A little input before I purchase my new boat!

[Tuscanigsl2]

Guys Im kind of in limbo here.. I have found a 22ft 2002 Stingray 220LX for around 14,500. Upon first seeing the boat it was covered in mildew, the radio doesnt work, and the wood accent pieces were faded along with some other mild problems. Since then the owner has cleaned the interior to were it looks quite nice. Im probably going to have him complete a survey before going any further.

On the other hand Ive been looking at my local dealer reserching tahoepowerboats.. The Q4 with the 190hp V6 to be exact. However the base price on that will remain around 22,000. But i get the warranties associated with the new boat.

Now as for boat use; I plan on using it for salt/fresh water fishing, crusing/short trips, and tanning + watersports.

It seems both boats could accomadate these uses quite well; with the tahoe having the upperhand coming equiped with a trolling motor, 2 fishing seats, and a live well.

Anyone have some input into the better choice in this case?

[Will_Fish_4_Food]

I'm not familiar w/ the Tahoe boats, but I attempted to go to their website and get the following message: Account for domain tahoepowerboat.com has been suspended. That's the easy part, so I wouldn't expect too much from their website.

Since most people here own boats to fish, I would say the requested input you get is . , or at least that's mine based on my taste in boats.

[Tom Keels]

I say to both. But you haven't told us exactly what your intended uses for the boat are.

If you want a fishing/cruising type then you have much better choices that those two.

[QueenB]

ok...here it goes......these guys on here are GREAT and they are fisherman!! I have a Bayliner 175 with a IO motor. I wanted similar things out of my boat...fish, water sports, cruising and just a general good time. It ended up we do more fishing than anything out of it. I have 2 kids and I wanted to feel safe with them in the boat and I wanted a "comfortable ride" ( I am a female). I love my boat....it fits our needs really well. The down side is it takes 3 feet of water to run in, any shallower and depending on how much weight you in the boat with people and gear, you may be in trouble. Also because my boat is a V-hull it can't be put in just anywhere, we have no trouble at St Marks, we fish and play at Lake Talquin (Williams Landing), Lanark, Keaton Beach and I am sure there are more. We do some research and ask questions and more importantly take advice that is given on here, regarding where to put in and where not too. We catch plenty of fish with our boat and I don't worry when fish goo gets on the interior, it washes just fine. If you are strictly fishing....get a great flats boat. If you are multi-tasking out of your boat get something that will work for you and your family. One more thing, I looked at new and used boats and ended up buying new. I think you can get more boat for your money with buying a used boat, but for me, I am no mechanic and I wanted dependability and a warranty. Good Luck and listen to all the advice then decide what works best for you and yours. Good Luck and you will never regret it.......I wonder what we did with our free time before we had a boat.

[Welby]

If those boats are in the line of what your looking for, then I would be concerned about the condition of the used boat when you found it. Sounds like it was neglected.

I did have a 19' crusing type boat with the 190 HP V6 (mine was a 4.3 liter) and I loved it for crusing up and down the Flint River. It had plenty of power. When I started spending more time flats fishing and leaving the 19 footer under the shed, I figured it was time to let someone else enjoy it and get me a better boat for flats fishing.

Just my thoughts !

[mjsigns]

Be careful... you've got it pretty bad to be considering either of those for your needs.... Take your time and keep looking....

[Tuscanigsl2]

I'm not familiar w/ the Tahoe boats, but I attempted to go to their website and get the following message: Account for domain tahoepowerboat.com has been suspended. That's the easy part, so I wouldn't expect too much from their website.

Since most people here own boats to fish, I would say the requested input you get is . , or at least that's mine based on my taste in boats.

Thats my mistake the actual website is tahoesportboats.com. Ive been trying to get as much feedback as possible so im interested in all feedback

[Tuscanigsl2]

I say to both. But you haven't told us exactly what your intended uses for the boat are.

If you want a fishing/cruising type then you have much better choices that those two.

Let me clarify, Im looking for a multi purpose boat something thats very versitle (mainly for ocean use and large lakes). I mainly plan to stay in the gulf/lake talquin. Im not a big fan of the centerconsole boats because of their limitations (in my case) and often expensive price tag. Which is why im focusing mainly on bowriders. Plenty of room for me and a buddy to go out fishing while the wife lays out and suntans. While the next weekend we can focus on water skiing and such. Thats my intended use.

[Tuscanigsl2]

Queen I agree fully and welby thats why im concerned; seeing that the inside wasnt taken care off im worried about the engine. A survey should reveal all shouldnt it?

[tin can]

I say to both. But you haven't told us exactly what your intended uses for the boat are.

If you want a fishing/cruising type then you have much better choices that those two.

Let me clarify, Im looking for a multi purpose boat something thats very versitle (mainly for ocean use and large lakes). I mainly plan to stay in the gulf/lake talquin. Im not a big fan of the centerconsole boats because of their limitations (in my case) and often expensive price tag. Which is why im focusing mainly on bowriders. Plenty of room for me and a buddy to go out fishing while the wife lays out and suntans. While the next weekend we can focus on water skiing and such. Thats my intended use.

If you're intending to spend time on Talquin and the gulf I would suggest you keep looking. Not for another type of boat.A bowrider is fine if that's what you want. But I would look for one with outboard power. Talquin has lots of stuff below the surface. The flats are skinny. You can't raise a stern drive out of the water like you can an outboard.

[Barhopr]

You need two diff. kinds of boats. Try to get one that will do both and it will do neither very well and you'll hate the boat. follow the 90/10 rule. Buy the boat that will fit what you will be doing 90% of the time. The other 10% you can suffer thru or ride with a buddy with an appropriate boat. .02.

[rocket]

Good advice here, I'd think twice before buying a inboard for your stated uses.

[fishwater]

Those are more lake boats. I would stay away from them. I would look at something geared more for saltwater. There are some very nice walk thru's (bow riders) on the market made by reputable builders. They have removeable cushions that are nice when you have the kids and ladies on board or you just want to go cruising. I was on my buddies 20' Scout Dorado this weekend. It is a 2000 model with 200HP Yamaha. Very, very nice boat with livewell, raw water wash down, fish cooler, etc. The boat came with a tandom axle trailer. He paid around 18k for the whole package. Well worth the money. There are plenty of good manufacturers that are making boats like this. I would keep looking.

[Tuscanigsl2]

Thanks for all the input guys. Ive narrowed it down to this boat http://www.tahoesportboats.com/boat/index.cfm?boat=2158. It will come with trolling motor, bimi, 2 conv fishing seats, livewell, and all the other amenities a bowrider comes with.. It seems very versitile. I dont really care much for outboards at this time and like I was saying i plan on staying in bigger bodies of water. Tell me what you think! [/list]

[AJ]

If you are staying in fresh water that boat will be fine. If you plan on spending time in much salt, you may want to consider something without carpet and with an outboard. There are many companies that offer dual console boats that are very comfortable and come with lots of removeable cushion packages. I have a Sailfish 198DC and it does a lot of things very well, offshore on good days, inshore (drafts 12"), skiing and has held up under a lot of use for seven years. Think hard about how long you plan on owning this boat and what it will look like after years of use. If you can't remove the cushions and wash out the floors then I hope you don't mind spending time cleaning it.