smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

[todngo]

Hi all,

I'm looking for opinions on what make\models of boat I should look at when wanting a boat that I can experience the plushest & smoothest ride in. I'm looking in the 17-19 foot range, would prefer an open bow. I will do some fishing, some inner tubing but mostly traveling from island to island in the San Juan Islands in Washington which is common to have constant 1-3 ft chop. I am guessing that I'll want a deep V thus sacrificing some fuel economy & stability for smooth ride, that's fine as it's the most important feature to me to not have to wear a kidney belt while cruising. Any articles that I could be pointed to would also be great! Thanks all! I had an Arima 19ft which did mediocre at best if I was barely on plane, any faster even in light chop and I felt everything.

Todd

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

one thing i would recommend, for the area you will be boating. is when you buy the boat, buy the bow taunu cover. on those days you go out, and the unexpected winds come up, it will save you a lot of unwanted water over the bow. i don't know of any 17-19 footer that rides real well in 2 to 3 foot chop. you either go slow and wallow in it, or get up on top and bounce.

 

[todngo]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

Let me rephrase, as I know no sub 20 foot runabout will be smooth in 2-3 foot chops, what boat would ride smoothest in generic small chop?

As a kid my father had a 18 foot Winner with a modified deep V hull, and nothing to date I've been in (though I've been in only few, about 5 models) have even come close to the soft smooth ride of that boat. Since I can't find a used one anywhere, I want the absolute best ride in a new\newer boat. Brands I've ruled out so far are Bayliner (I havent ridden in a sub 20 foot Trophy model though), Arima & C-Dory.

Todd

 

[QC]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

My recommendation would be to look for anything with at least 20 degrees of deadrise. I had a 17 footer that would handle big lake chop better than a subsequent 20 footer, the basic difference between the boats was a sharp entry and exit. I now have a 23 footer with 20 degrees at the stern and she is awesome in big chop. And I am serious about big, where I boat on Lake Mead it can blow over 50 and there is plenty of fetch for it to get seriously big.

Also, I am wanting an OB powered boat these days, but I have a sneaking suspicion the the heavier sterns of an I/O are part of the best combo for ride. Curious what others think, but every time I've been in a single OB boat it seems that the they get tossed around more than the solid tracking I have felt with I/Os. Again, I actually prefer OB power, but think the low, heavy lump of iron may help with a more solid feel.

I second tashasdaddy's comments about the bow cover. A sharp entry will drive down and under some steep ones . . . :^

 

[arthat]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

Hi Todngo,

Have you considered a catamaran? With that type of consistent chop, you may want to look into a cat. I have been in only one and was impressed. It was larger than 19 feet though. I believe it was a Glacier Bay. Check this lin.k for a 17 and a 19 foot Twinn Vee model :

http://www.twinvee.net/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

Should you go with a mono hull, QC is right on with degree of deadrise. Grady White offers a great ride inheavy chop too.

I hope this helps you out

Successful Boating,

Art

 

[JB]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

Have you considered a catamaran?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

didn't even think of a cat. in the Fla Keys, you see at lot of them. thats a area where you can have smooth calm water and a squal in 15 minutes.

 

[KCook]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

Worth a try anyways -

http://www.mako-boats.com/boat/index.cfm?boat=2134

Kelly Cook

 

[QC]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

FWIW, I got my first ride in a 25 ft. cat two weeks ago. We ran hard into 6 foot seas and a bunch of slop to go with it. Non-issue. The only reason I didn't mention it is I have not been aboard a smaller one. I was tempted to suggest that too though. She did act a little funny in certain combinations, but the fact is she was VERY smooth.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

If your looking for a new Boat id say a Larson 186 senza, it used and i believe still does use a Wellcraft hull.

The boat is 18' 6" long, it has 8' beam and a 20 degree hull. She weigh's in @ 3000 with a v6 and will cut a 1-2 chop like butter. The older one's also had a cockpit set up to keep one dry in very harsh condition's

I do a lot of running on the Columbia which is a very rough water most of the time with a lot of 30' boats running digging up the bottom trying to show off there wake, in the Wellcraft i just notch her up to 40 and cut right over the top no problem and of course give them a hearty wave. Ive also spent some time on the bar, while one doesnt run @ 40 in 4-5 roller's (i have tried ) ive never been wet yet.

All in all iam very pleased with this boat and a 2 foot chop is a no brainer even when there 7-8 feet apart. Id urge you to find one a take a demo, the closet ride i can find that is as smooth has been a 22 footer..........and im not going there yet......

Opps by the way Larson may not be a big name out here but it was one of the first glass boat's and but they have a great rep in the upper north west pain states. Umm pretty quick to im currently @ 56 with a 4.3

http://www.larsonboats.com/senza/186io/gallery.asp

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

larsons were very popular here in the 60's and 70's. thought they were gone. they made a fantastic lapstrake wooden hull. i guess with the advent of fiberglass, and the boom of boats built in Florida, they gave up this market. looking at the link, they're still building a well designed boat.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

If you don't mind an older boat, look for a Manatee. I think they made an 18 open bow. I have a 21 cuddy and it rides like a much larger boat in chop. The only drawback is that she is narrow and reacts markedly to changing weight distribution within the boat

 

[Flukinicehole]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

Twinn Vee cat will give you the best ride hands down. I think there ugly but the ride is unbelievable.

 

[Stumedic]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

I have an 18' Winner center console. I use it in the North East, and it does get pretty choppy. Until I put trim tabs on I thought I was going to lose a kidney. Big diff with the tabs. Still need slicks but the ride smoothed out big time. I'm sure most boats will benefit from them. Stu

 

[Texasmark]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

Agree on 20ish dead rise. Deep V with lifting strakes and if you can get it, lots of bow flare (where the hull meets the deck) to deflect the spray, or if you have to dive into a wave, you have some surface area to lift you out of it.

OB should do fine. What I do, when practical, is to make the V of the bow work for you. That means trimming in, forcing the bow down and into the waves. I'm not talking about submarining here. You can feel it when you put her down and she starts slicing......give her enough throttle to drive through the waves and you should be good to go.

Depending on the situation, sometimes I drive hard straight into the waves and make the boat hop from crest to crest....this usually works best when you are going with the wind, but the opposite can and does work too. The deep V settles nicely (stern first) between crests and the bow slices through them.

Sometimes, being on top is the smoothest. Some folks stay sub plane or right at plane but sometimes you need to punch out and test it. May be pleasantly surprised that faster is smoother.

Sometimes quartering and zig zagging is the answer for the safest, smoothest ride.

Mark

 

[QC]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

Mark is dead on here. Driving the bow down generally works on the small stuff. You need the shard stern deadrise though to keep it reasonably smooth with the bow up on the big stuff. Also, small throttle adjustments when moving fast on big stuff can make momentary changes to attitude that can make for a great ride. You can also screw up pretty bad with this technique as well. Downwind is almost always more fun no matter what the conditions. Man, I wanna go boating . . . 8)

 

[mattttt25]

Re: smoothest riding boat, 17-19 ft open bow

power cat will be the smoothest, but so uncool...

that only leaves a Grady...