1ft itus

[salmonee]

I'm having 1ft itus without every buying a boat. I was in a maxum 17'6" last summer and the thing felt like a dingy on the lake. I'm currently looking for a 18'6" but think that may feel too small after one season. My feeling is that maybe I should just look for 19' to 20'. I set the max at 20' because my garage is 6'11" tall exactly. I think the 20' maybe a question at that. I'm okay depth wise because it's two car lengths long. What's the cons to having a 19'6" versus an 18'6"?

I have two kids, 13 and 2. This doesn't count my wife's sisters family/friends that will be tagging along about 20% of the time.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 1ft itus

Years ago here on iboats it was called "two foot fever".

Are you basing the length on boat sitting on a trailer? The outdrive sticks out pretty far too........

I do not know your garage situation but people have been known to doghouse the rear wall to accomodate a larger boat.

I will not vote because I thing an even bigger boat in your situation may be warranted! Family of 4 plus falimy and friends.....

 

[salmonee]

Re: 1ft itus

Years ago here on iboats it was called "two foot fever".

Are you basing the length on boat sitting on a trailer? The outdrive sticks out pretty far too........

I do not know your garage situation but people have been known to doghouse the rear wall to accomodate a larger boat.

I will not vote because I thing an even bigger boat in your situation may be warranted! Family of 4 plus falimy and friends.....

I'm speaking in general length terms. I see some boats listed as 18'6" while others are 19'6" and 20'. I'm not sure what the manufacturer use to list those lengths. My thoughts about getting a bigger boat is a better ride and stability while the boat is stationary.

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: 1ft itus

If you can afford it buy the bigger boat. For every 6 hours on the water the boat shrinks 10%.

 

[Campylobacter]

Re: 1ft itus

If the boats you are looking at have a windshield, watch out. My 19 footer sits 7'9" tall on the trailer, just barely makes it through the 8' opening.

Just thought I'd share.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 1ft itus

I would go as large as possible (considering the storage and required tow vehicle) to accomplish all the activities you want to do..... If cruising is the only activity go pontoon or deck boat

 

[superpop]

Re: 1ft itus

Go for the 19.6 or 20 footer, whatever they are calling them now. There is not a huge price difference and that extra foot is well worth it. Depends on the configuration of the boat though. With back to back seating and an open bow you have room for 6 or 7 and that leaves the two rear seats open. I would not try and take more than 4 people on an 18 foot boat. The pedestal seats are nice but they really cut down on seating capacity and everyone needs a seat on a boat. I just purchased a 21 footer with pedestal seats and I would not have gone any smaller with the Pedestal seat configuration because of the lack of that second seat on the back to back configuration. Another thing I looked for on my first boat purchase was a sun pad in the rear, on my last boat the rear seats pop up and mount at the same level as the motor cover so you have an instant sun pad when these seats are not being used. The sun pad is great when you are just floating around.

 

[superpop]

Re: 1ft itus

As far as stability and ride, there is a trade off on boats this size. It is directly correlated to the shape of the hull. A deep V hull will cut through the chop better and a heavier boat will cut through a lot smoother as well. But the deep V hull will have a bigger wake. The more traditional flat bottom ski type boats will beat you to death in any type of water that is not pretty smooth. What lake are you going to be frequenting? Believe it or not that has a lot to do with your selection. Lake Washington is full of monster size boats that really chop up the lake in pretty short order while Lake Sammamish is pretty well limited to smaller boats. You see a lot more ski boats on Sammamish for that reason. The other factor is the weight of the boat, a heavier boat will handle better in my opinion as they are not so bouncy and tend to cut through the wake a little better.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1ft itus

the biggest that will fit. i have a 23 foot deck boat that gets crowded.

 

[mphy98]

Re: 1ft itus

I will pass along something my wife told me years ago, Size matters!!!!
I wonder what she meant by that?

 

[Cptkid570]

Re: 1ft itus

I agree with everyone here... you won't find much difference in price between the 18' and 20'. go with the largest. Keep an eye out on your measurements for your garage. Depending on your trailer, you may be able to make it have a removable or folding tongue so the boat fits better in your garage. I have a 19'2" boat that fits in my garage, but I have to remove the tongue.

 

[BMWboatski]

Re: 1ft itus

I was in the same situation in my search. Go 20 Plus!

 

[AngelC]

Re: 1ft itus

I also agree the larger the boat the better the ride and if you went smaller it would just take a beating. I have a 20'6 bowrider that cuts through the water like cake. I have the deep V hull and the trailer is an EZ loader with the swing away tounge that really helps out to in tight situations like storage. I would recommend a longer boat if at all possible.

 

[superpop]

Re: 1ft itus

Don't forget about beam. You can have a 20 foot boat with an 8'6" beam and that ain't fitting in a single bay garage unless the garage is super wide. I recommend measuring from the edge of each tire or fender for the width as some normal sized 19 or 20 footers have a wide wheelbase trailer. I all depends on your garage door width. I just picked up an 06 Chaparral 204 and it is only 21 feet long but it is also close to 9 feet wide fender to fender

 

[Varago]

Re: 1ft itus

To add a fews things that I have not seen yet. Also look at width of the boat it makes a huge difference. I have a 19'7" boat with a width of 102" (8'6"). I think thats about as wide as your going to get(state laws). One small problem with a 102" width is the boat has to sit on top of trailer wheels not between them so it sits higher.

Also look at the layout inside the boat, my 19'7" has more room in the boat then most 21' boats. We go out with 6 people, 2 wake boards, 2 knee boards, 3 skies and one large roll around cooler. But then the wakeboard tower racks make a big difference.

If you use your boat for water sports then MOST of the action will be behind the diver so get a boat with a lot of room behind the driver. After 19 years with a boat that only had 2' between the back of the drivers seat and the rear bench seat, its a REAL PAIN.

A lot of new boats have a 3 step process to remove the seats in the way of the walk through, the big problem here is kids never stop to move or open the walk though they walk over your new sun cushion.

I guess my point is >> its not the length its how its all works together. A bad layout in a 23' is far worse then a good layout in a 20'. Think of how you and your family will use the boat and make sure it covers that.

just my two cents
Dave Lee

 

[salmonee]

Re: 1ft itus

Thanks everyone for the great advice. This site is wonderful. I'm going to keep my eyes out for a bigger boat. I don't know how many time I measured my garage, but another measurement wouldn't hurt.

I've seen larger boats ~20' being towed and they look awfully big behind a truck. Is towing a 20' and 18'6" all that different? Besides the additional weight of course. My truck can pull 6500lb but my hitch is rated for 4500lb. I hope 4500lb is enough. I just bought that hitch too! I guess another hitch is cheap equipment, relatively speaking. Boating is going to be expensive and I don't even own one yet.

I forget the term, but the amount your boat sits above the waterline seem different between manufactures. From the pictures, a chap seem "taller" along the side than say a Maxum of equal length. I assume this plays into the ride as well since I notice the expensive boats are 'taller' than the low end.

 

[superpop]

Re: 1ft itus

That is free board and it really has more to do with the design of the boat vs high end manufacturer or not. I have seen some Bayliners with huge free board and a few Cobalts with relatively low free board. A higher free board does give you a little bit more of a sense of security but is can also make a boat feel more claustrophobic inside as well. It is all about the design of the boat and what you are looking to do with it. More important is the layout of the inside of the boat, storage ect.

 

[superpop]

Re: 1ft itus

And yes there is a big difference when towing a boat that is even a foot or so longer. My Wellcraft 195 weighs around 4000 pounds with the trailer and all gear and it feels like a utility trailer compared to my new boat. The new boat is only 18" longer but it is a foot wider and weighs over 5200 pounds, it is a pig and a bit more challenging to tow behind my Toyota Tundra.

 

[rebars1]

Re: 1ft itus

Don't forget the most important feature for the wife and family...room for a port-a-potty or a built-in head!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1ft itus

port-a-potty or a built-in head! i thought that is what the splash well is for.