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Those with families; do you fish more or play/cruise?
6/5/2010 2:16:40 AM
We are trying to decide between a fish & ski boat, straight bowrider type, or bass boat. We will use it with our 2 little boys (currently toddler age) and my wife and I also like to fish. Coming from Alaska it has been mainly fly fishing and salmon. The plan is to make the purchase when we move to Colorado next summer and play on the lakes and rivers around the area. We just can't decide if we can fish adequately from a standard bowrider boat or not! I know it would probably make the most sense for the comfort and play aspect, and I'd guess I can fish from the back swim platform area since it would most likely be an I/O motor setup. Obviously no competition or anything of the sort, just pleasure fishing.
Suggestions?
Suggestions?
6/10/2010 3:24:34 PM
my fist boat was a Seadoo Challenger jet boat. I fished off that for 11 years and caught alot of fish! had a swim platform on the back that was alot of fun to bobber fish off of. you can even sit on the platform with your lill boys, and dangle your feet in the water while snatching up sunnys on a calm summer day
yea you can fish nicely from a bowrider. I but watch out for the ones with the long windows down the side like bayliner likes to use(they run almost the entire side of the boat behind the helm). it will disallow you from trolling from the drivers seat.
2 years ago first boy on the way and I was looking for a more fishing oriented boat. like you I still wanted to be able to go out and have fun with the family on it. Bass boats are great for fishing, but they have a very small area for little ppl to be in without having to worry about them falling overboard. and if you want to just go out cruising with the family, they only seat 3 people comfortably.
I ended up buying a 19' bayliner cobra, (this is how I learned about the window problem) luckily, the force engine blew my second time out. I was looking for a replacement OB for it and came across a 20' aquasport CC with a Johnson 150. bought the whole thing for $1000 just to get the engine. was a week before I could get the engine swapped out so I took out the Aquasport in the mean time. the CC really grew on me. you have lots of space for ppl, little ones, the dog, and still room to fish. big open deck space, pulls a tube great, I ended up just selling the bayliner and keeping the Aquasport!
so yea, a bow rider would work fine, but if you want to just go out fishing with the guys, doesnt work as good. a bass boat will be great fishing, but you wont be comfortable doing a family day on the lake.
I would check out the CC's, you should have plenty of them in AK. I can do a family day to the sandbar or go hardcore fishing, works great for both!
yea you can fish nicely from a bowrider. I but watch out for the ones with the long windows down the side like bayliner likes to use(they run almost the entire side of the boat behind the helm). it will disallow you from trolling from the drivers seat.
2 years ago first boy on the way and I was looking for a more fishing oriented boat. like you I still wanted to be able to go out and have fun with the family on it. Bass boats are great for fishing, but they have a very small area for little ppl to be in without having to worry about them falling overboard. and if you want to just go out cruising with the family, they only seat 3 people comfortably.
I ended up buying a 19' bayliner cobra, (this is how I learned about the window problem) luckily, the force engine blew my second time out. I was looking for a replacement OB for it and came across a 20' aquasport CC with a Johnson 150. bought the whole thing for $1000 just to get the engine. was a week before I could get the engine swapped out so I took out the Aquasport in the mean time. the CC really grew on me. you have lots of space for ppl, little ones, the dog, and still room to fish. big open deck space, pulls a tube great, I ended up just selling the bayliner and keeping the Aquasport!
so yea, a bow rider would work fine, but if you want to just go out fishing with the guys, doesnt work as good. a bass boat will be great fishing, but you wont be comfortable doing a family day on the lake.
I would check out the CC's, you should have plenty of them in AK. I can do a family day to the sandbar or go hardcore fishing, works great for both!
6/26/2010 7:38:23 PM
We fish, crab, cruise, tube and ski off of it.
A great investment for family fun!
7/3/2010 5:11:04 AM
Great boats!
7/3/2010 9:14:25 PM
Get a pontoon boat. Its the best of both worlds. I had been wanting a fish/ski boat for several years and been looking for the right deal. My wife went boat shopping with me one day and we started looking at pontoon boats. I never really wanted one but when I started looking at them I changed my mind.
I (my wife) finally picked up a 21' fishing barge with a mercury 90 hp by suntracker. Best decision I've made in a while. I put a trolling motor and a good depth/fish finder on it. Usually its just me and the wife fishing on it but I have taken a couple of buddies for some all night crappie fishing and beer drinking. We have taken my son and his wife and their 2 kids a few times.It is nice with the kids because they get a little antsi and cant stay in one place for long so they can walk around all they want.
The boat I bought has the performance logs on it so it lifts the pontoons out of the water so it moves along pretty good. With just me and the wife it tops out about 33 mph. Of course the more people you put on it the slower it is. The boat is rated for 13 people but the most I've had on it is 6 adults and it cruises at about 20 mph.
I take the kids and grand kids tubing with it. I pull a three person towable usually with 2 people in the boat with me and it will sling the kids off whenever I get ready to dump them. Tomorrow I'm taking my grand daughter and 2 of her friends tubing. I can hear the screams already!
I (my wife) finally picked up a 21' fishing barge with a mercury 90 hp by suntracker. Best decision I've made in a while. I put a trolling motor and a good depth/fish finder on it. Usually its just me and the wife fishing on it but I have taken a couple of buddies for some all night crappie fishing and beer drinking. We have taken my son and his wife and their 2 kids a few times.It is nice with the kids because they get a little antsi and cant stay in one place for long so they can walk around all they want.
The boat I bought has the performance logs on it so it lifts the pontoons out of the water so it moves along pretty good. With just me and the wife it tops out about 33 mph. Of course the more people you put on it the slower it is. The boat is rated for 13 people but the most I've had on it is 6 adults and it cruises at about 20 mph.
I take the kids and grand kids tubing with it. I pull a three person towable usually with 2 people in the boat with me and it will sling the kids off whenever I get ready to dump them. Tomorrow I'm taking my grand daughter and 2 of her friends tubing. I can hear the screams already!
7/24/2010 11:37:14 PM
I bought a used 22' center console that was more of a bay boat.
Cruise
Fish near shore in salt water
Fish in fresh water
Ski
Tube
Head in center console for daughters and wife
Boating win.
Cruise
Fish near shore in salt water
Fish in fresh water
Ski
Tube
Head in center console for daughters and wife
Boating win.
7/25/2010 10:04:27 AM
Originally Posted By Bubbatheredneck:
I bought a used 22' center console that was more of a bay boat.
Cruise
Fish near shore in salt water
Fish in fresh water
Ski
Tube
Head in center console for daughters and wife
Boating win.
I bought a used 22' center console that was more of a bay boat.
Cruise
Fish near shore in salt water
Fish in fresh water
Ski
Tube
Head in center console for daughters and wife
Boating win.
Sounds alot like mine, great boat you guys will have alot of fun with it!
9/18/2010 9:36:27 AM
I've got a 21ft 1979 Mako center console. Truly the SUV of the boating world. I was originally looking at a Whaler (type) boat, but with young boys, the low gunnels of the whaler where just to low. The Mako had much higher sides, and thus no one has gone overboard (at least unintentionally) in the 5 years that i've had it. Older Mako's, Carolina Skif's, Aquasports, Grady Whites, Cobia's, etc can't go wrong with.
Just remember, in the boating world, Friends Don't Let Friends Buy Bayliners.
KA
Just remember, in the boating world, Friends Don't Let Friends Buy Bayliners.
KA
9/18/2010 10:38:43 PM
Bass boats are fast, rough riding and can only carry 3 people comfortably. I love mine but for a all around boat it's hard to beat a CC
9/18/2010 10:44:07 PM
... trust me, go deep-V
9/19/2010 10:01:05 AM
Originally Posted By kingairpilot:
I've got a 21ft 1979 Mako center console. Truly the SUV of the boating world. I was originally looking at a Whaler (type) boat, but with young boys, the low gunnels of the whaler where just to low. The Mako had much higher sides, and thus no one has gone overboard (at least unintentionally) in the 5 years that i've had it. Older Mako's, Carolina Skif's, Aquasports, Grady Whites, Cobia's, etc can't go wrong with.
Just remember, in the boating world, Friends Don't Let Friends Buy Bayliners.
KA
I've got a 21ft 1979 Mako center console. Truly the SUV of the boating world. I was originally looking at a Whaler (type) boat, but with young boys, the low gunnels of the whaler where just to low. The Mako had much higher sides, and thus no one has gone overboard (at least unintentionally) in the 5 years that i've had it. Older Mako's, Carolina Skif's, Aquasports, Grady Whites, Cobia's, etc can't go wrong with.
Just remember, in the boating world, Friends Don't Let Friends Buy Bayliners.
KA
HAHAHAHAHA!
9/20/2010 8:10:36 PM
I second the Pontoon with Performance logs recommendation, We have a 22 foot Premier PTX with a 150 Merc Optimax and it is the best all around
boat ever, cruising with friends and family, fishing, tubing and skiing, it even has a privacy enclosure with a porta-potty so you can spend the whole day on the water, It is a huge plus for the women and the kids.
boat ever, cruising with friends and family, fishing, tubing and skiing, it even has a privacy enclosure with a porta-potty so you can spend the whole day on the water, It is a huge plus for the women and the kids.
