On 20 Mar 2007 09:00:24 -0700, "Paul" wrote:

Looking to purchase a first boat and hunting for recommendations -
here is my situation;

- Live in Toronto and would do the majority of by boating in Lake
Ontario, this is a VERY large lake (one of the great lakes).

- Would like to park the boat in my garage, which measures 18 feet, 8
inches. A 16 ft bowrider will fit tightly. I realize this is not an
optimal size for a huge lake.

- Having a single motor on a great lake doesn't appeal to me much.
Mitigating circumstances are that there is alot of boat traffic in the
waters off Toronto and I hear that there is always someone to help.

- Would like to fish (trolling for salmon about all that's available
here) and waterski.

- I live about 2 miles for the boat ramp, and own a sedan with a 3.1
liter engine. I understand that this is less then optimal for towing a
heavy boat, but I could drive slowly. Don't see the wisdom in buying a
new vehicle just so I can go boating. There is a big hill leading to
the boat ramp (bluffers park for you locals).

Finally, I realize this is something that I'd use 10 times a year if
I'm lucky. Any advise out there?

As I do not use a boat in what most users would call "open water" (I
boat on the Ohio River), so I really can't respond to your concerns
about the appropriateness of a 16 foot open bow boat on Lake Onterio.
I sure wouldn't want to be out very far if even a fairly small storm
came up. However, are you sure that a 16 ft boat will fit in an 18'8"
garage on a trailer? It seems that the outdrive (either from an
outboard or an I/O) combined with the trailer tongue should require
more than 2'8". Maybe not? Most 16' open bow boats are not all that
heavy, so the sedan may be adequate. Probably more dependent on the
car weight and braking capabilities along with the tranny than the
engine size. Check your owner's manual for towing ratings. I would
clearly NOT recommend towing above that rating. Also, how steep is
your local boat ramp. That may be a key issue - whether your sedan can
stop the boat when backing down a wet ramp and whether it can pull the
boat out of the water (extra weight until out and drained) up a wet
ramp.

Dave Hall