Boat Question

[JALA RUT]

I'm in the market for a fish & ski boat and have never owned a boat before. I have it narrowed down to two that I'm interested in, a Glastron GTSF185 or a Chaparral 18H2O. Does anybody with more boat knowledge than me prefer quality one over the other and why? Thanks for any input!

[Lawdwaz]

Never owned either one but both have been around for a heck of a long time.  A good friend had a 21' Chaparral that was a great boat.  It even sunk in about 12' of water in Lake Erie, they had it running before the summer was done.

 

Kids................

 

I'll bet Larry_302 can add to this query.

[turkeyfeathers]

Side note: If you need a hitch installed. UHaul .Subaru quoted me $600 or something crazy. Uhaul was $280 or 300 with wiring harness I believe. Same dang hitch

[Nomad]

Well my family has been boating since1959, my Dad had a wood Lyman then this '64 Starcraft . I'm not much help on boats because well we tend to keep the same ones .....

Had this one out on Lake Ontario yesterday.

It sunk a few years back, well half sunk. You'll notice outboard is all the way under, yes plug was in.

Don't worry about sinking all you need is a 5 gallon bucket with a large crack and pasta pot, and you'll be back boating in no time !

Good luck , myself I'd buy used much cheaper .

[mlammerhirt]

A Glastron deff is a lower end Boat....Chaparral is a nice boat company. Compare hours on the motors....and age of boat and motor. Also ask the current owner for a test ride....they shouldnt refuse or they are hiding something...also ask them to be present for a cold start....don't let them have the boat in the running...just a few tips I can pass along.

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[16. ga hunter]

Side note: If you need a hitch installed. UHaul .Subaru quoted me $600 or something crazy. Uhaul was $280 or 300 with wiring harness I believe. Same dang hitch

it's not the same hitch the Subaru factory hitch is a far stronger unit. It ties into the unibody rails and replaces the impact bar under the rear bumper cover. For what a Subaru will be pulling the u haul is a fine hitch. Subarus isn't almost overkill but a superior hitch nonetheless

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[JALA RUT]

Thanks for all the replies.

Larry if you don't mind me asking, with the plug in, how did you take in the water, so I don't make the same mistake as a first time boat owner.

[2012_taco]

We almost sunk my sister's boat last year in Seneca Lake! the plug was in, turns out the transom was shot and leaking around the out-drive. It was a slow enough leak that the bilge pump was able to keep up. But there was something shorting out and draining the battery, so my sister decided to disconnect the battery while docked. The dock master called her about an hour later telling her she'd better get down here quick your boat is sinking! We bailed it out got it on the trailer, checked it out. It was a slow enough leak that you could use the boat but we didn't trust it.  We had the transom replaced, very expensive, but I didn't want to tackle that job myself. It's a good thing we did because the wood behind the fiberglass was totally rotten and that is the only thing supporting the outdrive! The boat is back in the water this year and running great. I needed to replace the starter and the bilge blower as they got wet and corroded. 

[Nomad]

Thanks for all the replies.

Larry if you don't mind me asking, with the plug in, how did you take in the water, so I don't make the same mistake as a first time boat owner.

At Hinkley Lake ,which has a very steep drop off. First few nights bow just on sand and tied off to chain on beach . That night I pulled it way up,onto beach , which I guessing put transom lower into water .

All we can guess is waves started to over take the transom and it started to slide farther down the drop off.

Anchor boat in the water so,it free floats and bow out. On a lake with out such a sharp drop off beaching it is less of a risk. Where we are standing ? A few feet farther out its over our heads.

I'll give you one other tip, when anchored always start your boat BEFORE pulling anchor . Many pull anchor then find it starts hard and they drift into other boats, shore you name it .

[wdswtr]

A Glastron deff is a lower end Boat....Chaparral is a nice boat company. Compare hours on the motors....and age of boat and motor. Also ask the current owner for a test ride....they shouldnt refuse or they are hiding something...also ask them to be present for a cold start....don't let them have the boat in the running...just a few tips I can pass along.

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You are the first person I ever heard make that statement before.  Most people on the boating forums will state the opposite. Glastron is absolutely not a lower end boat, Bayliner's are a lower end boat.  I havent seen to many 50 year old Chaparral's still actively hitting the lakes.

Edited June 27, 2016 by wdswtr

[mlammerhirt]

Agree to disagree I guess....you got one thing right Bayliner is deff the bottom of the line and has little to no resale value...first time boaters jump on them cause they are a cheap way to enter the boating world

I am also by no way a boat expert, but being around boats for a good 20 years, and spending more then my fair share of time on lake Erie, Niagara river and Chautauqua Lake I have been in and have seen a good variety of boats, and would take a Chap over a Glastron 8 out of 10 times.

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[jjb4900]

on older boats, the outboard is probably 90% of the boats value.....you buy a nice hull with an older outboard and if the outboard craps out you'll be paying a good penny to replace it. I'd focus more on the outboard then the hull itself, even Bayliner, which is on the lower end of the scale, should serve you well for what you're looking for....they've been around forever and if they where that crappy I doubt they still would be....nothing worse then an outboard that gives you a headache every time you want to use the boat.

[wdswtr]

Well the Bayliner is a cheap way to enter but it will cost in the end lol.   I had a 24' Bayliner Trophy in the late 80's, first time I ever knew you could twist a fiberglass boat and it stay that way lol.  Never owned a Chaparral personally been been in them.  Not a fish and SKi guy anyhow.  Have owned Bayliner, Glastron, Ranger, Tracker,  yep I said Tracker lol Skeeter and by far the Ranger is superior for a fishing machine.  My buddy bought a Warrior when I had the Ranger and man that was the sweetest rig I ever been on.  He is now in the new 21 Skeeter.  We not talking Basshole boats here lol, Pro walleye series boats.  Out of all the boats I will say that Tracker was the least expensive boat to maintain and cheapest to run with that aluminum hull.  That bayliner man still makes me cringe the amount of money to keep it floating.

[Zag]

We bought a place on a fingerlake and have been looking around. I would keep searching for a decent used one. My buddy found a small used fourwinns for 6k 2 yrs ago and hasnt put a penny into it. I think for the limited summer life we have and the over inflated new boat prices i think used is the best way to go unless your filthy rich.

[The_Real_TCIII]

I had a 19.5' Chapparal bow with a 165hp I/O, it was a great boat. Not a lot of bells and whistles to break, plenty of torque for skiiing, lots of storage, and easy trailering

[The_Real_TCIII]

Ive seen a ton of the Tahoes on the water and a good friend has one and has had no problems. Id say hes had it for at least 5 seasons

[WNYBuckHunter]

It all depends on what you want to do with the boat. My opinion on those two choices, is that I wouldnt go with either for a fishing boat. I also would not suggest an I/O for a first time boater, I would go with an outboard. There are more things to go wrong with an I/O setup than an outboard, more winterization considerations, etc. Better to keep it simple on your first go-round. I would also never ever buy a new boat. You take a huge hit on depreciation with them, its much better to buy used.

 

If I was in the market for a fish and ski boat, it would be along these lines (used of course)

 

http://www.nitro.com/boat/?boat=3820

 

Again, this is all just my opinion based on the boats Ive owned and dealt with here in NY, and when I lived in Florida and worked at a marina down there (also owned boats there).

 

Whatever you decide to buy, just remember a few things:

 

1 - the two best days of a boat owners life are the day that they buy it and the day that they sell it.

2 - a boat is nothing more than a hole in the water that you throw money into.

3 - Break

     Out

     Another

     Thousand

[moog5050]

Definitely buy used and consider paying for a survey on the boat (depending on how much you are spending).  Easy to ski from a fishing boat with sufficient power - not true vice versa.  Figure out the type of fishing you will do and make sure the boat accommodates it.  For example, the nitro shown by John would be a great boat for warm water fishing (pan, bass, pike) but would suck for cold water fishing with downriggers, etc.  No room to mount equipment  or fight fish standing in the rear of the boat.  If you plan on regularly boating in one of the great lakes, consider a deeper hull boat.  Good luck and they are a money pit, but worth it.  If you buy used and get a decent deal, your risk is minimal.

[grampy]

I've owned boats for over 40 years. All but one have been fishing boats. The one was a fish and ski made by Sunbird. Lower end boat with a 90hp  Johnson OB .  It was great for pulling the kids on ski's and floats. Only so so for fishing. If you are going to mostly fish, buy a fishing boat!