Boat / Motor Combos

[Yellow Dog]

Looking for what people think would be good combos. I want a fish/ski with 150 hp 4-stroke; a walk-through windshield; bow-mount electric; and a kicker.

Brands? Places to buy?

Thanks! Any feedback that you have would be great!

[eyepatrol]

Fiberglass or aluminum boat?

[Ralph Wiggum]

Ranger Reatta 1850, hands down.

[eyepatrol]

Definitely the 1850 Reata if you're going fiberglass. Ralph and I have lost gallons of drool over this one. PerchJerker has his already...lucky dog!

My second choice would be the Crestliner 1850 Sportfish. Another very nice boat, but you'll lose a little in the ride...fiberglass is better in many people's opinions including dealers that I've talked to.

As for places to buy....if you do a search for Minnesota boat dealers you should be able to find a list. A couple that come to mind include Crystal-Pierz Marine and R&R Marine. C-P Marine has many locations and sells many different brands of boats. R&R is Crestliner. There are Lunds and Alumacrafts that are set up pretty good too. Many times you can go to a manufacturer's HSOforum and they'll have a dealer locator on there. Just punch in your zip code and it should give you a list of dealers nearby. Or, another option, which is what my wife and I just did, is to hit the boat shows. We were at the Mpls. Convention Center last Saturday and saw about every brand and set-up there is, along with many, many boat dealers. Just as a quality assurance check, whatever dealer you're considering buying from, check the better business bureau to see if there's anything on there about the dealer. You'd hate to get stuck with a poor dealer....I did on the very first boat I purchased. It was a nightmare!

[SteveWilson]

1800 Lund Fisherman w/ 175HP Evinrude E-Tec and either a 9.9 Johnson or T-8 Yamaha kicker

[Yellow Dog]

Thanks for the quick replies...aluminum is the choice and I want it to be over 17 feet but less than 20. It has to be trailered by (I cringe) a mini-van. Looking at some of the new prices, I think a used one (2000-2003) in the mid to upper teens would be my target...realistic??? Or just dreamin'???

[cjac]

Ralph and basscatcher sound like two kids in a candy store waiting for their new rides!! You lucky guys!!

Based on your $$$ range, take a look at the Lund Sportsman series or the Crestliner 1850 Sportfish as basscatcher mentioned. I have the Lund and love it, mine with a 115 though. Still plenty enough to move me around the lake and pull a skier too!

Yes, you're looking for a lot, but it can be done!

[Ralph Wiggum]

Mine will be a few years off! Maybe Perchjerker will sell me his a few years down the line. A guy can drool, though, can't he?

[eyepatrol]

I'm trying to fit on my 5-month old daughter's bib! Isn't working so well! HA!

[cjac]

I see why the new ride is scheduled for 07, a little one will change a few things in life!! Congrats on the recent addition!

[cjac]

I'm with ya Ralph....I experience "boat envy" every time out!

[eyepatrol]

CJAC

Thanks! She's our second one, the other is a rambunctious little boy, age 2. Needed to sell my previous boat to pay a few loans off before our little girl came. Taking a year "off" from boat ownership, but '07 is just around the corner...sort of!

[eyepatrol]

Yellow Dog...

If you look at some of the websites of dealers I mentioned previously, you should be able to get an idea of the kind of boat you can afford. There are some fish/ski type boats shown on these dealers sites that are in the mid to upper teens dollar wise.

[cjac]

It's only 343 days 8 hours and 33 minutes away!!! You can make it!!

[Dano_the_jigasaurus]

If you are looking for a fish/ski then go glass. I have a Pro-V and it really isn't designed at all for skiing (imagine that!!), some of the other lund boats in the fish/ski line work better but, they are nothing compared to glass. I definitely think that a Ranger would be totally sweet for a fish/ski combo.

[PerchJerker]

The Stratos 386 is very similar to the Ranger Reata 1850 and is substantially cheaper. That would be a good fish/ski option to look at when you're deciding what you want.

Tell you what Ralph, you guys will be the first to know if I put my boat up for sale. But I think I'll have this one for a while .....

Here's my 1 year old daughter helping me break in the kicker. My 2 year old boy is napping under the rain jacket between the seats.

[ejj]

I have been using boat like this for many years. Best choices are: Ranger 1850 & 1750, Lund Fisherman 1800 & 1700, Crestliner Sportfish (only 1850 these days) and the Alumacraft Trophy 180 & 175.

Some questions you might want to think about:

1. Do you pull large slalom water skiers? I weigh 185 and I wish my boat pulled me up better on one. With two skis/tubes/wake boards are not a problem. My boat is @1250 lbs with a 115 2 stroke.

2. How much space do you really need? The bigger boats are much heavier--thus needing a bigger engine, a bigger tank (7lbs a gallon)etc... The Ranger 1850 is a nice boat and rides well, but it weighs almost 1800 w/o engine. The "smaller" Lund or Alumacraft are 1300 or less. Also check what motor you want and the weights. Many share the same bloc/case, so a 150 and 135 and 175 weigh the same. Varies by manufacture...

[troutchaser]

Check out a 1775 Classic Sport from Lund. Walk through windshield, can put plenty of motor on it to ski behind, and your minivan will be able to move it around easier.

17' 3"

1010 pounds

90 HP Max