The Boat Fanatic Thread

[Landomatic 3813]

9 hours ago, CHIEF said:

Chapparals are kinda the Kia of boats.

CHIEF

Perfect description from everything I've heard/seen/experienced.

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They are a good value, but the depreciation is killer, because of customer service, reputation, and build quality.

CHIEF

I think "good value" is kind of a nice way of saying "cheap".  I remember early on in my second round of boat buying, I was walking on the docks with a very seasoned boat buddy of mine looking at different boats.  We came up on a new Chapparel that, admittedly looked pretty nice from where we were standing.  I said, "what about these?"  My buddy said, "dude, his slip is worth more than his boat."  And his slip wasn't much.

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Rinker (Stinker), Bayliner, Hurricane, and all of the Bass Pro boats, Tracker, Bass Tracker, etc., have shit for resale value. Del Magic is one, in my area, that suffers the same fate. Chapparels have a really shitty hull design, they really aren't good at anything.

CHIEF

Clearly there is a big market for that level though, with all those brands.  There are even a few more that you could probably throw on that pile.

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I didn't really want to say it, because people should buy what suits them.

Yeah, I'm certainly not trying to step on any toes and people should certainly get whatever they think meets their needs.  And I'll be the first to admit that I don't know shit.  But I also wish someone had warned me before I bought that Regal.  My slip neighbor after that whole fiasco was over, told me, "yeah, I didn't ever want to say anything, but Regals are shit" and I replied, "I know that now...wish someone had told me that before I bought it."

[Landomatic 3813]

19 hours ago, troph said:

If there ain’t champagne and fresh flowers I definitely ain’t showing up.

Haha you and my wife will get along great

[conVINCEd 21477]

Can we make a list of brands to avoid?  That would be very helpful to the noobs.

[CHIEF 5201]

12 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Can we make a list of brands to avoid?  That would be very helpful to the noobs.

It would probably be easier to make recommendations based on your intended use. Are you still wanting something for using in Charleston? A saltwater rig?

CHIEF

[conVINCEd 21477]

6 minutes ago, CHIEF said:

It would probably be easier to make recommendations based on your intended use. Are you still wanting something for using in Charleston? A saltwater rig?

CHIEF

Yes and yes.  A surly produced chart that had categories like

A. good boat, overpriced

B. good boat, fairly valued

 C. Ok boat, you get what you pay for

D. do not buy under any circumstances 

I would like to be in category B and avoid category D.

Edited February 18, 2021 by conVINCEd

[Brew 3049]

1 hour ago, Landomatic said:

Perfect description from everything I've heard/seen/experienced.

I think "good value" is kind of a nice way of saying "cheap".  I remember early on in my second round of boat buying, I was walking on the docks with a very seasoned boat buddy of mine looking at different boats.  We came up on a new Chapparel that, admittedly looked pretty nice from where we were standing.  I said, "what about these?"  My buddy said, "dude, his slip is worth more than his boat."  And his slip wasn't much.

Clearly there is a big market for that level though, with all those brands.  There are even a few more that you could probably throw on that pile.

Yeah, I'm certainly not trying to step on any toes and people should certainly get whatever they think meets their needs.  And I'll be the first to admit that I don't know shit.  But I also wish someone had warned me before I bought that Regal.  My slip neighbor after that whole fiasco was over, told me, "yeah, I didn't ever want to say anything, but Regals are shit" and I replied, "I know that now...wish someone had told me that before I bought it."

You’re playing in a completely different market than a 21 foot runabout. There aren’t many exceptional brands in that market any more, because the new market just isn’t there. It’s pretty well topped out by Cobalt (which is the brand to buy for name recognition/resale only) with Crownline, Monterrey, Regal, Chapparal, and a few others still selling boats as well. Jet boats, bay boats, 65 mph pontoons, wake boats, etc have turned a lot of those brands into cheap alternatives/entry level boats although for someone that just wants to ride up and down the lake it’s hard to beat a Cobalt but you will pay for it. Switch over to fish/ski models and you become even more limited at this point because bay boats and DC’s have replaced the use.

In the market you are playing in nothing will compare to the big boat manufacturers. A company making a range from 19 foot to 40 foot isn’t going to do a big boat as well as one that focuses on that size range.

[CHIEF 5201]

15 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Yes and yes.  A surly produced chart that had categories like

A. good boat, overpriced

B. good boat, fairly valued

 C. Ok boat, you get what you pay for

D. do not buy under any circumstances 

I would like to be in category B and avoid category D.

I'm fairly limited in my knowledge, but the one's I know most people hold in pretty high esteem in the size you are looking at are Bertram, Grady White, Yellowfin, Boston Whaler, etc.. This is G650, and JustHookIt's territory, they won't steer you wrong.

CHIEF

[Sbbruin 22082]

Some people

https://www.facebook.com/100028016137730/videos/770589650551566

[Brew 3049]

19 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Yes and yes.  A surly produced chart that had categories like

A. good boat, overpriced

B. good boat, fairly valued

 C. Ok boat, you get what you pay for

D. do not buy under any circumstances 

I would like to be in category B.

Boats are worse than automobiles when it comes to people’s opinions. That is further complicated by the drastic differences in sizes, types, location and availability, etc. Close to the top of anyone’s list needs to be a reputable dealer for the brand or qualified repair shop within a driving distance you are comfortable with. It’s a boat, shit breaks and fairly regularly at that. 

When I first got into wakeboarding seriously, I wanted a Sanger V210. I don’t even remember why at this point, but it was at the top of my list. At that point they were strictly a west coast brand, so after a lot of back and forth on it I just bought a Mastercraft. I didn’t really want one because I didn’t like the people that I knew that had them, but there are two solid dealerships within my area and every time one comes up it sells quickly. I’ve stuck with that for 20 years now and have only sold one boat for less than I paid for it and that was a Nautique I bought fairly new that still had depreciation to give. The wakeboat market is different and pricing has expanded quicker than every other boat market, so that has helped used values significantly . However, you will not get hung if you buy something that is popular in your area with a respectable dealer network.

[Landomatic 3813]

7 minutes ago, Brew said:

You’re playing in a completely different market than a 21 foot runabout. There aren’t many exceptional brands in that market any more, because the new market just isn’t there. It’s pretty well topped out by Cobalt (which is the brand to buy for name recognition/resale only) with Crownline, Monterrey, Regal, Chapparal, and a few others still selling boats as well. Jet boats, bay boats, 65 mph pontoons, wake boats, etc have turned a lot of those brands into cheap alternatives/entry level boats although for someone that just wants to ride up and down the lake it’s hard to beat a Cobalt but you will pay for it. Switch over to fish/ski models and you become even more limited at this point because bay boats and DC’s have replaced the use.

In the market you are playing in nothing will compare to the big boat manufacturers. A company making a range from 19 foot to 40 foot isn’t going to do a big boat as well as one that focuses on that size range.

Yeah, one of the factors of how I picked my current boat was that I liked that their forté was bigger boats, and not the other way around.  In fact, mine is the smallest one they make, which I'm great with.  I guess kind of like buying the smallest house in the most expensive neighborhood...or some such shit?

That said, I would have thought that 20-35 foot market was topped out by Chris-Craft?  Then Cobalt?  No?

[Landomatic 3813]

55 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Can we make a list of brands to avoid?  That would be very helpful to the noobs.

 

34 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Yes and yes.  A surly produced chart that had categories like

A. good boat, overpriced

B. good boat, fairly valued

 C. Ok boat, you get what you pay for

D. do not buy under any circumstances 

I would like to be in category B and avoid category D.

[Brew 3049]

Just now, Landomatic said:

Yeah, one of the factors of how I picked my current boat was that I liked that their forté was bigger boats, and not the other way around.  In fact, mine is the smallest one they make, which I'm great with.  I guess kind of like buying the smallest house in the most expensive neighborhood...or some such shit?

That said, I would have thought that 20-35 foot market was topped out by Chris-Craft?  Then Cobalt?  No?

I can honestly say I’ve never seen a Chris Craft on the water that I know of. At home the lakes and rivers are dominated by Cobalts in the I/O market as well as older varieties of the different manufacturers for people that are just trying to get on the water. Wake boats and high dollar pontoons own my market followed by high dollar fishing setups. At the beach, it’s all over the board but again where my place is at in SWFL it is dominated by bay boats, offshore center consoles, and DC’s. You aren’t running to blue water or cruising a lot, so it is a lot more fishing setups rather than cruising setups.

[CHIEF 5201]

3 minutes ago, Brew said:

I can honestly say I’ve never seen a Chris Craft on the water that I know of. At home the lakes and rivers are dominated by Cobalts in the I/O market as well as older varieties of the different manufacturers for people that are just trying to get on the water. Wake boats and high dollar pontoons own my market followed by high dollar fishing setups. At the beach, it’s all over the board but again where my place is at in SWFL it is dominated by bay boats, offshore center consoles, and DC’s. You aren’t running to blue water or cruising a lot, so it is a lot more fishing setups rather than cruising setups.

Yeah, my cousin is the Sales Manager for Fun n' Sun in the DFW area. The market consists of bass boats, high-end ski boats, and 65 mph Pontoon boats, he says that's all the sell. Fast, high-end pontoons have taken over the runabout market. Hell, my old beater pontoon (tritoon with lifting strakes) will run 42 mph, and is underpowered with a 150 Yammy (But it was free).

CHIEF

Edited February 18, 2021 by CHIEF

[Landomatic 3813]

9 minutes ago, Brew said:

Close to the top of anyone’s list needs to be a reputable dealer for the brand or qualified repair shop within a driving distance you are comfortable with. It’s a boat, shit breaks and fairly regularly at that.

However, you will not get hung if you buy something that is popular in your area with a respectable dealer network.

Be careful with this, though.  This clearly also varies from location to location and can be very subjective.  I can't count the number of times people used "I got it from Marine Max which is a reputable dealer" as a selling point when I was shopping.  Meanwhile, the local one in Dallas, literally located at the entrance of my marina, has got the worst reputation I've ever experienced in just about anything like this in our marina.  Also, go back and read my account of what happened to me with Phil Dill, which is also part of a large, national "reputable dealer" network.  I've learned to be very leery of all dealers until some serious vetting clears them.  I think boat dealers having the reputation of being scumbags makes car dealers reputations for being scumbags look like amateur hour.

[fattyflattie 4640]

45 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Yes and yes.  A surly produced chart that had categories like

A. good boat, overpriced

B. good boat, fairly valued

 C. Ok boat, you get what you pay for

D. do not buy under any circumstances 

I would like to be in category B and avoid category D.

Problem is many of the boats that were squarely in column B a few years ago are now crowding up A. 

[Brew 3049]

7 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

Be careful with this, though.  This clearly also varies from location to location and can be very subjective.  I can't count the number of times people used "I got it from Marine Max which is a reputable dealer" as a selling point when I was shopping.  Meanwhile, the local one in Dallas, literally located at the entrance of my marina, has got the worst reputation I've ever experienced in just about anything like this in our marina.  Also, go back and read my account of what happened to me with Phil Dill, which is also part of a large, national "reputable dealer" network.  I've learned to be very leery of all dealers until some serious vetting clears them.  I think boat dealers having the reputation of being scumbags makes car dealers reputations for being scumbags look like amateur hour.

I’ve only dealt with smaller dealers that sell a minimum number of brands, never the large corporate dealers. They also have good service departments. The main one I’ve used over the last 5-10 years hasn’t been an MC dealer in quite a while, but they keep their mechanics certified on Indmar engines and have been able to handle all issues I’ve had. The same goes for the place that services the pontoon and jet skis. They are also Mercury certified and will be able to handle anything that comes up with the bay boat when I get it. I don’t buy new, so I look for good local service guys over a good dealership to be clear and then buy what they can work on. 

[conVINCEd 21477]

35 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

 

This is better.

[Dbeasy 15526]

Many great posts here. I’ve been researching for awhile and I’m really just struggling to find something that makes sense. We live in Austin. I know we don’t want to buy a boat bigger than about 21 ft and I’m not going to pay over $65k. I’ve got adult kids that would use it for skiing, wakeboarding and fishing. We would use it for boating, fishing, probably not much skiing or wakeboarding. What brand and model would you choose?

[Brew 3049]

1 hour ago, conVINCEd said:

Yes and yes.  A surly produced chart that had categories like

A. good boat, overpriced

B. good boat, fairly valued

 C. Ok boat, you get what you pay for

D. do not buy under any circumstances 

I would like to be in category B and avoid category D.

Are you still looking in the 25-28 foot range for offshore use or did you go up in size? What budget are you trying to operate within? We’re probably 6-8 months off from B becoming a reality if even then, but that also depends on budget/size. Some of the ranges are in much higher demand than others. The new cats plus the new 40+ footers that have come out have made the mid to upper 30’s boats a little more interesting and available lately. The cat demand is stupid right now.

[CHIEF 5201]

1 minute ago, Dbeasy said:

Many great posts here. I’ve been researching for awhile and I’m really just struggling to find something that makes sense. We live in Austin. I know we don’t want to buy a boat bigger than about 21 ft and I’m not going to pay over $65k. I’ve got adult kids that would use it for skiing, wakeboarding and fishing. We would use it for boating, fishing, probably not much skiing or wakeboarding. What brand and model would you choose?

Not sure that boat exists.

CHIEF

[Brew 3049]

4 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Many great posts here. I’ve been researching for awhile and I’m really just struggling to find something that makes sense. We live in Austin. I know we don’t want to buy a boat bigger than about 21 ft and I’m not going to pay over $65k. I’ve got adult kids that would use it for skiing, wakeboarding and fishing. We would use it for boating, fishing, probably not much skiing or wakeboarding. What brand and model would you choose?

Where are you going to keep it? Does it need to fit under a certain size door or stay within a certain width?

[bigshark88 388]

I was in traffic behind a Sportsman brand saltwater bay boat the other day.  I am pretty sure it was a 23 and not a 21.  It had a bar behind the outboard cowling for skiing/wakeboarding. I looked at Sportsman when I bought a bay boat in 2018.  I seem to remember that's an option from the factory.  May be something to look in to. 

Disclaimer: All of my boat knowledge is related to either fishing, duck hunting or getting hammered at the sandbar.  I have no skiing/boarding knowledge whatsoever.  

[Brew 3049]

4 minutes ago, CHIEF said:

Not sure that boat exists.

CHIEF

It has to be a bay boat or DC. 

However with that budget, it’s simple, I would spend $45k or so on a late 2000’s early 2010’s Malibu, Supra, or MC X-2 and $20k or so on either a bass boat or a pontoon.

[Brew 3049]

There is a 2011 Malibu 23LSV on onlyinboards right now in New Braunfels for under $50k. There are 06/07 models selling for that range right now. I was looking at it a few days ago, but it’s too big for what I need.

[conVINCEd 21477]

1 minute ago, Brew said:

Are you still looking in the 25-28 foot range for offshore use or did you go up in size? What budget are you trying to operate within? We’re probably 6-8 months off from B becoming a reality if even then, but that also depends on budget/size. Some of the ranges are in much higher demand than others. The new cats plus the new 40+ footers that have come out have made the mid to upper 30’s boats a little more interesting and available lately. The cat demand is stupid right now.

Probably a little bigger and a little older.  If I had to pull the trigger today it would be a 2010ish Boston Whaler 320 Outrage.  Let’s call the budget $100-200k and which side of that budget we end up on is somewhat dependent on real estate decisions.  Lots of moving parts, fluidity, and whatnot. What I am trying to sort out in my head is the issue of a CC vs. something with a little cabin space.  When I started down this wormhole I was pretty set on a CC, but I am starting to drift away from that.

[Landomatic 3813]

2 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Probably a little bigger and a little older.  If I had to pull the trigger today it would be a 2010ish Boston Whaler 320 Outrage.  Let’s call the budget $100-200k and which side of that budget we end up on is somewhat dependent on real estate decisions.  Lots of moving parts, fluidity, and whatnot. What I am trying to sort out in my head is the issue of a CC vs. something with a little cabin space.  When I started down this wormhole I was pretty set on a CC, but I am starting to drift away from that.

Okay, so $200-$300K then?  Got it.

In all seriousness though, that cabin space ratio thing ended up being one of the biggest factors for me.  Even if I would have just wanted a day boat, it would have ended up ranking pretty high.  Happy wife and shit...

[Handcruser 2814]

Probably a little bigger and a little older.  If I had to pull the trigger today it would be a 2010ish Boston Whaler 320 Outrage.  Let’s call the budget $100-200k and which side of that budget we end up on is somewhat dependent on real estate decisions.  Lots of moving parts, fluidity, and whatnot. What I am trying to sort out in my head is the issue of a CC vs. something with a little cabin space.  When I started down this wormhole I was pretty set on a CC, but I am starting to drift away from that.

Having a Cuddy is going to make all day outings much more pleasurable. Imagine heading out on a Saturday, cruising to a sandbar, having some lunch and dinner, then catching the horns on tv while a line is in the water.

[conVINCEd 21477]

1 minute ago, Landomatic said:

Okay, so $200-$300K then?  Got it.

In all seriousness though, that cabin space ratio thing ended up being one of the biggest factors for me.  Even if I would have just wanted a day boat, it would have ended up ranking pretty high.  Happy wife and shit...

Nope.  Under no circumstances will I go north of the high end.  Probably end up somewhere in the middle, and I have already factored in the fact that we will go over budget on the house, the only question is by how much.

[Chewbacca 7827]

11 hours ago, justhookit said:

Fuzzy math there. Who the fuck would pay that?

It's a lot cheaper than owning one of those monsters.  My old boss used to charter occasionally.  Then again, he's a billionaire and owns his own ~180 footer these days.

[davidg 4057]

43 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Many great posts here. I’ve been researching for awhile and I’m really just struggling to find something that makes sense. We live in Austin. I know we don’t want to buy a boat bigger than about 21 ft and I’m not going to pay over $65k. I’ve got adult kids that would use it for skiing, wakeboarding and fishing. We would use it for boating, fishing, probably not much skiing or wakeboarding. What brand and model would you choose?

What kind of fishing, fresh or salt?    Look at either a dual console type or some of the family crossover center consoles.  The crossover are kind of new that incorporate more general boating/cruising type features that a typical center console.  I have a older 20’ Key West dual console that has served my family week when our kids where growing up.  Lots of mid tier manufacturers of both of these styles that will get you in your price range.

 

https://keywestboats.com/our-boats/239-fs

 

https://keywestboats.com/our-boats/239-dfs

 

Old post on my boat

Quote

 

DC's are definitely a compromise boats but great for boating with kids. Mine's not new but I have a 2005 Key West 2020DC with  Yamaha F150.  I've had it 30 miles out of Freeport on a Saturday fishing for snapper and kings and towed the kids on tubes and skis at the lake on Sunday.  I can fish 3 pretty easy and we take 5 or 6 out for watersports.  We have towed the boat up to Arkansas to Lake Ouchita and DeGray,  down to Corpus, over to Destin and a bunch of lakes in  East and Central Texas.  Most of our family vacations centered around taking the boat somewhere we hadn't been before.

Came real close to buying a Robalo R227 about 6 or 7 years ago and it or the R247 would be on my shortlist for upgrading.   If I had Surly 1% money, I would have a Grady Freedom 275 with twin 250s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Brew 3049]

1 hour ago, Handcruser said:

Having a Cuddy is going to make all day outings much more pleasurable. Imagine heading out on a Saturday, cruising to a sandbar, having some lunch and dinner, then catching the horns on tv while a line is in the water.
 

Not a cuddy fan especially in that 30 foot size range. There just isn’t enough room to do much and you give up too much deck space. I would just want a head and storage space and that’s it. Saying that, an Express style like a Pursuit 335, Grady 330, Rampage 33, Edgewater 335, etc could easily be had within that range and give him some interior space. You are going to be limited on where you can go with them more than with a large bay/CC style, but you can still fish them. 

Was fishing a need or was this more just a run around and be on the water boat? Any shallow water/sandbar plans or just running the ICW, hitting restaraunts, and hanging out? It will make a difference between an outboard or inboard for sure and also how big you want to go because of draft issues. Anything with a cabin is out of my wheeelhouse though.
 

[Handcruser 2814]

Many great posts here. I’ve been researching for awhile and I’m really just struggling to find something that makes sense. We live in Austin. I know we don’t want to buy a boat bigger than about 21 ft and I’m not going to pay over $65k. I’ve got adult kids that would use it for skiing, wakeboarding and fishing. We would use it for boating, fishing, probably not much skiing or wakeboarding. What brand and model would you choose?

Maybe a csx 220 should garner a look. Mastercraft made them for a few years.

[conVINCEd 21477]

26 minutes ago, Brew said:

Not a cuddy fan especially in that 30 foot size range. There just isn’t enough room to do much and you give up too much deck space. I would just want a head and storage space and that’s it. Saying that, an Express style like a Pursuit 335, Grady 330, Rampage 33, Edgewater 335, etc could easily be had within that range and give him some interior space. You are going to be limited on where you can go with them more than with a large bay/CC style, but you can still fish them. 

Was fishing a need or was this more just a run around and be on the water boat? Any shallow water/sandbar plans or just running the ICW, hitting restaraunts, and hanging out? It will make a difference between an outboard or inboard for sure and also how big you want to go because of draft issues. Anything with a cabin is out of my wheeelhouse though.
 

Probably an even split between fishing and running around on the water.  The Express boats you mentioned are what has been catching my eye lately.  I could envision a scenario where two less expensive boats made more sense than one more expensive boat, but that won’t happen for a variety of reasons.  If I had a dock for two boats in the backyard I might go that route (would start with one and ease my way into the other eventually, because I’m not real confident I could get away with buying two boats at once, even if the spend was the same as one nicer boat), but we aren’t going to be spending enough on the house to be on the water and close to city.  It would also take going more than a few miles offshore off the table.

[Brew 3049]

30 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Probably an even split between fishing and running around on the water.  The Express boats you mentioned are what has been catching my eye lately.  I could envision a scenario where two less expensive boats made more sense than one more expensive boat, but that won’t happen for a variety of reasons.  If I had a dock for two boats in the backyard I might go that route (would start with one and ease my way into the other eventually, because I’m not real confident I could get away with buying two boats at once, even if the spend was the same as one nicer boat), but we aren’t going to be spending enough on the house to be on the water and close to city.  It would also take going more than a few miles offshore off the table.

An outboard express would still give you some versatility on a little more shallow water activities than an inboard version. It should draft similar to the same size center console I would think in that you could easily back down to 2.5-3 foot deep at the sandbar and anchor. It’s a good crossover between a CC and a sportfish I would think in that you can run off shore, have a small cabin, and still hit the sandbars potentially if water depth allows it. You lose the ability to sight fish which is 95% of what I fish, so I know absolutely zero about the models.

In the size range you are looking at, there is a lot of good information on the hull truth. You have to wade through a lot of crap, but there are some knowledgeable posters there.

Edited February 18, 2021 by Brew

[Dbeasy 15526]

That Keywest Dual Console is pretty interesting, as is the Mastercraft csx 220.  I've seen a recommendation for the dual console a few times above, but is there really that much of a difference between a dual console and bowrider/runabout or deck boat for someone like us that doesn't need saltwater fishing? From a google search and reading, it would seem the runabout or deck boat would be just as good.

Is the real issue that a lower end boat manufacturer is just going to have bad reliability, and if so why not just buy a more reliable, better deck boat or runabout?

[FizzleFish 137]

6 hours ago, CHIEF said:

Yeah, my cousin is the Sales Manager for Fun n' Sun in the DFW area. The market consists of bass boats, high-end ski boats, and 65 mph Pontoon boats, he says that's all the sell. Fast, high-end pontoons have taken over the runabout market. Hell, my old beater pontoon (tritoon with lifting strakes) will run 42 mph, and is underpowered with a 150 Yammy (But it was free).

CHIEF

I bought my Phoenix 721 from them. Think they’re other bass boat brand was skeeter. Cropped out he portion with a pic of me and my son because I can’t figure out how to just blur our faces. 
 

 

[Brew 3049]

1 hour ago, Dbeasy said:

That Keywest Dual Console is pretty interesting, as is the Mastercraft csx 220.  I've seen a recommendation for the dual console a few times above, but is there really that much of a difference between a dual console and bowrider/runabout or deck boat for someone like us that doesn't need saltwater fishing? From a google search and reading, it would seem the runabout or deck boat would be just as good.

Is the real issue that a lower end boat manufacturer is just going to have bad reliability, and if so why not just buy a more reliable, better deck boat or runabout?

Advantage to the DC is going to be that resale should be higher. It really is an oversized fish and ski for all intents. They are much bigger boats with a higher freeboard than fish and skis, so they may not be quite as good lake fishing because you are going to be sitting higher up in it. They also aren’t designed with center mount seats to sit in like lake style fish and skis. The interiors are going to be more spartan than some of the fish and ski models because they were really designed for salt water use initially. A deck boat would probably work for you as well. I have nothing on them other than we have rented a Hurricane a few times. It was fine for doing everything we were doing.

[Dbeasy 15526]

Ha, I was complaining to my wife about the struggle of figuring this out and how now they have higher speed pontoon boats, as per Chief's note, and now she's all over that idea, envisioning a bunch of room to hang out with friends and drink and swim.

[troph 25089]

10 hours ago, Landomatic said:

Be careful with this, though.  This clearly also varies from location to location and can be very subjective.  I can't count the number of times people used "I got it from Marine Max which is a reputable dealer" as a selling point when I was shopping.  Meanwhile, the local one in Dallas, literally located at the entrance of my marina, has got the worst reputation I've ever experienced in just about anything like this in our marina.  Also, go back and read my account of what happened to me with Phil Dill, which is also part of a large, national "reputable dealer" network.  I've learned to be very leery of all dealers until some serious vetting clears them.  I think boat dealers having the reputation of being scumbags makes car dealers reputations for being scumbags look like amateur hour.

Yeah I’ve been poking around the blue water cruisers and other message boards and marine max has a horrible rep in the 40-70 foot market, at least in south Florida. 

[troph 25089]

3 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

Ha, I was complaining to my wife about the struggle of figuring this out and how now they have higher speed pontoon boats, as per Chief's note, and now she's all over that idea, envisioning a bunch of room to hang out with friends and drink and swim.

They look like the right idea a lot of the time.  

[CHIEF 5201]

My cousin has a "boat show" on Granbury several times per summer. He always calls us to meet up. I remember running up the lake looking for him. About 2 miles up from our beach, I see him coming around the corner, and say "there he is". Mrs. CHIEF throws the bullshit flag, "how do you know it's him?" Well, how many tri-toons do you know of, that shoot a 40 ft. rooster tail . It was a 26 foot Manitou with a 300 hp Yamaha, carbonfiber everything with a fucking diving board, that topped out at 68 mph. The center pontoon was like 10 inches larger in diameter than the "outriggers", the drag was minimal. A $112k pontoon boat. Held 15 comfortably, you could ski, drink, hang out,... just a dream. That's definitely his shop in Hurst.

CHIEF

Edited February 19, 2021 by CHIEF

[troph 25089]

One word: double decker with a slide.

[CHIEF 5201]

3 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

Ha, I was complaining to my wife about the struggle of figuring this out and how now they have higher speed pontoon boats, as per Chief's note, and now she's all over that idea, envisioning a bunch of room to hang out with friends and drink and swim.

Meant to quote this with the above statement. But, yes, a big fast tri-toon is a bad bitch, and worth looking at. 

CHIEF

 

[troph 25089]

5 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

That Keywest Dual Console is pretty interesting, as is the Mastercraft csx 220.  I've seen a recommendation for the dual console a few times above, but is there really that much of a difference between a dual console and bowrider/runabout or deck boat for someone like us that doesn't need saltwater fishing? From a google search and reading, it would seem the runabout or deck boat would be just as good.

Is the real issue that a lower end boat manufacturer is just going to have bad reliability, and if so why not just buy a more reliable, better deck boat or runabout?

If it’s in the warranty period your dealer is everything. If it’s used and outside the warranty then it’s a combination of the brand and it’s inherent expected quality - cobalt for example is a smooth ride on a choppy and wavy lake, that’s why I wanted it and why I liked it. Current boat kicks a killer wave but doesn’t handle the lake well and guzzles gas and doesn’t hold a cruising candle to the colbalt, but the killer wave on a wake surf boat budget price is why I like it. 
 

But after those inherent qualities it comes down to - the inspection, the specific motor and what it’s quirks may be and what repairs are likely upcoming and foreseeable.  For me and our first used boat there wasn’t a whole lot that could go wrong and upset me. We had power steering problem and we had to redo some of the upholstery (known going into it).  The engine was fine, the hull was good, the motor checked out. That was the benefit of an older boat - not much to go wrong. Now my current boat has way too many gadgets for my liking, a lot of several thousand dollar fixes lurking around I’m sure. 

Once you know what kind of boat you want, then you pick a budget, several of these guys can help. But the boat world is way to large to answer your questions about which boat until you know budget and type. 
 

I had my boat before this thread started but I have no doubt if I said I want a 27 foot sexy runabout for under $25k the idea of an older colbalt would be on the list and when I found mine they woulda said looks good but check for this and that.  We bought from south Austin marine and had another guy check it out and it came back “old but in good shape, will need some upholstery work in a year or two” and we said deal. It was exactly what we were told it would be and so we were very happy.  
 

The other thing about an older boat for a first time buyer is the price is lower but you can sometimes get more boat for your buck and not be freaking out if you play bumper cars with the dock. That will happen did with us and I never once had a real stress moment about my investment.  Something to think about. 

Edited February 19, 2021 by troph

[conVINCEd 21477]

Y’all talking about high performance pontoons and the only image I have in my head of a pontoon is the Bass Buggy my grandfather had.  High performance it was not.

[fattyflattie 4640]

Found you one. 

 

 

[troph 25089]

If you don’t want to surf I’d consider the pontoon yeah.  You could get a nice used one for $50k I would think.  I still challenge the fishing part. I know there is decent lake fishing but LT isn’t that unless you’re talking early on Sunday’s and you’ll still be annoyed by the glass wave seekers who disrupt a calm Sunday morning).  If you trailer it then you could fish other spots I guess. I would expect fishing to become a distant priority on it is my guess if you boat on Travis. Mostly because there really aren’t many great times to fish. So a pontoon that can fish in a pinch would work. 

[troph 25089]

9 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

Found you one. 

 

 

Coulda guessed location by music and subject matter. Jesus. 

[FizzleFish 137]

27 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Y’all talking about high performance pontoons and the only image I have in my head of a pontoon is the Bass Buggy my grandfather had.  High performance it was not.

Here you go. 400 horse.

https://www.boattrader.com/boat/2021-bennington-qx-series-25-qxsb-windshied-arch-7679446/

Edited February 19, 2021 by FizzleFish

[CHIEF 5201]

4 minutes ago, troph said:

Coulda guessed location by music and subject matter. Jesus. 

Mrs. CHIEF would have told me to slow the fuck down, would be sucking the Manhattan out've her glass.

CHIEF