Help me find a boat

As a lifetime boater, I'm on my third summer without a boat and its killing me. I didn't focus too hard on getting one because Dad has three and my nephews have two so there was always lake transport around.

Well this year one of Dad's went belly-up, he sold the other one, and my nephews sold one of theirs. So we're down to two boats for 11 people in the family. Time to get a boat.

The last boat I had was a 19' Baja SunSport shown below. I loved it. 350 small block, good for 60+ mph, and it looked cool. It was also beefy like a boss. Baja is pretty legendary for hull quality.

Looking for suggestions on quality sporty hull brands to add one to my stable.

• I/O or outboard OK but I lean slightly toward I/O. Would also consider Jet. Can't do inboard or vee drive. Too many shallow-rocky negotiations and shore docking, so the drive has to be able to trim out
• 17-20' LOA
• quick: 50 mph or more with just me in it. 65 would be tits.
• Tri-hulls and flat-bottoms are right out. The lake gets enough chop that they won't do. I had a tri-hull and a flat here before. Ouch. Still seeing a chiropractor.
• full (split) console bowrider, no center consoles.

Budget is flexible and I don't mind some little fixes but no basket cases. Let's say $5000 range. The Baja pictured below was bought for $1100 and all-in with motor and fixes was $4500.

Fountain? Baja? Formula? Checkmate? Ranger? Wellcraft? Make me fast and cool.

The Baja; AKA the "pants crapper".

It fails to be a bowrider but if I were looking for a inlandlake/nearshore boat it would be a Donzi Sweet 16 (pure sexy)

While searching for a real example in your area I did find this way overpriced (and not selling) project boat.
How cool would it be to see your Pontiac LeMans convertable towing one of these!

I did find this other Donzi but the 3.0L is likely to accelerate rather leisurely.
Donzi Bowrider

The 3.0L can be replaced with a 400 real easy

I really like the bowrider. Doesn't look like a particularly fast hull, but it looks dry and smooth riding.

On personal preference, I like shallower hulls (at the risk of being a wetter ride). I gave a lot of consideration to a fish-n-ski type, which is basically a bass boat with a split console.

This VIP 19" has V8 5.0 and though not priced super low, it does not look like a "project boat". Likely a lot of room to move on price. If priced into the $4k range, this could be a bargain.

I have a Caravelle Interceptor 212. It is just about the "smallest" 21" boat that I've seen. It's a i/o bowrider. It has a 225hp mercruiser. You can't have this one, but it may be another option to search for along with baja and checkmate.

If you want to drive to Charleston SC, I'll give you a 20' Sea Ray 210BR like this.

It does not look this good, but could. It would qualify as a basket case. It has a 260hp 350 MerCruiser. It needs a floor, and probably a trim pump, and starter. It has a fresh water cooling kit on it. It would top out at 55 with two people and half tank of gas, but it hasn't run in 5+ years. I'll even throw in a extra outdrive and transom assembly.

In reply to Toyman01:

I'd drive to Charleston for a deal like that.

JohnRW1621 wrote: It fails to be a bowrider but if I were looking for a inlandlake/nearshore boat it would be a Donzi Sweet 16 (pure sexy) While searching for a real example in your area I did find this way overpriced (and not selling) project boat. How cool would it be to see your Pontiac LeMans convertable towing one of these! I did find this other Donzi but the 3.0L is likely to accelerate rather leisurely. Donzi Bowrider

from add said: ...302 ford, Volvo outdrive...

With that marriage of Ford and Volvo, I almost have to get one to pull behind the Molvo!

This is pretty similar to the rig I go out on lake Erie after perch or walleye. Lake Erie can blow up pretty quick when you are a long ways out so you need the security of a high and dry boat. Also a great family tube puller.

Always been a Wellcraft fan, myself.

NOHOME wrote: This is pretty similar to the rig I go out on lake Erie after perch or walleye. Lake Erie can blow up pretty quick when you are a long ways out so you need the security of a high and dry boat. Also a great family tube puller.

This lake gets a 2' chop, but rarely. My Baja could jam all day at 60 mph in it and I liked that. Of course, it was 2130 lbs dry and probably 2700 with me, some gas, an anchor, and some associated legally-required things.

So, smooth riding is a big plus. As far as dry... that is optional. A little spray is easily countered by closing the windshield. So I would rather have a shallow gunwale for ease of shore docking and netting the occasional fish and put up with a bit of water. Hence one of my reasons for looking at fish-n-ski type boats.

The other thing about which I tend to get picky is wasted space. For example: I found this Wellcraft Excel, but the way they design it to look sleek just makes so much wasted space in the bow section and gunwales. That is also one of the reasons I really liked the Baja. It still looked sleek and "hot" but didn't waste space.

So let me post some photos of things that inspire me in the hot boat category. I'm basically looking for a smaller, less exotic version of something you would see in Miami Vice. Kinda like wanting a $2M Pagani, but instead buying the $70k Mosler. Still looks hot, but the GRM budget.

Fish-n-ski. Fast, relatively smooth, wonderful for fishing (although I have another boat for that). It checks off everything except the women in bikinis aspect of something like a Scarab or Baja.

Baja Sunsport. Fast, very smooth, and looks hot. Backset cockpit, long nose, relatively low gunwales. You could fish out of it, but who cares.

This. All of this, except the bowrider part. If I could have this as a bowrider, I'd be all over it.

A Hallett jet bowrider wouldn't be a bad idea if they didn't command such money. Maybe something like this with a bit more windshield

Heck, I'd consider this if I could make it as a bowrider:

Where are you located?

Curtis is in southern Pensyltucky

If I had a boat, I'd go out on the ocean. And if I had a pony, I'd ride him on my boat.

I have fond memories of running around lake Ontario in one of these (Skater) with a couple of Merc Mod VP engines on the back:

Not sure I would want to tube behind the thing!

this one's kinda fast looking...https://lancaster.craigslist.org/boa/5695095631.html

good interior and layout here ... https://lancaster.craigslist.org/boa/5681954804.html

love the lines of older Bayliners...https://lancaster.craigslist.org/boa/5649007420.html

lines aren't bad, lots of seating, odd layout... https://lancaster.craigslist.org/boa/5645018798.html

mind you, I know little about brand quality in ski boats...

mad_machine wrote: Curtis is in southern Pensyltucky

Correct. Right now I'm at the lake in Canada (north of Kingston ON), but I don't want to buy a boat up here. Boats command 2-3 times as much up here as they do in my neck of the PA woods. There is a nice 17' Lund just down the road with a 60 hp Yamaha. Down home it would be a 7000-8000 dollar boat. Up here, he's asking $18k and he'll probably get it.

For the last two years I have been sorta offered to buy a Crestliner 1750 with a Merc 90 that would satisfy all of the boxes except the 50 mph and the looking hot. Its a mixed blessing - it was offered to me by a friend who was counting his days due to illness. The good news is that I don't have his boat because he stopped needing to count his days. So I'm not sad one bit that I don't have his boat.

Like this:

I like Lunds and Crestliners myself. Great boats. But you really want something that is glass.

Yes, mtn. I don't have anything against the idea of aluminum but they just can't make the shapes they can with glass.

2001 Seaark Extreme 176 Bass Boat Patented Allison Hull Design

Make sure it has the Allison hull.

Flight Service wrote: 2001 Seaark Extreme 176 Bass Boat Patented Allison Hull Design Make sure it has the Allison hull.

Ok. Sell me on it. It doesn't look like anything special.

I've been looking at boats, myself, and I have about the same budget. My requirements are different from yours, as I need a shallow draft boat with a good bit of free-board for inshore fishing. I've almost decided to wait until October to seriously start looking. It seems prices drop a few grand when the season is over, at least down here.

Much truth, Brett. I won't really start looking until I get home in September.

mad_machine wrote: Curtis is in southern Pensyltucky

I thought Curtis was so far south that he was in Pennsyl-bama?

Something kind of like this?

But with more Babes and less dudes?