Boats

BrotherWu

BrotherWu

MAGA
<Silver Donator>
3,048
5,835
Hey folks.

My family (wife + 2 kids) moved to northern Michigan last fall and we bought a place on an inland lake. We used to own a cottage but sold it about 10 years ago so it has been a while since I owned a serious boat (just a little a little aluminum one for taking the kids fishing and it's really too small for the lake we're on). So, I am in the market for a new boat.

My last one was a fixer upper- an older fish and ski that got the job done but I was never really very happy with it. I'm looking for something that'll ferry guests around on booze cruises, pull the kids on a tube, and maybe do a little fishing but, in my experience, when you buy a boat that tries to do too many things, it doesn't do any of them very well. If I drive across the street from my boat ramp then I can put into Lake Michigan as well, so a cuddy cabin might be an option too.

Looking around, I have noticed that pontoon boats have become really popular (and expensive). From what I am reading, you need to have a motor in the 90+ hp range to pull tubes and skiers. Does anyone have any experience with using a pontoon boat to pull anything?

I'm sort of ambivalent about the idea of a pontoon boat. They're ugly as hell but they seem to be pretty functional and everyone I ask speaks pretty highly of them.
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,538
8,987
My parents also live in northern Michigan (Where abouts are you?) and my dad is in the process of selling his boat he used to take out on Lake Charlevoix and out into Lake Michigan to get a pontoon.

I've been on them multiple times and skied behind them, the only big difference you're gonna see is it takes longer to stop and circle around to go pick up the person when they fall.

Pontoons for all their bulk and yes some of them are eyesores....are just about the coolest summer piece of equipment you can own for a family. Those things seriously can be equiped with everything and anything.
 
Falstaff

Falstaff

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
8,311
3,166
How does that joke go? The two happiest days in a boat owners life are the day he buys it and the day he sells it?
 
Joeboo

Joeboo

Molten Core Raider
8,157
140
Yep, my dad has a lake house here in Missouri and a 24' pontoon. The thing is badass. It "might" go fast enough to pull a someone for waterskiing, but it probably wouldn't be too exciting. It's great for pulling a tube though, you don't need to go near as fast for that. In fact, it has easily pulled 2 tubes simultaneously with 2 adults on them with no isses, and goes fast enough to get some nice air when you hit waves/wakes. It does have 2 outboard engines on it however, so it guzzles gas like a mad fiend.

Nothing beats it for boozing though, has a bathroom on it, a grill up front, couple built-in coolers. Easily seats 8-10 adults comfortably. Its badass. However, it's a HUGE pain in the ass to move if you have to put it in and out of the water yourserlf. Backing that thing down is a nightmare. Hopefully you are somewhere where you have a slip, or can at least rent one. That's the way to go. You don't want to be pulling something that large out of the water after a day of drinking.
 
mkopec

mkopec

<Gold Donor>
25,393
37,475
Thats the only time to own a boat, when you fucking live right on the lake, it just makes sense. What does not make sense is all the boat owners, like for instance in my subdivision, which have boats, and maybe use them 2-3 times a year.

I would gladly own a boat if I was in OPs situation. And yeah, good things I hear about pontoons for a family.
 
BrotherWu

BrotherWu

MAGA
<Silver Donator>
3,048
5,835
Tyrant_sl said:
My parents also live in northern Michigan (Where abouts are you?) and my dad is in the process of selling his boat he used to take out on Lake Charlevoix and out into Lake Michigan to get a pontoon.

I've been on them multiple times and skied behind them, the only big difference you're gonna see is it takes longer to stop and circle around to go pick up the person when they fall.

Pontoons for all their bulk and yes some of them are eyesores....are just about the coolest summer piece of equipment you can own for a family. Those things seriously can be equiped with everything and anything.
Click to expand...
We're on Elk Lake, a little south and west of your parents. If your Dad has it listed in CL, I've probably seen it but feel free to PM me if you'd like to send me some information in it.
 
BrotherWu

BrotherWu

MAGA
<Silver Donator>
3,048
5,835
Eyashusa_sl said:
How does that joke go? The two happiest days in a boat owners life are the day he buys it and the day he sells it?
Click to expand...
Yeah, the last time I owned a ski boat, it was a money sink for sure. I bought it cheap and had to clean it up and fix a lot of stuff. Got a lot of fun out of it, even though we lived a couple hours from the cottage.

Although, when something broke, it really ate into your weekend time getting it fixed. The difference now is that I am literally about 10 yards where it will be parked so we should get good use out of it.
 
M

Merkins4Brazil_sl

shitlord
1,347
-1
Never ever buy a boat unless it has been surveyed by a qualified / licensed Marine Surveyor that YOU paid. More often than not you are buying someone else's headache. Many times there are issues with water craft that even the current owner is completely unaware of and will drain your pocket book at the speed of sound. Shop around and do your due diligence before purchase, even a used boat in great shape is a very expensive hobby maintenance wise.
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,538
8,987
BrotherWu_sl said:
We're on Elk Lake, a little south and west of your parents. If your Dad has it listed in CL, I've probably seen it but feel free to PM me if you'd like to send me some information in it.
Click to expand...
I called my mom today to get the info and she informed me they sold it yesterday haha. He ended up selling it to a friend. Hopefully they have their Pontoon by the time I take the kids out there in July. lol
 
Borzak

Borzak

Bronze Baron of the Realm
24,609
31,930
One thing to remember with a pontoon boat is you can't leave it on the water they are the biggest pain in the ass to get back on a trailer. I can't count the number of hours I have sat at a ramp waiting for someone to get their pontoon boat back on the trailer compared to other types of boats. Without a Vee they aren't self centering and because they are typically long it's hard to get them lined up on the saddles they fit on. Just something to think about.
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,538
8,987
My buddy has something for his Pontoon where he never takes more then one try to put it on the trailer. Not sure what it is but I've never seen one enter and exit the water so quickly. I'll have to check into it.
 
Borzak

Borzak

Bronze Baron of the Realm
24,609
31,930
Part of it is probably they get used even down here in the south for 4-5 months and then not used till next summer as opposed to fishing boats that get loaded on and off the trailer here 12 months out of the year, or simply experience with it.
 
BrotherWu

BrotherWu

MAGA
<Silver Donator>
3,048
5,835
In my case, I'd be putting it in the water around now and leaving it in until September so no big deal.
 
Ryoz

Ryoz

<Donor>
831
181
For loading, experience is probably the biggest thing, the type of trailer helps as well. In my opinion pontoons are ideal when you actually have a place on the river/lake where you can let it sit for the late spring/summer season. Having to load and unload each week seems like a huge pain in the ass. Honestly, if you take good care of your motor and you're a good boater (solid awareness of where and how to navigate whatever body of water - not banging up the prop or pontoons) and make sure to clean it and put a cover on it when you're done for the week/weekend, they will stay in really great condition. At the end of the season have your motor serviced and winterized, clean the residue from the water line off of your pontoon, and that's about it. I love mine. Kids love them because of the skiing, tubing, and swimming possibilities. Adults love them for nearly the same reasons + boozing.
 
BrotherWu

BrotherWu

MAGA
<Silver Donator>
3,048
5,835
OP update. I'm still looking and really leaning toward more of a ski boat. I am finding that most pontoons that have a big enough motor to pull a skier or a tube tend to be in the $18k+ range. Maybe not that much for some but probably more than I want to spend at this point.

I found a really beautiful older ski boat that looks like it is in pretty good shape. It's an 89 Malibu. I don't know shit about skiing or ski boats but, from what I read, this manufacturer is considered one of the best.

http://nmi.craigslist.org/boa/3782659345.html

Kind of sucks to drop 8 Gs on an older boat but it looks pretty tight. Anyone an expert on these things? All I've ever done is pull tubes around and I'm thinking that the kids and their friends my be graduating to more challenging water sports in the next year.

I like the open bow and the other seating.
 
Z

Zombie Thorne_sl

shitlord
918
1
I live on one of the top 10 boating lakes in the country and have been on and around boats all of my life.

They are expensive!! Boat = bust out another thousand.

How big is the lake you will be boating on? 18" is pretty small, depending on the size of the lake you could really take a beating. Here on Grand, I won't get on the water on a Holliday weekend in anything under 30". It would be deadly in an 18 footer. But for a smaller lake with limited big boat traffic it would be great.

Older boats are pretty simple, just make sure the hull is good. Check the stringers for rot/soaking (they are the 2x4 looking pieces the engine is mounted to.). The 350 Merc small block is bulletproof, and Malibu makes a good hull. Upholstery work looks great too. Find out what drive setup it has. It could be a thru hull ski boat design or it could have an out drive. Check the rubber bellows that seal it against the hull and check with the marina that did the maintenance. If its a TRS out drive it could be a problem, but check with the marina first.

All in all that looks like a nice boat and a family could have a great time on it.
 
BrotherWu

BrotherWu

MAGA
<Silver Donator>
3,048
5,835
Thorne_sl said:
I live on one of the top 10 boating lakes in the country and have been on and around boats all of my life.

They are expensive!! Boat = bust out another thousand.

How big is the lake you will be boating on? 18" is pretty small, depending on the size of the lake you could really take a beating. Here on Grand, I won't get on the water on a Holliday weekend in anything under 30". It would be deadly in an 18 footer. But for a smaller lake with limited big boat traffic it would be great.

Older boats are pretty simple, just make sure the hull is good. Check the stringers for rot/soaking (they are the 2x4 looking pieces the engine is mounted to.). The 350 Merc small block is bulletproof, and Malibu makes a good hull. Upholstery work looks great too. Find out what drive setup it has. It could be a thru hull ski boat design or it could have an out drive. Check the rubber bellows that seal it against the hull and check with the marina that did the maintenance. If its a TRS out drive it could be a problem, but check with the marina first.

All in all that looks like a nice boat and a family could have a great time on it.
Click to expand...
The lake I am on is relatively large. About 1.5 miles by 8 or 9, I think. It is also connected to a series of other lakes, one of which is about twice as large.http://www.fishweb.com/maps/antrim/elklake/

The boat I linked is actually 20'2", not 18'. I was thinking that would be enough for most conditions although I think the pure ski boats can be a pretty rough ride when it gets a little choppy. The guy who has owned it is an older gentleman and it sounds like he has put a lot of work into it and has only used it 4 times in the last few years. 400 hours is pretty low for a boat that age, I think. He had the stringers checked and the compression on the engine. I'll probably have an independent surveyor check it out.

Thanks for the info.
 
Z

Zombie Thorne_sl

shitlord
918
1
BrotherWu_sl said:
The lake I am on is relatively large. About 1.5 miles by 8 or 9, I think. It is also connected to a series of other lakes, one of which is about twice as large.http://www.fishweb.com/maps/antrim/elklake/

The boat I linked is actually 20'2", not 18'. I was thinking that would be enough for most conditions although I think the pure ski boats can be a pretty rough ride when it gets a little choppy. The guy who has owned it is an older gentleman and it sounds like he has put a lot of work into it and has only used it 4 times in the last few years. 400 hours is pretty low for a boat that age, I think. He had the stringers checked and the compression on the engine. I'll probably have an independent surveyor check it out.

Thanks for the info.
Click to expand...
Newer Ski/Wakeboard boats ride pretty well for their size. They are designed to put more hull/weight in the water to create a better wake for launching. I don't know much about the hull design of older ski boats, but older boats in general ride well due to them being heavier. I checked out that website, and I really think that boat would be a good fit for the lake. Its a big lake, but it appears to be more of fishing destination and doesn't have a lot of large ramp access which will limit the number of big cruiser type boats, The big boat traffic is what really makes the lakes rough. Although Elk lake being about 9 miles long straight north and south will get pretty crazy on really windy days. 4-6 foot whitecaps would be pretty brutal in a 20ft boat, but weather conditions are easy to avoid.

As for general boat advice, stay away from pontoons unless you really like to just lumber around all day with 20 people on the deck. They are great for that, but not so much anything else!

Some brands to look out for that made some great boats in the 80's/90's (and still today if you have a couple hundred k) Sea Ray, Cobalt, Formula are your best bet.

What are you looking to spend? I may be able to find something that would suite you.
 
Ryoz

Ryoz

<Donor>
831
181
Well the author took it down so, grats?

I think it's a fine boat for your needs. I would always suggest picking up a used boat first before dropping bigger bucks on something new. I know a few people who decided to go out and get nice new boats and then realized they weren't up to the task of maintaining or even using it enough to make it worth it. I would never go back to an inboard, but I do a lot of my boating in a river (too shallow in some areas for an inboard motor) and the bay.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.