How many boats have you owned

[trbr81]

all started back when I was a kid - dad bought a 16ft smoker craft homemade bass boat with a 20hp on it. boat was rated for a 40 so he swapped engines - what a let down - didnt go much faster

Ranger 364 with a GT150 ran that for 10 years - motor kept on blowing up
1999 R81 with 175EFI - loved the boat but the motor was junk - three powerheads
2005 Stratos 294 with 200 Etec - should of never got rid of it - was a great boat and fast
2011 Ranger z119 - current boat and still looks new. have done lots of upgrades on it over last year - electronics, lithium and ultrex - great boat probably won't get another one

 

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

Great topic Tom!

1985 Ebbtide Dynatrak 176SS fish & ski - Merc 115 6 cyl. tower of power!!! My first boat. We never had a boat as a kid so I fished off the bank and vowed to have a boat when I got "all grown up". The Dynatrak made my vow come true when I purchased it second hand in 1990. Great Boat would run middle 50s, my kids grew up on the lake in it. Kept it until 2004. When I sold it the gel was still smooth and very shiny, the boat was in great condition. Only problem I ever had with the engine was I had a power pack go out one time.

2000 Viper Coral 201 20'1" fish & ski - Merc 225 EFI - Traveled to Texas to purchase in 2004. I still valued a fish and ski but needed more room. The Coral is I think the best fish & ski ever made. A fish & ski cap on a bass boat hull. It would run 70 - 71 on gps, had a great livewell system and was a great boat. The 225 EFI was bullet proof. I kept this boat until about 2014. Loved that boat and actually miss it when I'm taking the grandkids out.

2011 Lowe 17HP aluminum pad style 17' bass boat with a Merc 90 opti. I purchased in Feb. 2013 and it only had 32 hours on it. I still have this boat. It is a great river fishing machine and fits in my garage ready to go for those spur of the moment trips or when I don't have time to get the 21' boat out from under the deck. The Lowe will top out about 42 - 43 mph on gps and cruises easily at 33 mph. With a 75lb Motorguide 24v trolling motor it is a great fishing machine. Very economical.

2010 Skeeter FX21 - 21' Bass boat dual console - Yamaha 250 SHO- I purchased this boat at Weidas Marine the last day of 2015 and still have it. 2010 was the launch year for both the FX21 and the SHO engine. Looking at specs my first year boat is several hundred pounds lighter than the later model boats and the 2010 boats were rated for 300HP! By the way, Weida's is a great place to buy a boat, very good experience for me. It will run 74.7 on gps with just me, full tanks of gas, empty livewells, and normal fishing tackle load. I love this boat / motor combination. I'm not a run at WOT guy very much so I value a good ride and high / economical cruise speed. I get 47 mph gps at 4000 rpm which is I think very good. If I'm in a hurry it doesn't strain to run all day at 60 mph. I've had it to 68mph gps with three big guys and a tackle store in it running against a mild current. I'm sold on Skeeter's workmanship and ride. My "Bug" looks very, very good and it is original carpet and vinyl. I've toyed with the idea of selling this boat or maybe it and the Lowe and getting a new or newer 18 - 19' boat that will fit in my garage but I can't justify what late model or new boat cost. I plan to just keep what I'm blessed to have and be content.

Sorry to be so long winded but I'm a boat guy, I love boats!!!!

 

[rsimms]

Yea, fun topic. Assuming it does NOT include canoes, I've owned five.
- 10 foot jon with a 5 hp Johnson (kept it through college, until 1975. When it died I had nothing but canoes until 1978.)
- bought 16 foot bass boat (don't remember brand) w/90 HP (I think) Evinrude. Kept it until 1985.
- 16 foot commercial width Alumacraft w/40 HP Mariner (traded in bass boat when I need a combo fishing/duck hunting boat. Longest ownership, 21 years)
- 16 foot G3 w/60 HP Yamaha (when I started guiding in 2006)
- In 2013 upgraded to an 18-foot G3 w/90 HP Yamaha in 2013. I am "semi-retiring" from guiding. Likely to own this one until I die.

 

[Nauticman]

1960 or so, no boat yet but carried an 18 hp Evinrude and gas tank in my trunk. Back then we rented a boat and brought our own motors. Bought the Evinrude from Jimmy Holt, outdoor writer for the Nashville Tennessean. Fell into the lake once trying to mount my motor on an unstable aluminum rental boat at Loret Marina.
Early to mid 1960s bought a 15 ft Duo runabout with a 40 hp Johnson from Bill Penney Tire and Marine.
Late 1960s bought a 15 ft Orlando bow rider with an 80 hp Johnson from a guy selling out due to a divorce. My wife and I went from Chattanooga to Nashville by water in that boat.
Early 1980s bought a 16 ft Glassmate with a115 hp Merc from Baldwin Boatmart (“Big Toys for Big Boys”).
Bought a 2006 Nauticstar 18 ft center console bay boat with a 90 hp four stroke Yamaha from Reel Yachts in Foley, Alabama. Still have it.

 

[rsimms]

My wife and I went from Chattanooga to Nashville by water in that boat.

So you went down the Tennessee River to Kentucky Dam, then cut over into Barkley and traveled up the Cumberland River to Nashville?
Very cool! I'd like to hear more about that someday.

 

[Nauticman]

So you went down the Tennessee River to Kentucky Dam, then cut over into Barkley and traveled up the Cumberland River to Nashville?
Very cool! I'd like to hear more about that someday.

Yes! Going down the Tennessee River we locked through Chickamauga, Nickajack, Guntersville, Wheeler, Wilson and Pickwick Dams. Crossed over to Barkley Lake with the man made canal and locked up in Cheatham Dam to go to Nashville on the Cumberland River. Took about one week. Stopped at a ferry in West Nashville, walked to my parents’ house and got my car and boat trailer and took out.

 

[trbr81]

Yes! Going down the Tennessee River we locked through Chickamauga, Nickajack, Guntersville, Wheeler, Wilson and Pickwick Dams. Crossed over to Barkley Lake with the man made canal and locked up in Cheatham Dam to go to Nashville on the Cumberland River. Took about one week. Stopped at a ferry in West Nashville, walked to my parents’ house and got my car and boat trailer and took out.

bet that was a pretty cool trip

 

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

1960 or so, no boat yet but carried an 18 hp Evinrude and gas tank in my trunk. Back then we rented a boat and brought our own motors. Bought the Evinrude from Jimmy Holt, outdoor writer for the Nashville Tennessean. Fell into the lake once trying to mount my motor on an unstable aluminum rental boat at Loret Marina.
Early to mid 1960s bought a 15 ft Duo runabout with a 40 hp Johnson from Bill Penney Tire and Marine.
Late 1960s bought a 15 ft Orlando bow rider with an 80 hp Johnson from a guy selling out due to a divorce. My wife and I went from Chattanooga to Nashville by water in that boat.
Early 1980s bought a 16 ft Glassmate with a115 hp Merc from Baldwin Boatmart (“Big Toys for Big Boys”).
Bought a 2006 Nauticstar 18 ft center console bay boat with a 90 hp four stroke Yamaha from Reel Yachts in Foley, Alabama. Still have it.

Now any wife that will go with her husband on a 15' boat for a week to travel that far deserves a medal in my opinion That had to be a trip full of memories!!!!

 

[trbr81]

Think ill start a Go Fund me for gas and try it in my ranger

 

[FishingwithRusty]

oh hell lets see if i can remember them all:
14' john boat with a 5.5hp Evinrude, ran all over lake murray sc in it, i was 20yrs old and still in the Army
1989 Stratos 201, 200GT Evinrude
1994 Stratos 201, 150hp FastStrike Johnson, swapped it for a 225 Johnson
2001 Skeeter ZX225, 225 OX66 Yamaha(first and LAST Yamaha!), only brand new boat ive ever purchased.
2004 Skeeter ZX225, 225 Mercury Optimax(was Jack Wade's boat for the Classic down in LA)
1991 Stratos 195, 225 Mercury Opti, one of the best boats ive ever owned!
1998 Skeeter zx202c, 200 Mercury Opti, sentimental fav, hull died when i jumped a log with it, smh, last pic
2000 Stratos 200ProXL, 225 Mercury Opti
2010 Phoenix 721, 250 Mercury Opti........Great boat.
1995 Stratos 201, 250 Mercury Opti....my first attempt at rehabbing a boat, totally took this boat apart and put it all back together,1st and 4th pic
2003(i think) Skeeter zx210c, 225 Opti, rehabbed this boat, was the boat i owned when i moved to Chickamauga
2000 Gambler Intimdator(2000), 250 Opti....my first G and i was hooked, 2nd pic
2004 Skeeter zx250, 250 Opti..went back to Skeeter for rear storage for co-anglers.....DUMB!!!!
2010 Gambler 2100, 250 Opti
2000 Gambler 2200, 225efi Mercury
2002 Gambler 2200, 250 Opti...........current boat and i dont see me getting rid of her anytime soon, 3rd pic
1996 Gambler 209SC, 225 Opti
2004 Gambler 2100, 225 efi that i swapped for a 250 opti
1991 Stroker, in the shop/works as we speak, will likely get a 250 Opti

yes, i like boats and working on them, driving them and of course fishing out of them

 

[trbr81]

oh hell lets see if i can remember them all:
14' john boat with a 5.5hp Evinrude, ran all over lake murray sc in it, i was 20yrs old and still in the Army
1989 Stratos 201, 200GT Evinrude
1994 Stratos 201, 150hp FastStrike Johnson, swapped it for a 225 Johnson
2001 Skeeter ZX225, 225 OX66 Yamaha(first and LAST Yamaha!), only brand new boat ive ever purchased.
2004 Skeeter ZX225, 225 Mercury Optimax(was Jack Wade's boat for the Classic down in LA)
1991 Stratos 195, 225 Mercury Opti, one of the best boats ive ever owned!
1998 Skeeter zx202c, 200 Mercury Opti, sentimental fav, hull died when i jumped a log with it, smh, last pic
2000 Stratos 200ProXL, 225 Mercury Opti
2010 Phoenix 721, 250 Mercury Opti........Great boat.
1995 Stratos 201, 250 Mercury Opti....my first attempt at rehabbing a boat, totally took this boat apart and put it all back together,1st and 4th pic
2003(i think) Skeeter zx210c, 225 Opti, rehabbed this boat, was the boat i owned when i moved to Chickamauga
2000 Gambler Intimdator(2000), 250 Opti....my first G and i was hooked, 2nd pic
2004 Skeeter zx250, 250 Opti..went back to Skeeter for rear storage for co-anglers.....DUMB!!!!
2010 Gambler 2100, 250 Opti
2000 Gambler 2200, 225efi Mercury
2002 Gambler 2200, 250 Opti...........current boat and i dont see me getting rid of her anytime soon, 3rd pic
1996 Gambler 209SC, 225 Opti
2004 Gambler 2100, 225 efi that i swapped for a 250 opti
1991 Stroker, in the shop/works as we speak, will likely get a 250 Opti

yes, i like boats and working on them, driving them and of course fishing out of them

thats alot of boats - what was your favorite - the older 201s were great boats

 

[FishingwithRusty]

thats alot of boats - what was your favorite - the older 201s were great boats

definitely my Gambler 2200 is the best boat ive owned or fished out of(and ive fished out of most of them)

 

[trbr81]

definitely my Gambler 2200 is the best boat ive owned or fished out of(and ive fished out of most of them)

There’s a pretty good gambler following up in Maryland

 

[31airborne]

Not as robust a list but here it is: Five total. Boat #1 was a Tracker TX 17. Was the perfect learning platform for a first-time boat owner. My first glas boat was a Triton 186. Got tired of getting passed by everyone else so I made the move to a 21' Triton Tr 21X. The fastest boat I've owned (83 mph GPS). I'm on my 3rd Triton 21'er. Not as fast as the X-boat but it gets me where I need to go.