Quote:
Originally Posted by ishoot308
I guess a little more info would be helpful...When you say "We are planning to buy a boat to keep at the lake", does this mean at a marina, island property, mainland property??
The reason I ask is if your going to live on an island you really need something that will get you there no matter what the weather is. A hard side enclosed cabin boat is what I would recommend in that circumstance. I have a 22' Eastern lobster that I have relied on for 15 years that has never let me down. It is my primary island and fishing boat as well as work boat that I would never be without! Not sure you could tube behind it however. 
If your keeping your boat at a Marina or mainland property, your really only going out boating when the weather is good. Yes, you can get caught in a squall but for the most part you will be a fair weather boater. In this instance I would recommend a tri-toon, 24' long and the biggest motor you can afford.
I have had four pontoon boats over the years and currently still have one. This is what I call my fun boat. No problem tubing, fishing, cruising or entertaining a lot of people. No problem carrying 12 people with plenty of storage for PFD's and other related accessories. Tri-toons give a great ride when choppy and also have a very shallow draft which comes in quite handy this time of year!
Sorry, but I am not a fan of deck boats for a number of reasons...
Good luck in your search!
Dan |
Thank you! This is super helpful! Yes, I think for our purposes(likely keeping the boat at a marina) a tritoon is the best option, the major issue is that my teens and husband think they are kind of dorky looking
I think if we have big enough engines, it won't be an issue for anyone, but the one my husband priced out was almost 300k, so we need to figure out if we are going to buy a smaller house/better boat or bigger house/less expensive boat. All good problems to have.
I really appreciate all the feedback