fish/ski boats...any advice?

[josh.schreiber]

I posted a WTB ad in the classified forum, but also I am just looking for as much information as I can. My wife and I are both avid fishermen, waterskiers, tubers, etc. We need a boat that would cover all the bases.
Does anyone have any particularly good/bad experiences w/ any certain make/model? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
We are looking to spend somewhere in the $10K area.
Thanks for any and all input!

 

[cb1340]

I have a friend who has an old Cajun fish/ski. He likes it. With the exception his motor is coldblooded and won't start sometimes. He took the seats out and made a little platform out of plywood so its more like a bass boat now a days. We used to tube on it with the ladies and then go fishing when they got tired. This isn't much help to you probably but I thought I would share it anyway.....

 

[josh.schreiber]

hahaha I can dig it. Like I said I value all the input. thx

 

[Jason F-18]

I have looked at the same for when we are ready to buy a boat. There is actually a nice looking Nitro on Craigslist right now for a good price. He says is is in great shape, but obviously, take a look for yourself.

 

[G-MAN]

I have an 1996 180fs Astro fish-n-ski with Merc 150 efi. Great riding boat, set up well for fishing and can ride up to seven when used for skiing.

The only down side on a fish-n-ski is the gas mileage when used as a ski boat. You have to keep the engine trimmed down.
Outboards get terrible gas mileage when compared to an I/O.

99% of my use is fishing, so it works out great.

 

[bbdown]

I've got a Nitro fish/ski. After looking at all of the other makes I felt this was the best compromise of both worlds. Some were more geared toward fishing and some more towards cruising/skiing. If you fish very much I would lean more towards the fishing side. The models that lean more towards cruising/skiing are real hard to fish out of. Ours has a 150 and I would suggest not getting the 115. I don't think it would be as much fun. For our large tube, and to get my large self up on a board we need all 150 horses for sure. Doesn't throw a huge wake for boarding but enough for our skill level. Two negatives for me are the live well is small and it only holds 31gal of fuel. Pulling kids around the lake all day will usually put me at Harrison Bay at least twice.
Good Luck!!

 

[Basshopper]

I also have an 1996 Astro 18FS with a 150 Mercury. GMan you are correct, it is not bad to fish out of. I had John Swallows put a 71 thrust Motor Guide troller on mine, and it zips through
the water. The fuel mileage is about what you expect for a 150 and does well unless you run it wide open then it gets thristy, or if you are pulling a tube all day, then you can go through a tank of gas pretty quick. I use mine to mainly fish with, but I also needed to please the ladies in my life. It is a good boat for either and will run 55 - 60 depending on load and conditions.

You would have to find a used one, as Astro went out of business several years ago. Good luck on finding the right fit.

 

[G-MAN]

Pro Craft fish and ski is the old Astro fish and ski. I believe it went astroglass then pro craft took over and kept the name astro for the fish and ski, since it was a popular boat. They finally changed the name of the fish and ski to Pro Craft.

http://www.procraftboats.com/boat/index.cfm?boat=2993

Again, I would recommend. I've added 3 bank charger, side imaging, drop in night lights, bubbler to the live wells. Boat has lots of storage and two live wells. The windshield is great on those cold runs.

 

[digitalcb]

I've always liked the Sea Nymph SS

http://boats.iboats.com/sea_nymph_boats/563285.html#details_anchor