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Looking at boats

NorthernRedneck

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
[emoji22] so I've discovered this week that I can no longer sit in the boat for long. We currently have a 16ft Crestliner with a 40hp Johnson tiller and subfloor. It's been a solid boat being a 91. Dad bought it in 93 used. It's seen lots of rough waves. Motor has run flawlessly over the years. The subfloor has been completely replaced with new plywood and marine carpeting. The paint is a little faded but she's been a tough boat.
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In my opinion Crestliner has one of if not the most solid hulls for an aluminum boat. I remember about 1995 when it broke free of the dock in a storm and was thrown sideways against a 5' wall of sharp rock with 5' rollers crashing into it broadside all night. We expected to only salvage the engine the following morning. To our surprise it escaped with only a tiny dent after pounding on the rocks for 8 hrs.

Really though it's getting to be too small for our family. Ideally I'd love to have an 18ft aluminum with a side drive and around a 115hp engine but not in the immediate future until we have a better idea on what's going on with me. So for now it's either I give up boating entirely or look for something that I can comfortably use for the next few years to still get out fishing and pull the kids around in the tube.

Yes, we have 4 kids but it's very rare that they are all in the boat at the same time. If I could install a side drive on my boat I'd be happy. Its running a tiller that I have a hard time with now. I'm starting to look around for something under 5k that would be suitable.

I'm still at camp till Sunday but when we get back into town I may go look at this.....
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It's the same size as my Crestliner but with the side drive. And the 50 hp engine would pull the tube better. I've also been tossing around the idea of something more like this. .....
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There's pluses and minuses to that one as well. More comfortable but also more costly to operate and maintain. I don't want to have to buy stocks in an oil company just to go boating. Seems that every time dad took his out when he had a 19ft fiberglass it was 3/4 of a tank of fuel. Plus for fishing you lose a lot of casting room with a full windshield.

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Bigger and heavier boat = more gas. No way around that.
But it also means more room and more comfort. It's all a trade off.
But when you are going to live with something for a long time I would look far and wide. Travel to get the right boat for you. From what you described a Pontoon would be nice for your family. It could provide shade on the water when you have to canopy open. Plenty of room for casting on front and room for all. Seats are very comfortable on them also.
Good luck. Boat hunting can be fun.
 
You read my mind. A pontoon is definitely in our future. Here lies the dilemma. Pontoon would be perfect for camp. But a smaller boat is also a necessity for fishing may long weekend when I'm launching off the side of a dirt road 4 feet down a bank into shallow water. Also need something to haul the tube.

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Sounds like you are going to be a two boat family. :thumb: That works since you already have the one.
 
Yes. Or another option is a nice deck boat. All the comfort of a pontoon with a regular boat hull and plenty of power to get up on step to pull the tube.

Something similar to this.
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Slight change of plans. I've decided that for now I'm going to keep the crestliner unless a good deal comes along. What I will do though is replace the seats with more modern comfortable ones.

I had been looking at replacing the seats in the golf cart anyway. So now the plan is to take the best two from the boat and put them in the golf cart. Then get new ones for the boat.

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Sounds like a good plan. New seats are a lot less expensive than a new boat!

Jim
 
The Crestliner will stay the same for now. I'm going to hold off on seats for it and plan on a new used deck boat. One stop shop so to speak. Comfort of a pontoon with enough room for the family. Boat hull so it will get up on step and cruise. Enough power to pull a tube. Something like this.
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Details on this one.....2002 22ft with a 150. Enough seating for 10.

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I may decide later this week to see if I can swing it at the bank to pick this up. The next few days are going to be crazy with appointments. Ideally this setup would be perfect for us. And the nice thing about where we camp is that they're in the process of installing floating docks at both ends of the camp. So I could get a slot and just leave it in the water. I'd want an automatic bilge pump if I did that though.

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I agree. Automatic bilge is a must, and pretty standard now days, easy to add.
 
Arrange a ride on her first before you part with your cash. Deck boats are nice no doubt about it but due to their hull design they may be the provide he most pounding, roughest ride of any boat bar none.
 
That's kinda what I was thinking. Not entirely sure which way to go.
Option 1. Keep the 16ft for fishing and tubing and get a pontoon for the family.
Option 2. Sell the 16ft. Get something a little bigger with a side drive and skip the pontoon.
Option 3. Sell the 16ft and get a deck boat.

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Bamby said:
Arrange a ride on her first before you part with your cash. Deck boats are nice no doubt about it but due to their hull design they may be the provide he most pounding, roughest ride of any boat bar none.
Click to expand...

While I have never owned a deck boat, I suspect they consume more fuel than a traditional boat or pontoon boat. Bob
 
So I hadn't given much thought to the boat seeing as we're in the middle of winter till I saw an ad on kijiji locally. This guy is looking for something a little smaller. I went to look at it today. It's a 16ft crestliner with 90hp mariner. The paint is a little rough but the hull is in good shape. The interior is in great shape for the year. So I may be doing an even trade in the spring for mine. They are both about the same age from what I can tell but this will be way more comfortable for me and more room for the kids. If I do the deal I'll be giving it a paint job.
 
The open bow adds a lot of useable space for passengers. Makes it more fun and easier to plane off if the motor is straining to plane (by moving a couple to the front).
 
Yes. Thats why I was looking for something with either open bow or just a side drive. But if I can get into something like this with very little money involved then I'll be happy. Mine is in good shape. Comparable to this one. It's got a bracket for a kicker motor on the back so thats where my trolling motor will go. No built in fuel tank or livewell to worry about. I'll be installing an automatic bilge pump though. It will be a few months though before i get it.
The hull as I said is in good shape but the paint is basically all gone from the bottom so someone obviously trailered a lot down dirt roads. The trailer is heavy duty with rollers but homemade. I may keep my trailer as it's an easyloader depending on weather or not it can hold this one.
 
I've been trying to date that boat out of curiousity. It's no spring chicken by any means and is a little rough around the edges outside which is easily remedied with a wire brush, gallon of paint and a spray gun. As I said the interior is in good shape for it's age. No cracking fading or tearing on any of the seats or other upolstery. The floor is solid and the carpeting shows little signs of wear. The lower end of the engine looks like new with only a little paint missing from the bottom of the skeg.

Now the engine is, at my best guess an 84. The engine cowling gives it away. The 85 cowling was more square and separates at the front opening up like a butterfly spreading its wings. Then it just lifts off. I had an 85 60hp merc before that opened this way. The 84 and earlier was more rounded. Merc and mariner are basically the same company.

The boat has a good fish/depth finder with navigational charts. Mine right now is a basic hummingbird walmart one that indicates only fish and depth.

With all that said this boat may end up being a non issue. Due to my accident, my medical proffesionals are currently working to have my injuries deemed as catastrophic for insurance purposes. This opens up the amount of services I can receive which also means the possibility of a new home, vehicle, boat etc. Whatever they have to do to make me live as close to what I was doing before the accident. Not holding my breath on that one but it's a possibility. All I know is I have a hard time sitting in the boat for long right now. I last went out with mine last july fishing for 45 mins and I could barely move for 3 days. So something bigger, deeper, and more stable is in order.
 
For a man with the conditions your in you really should consider a pontoon boat. With a properly laid out and powered pontoon boat a person can do practically anything including taking a nap in complete comfort. Look towards a 24 footer equipped or tricked with performance features and pushed with 150 hp outboard and you'll be having a good time having fun on the water. Another big plus on pontoons is the fact that they ride so much better than anything short of the big heavy cabin cruisers that tear up the water for everyone else. Seriously hitch a ride on one and you'll likely find yourself shopping for you own pontoon boat.
 
Bamby said:
short of the big heavy cabin cruisers that tear up the water for everyone else.
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Don't be dissing the heavy cruisers. That's what those of us on jet ski's look for on the open water. :)
 
Oh don't worry. A pontoon is still on the horizon once things are settled in a couple years. The thing with pontoons is you're kinda stuck to the lake you launch it at in the spring. Where we go in may, we're launching off a gravel road between a set of culverts down a 4ft bank. So I'll still need a boat able to do that then head 10 miles up the lake to fish on a smaller river. Also, unless you have at least a 100hp on the back of a pontoon it's kinda hard pulling a tube behind.

This boat is basically a stepping stone. It's going to get me back out on the water without making me twist around to drive a tiller. That's the killer part with my boat right now. Having to sit sideways and drive a tiller. The back doesn't care much for that.
 
Well. It's been a couple of years. The trade deal fell through so I just stayed with the old crestliner though it hasn't seen much use since my accident. I was given the green light by my occupational therapist to start looking for a suitable boat that is more stable in the water and has a steering wheel and get quotes for her to submit to my insurance. It's a bunch of politics behind the scenes to get me back to doing what I used to do before the accident.

Anyways, not to bore you with those details but I've been doing my homework and checking out all the dealerships in town. It will either be a crestliner fishhawk 17.5ft or a legend xtr18.

Canadian eh!!!
 
These are the two I'm looking at right now. The legend has the best layout for our family as it has the dual seats in the rear that flip over when not in use to make an extra large casting deck.
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Canadian eh!!!
 
We'll have to see what's available when it comes time to buy. I was also considering a deck boat but they are HEAVY to be loading on and off the trailer. I may have to spend the extra $ for a dock slip at camp if one becomes available. The deck boat is kind of a one stop shop. Aluminum hull like a fishing boat. 150hp. All the creature comforts of a pontoon.
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Canadian eh!!!
 
omg. So many choices for boats. I'm anxiously awaiting the dealerships unwrapping their inventory of boats. Right now they are all shrink wrapped for the winter. There's so many options. Lund and crestliner are very good brands. I want something with the open bow platform for fishing that also converts to a seating area. I also want rear jump seats that convert to a fishing deck. Most brands seam to have either the jump seats and no casting deck or a full casting bow without the ability to convert to seating area. This model seams to have what I'm looking for. It's a crestliner super hawk 1750.
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Canadian eh!!!
 
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