Pontoon boat owners
I am still looking for my new to me airplane.
In the meantime I bought a older bass tracker II boat with trolling motor and 50 Merc on it. I went fishing yesterday, the first time on the water in about 10 years. Caught Crappie and had a great dinner for me and the new to me dog, Pia.
I have 20 years experience in Alaska waters but it is stale and almost useless in Ohio.
I am thinking a Sun Tracker Bass Buggy 16 XL would be perfect for me. The Bass tracker Boat I have now is a bit narrow and with my fused neck stability is an issue, I wear a life vest but I still don't think falling over board would be fun.
It seems the pontoon boat would be a lot better for my fishing in lakes and the Ohio river. I don't need to go fast, I need a stable boat I can handle, trailer and load myself.
What do you guys think of pontoon boats and will I be able to handle the 16'X8' wide toon boat myself?
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Pfffffffffft you people and your gas powered boats. You want something expensive? Try a sailboat!
I used to race a 54' Hunter down in Seward, me and my friend Mike would two-hand that big boat all over Resurrection Bay, and we won almost every race we entered. What a workout! A boat that size needs big sails and sheets, and while he steered, it was on me to haul them out of the locker and prepare to set them.
We got out past Cape Resurrection once into 30 foot swells, and were surfing that hull down the swell faces, burying the bow each time. Have you ever surfed a big sailboat? It never occurred to us that we weren't immortal. :-)
We'd explode the turning blocks on the rails from the tensions we were working with to get the correct sail shapes, and we'd just laugh and bolt in another.
I used to stand on the main sheets OUTSIDE the hull, between the toe of the genoa and the winch, trying to get the right shape to the sail, my feet and legs dipping into the water with each wave. I'd laugh and it never occurred to me to put on a life preserver.
Oh to be young and ignorant and immortal again! This isn't her but this is what she looked like. The "Bullet". Dayam, was she fast.
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@...: 31513177068187/comments/
https://forums.gunbroker.com/discussion/comment/11278212#Comment_11278212
LOL! Yeah, but that's like a $135,000 boat, with a nearly $30,000 engine on it, for what about $165,000-175,000 all-in price (plus taxes, dock fees and storage)? Even pre-owned, a rig like that is going to cost a fella something like $120,000 if it's within 5+/- years old.
I think that's just a "little" out of the price range the OP was shopping for! He could buy a pretty nice airplane for less than that! LOL!
😆
Sounds nice though.
We bought a 2020 model this spring off the dealer floor with 8 hours on it. In to it for way less than what the build price is. Not quite half of what you state but closer to half than to 3/4. Interestingly, the 300 HP Yamaha burns less fuel than did the 175 HP we had on the 22 footer we traded in.
Probably a total of $ 5,000.00 a year for mooring and winter storage, but frankly we use it a lot more than if I was going to trailer it, and renting dock space is a lot cheaper than property tax for a place on the lake.
Now that the weather is becoming favorable, we will be spending 10+ hours a week on it. 100 - odd miles of shoreline to explore and the weekly dinner cruises.
In the current market, these things hold their value very well, mainly because there is a very limited supply of mid-level boats like this. No doubt this will change with the economy, but for now it is pretty much the most boat I would want to pay for, and it will probably be the last boat I buy.
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Nanuq907: 31513177068187/comments/
Pfffffffffft you people and your gas powered boats. You want something expensive? Try a sailboat!
I used to race a 54' Hunter down in Seward, me and my friend Mike would two-hand that big boat all over Resurrection Bay, and we won almost every race we entered. What a workout! A boat that size needs big sails and sheets, and while he steered, it was on me to haul them out of the locker and prepare to set them.
We got out past Cape Resurrection once into 30 foot swells, and were surfing that hull down the swell faces, burying the bow each time. Have you ever surfed a big sailboat? It never occurred to us that we weren't immortal. :-)
We'd explode the turning blocks on the rails from the tensions we were working with to get the correct sail shapes, and we'd just laugh and bolt in another.
I used to stand on the main sheets OUTSIDE the hull, between the toe of the genoa and the winch, trying to get the right shape to the sail, my feet and legs dipping into the water with each wave. I'd laugh and it never occurred to me to put on a life preserver.
Oh to be young and ignorant and immortal again! This isn't her but this is what she looked like. The "Bullet". Dayam, was she fast.
https://us.v-cdn.net/6031683/uploads/PIQ7HYDDLH9C/hunter54.jpg
https://us.v-cdn.net/6031683/uploads/9IHFTDT3X52C/hunter54b.jpg
https://us.v-cdn.net/6031683/uploads/BANQHBKD8SEF/hunter54d.jpg
We had a 28' California Ranger, Nanuq, for around 15 years and there is much to be said for sailing. The hull design was a modified racing hull, and we could run circles around 30 - 35 footers in light air.
Had it up on Lake Pend Oreille in North Idaho, and when the wind came up it was a mini inland sea. Got caught in heavy weather a few times coming south towards home. We never saw 30' swells, but did run it through 10'+ swells on a couple of occasions, and many were the times we were taking 2 - 3 feet of green water over the bow. Still love sailing, but it is far more limited than a power boat.
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Rather than buy a hole in the lake to throw money into, just hire a pro to take you fishing when you want to go.
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Don McManus next time you're on Lake PO'R you should visit my ex girlfriend's cabin. My lovely 16' aluminum Grumman canoe is still sitting there by the dock. It's yours if you want it.
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for those who want to do just a little fishing 🙃
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@...: 31513177068187/comments/
https://forums.gunbroker.com/discussion/comment/11278279#Comment_11278279
Okay...let's say it's "half" my amount (which I doubt)...it's still $85,000, plus taxes, dockage, storage, fuel, supplies and whatever.
I think the OP, @bpost, is in the sub-$20,000 range for a desired expenditure.
That is fine. My point was that one should get as much boat as they can for what they want to spend. Things can happen on the water at any time where bigger is better. We bought a previous year model off the floor because it was priced way under Bennington's build price and 40% under the original 2020 Dealer price. The 2021's had some nice features, but for what I wanted to pay, this was the best fit. The same applies regardless of budget, IMO.
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That's where I was headed when I started the discussion - there area lot of makes and models out there, I just don't believe, from my experiences, that Bass Tracker is a good choice. Every time I needed something it was always a major ordeal, a long wait and not done up to standards. Bottom line is choose wisely, it took me two times to get it right. Enjoy the water, Dad did up until his passing and I'm glad I was part of it.
likemhot
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I have learned that the cost of something may or may not be related to quality today. Sun Tracker has 100% for sure the best warranty in the industry, so does Suzuki Boat motors. https://www.theboatdock.com/blog/sun-tracker-warranty/
Cars made in the 1980's- 90's are no indication of car quality today, things chage some for the better some worse.
I would love to live on a private lake, have a float equipped plane in a floating hangar, a 30' Tri-toon boat and a private beach with shooting range. That is not realistic.
I need a simple boat, small easy to handle, stable and one that can be fished from. I don't care about going fast, BTDT. Once I get another plane it will be a toss up as to which gets used when. If I fish 20 days a year from the boat seeing me invest 50K plus in luxury is a waste.
Sun Tracker warranties are real!
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