i think we have agreed upon a fish and ski. she really likes the ski and fish boats. what model F&S do you suggest. she really wants a large read deck with a soft pad so she can lay out while i fish. give me your $0.02.

Get her a air matress to lay on.I don't know of any with a rear cushion deck?

Just kidding,but really I dont know of one with a cushion back deck though

And just remember a Fish & Ski does neither very well. I owned one years ago for a very short time before I upgraded and almost everyone I know that has bought one hates it and ends up taking a loss to dump it. I would think a dedicated fishing boat or a ski boat has a better resale too.

I have a 19' Triton F/S and really like it. It's good for the family and I still fish tournaments out of it. Remember it's not the shiny new bass boat that catches the fish it is the angler driving it!

My buddy has a Ranger Fish/Ski and let me tell you that apple fell way far from the bass boat tree. Get the bass boat if that is what you want because I guarantee you will be the one using it 99% of the time and doing 100% of the work maintaining it. Anyway, avid fishermen know that Fish/Ski= MAMMA WON"T LET YOU HAVE A BASS BOAT!!!LOL

I agree you won't be happy with the F&S. Get the bassboat ... you can ski with it. Get her a pad to lay on the back deck. Only considerations would be dual console and get a brand with lots of deck space.

Been there done that!

[quote=RayBob]I agree you won't be happy with the F&S. Get the bassboat ... you can ski with it. Get her a pad to lay on the back deck.

RUDY

My dad has a Glastron F&S its an I/O and comes with a fish finder, livewell, tackle box and a troling motor its a great boat, it can get up into 3 feet of water when we were towing people behind us i barley noticed them. It has the looks of a ski boat but can easily be converted into a fishing boat. removable carpet, a pad on the back that can also be removed and stored away. google Glastron Boats and just look around at there site. ts a great boat and hasn't givin us any problems.

Either get two boats or a bassboat.

I was in the same boat about a month ago. Luckily once I showed my wife more Bass Boats she came around and now prefers those. However, I found that the Skeeter Fish and ski was the one I was going to settle for if we went that route.
The space was clearly less than a bass boat but was able to seat more and the construction seemed good from my quick look overs. The model we looked at was an sl190.

show her a few more bass boats and let her sit in them. worked for me.

Good Luck

had a fish and ski and hated it, got a bass boat now and i love it.

Fish and skis are like trying to fish out of a sail boat(big windshields) or skiing behind a row boat(lack of power).

Dude, your half way there. Good job on that, Mark Perry is correct listen to his advise.
Hold out a bit longer and get what you really want. F/S sux if you want to fish competition, I'll out run you, I'll get in skinny'er water than you in the spring, and you'll be SORRY !!!!!!

Get a big floatie and drag her behind the boat while your on the trolling motor fishing, give her a net tied to the side just in case.....

What ever you get, get BIG...

I got a bass boat and told my wife you can't pull a skier with it. Every time we go to the lake and see somebody doing it I just look at her and tell her they have no idea how dangerous that is. So far so good.........

I also let me wife read the responses from a post I made similar to this...alot of the same responses.

wife isnt a garauntee any way ,here today gone tomorrow get the bass boat !!!!

Bass boat all the way.

+1

BASS BOAT Don't spend money on something you won't enjoy.

screw skiing get a knee board alot funner and easier to stay balanced

Yep! The wife being an avid skier in her younger days had it in her mind (after expressing my desire to get a boat) that we should get something she could ski behind.

It took a little longer but I finally got my Bass Cat Pantera Classic. Ski day finally arrived for her and when I put the hammer down she got an introduction to the rooster tail he-he. She zigged to the right and stayed up for about 2-3 minutes and got it out of her system.

I haven't heard a word since about the subject. Now she just lays on the back deck and gets her sun.

Dude! "I admire you gall."


TFP

only if you have kids (Boys) would be the only reason to buy a f/s boat. Girls don't really like to ski. I do have two boy teenagers that like to be pulled behind the boat. Me I loved it too but not so much anymore. Matter a fact I skied this past weekend and I'm still sore in places I didn't know I had....... It's Tuesday........lol Buy the bass boat....

bass boat all the way. f/s combos dont perform well in either situation.

I own a Ranger Reata 19'6". I will be the first to tell you that if you choose to go with a fish and ski go Ranger. To the guy with the apples this rig is geared more toward fishing. I mean come on it's a Ranger. Yes there are some disadvantages and some advantages. See me in Jan, and Feb and I will show you the advantages. Windsheilds can be a pain but its like anything else you just adjust. This boat will get in almost as skinny of water as most bass boats. I was running to the river last year and still running now. Now don't get me wrong this boat is like pushing a big ole bath tub across the lake but it is definatly a cadillac ride. Speed no of course you always want to go faster I get about 58 out of mine loaded. I owned a bass boat before this but the kids came along and not too comfortable for all of us. Got one in college now and the other is a sophmore in high school. When he graduates I will sell and go back to a bass boat but for now I enjoy the best of both worlds. I may take a loss but there isn't much in this world you make money on. And like one of the posters reported it's not the boat that catches the fish. I really like the post about your wife not letting you get a bass boat. My wife fishes with me most of the time and this boat was my decision for our family not hers. She wanted a pool! Maybe one day when you all get to watch me on ESPN you will say there goes that guy that used to own that F/S....Ha!

Need to buy a Bass Boat ,Then go find a cheap Ski Boat like a Natique,spend about 4-8 grand and she will be tickle pink.But my wife says my Ranger rides better then the ski Boat.Gotta love a Ranger. I have a z21 love it.Dont settle for some in between.You will wish you got what you wanted.

If you don't already have a bass boat, and you are considering a F/S, I am going to assume you don't tourny fish now. With that in mind, maybe you should consider a deck boat. I had this same debate with my wife last year. I pretty much had her talked into the bass boat, but then I found this deck boat. Up front, it has a nice big casting deck, and in the back it has wrap around seating, like a pontoon. I call it my mullett boat. Business in the front, party in the back. It's an ugly boat, but it's perfect for us. A lot of times, I will go out early and fish, and then pick her and the boys up late morning to go out for recreation fun. Or, we will go out during the day and play, and then an hour or so before sun down, I will put them all in the back, put the bimini top down, and fish hard for an hour or so to get it out of my system.

I had to put a big trolling motor on it to give me the necessary control, and I am sure there are some spots I can't get to that a bass boat could, but on a lake like Lewisville, those places are few and far between.

Something else to think about..

The link below shows a boat similar to what I have. Mine has a bigger casting deck and my top goes all the way down. This gives you a pretty good idea though

http://www.bullshoalslakeresort.com/boats/dscn6046.jpg

I have a 20 foot fish n ski. I think it all depends on if you have kids and what you will be doing with the boat. I fish out of mine every week. Have fished some tournaments from it and am going to fish a tournament trail this fall and next spring. It can be done. If you are going to have your family out in it all the time, better not get a bass boat. If they are going to go out in it once a year, then bass boat all the way, and rent a pontoon or something for your family outing. Keep it simple. Now days, all the major manufacturers are pretty solid. I personally think Skeeter and Nitro make the best F/S. Rangers have the absoluete ugliest F/S on the market.

My .02

Exactly.

wife isnt a guarantee any way ,here today gone tomorrow get the bass boat !!!! Also I suggest getting a storage building not far from the lake to keep it in. Because you will start working alot more Saturday mornings if you know what I mean... Grow a set and go fishin...........

Long & Happy marrage = 2 words...."Yes, Dear"
"If Momma isn't happy, nobodys gonna be happy".
Buy a bass boat, rent a ski boat.
You always come out cheaper renting - same for the wife part too.

Every time I see a Fish, and ski I say. "Momma would'nt let em get a bass boat"

yep. I dont tell my wife where to shop, and she doesnt tell me what kind of boat i need!

[b]Throw down your Man Card and buy the bass rig!
[/quote]
Yeah! So what if you have to move into an apartment and put your rig in a storage lot. You didn't need her or half of your stuff or the kids. That'll teach her.

You could always dump her.

and thats when the fight started

Your wife only THINKS she is going to want to go to the lake a lot. Once she gets out there, it is going to be too hot...or it's too cold...or the wind is blowing too hard...or there's not enough breeze...

Or the waves are too big, and she is getting bounced around too much. Besides, it is messing up her hair...and the spray is getting her wet!

Oh, and don't think she is going to get up at 3:30 a.m. to be on the lake at daylight, so you're going to be going later than you want...just in time to miss the morning bite.

And late evenings? Are you kidding? MOSQUITOS are out then!

So I think your best move would be to just buy a bass boat, and rent a ski boat for that one three minute stretch, between 11:04 and 11:07 a.m. in early May, when the temperature is in her comfort zone (that would be between 74.8 degrees and 75.1 degrees...anything outside that is either TOO COLD or TOO HOT), the sun is out (but with a few cirrus clouds in front of it), and the wind is at 3.634 mph (just enough to create a breeze, but not enough to make any waves).

Have fun.

Get a bass boat, rent a pontoon a few days in the summer, she'll get over it.

fish and skis suck for both and if you get one, she'll go out on it for a about a week, then maybe once or twice a year and you'll feel like you got screwed always fishing out of a ski boat.

Ok, so if the best thing for your family is a fish and ski and you will be using it a lot for family time. Get the fish n ski.
If you are not going to be having a lot of family time and just fishing 99% of the time get the bass boat. You can pull a tube,knee board, skier with a bass boat. Have done it many of times. Bottom line. Get what is best for the family. I personally would rather have the bass boat, BUT if it was fish n ski or nothing, get the fish n ski. At least you will be on the water. Fish don't care what kind of boat your in. my .02

It really depends on what you do most, fish or ski?

I personally like my VIP 190 F/S. I don't tourney fish so the big front deck is not an issue with me. Has a nice bimini top to boot.

Heck, in the winter or inclement weather, it is nice to close the windshield and totally close off the elements. My wife likes going to the lake as much as I do. My .02

Your gonna get laughed at Bowtie if You get a Fish& Ski. Buy a 20 ft Bass Boat and Be done with it. Grab a pillow and on the way out and She'll be fine..

Here is a question to you guys. If you get a fish and ski, can you somehow remove the big windshield, and replace it with some type of wind screen similiar to what is used on a DC boat. If it can be done that may be a possibility for him.....takes up less space and he makes the wife happy!!

I say let her have her way ...... just tell her they put the trolling motor on the front to dry towels on.

I will say this, when fishing with my brother (Mike L) in his fish n ski on Texoma in 40 degree weather for smallies we were the ones laughing a the guys in the bass boats freezing their arses off while running the lake while we had a complete wind block. Heck you didnt even have to wear your gloves when running the lake!

I own a Skeeter ZX and am a die hard bass fisherman. From my own personal experience I believe the Fish N Ski actually fishes better than most give it credit for. Some models have pretty massive casting decks on em too! How many of the Fish N Ski haters have actually ran one and fished out of one?

i have owned a skeeter f/s and run my grandpa's nitro f/s and there is no where to put your rods or tackle and have very small decks. the only good thing about them is the windsheild(the windsheilds are ugly as hell though) and they are stable, other than that they suck.

This quote has to be the truest statement out there regarding this situation. If she's that interested buy a used jet ski/PWC...

Most won't be aware of this, but Skeeter just released a new Fish N Ski for 2009. It's an SL1900. The boat is much deeper than previous year fish-n-ski's so it'll ride like a bowrider, plus it's got a 98" beam and can come with the 200 4-stroke Yamaha. It looks huge compared to the current SL190 Skeeter makes.

I really think it will fill a niche for the folks who've been trying to convert bow riders into fish-n-skis. I get lots of folks who want to fish for the more open water fish and don't necessarily want a shallow draft fish-n-ski.

tell her to hit the road and you go fishing.

j/k

fish and skis have no resale value

hahaha j/k, get the bass boat and add the ski package too it, and just forget to put the pieces in the boat when its time to go out...

Get the bass boat and new wife that likes to fish.

they only "like to fish" until you marry them