Hi,

I would like something for fishing and skiing. I don't care about top speed. I want enough to pull me 220 lbs out of the water to ski and enjoy with the family. Ideally the best gas efficiency to meet the ski requirement.

I would use it on Lake Lewisville, Lake Ray Roberts, Lake Grapevine, Lake Murray (OK), Caddo Lake.

Also what about aluminum versus fiberglass? I can't handle the thought of more than 1 boat. Also, low level of maintainance is good. I heard from another person with Fish and Ski with deep V aluminum.

I would go to a boat show to learn, but afraid I would buy something new. Ideally something used in decent condition.

A: what type of fishing. Sounds like you're looking for general boating so I would look at something with a pretty deep V hull design and definitely lean towards fiberglass since you want something that is stable in the water (not too many ski boats build out of aluminum....the wind and waves push them around too easily).

The problem with fish/ski in my opinion is they don't do either job very well but regardless of the set up I would just keep these things in mind:

1. Get the biggest motor recommended for the boat. Sounds like you're going to haul around a few folks and getting on plane with a full load requires horsepower. A smaller motor working hard will drain the gas mileage just as bad as a bigger motor not straining.
2. Buy bigger then your thinking right now. A boat full of kids gets small in a hurry
3. Stick with the major brands of boats. You'll get a lot of 'Ford vs. Chevy' talk, but if you research and find a boat built by a reputable company that's been around a while, you'll be okay.

Good luck

BD

if your going to do a lot more skiing than fishing, you might as well buy a ski boat. it also depends on how many people you are gonna take out on the boat. we bought the skeeter sl210 and it is perfect for us. great for fishing and has plenty of room for a few more people. 6 people would be the max i would put on it though. if your gonna have more than 6 people on it, you may want to consider a deck boat.

In the old days the Fish n Ski was more fish than ski. Mine is basically a fish boat with an extra console and bench seat. Those bois d'arc trees on Ray Bob can be tough on a walk thru windshield. The Fish n Skis now seem to be more ski. You might look at CCs and tunnel hulls too. To me the biggest consideration in a Fish n Ski, other than number of passengers, is what kind of fishing. Open water fishing is very different than trying to bass fish or chase crappie in the shallows. I would recommend 2 props. I actually have 3. If I decide that I really want to rip someones arms out of their sockets I throw on a 21" aluminum. You just have to be careful on the high end when you run a ski prop.

Fish ski, Deck boat. Pontoon boat.

Fishing I would probably have 2 or 3 on the boat. Skiing 2 adults and 3 kids mostly. Freshwater only.

Is a deep V aluminum fish and skis with outboards the less maintenance and easiest to tow way to go? I'll be parking in a barn then driving to a lake.

yeah like stump said, it depends on what kind of fishing your gonna do. if your gonna do a lot of fishing in the shallows, you might not want a deep V. and it also might be hard to climb back into a deep V from the water.