On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 23:40:30 -0600, "G Evans"
wrote:

I have been doing a goof bit of research on boats. I am looking for a boat
that my family and I can use on weekends during the summer...2 adults and 2
teenagers.

That's bound to change if you decide to invite friends, or your kids
want to bring their friends or girl/boyfriends.


An ad by Stingray for an 18' boat for $9999 started my interest. I have
since determined that this is probably not what I would like to own.

A bargain basement special rarely is.

I have narrowed my choices to:

Stingray 180LX (18' Long 7' wide) w/ 3.0 Merc; Power Steering; CD; Bimini
top; and a top speed of about 49MPH that I can get for about $13K

Bayliner 205 (20' Long 8' Wide) w/5.0 merc; Power Steering; Bimini Top; CD
Player; and a 50MPH Top Speed that I can get for about $19K.

Glastron SX195 (18' 7" long 7'6" Wide) w/ 4.3L Merc; Power Steering; bimini
top; cd player; No Wood construction; and a top speed of about 50 MPH that I
can get for about 19.5K

I like the price of the Stingray, but am afraid it will not be big enough
and that it might be difficult to pull a slalom skier with the driver and 2
others in the boat. The Stingray also looks good, but the stringers (???)
are wood encapsulated in fiberglass, which I understand to be less desirable
that an all composite construction.

Pulling a skier has a lot to do with how you prop the boat. You can
get a bit more low end grunt by simply dropping 1 or 2 " in prop
pitch.

But if it were me, I'd want the largest engine available. There's no
such thing as "too much power".

My personal experience with Stingray (I owned a 1995 23'), is that
they are fast (and economical) for the available power. Some of this
is due to their hull design. But much of it is due to the fact that
they build light. My 23' boat weighted in at about 2900 lbs, which was
a full 1000 lbs lighter than my current 24' Checkmate. The downside to
this it that structural integrity may become an issue. It was for me,
as I started seeing longitudinal stress cracks under the hull
amidships in between lifting strakes. That was one of the reasons why
I traded it in on a more "heavy water" handling boat. If you stay on
relatively calm lakes and rivers, this might not be an issue.


For the money, the Bayliner looks like a good value. I am unsure if its
production includes wood or if it is all composite, but the warranty is
strong - lifetime to the original buyer on the hull, and 10 years from date
of purchase is transferable.

Bayliner has suffered from some well deserved bad publicity from their
past products. They have come a long way since then, and are not such
a bad deal anymore. Certainly not the best boat made, but not as bad
as they once were.



Glastron is touting a new "VEC" construction process that is said to be
light and rigid. They offer a lifetime warranty. I don't really care for
the look of this boat, and it doesn't appear as "plush" as the other two,
but I like the idea of an all composite boat.

So do I. It's a relatively new technology. It will either sweep the
boating industry by the storm as the new building process of choice,
or time will expose unknown hidden flaws in the process, which will
ultimately render it unworthy for boat construction. I would hate to
be the guinea pig for that experiment though.



Any input on theses boats and recommendations for which to purchase would be
appreciated. Any recommendations against a particular boat would be helpful
also. I'm ready to pull the trigger, but thought I'd reach out to this
group for some last minute advice.


Again, get the largest available engine in whatever boat you choose.
There is little difference in fuel economy between different engines
in the same boat, at normal cruising speeds. But you'll miss the power
if you don't have it, and need it.

Also, an 18' boat may be too small if you end up taking out more than
your target 4 people. I'd go for a 20', and get an enclosed cuddy
cabin to afford the females in your group and little "privacy". Along
those lines, make sure you get a porta potti too.

Dave