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Ian
08-03-2008, 09:24 AM
I have a question for any of my fellow I-Cot boaters ...

Back in October of 2006, we bought our first boat. We got a Crownline 210LS, which is like a 21 footer with a 260 horse Merc.

We planning on using it exclusively in a large lake in the Poconos (Wallenpaupack, if you're at all familiar with the area) and we figured it would be a good size to handle the weekends up there.

Well ... a lot of people told me back then to go bigger and, as much as it pains me to admit it, they were right. Our boat is too small to comfortably handle the rough water conditions the lake has during periods of heavy weekend traffic. We get bounced around pretty good and it takes a lot of the fun out of it.

In addition, for whatever reason, my boat has some serious planing issues. I even changed down to a lower pitch prop and it still struggles getting up out of the water, especially when towing skiiers.

So anyway, I'm toying with the idea of upgrading and I was wondering if anyone out there had any experience with boats in the 24'-26' range and, if so, what you'd recommend?

Just as a guideline, we're looking for something that's going to be good to spend a day on at the lake on a weekend, with a decent amount of space, probably a head, most likely a bowrider, and yet something we can also ski and tube with.

Right now the front-runner is the Sea Ray 240 Sundeck (http://www.searay.com/2008_sea_ray_sport_boats_240_sundeck.asp). That seems to offer the most for the money. We've also looked at the Cobalt 232 (http://Cobalt 232) & 242 (http://www.cobaltboats.com/brochure.aspx?modelid=107137), the Regal 2400 (http://www.Regal 2400), the Monterey (http://www.montereyboats.com) 254, the Rinker 246BR (http://www.rinkerboats.com/captiva246.html), and the Crownline 240LS (http://www.crownline.com/models/bowriders/?model=240LS).

Anyone have any valuable input on any of these? Or another boat I may have overlooked?

MauiMouse
08-03-2008, 01:01 PM
Ian, I just talked to my nephew and he said to check out "Bryant Boats (http://www.bryantboats.com/)" He mentioned they are now the best boats around, and believe me he knows boats.

We personally before we got rid of our boats, had Wellcraft and SeaRay's.

RedSoxFan
08-03-2008, 05:30 PM
We have a 2007 Chapparral 246 SSI. We bought it new in January and this is our first experience with a boat. We are a family of 6 and the kids do go tubing (we have a 3-man tube) and have tried waterskiing. It's a great boat and DH loves it. We live a mile from Cayuga Lake (part of the Fingerlakes).

Ed
08-03-2008, 06:08 PM
Welcome to the wonderful world of two-foot-itis.

We went through the same thing, but then did just the opposite, Ian.

We started with a 26' express cruiser, moved to a 28' E/C, then a 30' flybridge sedan. :captain:

Then we moved to Florida. You'd think we would then have the urge for a 38 footer with triple 300 hp motors.

Nope. Trailerable 18' center console with a 115 hp outboard. :D It actually is exactly what we need here, considering the hundreds of lakes hereabouts. And it's okay for the two of us (three if you count the dog) doing a little cruising the rivers along the coast.

Of the ones you've listed, I'm only personally familiar with SeaRay and Regal. Our 26 was a SeaRay, and good friends had a 28 Regal. Both are well made, attractive styling, with an extensive dealer network to back them up. (Both are built in Florida - SeaRay in Merritt Island, and Regal in Orlando. Imagine that!)

A few things to consider:
The bigger they get, the thirstier they get. Think $$$$$ at the gas dock.
Considerably heavier to tow; will your vehicle handle it?
Storage between trips and winter storage (no such thing down here!) :cool:


I'm going to PM you a boating and fishing website that I hang on; lots of good info there.

BTW, if you really lose your mind and decide to drag it behind you when you come down to Vero Beach, the resort DOES have a parking area across the street for RVs and boat trailers. :thumbsup:

Ian
08-03-2008, 08:34 PM
We have a 2007 Chapparral 246 SSI.Actually, I forgot to mention the Chapparral's. I did look at those, but honestly the dealer I went to didn't have many left so I didn't really get a good idea of what they have in the 24 foot range.

I'm definitely still considering one, though. The dealer is supposed to call me in a week or so when he gets his '09's in.


A few things to consider:

The bigger they get, the thirstier they get. Think $$$$$ at the gas dock.
Considerably heavier to tow; will your vehicle handle it?
Storage between trips and winter storage (no such thing down here!) :cool:All very good points, Ed! Paying for gas on the lake this year was an experience ... $5.10 a gallon on water! Ouch!
As far as the trailering part goes, I don't trailer my boat. It stays in-water at the lake during the season and then they just pull it out, winterize it, and store it for me once the season is over. It will cost more for a bigger boat, though, because I think they charge by the foot.

BTW, thanks again for the link. Good stuff! :thumbsup:

RedSoxFan
08-03-2008, 09:36 PM
We didn't plan on buying the SSI 246. We went to the boat show in Syracuse and put a deposit on the 2008 Sunesta Wide Tech 224 and ended up buying the leftover 07 SSI for not much more and it was a better boat. Good luck with whatever you decide to get.

Ian
08-04-2008, 07:17 AM
What motor do you have in your 246?

My current boat has a Merc and I thought in the beginning that I wanted to stick with Merc power, but I gotta tell you ... I really liked the way those Volvo motors in the Cobalts ran. Very smooth.

Any thoughts from anyone on Volvo vs. Merc?

RedSoxFan
08-04-2008, 07:56 AM
350 Bravo -- Mercury

Ian
08-04-2008, 10:08 AM
That's the same motor that's in the Sea Ray I'm looking at.

300 horse, right? Dual, counter-rotating props?

RedSoxFan
08-04-2008, 11:57 AM
yes --- i believe so.

Ian
08-04-2008, 01:50 PM
Hmmm ... guess there aren't many boat owners on INTERCOT. ;)

Ed
08-05-2008, 04:00 PM
Hmmm ... guess there aren't many boat owners on INTERCOT. ;)

They all sold them so they could afford the new WDW ticket prices???? :shrug:

:confused:

Ian
08-05-2008, 04:04 PM
They all sold them so they could afford the new WDW ticket prices???? :shrug:

:confused:Ha ha ha ... sadly, that might be the case! Either that or they got sick of paying $5 per gallon for gas. ;)

On a side note, I forgot to mention the Four Winns that I'm looking at. Same type of boat ... 24 footer ... anyone know another about the Four Winns brand?

princessgirls
08-05-2008, 06:01 PM
We are boat people!!

We own a 22' Larson Bowrider. It was affordable and has great U-shape seating and storage. Perfect for our family of 4 and another family of 4 or 5. It's got a Merc cruiser engine in it and can get out of it's own way. We have gone through 2 props.

We get trailerboat magazine and you can e-mail them with your specific prop questions. They have been very helpful to my DH.
We keep our boat in Lake Hopatcong, NJ but have trailered it to The Hudson River and at The NJ shore of Cape May and Long Beach Island.
Just filled up on the lake on Sunday for $4.39 a gallon. We thought that was a bargain!
Enjoy going to the boat shows, those are pretty helpful too.
Our girls like to tube.
The best thing I enjoy about the boat is that it's our Sunday family day together at the lake.
Hopefully, we'll be able to keep that up. It makes wonderful family memories for our kids.
Have Fun Ian!

princessgirls
08-05-2008, 06:04 PM
P.S.

Those are ALL really nice boats you are looking at.

Who could decide...

merlinmagic4
08-05-2008, 07:39 PM
Hmmm ... guess there aren't many boat owners on INTERCOT. ;)

We're boat people but I have no idea about any of the boats you were asking about :blush:

We have a Trophy 1802 Walkaround with a little cuddy cabin (and a head!). We use it in the ocean and bays around our house. It's perfect for our family of five. We use it to go on our annual camping trip(s) to a little island in one of our bays and my husband uses it to fish the deeper waters closer to Martha's Vineyard.

Have fun shopping! I think it is a great purchase and worth every cent for the quality family time we get out of it.

JanetMegan
08-06-2008, 08:37 AM
I think personally you can't beat a pontoon boat, recently picked up a steal of a boat, a 1994 Godfrey Aquapatio, 24 feet. Big enough for 12 chicks to line dance on-just sayin'

Ian
08-06-2008, 12:29 PM
Eh ... I thought about going pontoon, but I just can't do that. Pontoon boats are for old folks. ;)

No seriously, though, you can't really ski or wakeboard off a pontoon boat. At least not easily.

blabbermouth
08-08-2008, 01:29 PM
Umm.... umm... my dad has a boat. It's a 22'. It's uhh... that's all I know :) I like it? Do you think it's worth the hassle of selling and buying for 3 extra feet? Might as well go for the 26'?

You just complained there weren't any boat ppl, so I felt I should say something....

Jeri Lynn
08-08-2008, 03:15 PM
Hi Ian,
We are boaters, but our boats are smaller than it sounds like you need for this particular lake.

We have an 18' Mastercraft Stars and Stripes ski boat and we have a 24ft. Pontoon boat, which we love...I used to think they were for the "older" crowd, until we got one (we are in our 40's) and my DH and I never use the ski boat anymore unless DH is bringing the kids tubing or skiing. They could tube at a leisurely pace behind the pontoon boat, but would rather be behind the ski boat.

Good luck on your boat search.

Ian
08-08-2008, 03:47 PM
We are boaters, but our boats are smaller than it sounds like you need for this particular lake.

We have an 18' Mastercraft Stars and Stripes ski boat ... While your Mastercraft may be smaller than what I'm looking for, it's certainly nicer!!

I love Master Crafts. They're gorgeous boats. Is yours an inboard?

Jeri Lynn
08-08-2008, 04:51 PM
Hi Ian,
Yes our Mastercraft is an inboard, I believe it has a 351 Mercruiser in it (I'd ask my husband but he is climbing Mt. Katahdin in Maine in rainy weather).

I'm not sure how this particular boat would hold up with big waves. It sits pretty low in the water.

Our boat is a 1982...yes, quite old, but pretty well maintained. We had the interior reupholstered a couple years ago, and replaced the carpet...the gel coat is showing it's age...I'd love to convince my DH to completely restore it to its original glory...but the one nice thing about it is that with teenagers we aren't worrying about who is stepping where and what is being spilled or eaten. It runs great and my husband is a stickler at maintenance.

Still have to push the pontoon boat though, it is so nice in the evening to just cruise around our lake and look at the stars. Fill it with our friends and have appetizers and libations on a hot summers night. We never ever thought we would enjoy it this much.

Enjoy your weekend!

Ian
08-08-2008, 06:43 PM
No!! No, pontoon boat!! :fit:

I'm not old enough for one of those!

Joking, of course ... seriously, though, that's not going to work for the skiing/wakeboarding/tubing we want to do. I know you can ski behind one and you can certainly tube, but they're no good for wakeboarding and not good for slalom skiing either.

I found a great boat today at one of the marinas nearby. Chaparral 244 Sunesta Wide Tech. It's a deck boat, so it has the wider bow and it was really sharp.

Wakeboard tower (which I love), 300 horse Volvo I/O, VacuFlush head, fresh water, top notch stereo, lots of storage and very, very nice looking. And of course, Chaparral is one of the best boats in terms of quality.

Best part is it's in my price range!

I think I'm in looooooooooooooove! :heart:

RedSoxFan
08-08-2008, 09:01 PM
[QUOTE=Ian;1710499]

I found a great boat today at one of the marinas nearby. Chaparral 244 Sunesta Wide Tech. It's a deck boat, so it has the wider bow and it was really sharp.

/QUOTE]



That is the boat we were originally going to get before we got the other Chaparral I told you about in an earlier post. It is a nice boat.