DNorton Posted September 30, 2018 Report Share Posted September 30, 2018 Hey guys so I’ve finally got my wife onboard with getting a boat, no pun intended. Only catch it has to be able to hold the family rather then a straight fishing rig. So I’m wondering where I should start ? What sizes and styles, makes etc. Budget is no more then 30k and would like to be able to tackle Erie / Ontario. I have 4 kids and the wife I guess would want to come too. Any suggestions? I’m just starting into the research stage and figured I’d ask the people that have the experience. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted September 30, 2018 Report Share Posted September 30, 2018 Well ,,,,,I would start by pricing an 18' bow rider , should seat 6 ok. A nice Lund with a Yammy would be nice ....but pricey ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishingking Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 I'd say family /Erie friendly you'd wanna go with 24-26 ft buddy cabin.big and deep and you can keep it in the marina at Erie for 1200$ for the year so it's always ready to go .very easy to set up for fishing with a few custom rod holders and a kicker .I have prices various models and sizes and I know you can pick up a very nice mildly used cuddy cabin with a trailer for 15000$ .the down fall of these rigs is the 500$ gas bill but it'll last a while if you just drive out and start up kicker.u then have the option of putting it on the trailer whenever to hit up lake Ontario as needed.im not sure of your experience with operations of a bigger vessel and it'll take some getting used to launching , docking navigating but it'll come easy.good luck on your purchase! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verado Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 An 18-19 footer with an outboard would be ideal for your intended purpose. The aluminum multi purpose fishing\cruising boats from Lund, Tracker, Legend etc. would fit this bill. My 19 foot Lund Tyee is a wonderful boat. It's got plush seats and cushions, full carpet and a ski towbar. Remove the snap out carpet and cushions, slap on the downriggers and with the electric and gas kicker youv'e got a serious fishing machine that will handle Lake Erie. The aluminum hulls might not give as smooth a ride as a similar size fiberglass due to the much lighter weight, but that is a bonus when it comes to trailering, launching, storing etc. and they are much easier on the pocket when re-fueling. My biggest single piece of advice is to get the largest motor your boat is designed for. Dealers try to keep the price down by putting a 135 on a boat rated for 200hp. If all you're doing is fishing that might be fine but trust me, boats gain weight, you end up putting in a lot of accessories (trolling, motors, anchors, downriggers etc.) and then the wife, kids, friends, coolers, water toys and all of a sudden your new boat becomes sluggish and slow to plane. In 40 years of boating I've encountered lots of people buying different props, carbs, planing fins etc. try to wring a few more mph out of an under-powered boat. It's very expensive and the results are usually poor. I have yet to hear anyone complain about having too much power. Like Smerchly said, they can be pricey but 5 years down the road that will be long forgotten and you and your family will be much happier with the end result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 Beauty !! https://www.lundboats.com/boat-series/tyee/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Farmer Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 18 foot bowrider with outboard, max out on motor because you say family, some may want to go boarding,skiing, etc. $30 K your not going to get new might get a good used, but take someone that knows boats with you, there's lots of nightmares out there, rotten transons, floors and US salt flood boats hight hour motors. If you have never had any trailer experience, learn how to backup in a empty parking lot, go sit at a highly use boat ramp on a Sat. learn from good and bad launchers. language could curl your hair. You may be surprised at fishing equipment and accessories, can be as much as you spent on boat, licence, insurance, operator licence, Etc. Go out with a few buddies with a complete fishing setup and ask what he has invested, don't take WIFE, you will be looking at a Yak. Good Luck, hope to see you on the water and some fish reports on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNorton Posted October 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 Thanks for all the replies guys! Really appreciate it. I do have trailering experience owning a AZ license but never launched a boat before so I will take that under advisement to go and watch the good and the bad. Last thing I want to be is “that guy” holding up the launch. All the other sound advice is really great and the budget might just have to grow a little bit if I can’t find something I like. ? I do own a yak that was my concession about 4 years ago when trying to purchase a boat, and while I still really enjoy my yak my kids want to get out on the water with me and with 4 kids I can’t just as easily disappear for 6 hours on the water like I used to. I’m going to dive into the internet depths of boat research now with the tips / info I’ve gained here and then I shall see what we come up with. Once I do get one I’ll make sure to take some pics and post for all to see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 I'm not sure , but would this time of the year be best to get the deals on both new boats and autos ? Let us know what you purchased ....I have no idea what prices are for a package deal like the Lund Tyee . We have a Bass Pro near the skyway ....maybe have a look at their boat packages . Good shopping ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf and Turf Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 Yes, this is the perfect time to purchase a boat either new or used. Season is pretty much over and guys are looking at storing so you either have to sell now or wait till the spring for the most part, so sellers are motivated. They say the happiest two days for a boater is when you buy your boat and when you sell your boat. I've gone through that cycle a few times over the years. You might want to take a look at Crestliners, they have a few more creature comforts geared to the family. I have a Crestliner 2050 Sportfish, I can take the wife 4 kids and a friend or two fishing or skiing in comfort. Absolutely love the boat. Great size for the great lakes for safety and comfort but still manageable in the water or on the trailer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalleyeChaser Posted October 2, 2018 Report Share Posted October 2, 2018 Honestly spend the extra money now instead of later... lund or alumacraft are top notch... and if u can id go with welded aluminum instead of rivets... see the legend posts from before... 18 ft bowrider with the walk thru windshield will cover all your needs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted October 2, 2018 Report Share Posted October 2, 2018 9 hours ago, DNorton said: Thanks for all the replies guys! Really appreciate it. I do have trailering experience owning a AZ license but never launched a boat before so I will take that under advisement to go and watch the good and the bad. Last thing I want to be is “that guy” holding up the launch. All the other sound advice is really great and the budget might just have to grow a little bit if I can’t find something I like. ? I do own a yak that was my concession about 4 years ago when trying to purchase a boat, and while I still really enjoy my yak my kids want to get out on the water with me and with 4 kids I can’t just as easily disappear for 6 hours on the water like I used to. I’m going to dive into the internet depths of boat research now with the tips / info I’ve gained here and then I shall see what we come up with. Once I do get one I’ll make sure to take some pics and post for all to see This little device should help you at the launch ....... 40 sec. vid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvt9HCYiN8s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Farmer Posted October 2, 2018 Report Share Posted October 2, 2018 10 hours ago, smerchly said: This little device should help you at the launch ....... 40 sec. vid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvt9HCYiN8s That's quite the gadget smerch. Watching it shows the trailer to far in the water a lot of mistakes people make. Boat start floating back and forth at the rear of the trailer pulling boat out and transom is off to one side of the trailer. Guys taking their shoes off walking out into the water to connect winch rope shows your in to far. See this lots at ramps, unless your on a beach launching like some small northern lakes. Try doing that in Nov. Dec. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Symmetre Posted October 4, 2018 Report Share Posted October 4, 2018 On 10/1/2018 at 8:03 PM, WalleyeChaser said: Honestly spend the extra money now instead of later... lund or alumacraft are top notch... and if u can id go with welded aluminum instead of rivets... see the legend posts from before... 18 ft bowrider with the walk thru windshield will cover all your needs Lund are crap. They used to be really good 20 years ago, but they've cut so many corners to keep making profits even during the recession that they're not even close to what they used to be. Alumacraft are good, Crestliner are good, Starcrafts are good, Princecrafts are good. Lund isn't really bad, but its not worth the huge premium they charge. Today you're paying for the name and that's it. For quality they're about the same as Legend, in fact the Legend might be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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