i am being told that a 16ft boat is not really adequate on big water to fish / ski? can you guys help me out. this will be our first real boat......and we want a combo. dont mind paying a little, but i want to make sure we get the right size.

My 19' bass does good on semi-rough water. Havent torture tested it yet. Still ironing out the bugs.

IMO I would not get anything less the 18.5'. I had a Skeeter SS140 17' and it was rough, now I have a 20' Basscat and I feel safer.

It's not just the length, but the depth of the hull (in my opinion)...A deep V-hull will handle larger water better than say a more flat bottomed boat...Also the width of the boat comes into play...How many people are going to be using the boat for fishing? Pleasure?

i can vouch for that 20 c man

I had an 18'6" Nitro fish and ski boat, and it would not handle rough water well at all. I have a 19'8" Skeeter bass boat and it runs alot better in rough water. If you are not planning on having more than 3 to 4 people in the boat at a time, I would just get the biggest bass boat you can afford. They will pull skiers, tubes, etc. and are way better to fish out of. Mine is a dual console, so still get alot of the protection you would get from a windshield on a fish and ski. Just my opinion.

Buy the biggest boat you can afford and maintain.

yep, if you go out on any kind of windy days (and we all do) get the longest boat, over 18ft you can.. I went from a 20ft to a 18.6 and kick my self every time I go out..

at least 19'...for a combo, i'd go 21'

I just bought a 19ft basscat, but my boat for the last 4 years has been a 15.5 ft tidecraft bassboat. Ive had it in some nasty stuff and didnt sink. I have taken waves over the side though. and its jarring while on plane in very rough water. I can also pull a skier with my little boat. I would recommend a longer boat if you can find a good one in your price range, but if the 16' boat is what you end up with, Im sure it will serve you good. You can do most anything in them, its just that in very rough water, doing those same things is much more pleasant and less frightening in a longer boat.

I personaly will not own a boat under 20'. That extra foot or two makes a big difference when on big water. Some of our lakes don't need wind to be rough. The party boats and wake board boats do a pretty good job of putting a funky chop on the water out there too. Wakes coming from all directions.

A 16ft boat will be fine, just visit bodies of water like this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ynqPsM0pCY&feature=related

or this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD2FLgCAf8I&feature=related

funny............
mean.....but funny. i get it........i'll buy a bigger boat. girls just wanna have fun!

Hey Collie, I just realized you are in Amarillo too. If you are going to be using your boat around here a 16fter will be ok, our lakes are so low that they aren't much bigger than the video's I posted anyway. I have a 17ft Javelin and it has easily handled anything I have run into up here.

I go to Oklahoma in some pretty large, deep water alot and now i'm convinced i better not go that small. Maybe i'll make 17-17.5 my minimum. Do you know anyone trying to sell a good boat that we could fish and ski in? Keep your eyes open.

COllie68, just remember it isn't just the size of the boat that matters but the design is a huge factor. When I was younger, I had a 15 1/2 foot deep v hull. One of my buddies had a 18 foot trihull which was a much larger and roomier boat. We both used to take them out in rough water. My deep v hull could cut thru big waves on a lake with ease while my buddies trihull would beat you to death.

If you wanted to get a smaller boat that could handle rough water and still carry 4-6 passengers, a deep v is the way to go. A 16-17 foot deep V makes a good fishing boat and can also pull a skier or tube with the right motor setup. You could go aluminum or fiberglass. Lots of brands to choose from depending on your budget.

I wouldn't rule out smaller boats although do agree with the general advice you should go larger if you can afford it. Just remember it isn't only the initial cost. A larger and heavier boat will require a larger outboard to push it. Large outboards burn alot more gas during a day on the water. It isn't unusual at all for a large boat to have a 200hp motor which can burn thru 20 gallons or more of gas in a day on the lake. A 16.5 foot deep V might run fine with only 75hp and maybe burn 10 gallons a day on the water. So 40 bucks vs. 80bucks on gas and that doesn't include gas for the towing vehicle. Smaller boats do not generally require heavy duty towing platforms which saves even more on gas.

Just a few things to consider. Good luck with your boat search.

i understand completely. thank you. those are all great things to think about. do you know what the minimum size motor i should probably think about to ski or tube on occasion?

i understand completely. thank you. those are all great things to think about. do you know what the minimum size motor i should probably think about to ski or tube on occasion?

That depends on the size of the boat you're looking at...We have a deep V-hull 20 foot Chaparral ski boat with 228 horses and we can pull 2 skiers and have 12 people in the boat...I'd honestly be looking at least 150 horses, and probably 200 minimum...

As far as the gas issue is concerned, we can go 5 hours on the lake and burn 8 gallons of gas...That's with a 1978 Chevy 305 engine in it...

If it were me, and I were looking at a boat to use for both fishing and skiing, in your price range, I'd go for a deck boat...The Hurricane will probably be the one closest to the price you quoted earlier...I'd look for a Chaparral Sunesta (and will be next year) because there isn't a boat that rides as well as a Chaparral and can handle rough water, period...You can find some really nice used ones in that price range that will hold 13-15 people easily....Four Winns also makes a great deck boat almost as comfortable on the water as a Chaparral, but not quite...Go to www.boattrader.com and look at the deck boats and look outside of Texas...You can save thousands on used boats, cars, etc. by just driving a couple of hundred miles...

motor size will depend on the boat weight and hull shape. I have a 17.5 foot aluminum tracker bass boat and 50hp will push it about 34mph at full throttle with a light load or 32mph with 3 folks and full load of gear and fuel. Not exactly fast but will easily pull a single skier or tube behind it. In fact I took my teenage boys skiing just last week with it and they had a blast.

My hull is a mod V so not best suited for big waves. A deep V handles waves better but typically needs more hp to get the same speed. I'd say a 17 foot deep v would work good with 75hp or run great with 90.

FYI, I know a guy who has the tracker 17 foot deep V with a 50hp merc like mine and his only does 28mph at full throttle and it drops to aboout 25 when he has 4 folks in the boat. He kicks himself for not going with the 75hp.

Edited to add: just in case some say you can't ski behind 50hp, here is a shot from last week. My teenage boys had a blast skiing behind my tracker with 50hp.

that is a cool pic. thanks for posting it. if you get a chance, can you look at my jon boat posting and see if you think it is priced to high? i am shocked that no one is interested. it is the 14ft lowe jon boat posting.

thanks for all your help.

checked your listing and one thing I would suggest is switching the pics to a host site that doesn't require people to sign up to look at the pics. Lots of forum members don't want to mess with signing up or stuff like that (me included). Load the pics over to something like imagecave so people can view the pics without alot of hassles. Might help get boat sold. Also consider craigs list if you want to sell it. I sold my old skeeter and bought my tracker off craigs list. Works great and is free.

Since you want a combo (fishing and family boat), you might want to look into a center console bay boat. They are great in rough lakes, they will run in shallow water well too. They have high sides for the family's safety, and normally cost much less than most bass boats.

In fact, after running Skeeter bass boats for years, I have decided that my next boat will be a center console. More versatile and easier on the pocketbook.

A 19 foot Kenner, Mako, Nautic Star, etc.( or 20 other brands) can be had cheap and you can configure the interior like you want it. It's just a more stable platform in rough water without any real compromises that I can see....and I have driven lots of them. Plus, you can take it to the coast and catch some redfish and specks in it.

Mako 1901 in white

The Kenner is the same boat, basically.

I would have to go with at least a 20' boat with a minimum of a 225 motor. The wind and rough water on Texas and Oklahoma lakes just aren't any fun in a smaller boat, nor nearly as safe with family members, etc. If Mama and the kids aren't happy, then you sure won't be.

Collie,

I have been watching this string for several days now. All of the posts have provided great advice. No matter how careful you are, there will come a time when a storm sneaks up on you and catches you unprepared. It has happened to all of us. When it does, especially when your family is with you, that extra few feet of boat length and beam width will make all of the difference. If you don't believe me, go test drive a 18' boat on a 25+ MPH wind day and then drive a 21' boat on the same day.