I've been looking for a fish and ski boat. Utah seems to have one or the other but I have found a few. I found a nice Viper Coral with a 225 outboard and was wondering if anybody has any experience with these.
I have found that shopping for a boat is no different than shopping for a truck, I have to be sure it's the right one for the right price.
I'm also having trouble with the hours on an engine, when is one broke in? How many hours=wear and tear on a motor? What would be average for a ski boat in Utah?
I'm trying to relate the hours on an outboard compared to miles on a vehicle.
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Sorry, I strongly disagree[sly]. Buying a boat is 10X worse than buying a truck. There are so many options and variables. I went
through this nightmare last year. However, I did get a pretty good
deal IMO. Regardless of what you decide on, do not buy a boat
now! Absolutely make sure that you take it out with the owner
and test drive it. I didn't and could have caught a few problems.
Only, starting it up and hearing it run doesn't cut it.
My boat only had 52 hours on it. However, it was still 20+ years old
so I did have to put money into it. Before you settle on something,
pay some $$ and take it to Lee's Marine and have him go through it.
You may spend a $100 but it will be money well invested.
Good luck
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Viper Coral are nice boats, but like what else has been said take it for a ride....
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[#bf0000]Hey i know how you feel. Its like playing russian roulette when buying a used boat. I got lucky the 2 times i bought boats. Good luck and my advice to you is if you find one that you are gonna buy take it to a pro and have the motor and entire boat inspected. Invest a little money on the inspection because you dont want it to die on you on the water and be stranded out there with your family. [
][][/#bf0000]
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I have heard some good things about Lee's marine, where is that located? Anybody know a good boat mechanic that can give me the lowdown on a boat if I brought it in for an inspection? In the SL valley?
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Lee's is in Hyrum. BLM would be able to help you out on the address ect!M.H.
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Lees Marine is in Hyrum, It's well worth the drive, this guy is the best, I have had my boat to a couple places in SL and Lee and his wife Dixie are by far the best and run a good business, and will take excellent care of you, give him a try, you won't be disappointed.
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I second that on Lees.....Good mechanic
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Corals are really nice boats if your after a fish/ski combo. They ride nice in rough water. I would buy a Coral before a Tracker or Pro Craft.
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[
]John you work too damn much to really be able to enjoy a boat like that.[
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I have now given myself one day a week to do 'stuff' and 'things'. AKA honey-do's. All work and no play makes John a dull boy...springtime is just around the corner, hopefully I'll be sporting a new boat.
Question for experienced boat operators: Stress cracks in fiberglass (small spiderwebs 5-6"), does it just happen or is it a sign of rough use?
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Fsh4fun05,
The stress cracks are usually in the surface gel coat and depending on the type of gel used are considered normal. That said, there could be an underlying structural problem contributing to the cracks that must be checked. If there are only a few spiders ( very small) on the top portion of the boat, then you probably have no worries. If however the cracks are larger than little spider cracks over a large area of the boat, around the transom, lower hull, or bow, I would be concerned. Usually the "normal" small gel coat stress cracks occur in the gunnel area and top portion of the hull cap.
I own a late model Lund fisherman and it has been a GREAT boat for fishing. However, the lay out and design of the boat is not ideal for family skiing. My teenagers are really bugging me to get a family ski boat again and I don't want to have two boats again! I've been looking for a boat that will meet both needs well. After a year of research, here is what I found are the best mid sized fish and Ski boats that don't compromise one or the other!
1, Ranger 1850 Reata,
2, Stratos 386 SF
3, Skeeter WII8
4, Glastron 185/210 SF
Each of the above boats retain the safe deep vee family boat design, but have the performance and fishability of a bass boat. Do yourself a favor and check out the Ranger 1850. The Ranger 1850/60 has set a NEW standard for performance fish and Ski boats! If you're looking for used, try to find one of the above listed boats. Hopefully I will have my new Ranger soon!!! After years of being frustrated with local boats dealers, (exception being Robertsons marine) I found a really good Lund and Ranger boat dealer in little town in South Western Montana called Townsend Marine. Yes, I drive a little (make a Yellowstone trip out of it) but it's worth it for the initial purchase savings and the excellent service!
Good Luck!
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FishN2Dmax,
I feel your pain! I do believe the Fish-n-ski type boat is as close as one can get to "the magic boat"!
I looked for "the magic boat" for years. I wanted a boat that was good on big water, and small water, that I could camp in, and wakeboard and ski behind, and fish from. I never found it. My problem was that I was asking for too much from a single boat. When I recently gave up skiing and wakeboarding, the magic boat almost became a reality, but the bottom line is...I still own two boats!
I guess a person needs to decide what they want the boat to do THE MOST, and then decide what else they want the boat to do SOMETIMES.
Unfortunately, I still like doing a lot of different things with a boat, so I've broken it down into the 2 following categories:
1. Family boat. Big enough to accomodate my family and a few friends and be comfortable and safe on big waters, like Powell. It is ski-able and wakeboard-able, although not with world class performance (wake size/shape). It can be used to camp in, as it is a cuddy, and I can fish from it, at a recreational level, with my family.
2. Small aluminum fishing boat. For those Saturdays when my family does not want to go, and all I want to do is fish. This boat is not camp-able, nor can I pull water skiers or wakeboarders, nor is it very comfortable and it only holds 2 or 3 fisherman, but I can skirt the shorelines very easily and it fishes awesome!
A true "Fish-n-ski" boat is about as close as you can get to the magic boat I think, but I've tried sleeping on a fish-n-ski, and it just didn't work out. I do know others that own them, and they just set up tents on the shore or whatever when they camp, and is not a big deal. Also, if you have access to a houseboat, the camping part is a moot point!
A few years ago, the wakeboarding and skiing was top priority and we owned a Malibu. It was world class performance when it came to pulling wakeboarders and skiers...at the expense of no camping, and not very comfortable or safe out on big waters and it did not fish well at all. But then again, back then we didn't camp or fish much! We wakeboarded and skied.
I guess it's all about what you want to do the most. I know very few people who are 100% satisfied with the boat they own! They always say "I wish it fished better" or "I wish it had a cuddy" or "I wish it were faster/slower/shinier/dirtier/deeper/better wake/taller wake/flatter wake/etc.etc."
I'll probably always own at LEAST 2 boats!
Randy
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