best kind of boat?

[sti1471]

I am looking to buy a used boat. What is the best type, outboard, inboard/outboard, stern drive? Looking for the funnest, most reliable type. Also one that usually has less repair needs.
What are the pros and cons to the different engine types?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[JoLin]

Re: best kind of boat?

Not nearly enough info provided to make any intelligent comment.

For the record, 'I/O' and 'sterndrive' are merely different terms for the same kind of drivetrain. It's an inboard engine with outboard-like drive. Now...

1. Where do you boat? Area of the country and type of water (lake, river, bay, ocean)?

2. How many passengers will you normally carry, and how old are they?

3. How will you use the boat? Fishing, cruising, overnights/weekends, tubing/skiiing?

4. What's your budget?

5. Do you expect to trailer the boat? What do you tow with?

An outboard can be good or bad depending on brand, model and how it's been maintained. Ditto for the sterndrive (I/O). The other choice (depending on the size of the boat) is an inboard, either direct drive or v-drive... and the same caveats apply.

My .02

 

[Texasmark]

Re: best kind of boat?

Having raised 4 chillins and a wife on the water and having been boating for 50+ years, having had a boat before I had a car to pull it (14' wooden vented/step hull...semi V forward, flat rear half) home made boat with 25 HP Wizard (Mark 30 Merc under a different hood)....used my mom's 1951 Ford Custom 2 door to pull it, I have pursued a lot of variants to 18' (all that my wallet could stand).

With today's technology, if you have a half dozen folks you want to entertain, get an 18' or better late model deep V bow rider (soft riding in the waves that are always there especially if you are at the speed required for water skiing)with walk through windshield and full canvas, preferably or at least a canvas top.

Get a recent loop charged 2 stroke 150 hp OB or so of a name brand and ensure that the esthetic value of the rig is retained as those who take care of the small stuff, usually take care of the big stuff.....things important to you as a follow on buyer.

Galvanized trailer if you can get it with fresh tires (no cracks) and bearing buddies to keep the bearings wholesome.

My 2c.....you asked, I gave.

Mark

 

[45Auto]

Re: best kind of boat?

Which car is best, Chevrolet or Toyota or Ford or Nissan or Honda or Mitsubishi or Kia?

Which cola drink is best, Pepsi or Coca-Cola?

Once you've decided which of those is the best for everyone and convinced them you're correct, you'll be qualified to decide which boat is "best".

 

[sti1471]

Re: best kind of boat?

I have never owned a boat before, but there seems to be 100's for sale in my area. I live in Utah and i will be boating in a larger lake (Utah Lake). It will be used for fishing, wake boarding, family day on the lake. I have 2 kids (both very young) but I also have other people I would take out. I think about 5-6 people at a time. I have seen some for sale that are stern drive and some that are outboard powered.

I know that the repair factor depends on how the previous owner treated the boat, but typically, are stern drives more reliable than outboards, do the parts take more wear before needing to be replaced, or are outboards more durable (historically, mechanically) speaking?

I will be towing it with a Chevy equinox AWD. I have towed a 16ft fiberglass boat before and it seemed to tow it just fine. It is only about 5 miles to the lake from my house.

 

[americaneagler77]

Re: best kind of boat?

outboards have less wear and tear parts and a more direct driveline, so IMO they are cheaper and def easier to maintain

 

[JoLin]

Re: best kind of boat?

outboards have less wear and tear parts and a more direct driveline, so IMO they are cheaper and def easier to maintain

... unless you're talking about a modern 4-stroke outboard. There are just as many mechanical parts and electronics involved. I've owned an outboard boat (21' w/175 hp Johnson) and 2 I/O's now (one single engine V-8, and the current twin V-6's). I see advantages and disadvantages to each type and little difference in reliability if they're maintained properly.

That said, I'll leave this one mostly to the 'lake boaters' to comment on. The OP's intended use of the boat is quite different from the way I use mine.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: best kind of boat?

I will be towing it with a Chevy equinox AWD. I have towed a 16ft fiberglass boat before and it seemed to tow it just fine. It is only about 5 miles to the lake from my house.

With this in mind, I'd recommend an aluminum hull with an outboard. Much lighter. You should be able to get a 18' and still be safely within the tow limits of your vehicle.

I am, of course, a bit partial to Starcraft SuperSports

 

[jmarty10]

Re: best kind of boat?

For what you are looking at, I am not surprised you are finding a lot in your area. Bayliner, Sea Ray, fourwinns, glastron, larson, stingray, crownline are all going to be popular. Most will be in the form of I/O's and you will find a lot in the 17-19 foot range. Two engine choices basically are mercruiser and volvo. Engine HP in that size will be 3.0 minimum to 5.0 max. 4.3 will be pretty popular in that size. Personally I would get a mercruiser only because many mechanics seem to shy away from volvo as far as doing the service.

 

[JoLin]

Re: best kind of boat?

Personally I would get a mercruiser only because many mechanics seem to shy away from volvo as far as doing the service.

Depends entirely on where you live. The OP should check around and see what's what in his area. Mercs are always more prevalent, but virtually everyplace around here services both.

 

[sti1471]

Re: best kind of boat?

Are glastrons nice boats? There is a boat for sale that is a 1974 glastron. it does not have a motor, but I have an 80 HP mercury outboard I can put on it.

I traded my sandrail for a Versa-craft 16ft fiberglass boat about 1 month ago. Took the boat out for about 1 hour before I realized it did not seem right. Found out the transom, part of the floor, and stringers are rotted and water soaked.

So now I have a boat where the frame is pretty much worthless, but it has an 80HP motor that the mechanic that tuned the boat said was in great shape. So my choices are to find a boat frame and swap my stuff over to it, or to sell the motor, and galvanized trailer and buy another used boat.

I have found a few hydroswifts with engines and say they run fine, and I have also found a few boats without engines which makes for a good transfer project. The 16ft boat I have now has a tag that says 800 lbs max which does not make for more than like 3 people onboard with the engine and all. I was hoping to get a boat with a higher float capacity, but my garage will not fit a boat larger than 17'. what type of boat will have the higher float capacities?

 

[southkogs]

Re: best kind of boat?

Nothing wrong with Glastron at all, I've seen a lot of really nice ones.

Your Versa-Craft taught you what to look for on the Glastron. If you seen the same type of transom/floor/stringer issues - NOPE.

But a 16' Glastron (don't know what size you're looking at) with a Merc 80 sounds like a nice rig.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: best kind of boat?

Pretty good chance a '74 Glastron (or glass anything) is gonna be rotted. Brand means little with used boats, brand means even less with really old ones.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: best kind of boat?

With this in mind, I'd recommend an aluminum hull with an outboard. Much lighter. You should be able to get a 18' and still be safely within the tow limits of your vehicle.

I am, of course, a bit partial to Starcraft SuperSports

I agree with EZ on the aluminum. Less to rot and less maintenance = more fun!

Even a 10 yr. old fiberglass boat is liable to be rotten if it wasn't well taken care of... and just because a seller says the boat has a new deck doesn't mean the boat is good. Lots of rip-off artist out there selling old glass boats with "new decks" that have just covered the rot underneath with new plywood and carpet.

Buyer beware!

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: best kind of boat?

Yup, sounds like your budget is dictating an older boat, and as such, you are going to have to pay close attention to the condition, maintenance, and storage of it's past life. Don't worry about what name is on the side of the boat, go only by condition. Fortunately, you got your learning experience out of the way, now you know what not to look for. Post back with pictures and info on what you find and we'll try to help you out.

 

[sti1471]

Re: best kind of boat?

Good idea. Here are some pictures of a boat I am thinking of buying. The boat is just the frame. However this is ok since i can take the engine and everything off my boat to put on this boat.

The guy lives about 5 minutes from me, and he does not know alot about it. I am going to look at it after work tonight.

Since there is no floor, this gives me a great look at the stringers and frame. There is no brown "rust" looking stuff on the transom so that is a good sign of a non-rotted transom. The guy does not know much about the boat. he is asking 300.00 for it, and it comes with the trailer. On the dash board it says "seville" but I am not sure what that is.

Does anyone know what the make and model / year of this boat is so I can see pictures of it, and research it before going over tonight.

 

[southkogs]

Re: best kind of boat?

Don't know the brand - but it's a late 50's early 60's. Windshield is a replacement for the original.

Lotsa' work to do on that one - looks like it's missing a floor, steering system is going to have to be completely replaced and I'm guessing wiring is probably in rough shape. Your problems won't be "on" the transom, they'll be "in" it. My last one died (finally) when the wood in the transom just fell into the bottom of the hull - couldn't tell from the outside.

Personally, I wouldn't probably pay $300 for it as I can likely find one similar in this area for free. The seller (here in my neck of the woods) would be stuck paying around $150 just to junk the hull somewhere, so I'm pretty positive I wouldn't have to pay for a boat in that shape.

It's a pretty hull though, if you can risk the $300 on a failed venture and want a MAJOR project - go for it. You'd have a unique and fun boat when you're done with it.

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: best kind of boat?

Check out the trailer. If it's in decent shape, it's worth most of what he's asking. If not, you just got two projects "given" to you.

Boat has nice lines, if it were mine, I'd probably look for a more period correct windshield, but otherwise it looks like a fun project to start with.

 

[sti1471]

Re: best kind of boat?

Went and looked at it before work this morning. It is a 1961 winner runabout (what the title says).
There did not appear to be any damage to the transom, but I know you cannot really tell from the outside. I am wondering how much money it will take to do the floor. if I am paying 300.00 for the boat, and say 300.00 to finish the flooring, then I will be 600.00 and for about 200-300 more i could buy a setup that has the floor, seats, and stuff already in place.

 

[Scott Chinsota]

Re: best kind of boat?

on that does not require fiberglass repair