Boat Type Suggestions....
 

With us moving back up to NH by summer time, the thoughts of getting a boat for the big lake trips are on my mind.

Been boating for 40 years, know the lake well, etc. What I cannot find is a bowrider with a decent padded sundeck in the rear with an outboard. Looking in the 19-22' range, preowned preferred. My awesome wifey wants something 2-3 feed wide, similar to an I/O engine area cover. Otherwise that the rest is up to me.

Any idea what make/model to look for?

Thanks!

In lieu of a padded sundeck in back...
 

Maybe consider a boat with fill cushions to make a sundeck in the bowrider area. A padded sundeck in the back with an outboard may take up more space than you (she) would like in a 19-22 ft boat.

Just a thought.

Why an Outboard?
 

There are tons of I/Os out there that have just what your looking for?

Oh I know....just not what we want which is an outboard.

SeaRay has an OB deck series. Is this what you had in mind?

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h3...psmpmqxdkp.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h3...psyilppetr.jpg

There's a motor in the way of the swimming platform. That's like putting a trailer in front of the truck.

Space Saver
 

That 27 Foot Searay outboard is just what I would not want! It has the space of a 21 foot boat while making 1/3 of the interior room into exterior room that is only useful when stopped.

If you spend a lot of time boating and have friends and family visiting this boat seems all wrong. Open interior space and plenty of seating works much better.

And, my personal pet peeve: The rear facing recliners on the port side that so many manufacturers are putting in boats. At the helm you get a love seat for two! But what if my brother or friend comes up for a boat ride? Who wants to sit next to someone on a loveseat when it is 88 degrees and humid?

And. who gets stuck in the rear facing port side seat so that they can see where you have been? Not for me!

My wife loves that seat!

Consider looking at a pontoon, plenty of them out there with outboards and the sun pads. And still plenty of room inside. With todays triple log performance packages they perform as well or better than a V-hull and the ride is excellent.

Not really grabbing me. Seem overkill, but the bow cushion area seems like a better idea!

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h3...psyilppetr.jpg

Gee, I must have misread what it was you said you were looking for.:confused:

LOL, naa. I appreciate the effort.
More of a sun deck, not a rear facing seat is needed.

You are kind of screwed with your request.... bowrider, OB engine and sunpad boats do not really exist unless you start looking at Pontoons. This combination in a 19-24 boat is not a very efficient use of allowable space.

The sunpad is useful to cover the I/O engine and create some extra storage. This makes use of an otherwise un-useable space. The OB and all the required attachments usually take up a large portion of the transom.

So I think you & the wifey need to have a convo... do you get the OB or the sundeck? :)

Personally.... I would go with the sunpad! :)

Woodsy

...be sure to go take a look at craigslist-nh, and this winnipesaukee.com classified for all the used boat deals out there.....finding a great used boat at a low low price is about as easy as it can be....hundreds of good used boats out there....

....for the ultimate low cost, no insurance, no gasoline, no registration fee type of a boat....get a combo row-sail that is 11'11" long or shorter....(rudder not included-just the hull) ....and has no engine....gas or electric....plus a row boat automatically turns it into a floating exercise machine....and rowing seems to be more efficient than paddling....

...take a visit to the Meredith town docks during boating season, and you will quickly notice most motor-boaters need to lose some weight because they are over-weight....but row-boaters tend to be in much better shape.....simply because they row....plus with a row-sail.....you can get out on the water even when the winnipesaukee-wind takes a vacation ...

www.topkayaker.net ....there's a guy in nearby Tamworth, NH with a website full of high quality paddling-sailing kayaks that really do sail good.... even sailing up-wind ....like a regular dinghy

Yea I know. Tough one!
I like the idea of a padded area in the bow that you can rearrange to make it a padded sun deck.

When you look at a bowrider...
 

...look at the bowrider section. There should be a lip, almost like a router was run around the edge of the seat cushion area, that allows the padded sections to be supported. This area is probably about an inch wide, and goes all the way around the edge of the bowrider seating area.

If you can't order pads from the manufacturer, I would anticipate that the local canvas folks can make up the pad(s) for you.

Good luck which ever way you decide to go.