Boat question

[ab333]

Having never owned a boat, would like to get some advise. What brand of boat do you prefer and why. Looking at 18-19 foot bass boat. Also since we have so much experience here, figure may also have some rigging suggestions as well. Thanks in advance.

 

[wrechin2]

That is a VERY hard question to answer. You will get literally hundreds of answers. It all boils down to the type of fishing you plan on doing, if it is a boat you will be taking your family out on to play, what body of water you plan to fish (lakes or small rivers), the amount of money you want to invest, ect. Inboards are cheaper on fuel to play all day but take up space on the inside. Just some of the things to consider.

As far as brands, it is personal opinion. Some boats are better at a given purpose. Like speed, a Bullet is faster than a Astroglass at the same size and same horsepower but the Astroglass may be more stable while fishing. Everything about a boat has some sort of trade off. There is not 1 perfect boat for everything.

Same as engines. I PREFER Mercury because I do a lot of performance engines and they are easy to get big HP numbers from. But the Johnson/Evinrudes are workhorses and very dependable but harder to make a high performance engine from. You have other brands, but I can't offer a opinion on them. Of course, these are MY opinions. emoToast emoToast

 

[dragfish]

Lot of variables, first is PRICE RANGE! Then new or used, then primary purpose (fishing, pleasure or a combination of the two)
Then you have aluminum or fiberglass and what your vehicle can tow.

Post those preferences and you will get a lot of responses.

Wrenchin' has you off to a good start and he will be your go to guy for maintanance and repair questions.

 

[dtw2]

1-money,2- comfort, 3-and type of fishing you are going to do, Find that out and finding the right boat for you shouldn't be a problem.

 

[NRG]

My personal favs in no particular order, for Speed .. Bullet, Hydra Sports ( no longer made well not bass boats anyway) and Allison. Comfort Cadillac Ride - Ranger , Pheonix, and Bass Cat.. of course you cant go wrong with a Nitro, Triton, and Stratos.. But Its like everything .

Buy the best quality boat you can buy.. and test drive as many as possible .. I love driving all kinds of cars .. but few are made for long trip comfort.. you can stand to ride in anything for a short trip on smooth water.

The real test is big waves wide open throttle.. and even then a new boat owner first boat wont still have a clue .. how the boat is setup in the first place will make it ride better.. and then you still have to learn to drive a fast boat in bad conditions. when to back off and when to hammer down.

Any aluminum boat Ive ever rode in or drove sucked in higher winds and bad weather..

If money was no Object and the best Ride and speed, and comfort it would be a hard choice for me .. there are soo many really good boats. new and older .. as far as a new boat .. the dealer quality is half of the battle.. and the manufacturers willingness to fix warranty issues.. then you have the ride and handling.

 

[ab333]

Thanks everyone so far. I want a bass boat for fishing and sure some family fun time as well. Have given me plenty of great advise, which is exactly what I thought would happen.

 

[reelman88]

with fishing and family a priority maybe you need to look into some fish and ski models

 

[wrechin2]

reelman88 - 5/20/2010 9:44 AM with fishing and family a priority maybe you need to look into some fish and ski models

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I agree.
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[Oldman]

ditto

 

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

My first boat was an 18' Dynatrak fish & ski with the old Merc tower of power straight 6 - 115hp. My girls grew up on the lake in that boat and it served me very well. It was a reasonable fishing platform and worked well for cruising and pulling my kids on a tube. It would cruise at 40 mph and top end in the middle 50's which was pretty good for a 115. It was basically Dynatrak's bass boat hull with a fish & ski cap. I had the boat for 15 years. I now have a Viper Coral 20' fish & ski with a 225 on it and am very pleased. It is also the same hull as their 201 bass boat with a fish & ski cap. Sure there are times when I wish the walk thru windshield was not in my way but overall it is great for what I use it for. It has a fair size front deck with two rod lockers that I can put 7' sticks in. It has a 45 gallon live well with plenty of dry storage boxes. I've been 68 mph (gps) and it had a little more to go so while not as fast as some straight bass boats it will go faster than I want to go. I'm a big fan of the fish & ski concept, especially if you have kids and a wife who want to enjoy the lake. One thing to pay attention to is that the manufacturers seem to build two kinds of fish & ski boats. One type is like what I've had--- it is more a bass boat with a fish & ski cap and is more fishing / performance oriented. The other type is more a runabout type boat that is more ski oriented with a trolling motor and live well added. Those boats are slower but have more comfort for families such as a deeper hull, plusher seats, etc. It just depends on what your mission is going to be. My advice would be to try to find a 19' or 20' foot boat if your budget will allow. As your kids get older and want to bring friends along with all the "stuff" a family needs for a day on the water you will appreciate the extra room a larger boat has. Also don't make the mistake of buying an underpowered rig. Pulling tubes and skiers requires a lot of power and most brands of fish & ski models are heavier than their corresponding straight bass boats. The wind shield also hurts your top end speed, so find a boat that has the maximum HP engine on it. This may cause a squawk with some on here, but my opinion is stay away from anything with an older OMC engine on it, especially the FICHT motors. Those motors bankrupted OMC and anyone with one often wants to unload it on someone. This is just my .02 cents worth based on 20 years of owning fish & ski boats. I hope this helps.

 

[Tsuga]

I had a ladder installed on the stern when I ordered my Ranger in 1987. I have never seen another Ranger with a ladder on it, or even another bass boat, but we have used the ladder when swimming many times. We anchor and dive off the boat and just climb back in without going to shore. We have also towed grandchildren on tubes and skis and of course the ladder was used. Our towing was just occasional, nothing serious. I still use the boat and if I ever fall out when it is cold and I have lots of clothes on, I am sure that I will appreciate having the ladder.