Wife says yes to a boat.......now what!!??

For a first boat I would think that 16' with about 40-50 hp should be fine for a young family. I used a 14' with a 25 for many years, even on Simcoe and while it was crowded with 4 adults plus gear, it was fine to take the kids out or for two to fish from.
I always suggest that you not go overboard with a first purchase until you get some experience in what YOU want from a boat. You can tie up a lot of money but get turned off because of a bad choice in hull design, wheel placement, interior layout etc. There are a lot of good deals out there in used equipment if you have an impartial experienced buddy to assess them.

if you want a boat that can tow preety much anything behind it get a sea-doo, have never seen anything on the water that can outdo a sea-doo, i have a sea-doo with twin rotax engines 170 horsepower on each engine, it is very goos on gas, i never fill up more then 2 tanks a year, and have sometimes up to 150 litres leftover! it is ok for fishing, i mean it certainly is comfortable, its no bass-boat, but you can lay down and relax and fish or sit stand, preety much anything, it has high sides, so big waves arent a problem, pricy but well worth it IMO, you can get from one side of the lake to another at a moments notice, i have never seen a boat that is better built or faster, and probably will not see one anytime soon, this is my 4th sea-doo first i had a 1999 sea-doo sporster fits 7 people and goes FAST, the dude i sold it to, saids it is still in perfect condition! it is well built and from very good materials, this one is my biggest sea-doo so far, i suggest getting something bigger and slower, maybe 19 ft mine right now is 18 feet, the 19 footers come with one engine at 150, its a smaller engine, and less dangerous, well at least for a sea-doo.

Are you planning on hunting out of it?

If your going to hunt, fish, and do family time, you need a deep V aluminum. Duck hunting is hard on equipment, so try not to go too fancy, or you'll just destroy it.

An 18ft alaskan, or a starcraft freedom would be a great set up for ya. Max the power and get all the goodies you want now, because you'll just pay more later.

I have a 16 ft starcraft, and although its a great hunting/fishing rig, its not so great at tubing or pulling skiers around. You really need to think about what the boat will be used for most........and how much you want to spend.

S.

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Originally Posted by Sinker

Are you planning on hunting out of it?

If your going to hunt, fish, and do family time, you need a deep V aluminum. Duck hunting is hard on equipment, so try not to go too fancy, or you'll just destroy it.

An 18ft alaskan, or a starcraft freedom would be a great set up for ya. Max the power and get all the goodies you want now, because you'll just pay more later.

I have a 16 ft starcraft, and although its a great hunting/fishing rig, its not so great at tubing or pulling skiers around. You really need to think about what the boat will be used for most........and how much you want to spend.

S.

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i dont think his family will enjoy riding in an 18 ft alaskan lund or starcraft lol! doesnt go too fast, not too comfy and you wont be able to pull anything behind yourself, great for hunting, cant say the same for fishing or tubing.

Pike attack has made my point perfectly....4th Seadoo since 1999. Wife might get tired of having to replace after the second or third purchase. Or she might enjoy shopping.....

It's pretty hard to get the best of both worlds, unless you go to something like a Lund Crossover or a Stratos 474 or 484. I've personally looked at both of these boats, but be ready for the sticker shock. As far as ski-doo boats, 2 guys I worked with in Sault Ste. Marie had them and this is what they told. Don't drive where there are weeds, the water intake gets clogged and if they work their way into the pump - look out. Periodically, pump seals need to be replaced and from what they told me these boats suck the gas. Definitely not what you want for hunting and fishing.

I have to agree with sinker and there's nothing wrong with an Alaskan for fishing, it has a similar layout to my Explorer. Pat has also made a good point about motor size, my brother easily pulls his 12 year old son and 17 year old daughter behind my old 15' Princecraft with a 20 HP Yamaha 2 stroke.

For skiing and tubing, boat design and weight has as much to do with it as motor size. My dad learned to ski behind a plywood boat with a 25 HP motor. He was taught by the late Brig. General Denny Whittaker, who himself was a former waterski champion. We learned to waterski behind a 1972 40 HP Evinrude. When waterskiing, you only should have 2 people in the boat, the driver and a spotter which is the minimum required by law. This also lightens to load which helps to get the skier out of the water faster.

I have 2 boats;

A Lund Explorer 1650 (16.5') - this is purely a hunting and fishing type boat

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x...h_P1000861.jpg

And a 15' Peterborough Mistress with a 50 HP Evinrude that has pulled more than it's share of skiers including me and I was well over 200 lbs. when I got it.
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x...mage000-15.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x...mage001-13.jpg

I fished out of the Peterborough for years as it was my only boat, but it was really a skiing/cruising boat. I have given it to my 17 year old daughter as of this year because she finally got her boater's license.

Bottom line is, you'll pay a substantial amount to get a boat that will do everything, or pick something that will best suit the majority of your needs now.

Just my opinion

Roe+

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Originally Posted by pikeattack

i dont think his family will enjoy riding in an 18 ft alaskan lund or starcraft lol! doesnt go too fast, not too comfy and you wont be able to pull anything behind yourself, great for hunting, cant say the same for fishing or tubing.

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No, not the most comfortable boat, but not uncomfortable either. Any of the aluminum boats will be the same. I'd kill a sea-doo in a season just hunting from it, and I just can't see me fishing From a sea-doo. I hate those things!!!!

I know john hunts waterfowl, and seeing how his preferred rig was a 16ft jon boat in camo makes me think a runabout style boat will collect dust all fall while he's dreaming of duck hunting.

I've had a few boats, been operating them since I was a kid, and my 16ft deep and wide with a 40hp is by far the most versitile I've had. Great for fishing, great for hunting, and I can take my two kids and 100lb lab with me, no problem. It will pull the kids around all day long, but its not the most glamourous boat on the lake. I can use it fron ice out until freeze up with no problems, and its very easy to tow around. Burns very little gas too. Easy to maintain........the list goes on.

S.

if you get a new sea-doo, there is a special handle you pull if the intake gets clogged, i have been through some preety tough weeds on rice lake and cameron lake, and only had to pull the handle 2 times max. on the other hand an engine with a propeller, will get weeds around it in no time, and youll have to go for a swim. I have had lots of sea-doos have never been in an accident, all the boats i sold, i keep in-touch with the people who bought it and all are in perfect condition, if i were to take my 1999 sea-doo sporster,i would still cream any boat on the water.

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Originally Posted by pikeattack

on the other hand an engine with a propeller, will get weeds around it in no time, and youll have to go for a swim.

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he

Not if you know what you're doing. According to my Evinrude Owner's Manual - if your propeller gets tangled with weeds, shift to reverse, rev the motor quickly and the weeds will clear. I have done this numerous times on Rice Lake and in the Kawarthas and it has worked like a charm.

The 2 guys I am talking about both had camps on the St. Mary's River which is far lees weedy than Rice Lake - I know I've fished there. If they had problems with the sea-doo boats (and one of them was an '08), I find it hard to believe that Rice Lake would be navigated that easily, unless you stay east of Margret Island. Around Bewdley, Gore's Landing and Harwood you'd be sunk.

Roe+

Even on the tiny outboards with no reverse, all you need to do is lift the prop above the water and gun it for a second. 99% of the weeds disappear.....