Best Boat Style for The Great South Bay off Long Island?

[AngryBuoys]

Hi All - We are considering a family boat purchase for next year. We had owned a 24 foot Glaston for a very brief period several years back, but becuase of some problems, we sold it and bought a camper instead. We live very near several boat ramps and marinas that feed into the Great South Bay, so much of our boating time would be spent there.
We are not really planning on fishing, mostly pleasure cruising. We would normally operate with 2 to 4 people, occasionally more. We could consider a new 19 foot boat or smaller, but over that size, we would have to go for a pre-owned boat. I am not psyically able to do heavier maintanence jobs, but lighter tasks are ok, but my time for these is limited at best.In short, our boating time needs to be mostly on the water, not getting ready for it. (within reason of course)
With all that said, I would say that easily 75% of all the boats that we see at the local marinas, or launching are Center Consoles. Most of the other boats would seem to be bigger than we feel that we could afford. Therefore:
1) Are Center Consoles so popular here because of their use as fishing boats, or are they better suited to handle the often choppy and windy Great South Bay?
2) Is a 19 foot or smaller Bowrider really too small for the Bay for comfort and safety?
3) Might a 21 foot Cuddy Cabin, maybe with an Outboard (used) be a better value for cost of maintenace and reliability?
4) Or would some other style boat be a good consideration?
I know I asked a lot in this Thread, but your thoughts and suggestions will be really appreciated! I look forward to your replies!
Thank you - Bill

 

[JoLin]

Center consoles are popular mostly for fishing. There's no inherent advantage in them as far as boating in the bay is concerned. A 19' boat is not too small, and in that length I'd recommend a center console, walkaround cuddy or dual console boat. In any given brand, all 3 styles are usually built on the same (pretty seaworthy) hull. As with any other body of water, you need to pick your days. The bay is usually choppy.

The bay's pretty big. Where do you launch and where do you go?

My .02

 

[AngryBuoys]

Hi - Thank you for your reply. We would be in and around the Forge River area by Moriches Bay (not going through the Inlet to the Ocean) and Smith's Point. Maybe west to Patchogue River and similar, but that would be the general vicinity.

 

[SeaDooSam]

I do not think that a 19' bowrider is too small especially if you are trailering, you wouldn't want a boat much bigger than that. Plus, a 19' will have plenty of room for for 4 people. Heck, I put 8 in my 18 foot bowrider. However, be wise about your choice of brand. I say this because different brands have different types of V-hulls. For chop you would want a deeper v hull. For example, my neighbors Bayliner rides much rougher and doesn't handle chop nearly as good as my chaparral. I think this is due to the hull. Another thing I noticed was the stingray hulls are meant for speed, I have never ridden in one, but I would guess they give a rougher ride because the hulls is not as deep of a v. So, I am biased because of what I have but I would recommend a chaparral

And yes, as said already, center consoles are really for fishermen because it is much easier to stand up and walk around on them as opposed to a bowrider. Personally, I don't like cuddy cabins. Unless you plan on doing overnight trips, I would rather a bowrider. IMO the point of the boat is to enjoy the outdoors, so I don't see the point of a cuddy unless you plan to overnight. Then again, I have a full enclosure for my bowrider and could sleep 3 people if I chose to.

Last tip: try to stay away from 3.0l and 4 cylinder engines. Go at least for a v6 because 4 cylinders drop the resale value drastically at least that is what I have heard.

 

[southkogs]

... walkaround cuddy or dual console boat.

Good suggestions from JoLin. The walk arounds typically offer a nice well deck and you can sit chairs out there and enjoy sittin' around talking and cruising. Dual console boat is much like a bow rider, but suited more for bigger water.

:welcome:

 

[JoLin]

I do not think that a 19' bowrider is too small especially if you are trailering, you wouldn't want a boat much bigger than that. Plus, a 19' will have plenty of room for for 4 people. Heck, I put 8 in my 18 foot bowrider.

Don't know where you live, but as popular as bowriders are, they aren't my first choice for the Great South Bay. A Dual Console boat, though similar in layout, offers a higher bow and more freeboard. The Bay isn't exactly 'open water', but a small bowrider will tend to have a wet ride when the wind kicks up. Not that a bowrider is a bad choice by any means (plenty of them in the vicinity of the OP) but there are better choices when you;re going small.

AngryBuoys, you boat farther east than I generally do (Babylon area), and the bay tends to be rougher where you are. With prevailing summer wind from the west and southwest, it's had a long 'sweep' through the length of the bay by the time it reaches Patchogue- the bay is almost always rougher east of the Robert Moses Bridge. So again, I'm recommending the Center Consoles, Dual Consoles and W/A cuddies over a bowrider.

My .02

 

[AngryBuoys]

Thank you all for your great answers. If buying a used walk around cuddie or dual console, are there any brands to stay clear of, or should you judge each used boat on it's on merit, and not by brand track record? Or is this really a qestion for a new thread? Thanks again for your help. (and I do see a number of Chaparrals around here too!) :joyous:

 

[JoLin]

If you're buying used, it's all about the condition of the boat. If you're buying new, buy the one you like best. Good luck!