Your wife is wise, and you would be even wiser to listen to what she has
to say G If you want an opinion of a specific brand of boat, please
e-mail, and if I know anything about it, I will give you the skinny.

Have a look at my website (attached below) and look in the "Abandon
Ship" section for info about kids and dogs in boats.

Capt. Frank
"la Dolce Vita"
Jacksonville, FL

David Ditch wrote:

Thanks to all the replies on this newsgroup.
I am feeling more comfortable with the decision to get a cuddy vs a
bowrider.
I bet one of the reasons bowriders outsell is that maybe before you own a
boat, you ride on someone else's. In those cases owners + guests mean more
passangers and you then think about "capacity" instead of "functionality"
for the family that will spend the most time on the boat.
As a future boat owner (if all goes well) I was originally thinking how many
of my friends and nephews I'd fit on the boat. It was actually my wife that
pointed out we need to maximize the comfort for the immediate family first.

Thanks guys for all the info.

David
"RG" wrote in message news:xzpeb.8957$Rd4.5296@fed1read07...

"David Ditch" wrote in message
...

Hi all,
My wife and I are on the fence about a bowrider or a cuddy. On thing I

was

wondering is if the cabin gets really hot when you are not moving?

We have been looking at the Four Winns sundowner
We have Kids: newborn (may stay with grandparents till older), 4year old

and

2 year old
Any questions I should ask my self when determining if I should have a

cuddy

or bowrider?
We are in the Chesapeake bay near Annapolis.


Bowriders outsell Cuddys by a wide margin, and I've never understood why.

I

guess kids get a kick out of sitting in the bow area. Personally, I'd

just

as soon not have people in front of the helm obstructing my view forward.
Also, I believe that passengers are inherently safer in the cockpit area

of

a runabout than in the bow area, in the event of sudden maneuvers, stops,

or

collisions. I realize nobody plans on such events happening, but they
occasionally do, and passengers are less likely to be thrown from the boat
in the cockpit area, which typically has much more height from the sole to
the gunwales, than in the bow area of a bowrider. As has been mentioned
many times already, the Cuddy is multifunctional, providing out of the way
and secure (lockable) storage for gear, as well as sleeping accommodations
and privacy. The bowrider area has only two functions, seating for people
who aren't paying for the boat, and letting weather and greenies into the
cockpit. I've owned two Cuddys and thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the
small cabin. I've never had any interest in owning a bowrider. Honestly,

I

simply can't understand anybody who thinks eight people in a 20' boat is a
good time.