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!!!!
