Thinking about an upgrade.

[mditt8671]

OK I got my first boat last summer and I know what I don't like about it now and am looking to upgrade.

My current boat: 1994 Marada 1950 MVB, 5.0L I/O.

My dislikes:

• Wood construction. I want gelcoat inside and out to alleviate rot fears.
• Needs more capacity. It runs great with 2 adults and a child, but add two teenagers and it is painfully slow to plane. Wakeboarding is also a challenge.
• Handles well. I had two adults, two teenagers and a small child on it Sunday and it was porpoising almost constantly, even with the trim all the way down. Again, handles fine with two fewer people on it.
• Engine compartment. You have to remove wooden, carpet covered dividers that are held in place by wood screws in order to do the most basic engine maintenance.

So I'm looking for something that can be hosed out easily to clean (no carpet or snap-in carpet) that can carry about 5 adults and a cooler while still having decent tubing/wakeboarding capability. A lift-hatch engine compartment so I don't have to disassemble my boat to work on it would be great too. A wakeboard tower would be nice to have but not necessary.

I've been told I should look at EFI engines rather than carburetor engines if I want to have resale value. I would prefer something made in 2000 or newer, and would prefer to spend about $15k for it... I may go closer to $20k depending on what I find.

I like the looks of the sportier lines too, if that is possible with my "wants" list.

Any suggestions for a boat like this?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Thinking about an upgrade.

Update your profile with your location. Could have a bearing on our answer.

A nice dual console with a newer outboard sounds like the ticket to me.

 

[88wellcraft]

Re: Thinking about an upgrade.

Before dropping the cash on a new boat...personally....i would check out the prop to address the planing and porpoising issues....still have the wood and engine compartment issues though.....what's your WOT rpm's? i would think that a boat that size should have plenty of power for boarding, tubing etc.

 

[mditt8671]

Re: Thinking about an upgrade.

My WOT is about 4600 RPMs. The prop I have on there now is 13.75 x 21P.

 

[88wellcraft]

Re: Thinking about an upgrade.

Huh...from what I know that sounds about right....i have a 2000 four winns 20 footer with a 5.0 and it pops up real fast.....throttle body injection though...i believe it is a 14 x 19 prop....my WOT is about 4800

 

[mditt8671]

Re: Thinking about an upgrade.

I don't really have any complaints when I have two adults and a child in the boat. Add a two more people over 100 lbs and it seems like a real dog.