Buying a Family Boat is not always the same as buying a fishing boat.
By Frank Sargeant
from The Fishing Wire
Attendance looked pretty strong at the boat show in Huntsville, Alabama, Saturday, and being there with my son and his family–who are more or less looking for their first boat–reminded me of how challenging it can be to buy a boat that suits everybody.
Triton Allure
Brian wants a rig he can do some serious bass fishing in at Lake Guntersville, while Louise wants a roomy runabout that will be a fun ride, stylish and comfortable for her and the four kids–plus maybe sometimes the neighbors with their kids as well.
The boats I tried to steer then towards were what is known as “fish-n-ski” models, which are equipped with all the gear for both sports. For the angler, there’s a bow seat and a bow mount trolling motor, a sonar fish finder and a live well plus a rod box, at the minimum. And for the ski crowd, there’s an aft swim platform with ladder, an aft facing (or swiveling) observer seat so someone can keep an eye on the towline and a tow pylon. There are also usually lounging areas forward and aft for the sun worshippers, and maybe a fold-down Bimini top for when the sun gets to be a bit too hot.
These boats, usually fiberglass, have vee bottoms and are typically powered by outboards from 90 to 225 horses. They give a comfortable ride, and with the max power can exceed 60 mph, though they’re most often going to be run at 25 to 35 mph by most families–white-knuckle speeds do not make most Moms happy. They have some style appeal, a plus for many families. With smaller motors, prices start around $22,000.
A similar solution is the deckboat with some fishing extras. Deck boats have much broader bow areas than fish-n-ski models, which gives them room up front for couch type seating and a portable table. There’s space at the bow for an add-on swivel seat and trolling motor mount, though these are usually options, not standard. For families where a larger passenger capacity is called for–if you boat with another family, for example–this is the way to go. However, the greater bulk of the boat and the blunt bow means a larger motor is required, and the price goes up significantly in most cases, to around $35,000 or more.
A less handsome but more practical solution is a pontoon boat, which combines a ton of deck space with all the amenities of your back porch at home, including sometimes a barbecue grill, sink, shower, changing room, toilet and even a TV. Amazingly, it’s possible to find a 22-footer, big enough to carry two families with ease, for around $25,000.
Pontoons don’t have nearly the eye appeal of more svelte boats, but one ride aboard is often all it takes to convince a family that this is the boat for them–with room for everybody to spread out and all the comforts of home, it’s hard not to love them. And, they perform adequately on a 90 horse motor, running fast enough for most tow-sports. They don’t require much care, and they’re practically bulletproof. There’s even room aboard for the family dog.
The big negative, for the fishing family, is that pontoons don’t behave well on trolling motor power, and because they have railings all around, they can make casting awkward in some situations. They’re fine for crappie fishing or for jigging up some stripers or baiting catfish, but as a bass boat used to ease along a shoreline, they are far from the best choice. Most of them are relatively slow, as well–30 mph is about tops with entry level pontoons, which means long runs to distant fishing spots take a lot of time.
Not to say that fast, luxury grade pontoons don’t exist–there’s a whole new class of triple-pontoon planing rigs that run in excess of 50 mph when powered with a 300-hp outboard, and these boats are equipped at a level approaching that of some serious coastal yachts. Unfortunately, the prices go up astronomically, with six figures not out of the question for some.
Bottom line is that boat shopping should be an exercise in compromise for the young family–with some careful study and a close eye on the budget, it should be possible for everybody to get most of what they want in a boat that will provide years of entertainment and family bonding.