Q's on New Boat Purchase

[ImaFrayedKnot]

I'm curious to see what style, makes, models, etc y'all would recommend. That's a pretty vague statement/question so I'll give a little more background. I'll be coming down to Washington from Alaska, where I had an 18' Lund, open bow, center console with a 90 Honda on it. That was my first boat and it was built for rivers. With the move to Washington planned, I sold my river runner and started planning the purchase of a lake boat. We've got a 10 month old little girl that will be hitting the water with us and the prospect of another little guy/gal in the near future. That said, I need a family friendly rig as well. We're looking at the typical fish & ski style. I've been back and forth 50 times over, considering I've been planning this purchase now for two years. There's a little background to our situation so thoughts on:

Fiberglass vs Aluminum??

Makes & Models??

New vs Used?

Yamaha vs Mercury? (4-stroke vs Optimax)

Through LOTS of planning, saving & more-so persuasion, I've talked the wife into looking at a Ranger Reata 1850LS becasue it has the family friendly layout so the kids can be safe (I couldn't imagine trying to get some serious fishing done with little ones on a bass boat style rig. I'd be fishing for my own kids more than for bass...), reliability that Ranger brings to the table, and honestly the only downfall I can think of is the price tag. But if you're gonna do it, might as well do it right the first time...

I leave Alaska in about 11 days for the long haul through Canada to settle down into our new home. Shortly after that's accomplished, we'll be looking to make that boat purchase. Prior to that, I'd like to hear what some Washingtonians have to say about that type of setup for the Northwest.

[geekgiant]

So, it really depends on what you want to do, where you want to do it and what your budget is. In the area, you see a lot of aluminum boats but if you're going out to the coast etc... there's an argument to be made for a glass boat because of the waves etc...

I, personally, wouldn't be looking new, lots of deals on used rigs right now and inventory is growing.

I have a Trophy, which has been great as a Puget Sound boat. Cuddy cabin with a pump out head for the girls, lots of fishable space for me and a super solid ride that won't murder your back... Here it is if you're into it: http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/boa/4705544499.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[obryan214]

I have 3 boats at the moment with my favorite being a 14'6" Crestliner. welded unlike my old Smokercraft, Lund and Mirrorcraft I used to own which all seeped. I spend a couple days a week most of the year on either the south sound, hood canal and a few local lakes. it makes a few trips to Sekiu a year and does it just fine. good size for launching pretty much anywhere including a beaver pond in Mason County I fish, just replace whichever gas motor is on it at the time with my electric. I have a 25hp Yamaha, a 9.9 Yamaha, a6hp Evenrude or a 30lb thrust Minnkota that share time on the back of it. the other 2 boats are a 14 ft Salty Classic with a 20hp Yamaha and a 12ft Duroboat which also takes the electric or 6hp motor.

[Idstud]

Some questions still need answered. Are you moving to the west side or east side of washington? What kind of fishing do you plan to do? I would definitely say 4 stroke and Yamahas are a great motor. No complaints from friends that have them and the 4 strokes are nice and quite.

[hewesfisher]

You ask good questions, but it might help more if you could be a bit more specific about how you plan to fish it most of the time and what you plan to chase. Motor choice should be based on no less than 75% of max rated capacity and availability of a well qualified local service center. Won't do you much good to buy brand "A" motor if the service center is 2hrs away, but motor brand "B" service center is around the corner.

That said, there's nothing wrong with either technology, 2 or 4 stroke, because today's 2 strokes are every bit as clean and fuel efficient as a comparable hp 4 stroke. Again, it's a matter of choosing the motor you know you can get the best local service for.

There are many good motors out there Yamaha, Merc, Honda, Suzuki, Evinrude, and I can speak Optimax if you want to know specifics (have owned one for almost 6yrs). If I were considering a new Merc today, I'd have to think long and hard on the 150 4-stroke over the Opti.

Here's a real world, real-time, Smartcraft snapshot of my motor's performance at cruise on Lake Roosevelt...



28.7mph GPS, 3370/80rpm, 6.3mpg.

[ImaFrayedKnot]

Thanks for the insight so far guys. I'll be moving to the East side of Washington (Medical Lake). I've considered joining the Spokane Bass Club to pick up some pointers on targeting bass. My wife and I loved running the rivers of Alaska going after pike so I'm sure we'll try to bag some of them as well. Also, my wife's family have vacationed to Lake Powell twice a year for 20+ years so we'll be hauling our boat down there once or twice a year for a couple weeks to chase some massive schools of stripers. To sum things up here, we'll be primarily targeting bass with the occasional pike, muskey, walleye or even trout trip. I've been reading up on the local lakes around the state and I'm looking forward to hitting it pretty hard this year.

I've seen lots of fish & ski style boats but I'm looking for something that's more 80%fish and 20%ski.... <----- another reason I'm looking at the Reata 1850LS. Another rig I've been looking at with interest is the new fiberglass Lunds. The layout seems perfect but they're so new, I can't seem to find much info on em. I'm not a fan of buying something when it's brand new. They still have to work out the kinks.

[Idstud]

You might look into Lowe boats they have a fish/sport deep v with the back seats that fold down and a removable ski/tube hookup tripod attachment.

[hewesfisher]

Thanks for the insight so far guys. I'll be moving to the East side of Washington (Medical Lake). I've considered joining the Spokane Bass Club to pick up some pointers on targeting bass. My wife and I loved running the rivers of Alaska going after pike so I'm sure we'll try to bag some of them as well. Also, my wife's family have vacationed to Lake Powell twice a year for 20+ years so we'll be hauling our boat down there once or twice a year for a couple weeks to chase some massive schools of stripers. To sum things up here, we'll be primarily targeting bass with the occasional pike, muskey, walleye or even trout trip. I've been reading up on the local lakes around the state and I'm looking forward to hitting it pretty hard this year.

I've seen lots of fish & ski style boats but I'm looking for something that's more 80%fish and 20%ski.... <----- another reason I'm looking at the Reata 1850LS. Another rig I've been looking at with interest is the new fiberglass Lunds. The layout seems perfect but they're so new, I can't seem to find much info on em. I'm not a fan of buying something when it's brand new. They still have to work out the kinks.

Welcome to the neighborhood! I have very fond memories of chasing NP on the sloughs in central AK when I was stationed at Galena. My personal best (44") hangs on the wall as a constant reminder of the great times we had there. When I got stationed at Fairchild in 1990, we rented a water front duplex on Medical Lake for 8mos until we found our place south of Spokane.

You'll have a rich diversity of species within 90 minutes of Medical Lake.

[BARCHASER10]

I lived in Spokane for 5 years in the late 70's. I have a 2005 18' North River Seahawk now, had a 16' glass boat when I lived in Spokalu. My only advice, don't go too small particularly with a family. Sooner a later you will want to give bigger lakes a try, Roosevelt, Long Lake, Cda, Banks... whatever. The wind chop on those lakes can get nasty and an 18' boat is safer, higher sides and more comfortable in a chop. I've had 4 glass boats (all 2 strokes) starting in 1967 and now an alum. I prefer alum since they have improved so much over the years, and I like my 4 stroke Yam.

[kodacachers]

I've been through the "compromise" boat process twice now.

I'm more of a 50/50 fish v. watersports and the wife wanted something that doesn't look too much like a fishing boat (and apparently all aluminum boats do). With that in mind, I started out with a Bluewater Sportsman Fish/ski. It had great power for the watersports, easy in and out, and was real nice to toodle around in as well (comfy seats, removable carpet, etc.) Fish wise it had a live well and three different fish boxes as well as rod holders and a bow mounted trolling motor. I think if I was a bass fisherman I would have liked it better, but the well and other fishy things took up a huge amount of usable space and it was just too small. I sold it and went with a straight ski boat--Sea Ray 205. I'm finding this boat is a lot better on the fishing side as well--more space and it has removable seating next to the motor so I can get farther to the rear of the boat and is just enough bigger and deeper that I'm more comfortable on the sound. And, of course, it meets all the family requirements.

If I were an 80/20 towards fishing and didn't have the spousal influence, I'd go with one of the aluminum brands--North River, Hewscraft, etc. or better yet if I had the cash an Edge Marine Sport OS. The other style I'd look at is the Lund Grand Sport and Crestliner boats. They tend to have the individual seats and style is a bit less "fishy".

Another thing to consider, if you are looking at used boats ski style boats lose a whole lot more value that aluminum fishing boats so you are likely to get a better deal.

[Idstud]

If you do look into something new you might wait until the Seattle boat show when they go on sale and they use to give you a 200$ gift card to a marine place for the purchase. The next Seattle Boat Show will run from Jan. 23 to Feb. 1, /www.seattleboatshow.com/

[obryan214]

If you do look into something new you might wait until the Seattle boat show when they go on sale and they use to give you a 200$ gift card to a marine place for the purchase. The next Seattle Boat Show will run from Jan. 23 to Feb. 1, /www.seattleboatshow.com/

some of the boat dealers who sell at the sportsmans show at the puyallup fairgrounds will offer up gift cards with purchase of a boat as well. one a couple years ago was giving 10% at sportco of the purchase price of a new boat, it was a weldcraft dealer. that show is in january I think, not sure on the dates.

[hewesfisher]

Boat shows are great, you get see and touch all the makes you might be interested in all at one place one time. That said, boat show prices are not always the best deal, not in my experience anyway, and we negotiated a better deal prior to the boat show.

You seem to have your mind made up on what you want, so unless you are set on that, can wait, and the 600 mile round trip and overnight stay for the Seattle Boat show is not a deal breaker, do that. I say overnight because much like other big events, I've been told you can't see it all in one day.

One thing I'll suggest just in case you haven't thought of it, a full enclosure for your boat cabin. An open boat sucks in 20° - 30° temps. An enclosure gives you the benefit of a year round boat so you can enjoy the great winter fisheries we have. I could handle the open boat thing 20yrs ago, but no more. I enjoy fishing winter seasons, so why suffer for something I enjoy? With a full enclosure and propane heater we can fish in temps to 30° and still have interior temps of 45° - 50°. In between catching fish, we can stay warm inside.

Gift cards are nice, but offers for places like Sportco are only of value if you use them while on the west side of the mountains since there are no Sportco's in Spokane/Couer d'Alene. Might do better to negotiate gift card value off the price of the boat package.

Ranger's "find a dealer" option shows only 2 Ranger boat dealers in WA, one in Vancouver and the other in Spokane. Two others are in in Nampa, ID and Helena, MT. JMO, there would need to be some significant savings to justify a one way, 6+hr drive to any dealer outside of Spokane. There really is something to be said about having local service should you need it. Having to haul your boat 370+ miles one way to your servicing dealer should be a huge factor in your purchase decision.

The Spokane Boat Show runs 2/4 - 2/8 2015 and is about a 30 minute drive from Medical Lake. There are lots of manufacturers there, and you can spend a whole day and see it all in one place.

Food for thought.

[ResQ]

I just went through all of this. We originally purchased a Lowe 1672 HD with a Merc 25 hp (2013 on all) and used it for a year. Our daughter (3) was sliding all over the metal floor and with the benches in it, it was not a great family boat. We traded the boat and purchased a 2014 River Hawk Pro V 16 and just kept the merc 25 hp on it from the Lowe. Best boat decision! I love the River Hawk. I have had my kids plus all the neighbors kids in it and its perfect. Great dry ride, wide, stable, OPEN. If you want to know more, I'd be happy to tell you! I have a boating thread in this boating section titled River Hawk Pro V. I have pics and such up there. Good luck!

[ResQ]

Oh, I also have purchased 3 boats from Cabelas! One from Lacey (2010 alumacraft Jon with motor) and two from Tulalip. I will say they have different prices and the Tulalip one has better prices (which didnt make sense) but they both had better prices than anywhere I could find! And if you ask, they will usually toss in a fish finder or a discount on one. I have had great experiences at both though.

[hewesfisher]

Oh, I also have purchased 3 boats from Cabelas! One from Lacey (2010 alumacraft Jon with motor) and two from Tulalip. I will say they have different prices and the Tulalip one has better prices (which didnt make sense) but they both had better prices than anywhere I could find! And if you ask, they will usually toss in a fish finder or a discount on one. I have had great experiences at both though.

Still a long drive ResQ, he's moving to a town about 15mi west of Spokane. We have lots of boat dealers on the east side that can compete with most any west side dealer and the only Ranger dealer (since he seems set on a Ranger) in Eastern WA will be 15 miles away vs 370 to the only Ranger dealer in Western WA.

Ask yourself this, how much would you need to save to justify driving almost 750 miles round trip and spending 12 - 14hrs on the road (non-stop) if you have the same dealer less than 20 miles of where you live? Road trips have to provide value - fuel, meals, time behind the wheel, and possibly taking time off from work, all have to be considered.

OP is 4days away from departing AK and is probably very busy with final departure stuff.

[ResQ]

Didn't see he was heading to Spokane. Either way. Only 4 hours and they have a cabelas over there too :-)

[hewesfisher]

Didn't see he was heading to Spokane. Either way. Only 4 hours and they have a cabelas over there too :-)

Lacey - 329mi and Tulalip - 325mi from Spokane and to make the trip in 4hrs you'd need to average 82.25mph point to point non-stop.

The Post Falls Cabela's does not sell boats, they are not a Boat Center. Kayaks, inflatables, yes, but nothing else and definitely no Ranger's which is what he's implied is what he wants.

[Amx]

Limit Out Marine has a Reata for sale, on their pre-owned boats page. I know nothing more than that;

http://www.limitoutmarine.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Idstud]

I just went through all of this. We originally purchased a Lowe 1672 HD with a Merc 25 hp (2013 on all) and used it for a year. Our daughter (3) was sliding all over the metal floor and with the benches in it, it was not a great family boat. We traded the boat and purchased a 2014 River Hawk Pro V 16 and just kept the merc 25 hp on it from the Lowe. Best boat decision! I love the River Hawk. I have had my kids plus all the neighbors kids in it and its perfect. Great dry ride, wide, stable, OPEN. If you want to know more, I'd be happy to tell you! I have a boating thread in this boating section titled River Hawk Pro V. I have pics and such up there. Good luck!

I like the River Hawks they have. I have been looking at the 18 footers with the extended outboard bracket myself. Which has high sides to keep in the little ones plus room to put a cooler on the back. About the Lowe boats I was recommending the deep V fish and sport ones that have locking rod storage live well carpeted floors and a removable ski pole tripod. They have higher sides than a bass boat.