating in (lake, river, ocean)? What are the water conditions when you go (smooth / big waves)? How many people do you bring with you?

 

[Merrill]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

The boat will be used for cruising the Columbia river mostly. The crew will be 2 adults and 2 big Labs. Might do some island camping. I have looked at aluminum fishing boats too but they are way too heavyduty for what I need. A friend has a 20' Glastron that looks about right. <br /><br />The wife likes smooth water but I still need something big enough to get us back safely when the winds pick up. <br /><br />I would like to stay away from "entry level" units and go with something nice. Thanks

 

[Purebreed]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

Stable boats that are well suited for your needs are Cobalt, 4winns, celebrity, formula. These were all well built tanks for there era and have a rather deep v for a nice ride.

 

[JB]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

My list would start with Boston Whaler, then include:<br /><br />Grady White<br />Scout<br />Parker<br />Edgewater<br /><br />Well, you asked for the BEST, right?

 

[Merrill]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

You guys are giving me brands I never heard of. In my hick town Bayliner, Glastron and Regal are common. How do they rate? What makes should I stay away from?

 

[JB]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

Check out iboats classified, Boat Trader and other online listings.<br /><br />Do not limit yourself to a Bayliner if you don't want an entry level boat.

 

[Merrill]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

I heard that the Bayliner is considered entry level. What about the Glastron and Regal? I like my friends Glastron and there's an 1985 18' in the local paper for a good price. Ya, been looking at Boat Trader. No shortage of used boats for sure.

 

[reference123]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

We have had experience with both Glastron and Regal in that size range and both provide a nice ride and are a quality boat. Regals hull planes quickly and cuts through chop pretty good. On either I would consider adding smart tabs to make the ride even more stable.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[Merrill]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

My boat just sold. Some guy in the United Kingdom bought it. Reference, got a picture of your Glastron?

 

[roscoe]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

Don't accept a cashiers check for your boat. Cash only. ( ebay scam)

 

[sea wolf]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

How the boat was maintained is more importanat than brand names. Ask for maintenance records.

 

[05GlastronSX]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

heres a few pics of my 2005 glastron sx170. <br />

<br />

 

[Merrill]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

Yes, the ebay buyer is a crook and the attempted deal was a scam. However, after the bidding closed I received two phone calls from other interested parties, both have cash. <br /><br />Nice boat Referance! I'm looking at a 85 18' Glastron this week.

 

[87Aggie]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

Wow, 05GlastronSX, a 2005 Glastron photographed in 2002! Just kidding, I haven't figured out my date stamping feature on my camera either. I have a 1979 Glastron SSV-176. You got a good looking boat!

 

[craze1cars]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

Popular brands of runabouts in no particular order include Glastron, Four Winns, Rinker, Celebrity, Chapparral, Crownline, Bayliner, Caravelle, Regal, VIP, Mariah, Monterey. There's hundreds more.<br /><br />As for which brand is best, there's really no answer to that question. You'll generally get a bunch of answers on this site mostly from people supporting their own brand choice.<br /><br />In my opinion it is much more important to find a good local dealer that will service their equipment. So find a good dealer(s), then see what they sell, then shop by price and features that you want/need. They're all going to be run by Mercruiser or Volvo powertrains anyway, so the boat brand itself is not as critical.<br /><br />If you have some interest in something a bit less conventional and just as functional and MUCH more maneuverable, you might check out some of the jet powered runabouts from Yamaha and Sea-Doo.

 

[reference123]

Re: What brand of 18-20' glass boats are best?

I need to take some pictures of our boat but havent done so yet. It is this model pictured here <br /><br /> CVZ-18 <br /><br />We do have the removable front cover and have added a wakeboard tower. Really fun boat when it is running. I almost sank it on Saturday. The main Water Cooling line had loosened and started leaking. We thought it was the boot. My bilge pump was not running so we made a mad dash for the dock and got it out before the water got to the engine mounts.