Some how or another I've convinced myself I want a boat. I think it has something to do with how much time I spent exploring lakes this winter and realizing how far you can go on water in the sumer time. Add the fact that I'm finding ATVs more and more boring all the time and I've decided I need a new hobby.

The problem is, I don't know anything about boats, and there's so much to know before investing big coin.

So far I'm leaning towards an 18' I/O with a 135hp 4 cylinder. Haven't picked out a brand or anything, and I guess that's what I'm curious about. There is so much to chose from. Tahaoe, Four Winns, Chapparel, Grew, the list goes on and on.

I'm also curious about the whole I/O vs outboard thing. I've learned a little about the advantages and disadvantages of both, but I'd love to hear some owners opinions.

Then there's the whole used question. I'm sure there are good deals out there but for the most part it seems like you're buying 25 year old boats, or you're paying almost as much as new, so why not go new? Any opinions on that?

Thanks for your help.

dont sink it like your sled. lol couldnt resist.

wow, thats a big question that I could go on about for hours.
I would suggest that you narrow down your search a bit, then research the specifics on that brand. Like any brand, there are people who think they are the best, and then people who think they are the worst.

I'll post a few links to my favourite boating sites.

http://www.boatered.com/forum/
http://forums.iboats.com/

the first one is a good general boating site, the second is a great mechanical resource.

As for the inboard/outboard debate, I have both, and both have their advantages and disadvantages. For big lakes/open water, I'd stick with an I/O. For small lakes, shallow areas and for cold weather boating, I think outboards have the advantage.

Boating is a very expensive hobby, but aren't they all.

best of luck.

FishHog

One more thing I would add, is a boat survey is money well spent if your going used. Especially if you aren't that familar and don't know what to look for.

I used to have an 87' 22ft 4Winns Liberator with a 260horse 350....... I loved that boat but by definition a boat is a large hole in the water that you throw money into.

If you buy used be prepared to fix it.

More info needed, what do you want to do with the boat? If you're wanting to ski, wake board or tube behind it, that 4 cyl I/O is not going to cut it. Just cruising around the lake, or fishing, the 4 cyl I/O would be fine. If you buy used, make sure the previous owner took seriously the winterizing process, as ice in an engine or I/O drive does some bad things, real bad thing$. :crazy:

Go big or go home. 4 cylinder is never enough power for a boat! Again, without knowing what you have in mind, can't suggest much. I have owned or been around just about every kind of boat over the years. By far my favorite was my 85 Supra. 350 full inboard. Much less to break than an I/O. TONS of power for skiing/tubing/wakeboarding. The only draw back was the engine is mounted in the middle of the boat.

Here is a pic of my sweet old girl, just before I sold her.

btw, yes boats are even more expensive of a hobby than snowmobiles!!

as said we need more info for what you are looking for. a great boat my dad just bought last year for fish and fun was a crestliner sportfish. we got an 18.5 footer with a tuned v6 150HP (its got more now, same engine as the 175 so we did a little stuff and got a lot more power out of her) my dad's work partner also has this boat but he's got the 19.5 foot with a 250. great boats for everything. both go about 55MPH we are at 54 and hes got it to 56. lund are great boats to, more for fishing but they make a fish and tube type boat to. alumicraft are like cheaper lunds. then there are fiberglass boats. your get into the ski boats with larson and wastercraft. wake boat with mastercraft, supra, and a bunch more. glass fishing and ski boats like ranger and warroir. it all depends on what you want it for, how big and how fast you need it to go

Well part of the problem with being specific about what I want is not really knowing what I want, but here goes, I'll give it a try.

First off, I'll leave off the list a bunch of stuff that I know I can't afford. For instance, I'd love to have a cabin with sleeping quarters, a head and a galley, and for that matter, if I had all the time in the world during the summer I'd be shopping for a 30-40' sailboat, but time and money constraints mean I'll have to be satisfied with something smaller. So.....

I want something that can take 2-4 people, plus my dogs, a cooler, and maybe a mini b-b-q. I want to be able to go skiing, I'd like to have a swim deck, I want to be able to play around.

At the same time I'd like to be able to explore. Nipissing is huge, and I'd like to be able to do the French River, West Arm, that kind of stuff, as well as being able to cross the lake from North Bay to go to South Bay and Cambells bay. So I know I need something bigger then 17 feet.

I'd also like it to be easily trailer-able so I can take it to Temagami, Temiskaming, Nosbonsing, wherever.

Finally, I'd like to keep the price below $250/month. I don't get alot of time in the summer, so I can't justify spending big bucks on something I don't spend alot of time in.

So far I really like the look of the Tahoe, and love the swim platform, but they seem a little pricey.
The FourWinns is sexy too, and they sem well priced, but they are shorter then everyone else. For instance, their 180 model is only 17.5 feet long, almost a foot shorter then other's 18' models.

The Chapparel is gorgeous, but pricey.

I've found an 06 Grew that is priced right, seems like a good deal, but doesn't have much of a swim platform, and just doesn't look as sexy as the others.

Finally, today I looked at a bunch of Bayliners that are priced really well. Basically I can get an 18' Bayliner with a 4.3lt v-6 for the same money or less then everyone else's 18' 3.0lts. And I could get a 17' Bayliner with a 3.0lt for $15,000. That seems like a real bargin.

I looked at a couple of used boats today too. Seems rather scary. One was a filthy 99 Grew for 12 grand, and the other was an early 80's something or other for 6 grand. Neither did anything to convince me I should give up looking at new boats.

Thanks for everyone's help so far.

if exploration is your thing perhaps a jet drive is up your alley ? not as efficient or vulnerable as props

Jet Drives are wonderful. Last year I bought a 97 Sea-Doo Speedster with twin 85hp jets.

Excellent boat, in design and function. But it's more of a pleasurecraft than anything else, and definitely not designed for fishing. Tows skiers and inflatables great, though!

The larger jet boats have a less busy (more space!) layout, but they're rather pigs to drive compared with their prop-driven counterparts.

From what I can see, you should take your pick between a 20 foot deckboat (with stern drive), an Aluminum with an outboard, or even a pontoon with outboard.

All three of those boats have their pros and cons, as well as their advantages for what you'd like to do.

the happiest times with my boats was the day i sold them. it took me 3 times to figure that out.

So after doing a bit more exploring I've found out that a Tahoe is not that expensive. About $3000 more then a Bayliner, though to be fair, the Bayliner dealer did say he was there to sell boats, and was really open to making a deal, so the deal could only get sweeter. I'm just a little leary of the resale on a Bayliner.

I've also found a 22' Doral, used, for $11,000. I forget the year, but it's in the 80's. It's got a cabin, which I'd love, though it's a little big to be a play boat.

Can anyone offer opinions on either of these brands?

Not sure of the quality of todays Bayliners but they had quite a bad reputation in the past and deservedly so. Doubt the Bayliner would hold it's value.

Finally, today I looked at a bunch of Bayliners that are priced really well. Basically I can get an 18' Bayliner with a 4.3lt v-6 for the same money or less then everyone else's 18' 3.0lts. And I could get a 17' Bayliner with a 3.0lt for $15,000. That seems like a real bargin.[/b]


STAY AWAY from a 3.0l in ANYBODY's boat. Most manufactures use this as a 'price point' boat to get people in the dealeship door. The problem is, they are just too underpowered. You may be able to prop it down enough to wakeboard at 24 mph, but any decent cruise speed will be gone. Most 3.0l boats have a top end of ~40 mph with any kind of load (this is pretty slow). Fuggeddabout any serious sking and this engine will have all it can handle with a decent tube. The other killer with 3.0l boats is re-sale.
You've looked at some really nice boats....Chap and FourWinns....but don't count out Bayliner. There's a reason they are the single biggest boat manfacturer in the world....they build a pretty good boat for a pretty good price (Bayliner, Chap, FourWinns and a bunch of others are all owned by the same company).
If I was looking at getting into boating, I would definitely look at a new Bayliner or a well kept used one.....no doubt about it.
But......I've been at the water activity stuff for many many years, and there's only one way to go if you do anything at the end of a rope behind a boat ............

I've noticed that most serious ski boats use an inboard. I looked at one that was WAYYY out of my price range the other day in Sudbury. WOW, was it ever beautiful, but the list on it was $62,000. A little crazy.
The more I think about it the more I'm leaning towards teh Tahoe with the 4.3.I figure it's better to spend a few extra dollars a month and get a boat with plenty of power.

At the same time, I'm still trying to talk myself out of the whole boat thing. For the amount of free time I actually get in the summer it's pretty stupid, but when I get something in my head.....