Rich Stern
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- Joined
- Feb 26, 2000
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I have a "small" boat dilemma. Pardon the length of the explanation, but I want to set the perspective.
We've decided to upgrade the pontoon boat we keep at our cabin to a bowrider. Already have a commitment by the neighbors to buy the pontoon, so we've been keeping an eye out for a good quality, used 20' bowrider. That's one part of the equation.
Some of you may recall my Sprint 207 fish and ski restoration project that started in 2005. I moved up to that boat from the 700LXDC (now Trep's daily driver), with a couple of things in mind. I had taken up kneeboarding, and we were increasingly pulling water toys, so I wanted a good sized, powerful boat that could do double duty for fishing and water sports. The Sprint has performed well in both rolls. It's a nice, stable fishing platform, decently fast, handles rough stuff with ease, and does fine as a tow platform. It's too cramped to work as our cabin boat, as we are often number 5 or more out on the lake (hence the search for a bowrider to replace the pontoon boat).
And then, separately, my homeowners association is pressuring me to get the Sprint out of view from the street. It's way too big for the garage. Quotes for extending my already extended driveway toward the back of our house have been coming in at $7000 and higher (lots of grading work). Too much. It won't add value to our house, and may even detract. Don't want to put the Sprint in a storage place, because of two thefts already experienced in a local boat yard. Don't want the headache of worrying about the boat or my gear.
I am considering downsizing to solve my homeowners association issue. With a bowrider taking up the towing and cruising duties, I won't need that capability in a fishing boat. I love the Sprint, but I don't have a good way to store it now that the HOA is rattling my cage. I bought it cheap, and can probably get out what I put into it. That takes some of the sting away.
Unfortunately, my garage can only handle 19' 6" of package length. That means a pretty small fishing rig, even when using a swing away or removable tongue.
To maximize usable space, I am considering some sort of tiller steered, 16' setup. I'm willing to sacrifice speed and rough water capability. Jeanne and I only tackle big water and long runs a couple of times a year. We tend to avoid going out in tough conditions. We don't tournament fish. We like fishing for multiple species. We are much more likely to drift down the Chattahoochie or stick to a few favorite coves on Lanier or Hartwell. During the summer, if we are at our cabin, Jeanne will go out on Hartwell in the early mornings, usually within a mile or two of the cabin. So she has to be comfortable operating the boat herself. If it's already in the water, she can handle it, so that's not a big deal. Our boy, Zachary, only fishes occassionally, and sometimes one of us will take a niece, nephew or friend out for a few hours. So, comfortable fishing for one to two, with a very occasionally third. Definitely want a casting deck up front. Lght trailering may be an additional benefit. I might be willing to drag a smaller boat behind our minivan to Florida when we go visit my mom a couple of times a year. I've never been a fan of mod-V style boats, so I am thinking deep-v, so if we do have to endure some rough water, it won't be quite as slap-happy.
My question to the group: Small, multi-species, tiller steered boats: What do you like? What don't you like?
We've decided to upgrade the pontoon boat we keep at our cabin to a bowrider. Already have a commitment by the neighbors to buy the pontoon, so we've been keeping an eye out for a good quality, used 20' bowrider. That's one part of the equation.
Some of you may recall my Sprint 207 fish and ski restoration project that started in 2005. I moved up to that boat from the 700LXDC (now Trep's daily driver), with a couple of things in mind. I had taken up kneeboarding, and we were increasingly pulling water toys, so I wanted a good sized, powerful boat that could do double duty for fishing and water sports. The Sprint has performed well in both rolls. It's a nice, stable fishing platform, decently fast, handles rough stuff with ease, and does fine as a tow platform. It's too cramped to work as our cabin boat, as we are often number 5 or more out on the lake (hence the search for a bowrider to replace the pontoon boat).
And then, separately, my homeowners association is pressuring me to get the Sprint out of view from the street. It's way too big for the garage. Quotes for extending my already extended driveway toward the back of our house have been coming in at $7000 and higher (lots of grading work). Too much. It won't add value to our house, and may even detract. Don't want to put the Sprint in a storage place, because of two thefts already experienced in a local boat yard. Don't want the headache of worrying about the boat or my gear.
I am considering downsizing to solve my homeowners association issue. With a bowrider taking up the towing and cruising duties, I won't need that capability in a fishing boat. I love the Sprint, but I don't have a good way to store it now that the HOA is rattling my cage. I bought it cheap, and can probably get out what I put into it. That takes some of the sting away.
Unfortunately, my garage can only handle 19' 6" of package length. That means a pretty small fishing rig, even when using a swing away or removable tongue.
To maximize usable space, I am considering some sort of tiller steered, 16' setup. I'm willing to sacrifice speed and rough water capability. Jeanne and I only tackle big water and long runs a couple of times a year. We tend to avoid going out in tough conditions. We don't tournament fish. We like fishing for multiple species. We are much more likely to drift down the Chattahoochie or stick to a few favorite coves on Lanier or Hartwell. During the summer, if we are at our cabin, Jeanne will go out on Hartwell in the early mornings, usually within a mile or two of the cabin. So she has to be comfortable operating the boat herself. If it's already in the water, she can handle it, so that's not a big deal. Our boy, Zachary, only fishes occassionally, and sometimes one of us will take a niece, nephew or friend out for a few hours. So, comfortable fishing for one to two, with a very occasionally third. Definitely want a casting deck up front. Lght trailering may be an additional benefit. I might be willing to drag a smaller boat behind our minivan to Florida when we go visit my mom a couple of times a year. I've never been a fan of mod-V style boats, so I am thinking deep-v, so if we do have to endure some rough water, it won't be quite as slap-happy.
My question to the group: Small, multi-species, tiller steered boats: What do you like? What don't you like?
