If you gonna buy family boat, which one? 2025
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
let say for a family of 4 humans 2 are in 20 who are not into bass fishing and 4 small dogs.
I think they cannot have anything longer than 21 feet. The whole family will use the boat may be once every blue moon, but the husband would go out and fish every week by himself.
Which boat should they buy, pontoon vs fish & ski? Pro and con please.
Gundog reply :
Are the dogs into bass fishing? Who is paying for this boat and who pays for your life insurance? If any of these answers are yes/not me, then it should be a family decision. If the answers are no/myself/none of your &^#@ business, then you should pick it Mr. Angrypants. Hope my advice was helpful. If not don't blame me. 
fishnkamp reply :
I have owned a 20 foot fish & ski from Procraft. That boat was terrific. I loaded it up with good electronics, it had the walk thru windshield, rear ski pylon mounted in the back seat post hole and it was full of fun. I tournament fished with it, ski and tubes off of it, could run with 6 people, heck we even purchased the sun pads stereo,and bimini top for it, but make no mistake she ran 71 mph with the 200 Merc and when fishing time came the 24 volt trolling motor, and electronics front and at the console meant it worked fine. Do not sell that style boat short. I never found a con. The only advantage I see with a pontoon is more real estate. I stored all my tackle and rods the same as my bass boat does now. It was fun to ski and tube as well.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Fish and ski for me, but you can probably find a pontoon for cheaper. Pontoons aren't bad to fish out of on small, calmer waters, but it gets tricky when the water gets rough unless you're drifting or fishing open water.
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
@Gundog
does this look like she into bass fishing? I dont think so.?
Doesnt matter who pay for the boat nor whose decision, I think the wife who will have the last word.?
Gundog reply :
On 10/16/2016 at 2:39 PM, JustJames said:@Gundog
does this look like she into bass fishing? I dont think so.?
Doesnt matter who pay for the boat nor whose decision, I think the wife who will have the last word.?
I don't know. The lack of thumbs means gripping the reel and controlling the spool would be difficult but I once had a parrot who could bait a hook so anything is possible. As for who has the last word that depends on who gets laryngitis first.
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
Keep them coming now 2 : 0 fish & ski.
how easy to launch & load Pontoons boat alone? How easy to control the boat with trolling motor.
I like the ideal of being cheaper, but how easy to find it used between two boat? I narmally fish alone and only got a few hours so I would go bank fishing more than boat and I dont wanna leave the dogs alone at home for too long.
the lake in question would be canyon lake in california, where it is narrow but long, there will be a lot of water activities, water ski, wake board on the weekend.
slonezp reply :
Multi species will be set up for fishing, but will have additional seating for the family. You can add a bimini top or full enclosure as well
Yakalong reply :
Take a look at the Lowe deck boat, it's 22 ft but has a deck for fishing and seats of a pontoon.
gimruis reply :
Pontoons are nice if you have a family (with or without dogs regardless of their size), and you can leave it parked at the dock. Loading and unloading a pontoon and moving it around on roads absolutely sucks. The trailers are unstable and they catch a lot of wind. If I were you I'd go with some sort of fish n ski.
JigMaster4 reply :
Get the best of both worlds and buy a pontoon and a bass boat!
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
I think I like multi spicies where I can fish for bass, or fish for catfish with family and once awhile we can do some wakeboard too.
Deck boat look comfly but why double seat on front and the price whoa whoa, cant afford that.
I think the wife has eyes on pontoons boat which would be perfect for family fishing night or just plain crusing with pinic bucket and price also fit the bill. Only concern is how the heck am I gonna be able to launch / load that huge boat by myself. The travel is not a problem since the launch lamp is less than a mile away.
how about bass fishing from pontoons, anyone have experience?
On 10/17/2016 at 9:19 AM, JigMaster4 said:Get the best of both worlds and buy a pontoon and a bass boat!
yeah tell my wife that, would you??
Crappiebasser reply :
Fishing from a pontoon in any wind at all sucks. I vote fish and ski or deck boat.
WIGuide reply :
Do yourself a favor and buy yourself a bass boat and a pontoon. You can find decent used versions of both. Then you won't be cursing every time the wind comes up when you're fishing, or cursing because you're trying to cram too many people into a boat designed for fishing.
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
If money is no object, yeah I would buy both.?
S Hovanec reply :
Lund Tyee 2075.
MassYak85 reply :
On 10/18/2016 at 2:47 AM, S Hovanec said:Lund Tyee 2075.
I would say if the vast majority of the boat's time on the water is going to be for fishing like you say, this type of boat may be your best option (doesn't have to be a Lund obviously). Plenty of storage for rods, fishing gear, livewell options and you can do whatever you like with electronics no issues. BUT, still have a lot of comfort and room for doing family stuff like cruising around and tubing. Most fish and ski boats are really ski first, fish second. The features actually focused on fishing are rather minimal depending on the brand. You can certainly modify a fish and ski and add a bunch of features but it will be more difficult and you may regret it when actually fishing.Something like the tyee you can have all your fishing stuff on the boat....and still comfortably do family stuff at the same time, no need to switch it over.
pawpaw reply :
I would vote fish & ski. My neighbors just bought a Sea Ark Easy 200 Aluminum fish & ski and they really like it.
Further North reply :
If you're fishing many times more than you'll be dragging the family out...why is this even a question?
I have no problem pulling skiers behind my Crestliner...
scaleface reply :
Heres the route I went . The wife wanted a pontoon boat and of course I wanted a fishing boat . So we settled on a 22 foot Lowe deck boat . Two depth finders 80 lb thrust trolling motor ,live well for me . Stereo , wrap around seating , Bimini top for her . It actually fished better than I expected . Look at the size of that deck .
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
@scaleface i like deck boat look comfly for my wife and easy for me to fish but the price seem very high. I also like multi spicies where the kids and wife can enjoy catfish / sun fish sometime, but how about my dogs, cant just leave them home alone. With all said I think 70% chance I will settle with pontoon.
what is the best way to buy used boat? Craiglist? Boattrader? Dealer? All cash or payment?
S Hovanec reply :
On 10/18/2016 at 7:38 PM, JustJames said:@scaleface i also like multi spicies where the kids and wife can enjoy catfish / sun fish sometime, but how about my dogs, cant just leave them home alone.
No problem with the dogs on the multi species. We took our 3 all the time on my 17'. Not exactly small dogs......65#, 45# and 30# border collies.
scaleface reply :
On 10/18/2016 at 7:38 PM, JustJames said:@scaleface i like deck boat look comfly for my wife and easy for me to fish but the price seem very high. I also like multi spicies where the kids and wife can enjoy catfish / sun fish sometime, but how about my dogs, cant just leave them home alone. With all said I think 70% chance I will settle with pontoon.
what is the best way to buy used boat? Craiglist? Boattrader? Dealer? All cash or payment?
This is a "96" , I think . I found it on the internet . I dont remember what site it was . I had to drive 100 moles for it .
Further North reply :
Dogs go with me all the time.
Here is one of mine holding down the back of the boat:
Seriously: If the primary purpose of the boat is for fishing, get a boat that at least partially dedicated to that task.
Fishing from a pontoon will be OK on the best day and a complete PITA a lot of the rest of the time.
On 10/19/2016 at 7:42 AM, scaleface said:I had to drive 100 moles for it .
I can see that as being tough...easy to lose track of the little buggers.
Yakalong reply :
On 10/18/2016 at 9:03 AM, scaleface said:Heres the route I went . The wife wanted a pontoon boat and of course I wanted a fishing boat . So we settled on a 22 foot Lowe deck boat . Two depth finders 80 lb thrust trolling motor ,live well for me . Stereo , wrap around seating , Bimini top for her . It actually fished better than I expected . Look at the size of that deck .
I like your set up. Mine is very close. Fishing for me, room for the wife during the day. ?
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
If I go with pontoon route, I might as well keep my small jon boat for fishing.
slonezp reply :
On 10/18/2016 at 9:03 AM, scaleface said:Heres the route I went . The wife wanted a pontoon boat and of course I wanted a fishing boat . So we settled on a 22 foot Lowe deck boat . Two depth finders 80 lb thrust trolling motor ,live well for me . Stereo , wrap around seating , Bimini top for her . It actually fished better than I expected . Look at the size of that deck .
Sea Ark makes a similar rig in both a 20' and 24' model http://seaarkboats.com/boat_models/view/46
Further North reply :
My brother would love to find a smaller (smaller than 20') deck boat. He fishes maybe twice a year but loves dawdling around the lake.
Anyone know of any makers?
Fisher-O-men reply :
I have what is deemed a Fish-n-Ski. Mine is really old, so I don't know if they still make it. It is a Glastron.
BTW, it does just what the name says! We fished and skied for years! Still going strong.
Robeng reply :
Pontoons very hard to tow n launch. Unless you can dock it all summer but then exposed to elements. Fish n ski is good. I like aluminum. Many manufactuers offer glass fish n ski like a Tahoe. But i dont like glass boats as they are lots of work. Keeping hull clean and scrape free. Get an outboard motor as easier and cheaper to maintain. I have alum Lund but wife complains no bow seats for her or grandkids. Alum fish n ski for me in next couple years. Deck boats dont slice thru water like a v hull. Get 20-21 feet. 100 inches wide. Deep gunnels. You can add features later like trolling motor, bimini, etc. I'd look on craigslist, boat trader, and dealersvwith used boats. If private sale, take out on water and take a knowedgeable boating friend. New boat with payments is ok if not a long term loan. Like a car. Read up on internet about buying a usef boat or first time buyer. Good luck.
crazyjoeclemens reply :
I was faced with a similar decision when I bought my boat earlier this year. I don't have any kids (yet), but the wife likes to go out on the lake with me on occasion. Since its just the two of us, I went with an older Ranger. Its geared more towards fishing, but there's plenty of room for her to lay out and get some sun. Its also an older boat, so I was able to pay cash for it, which made the whole idea easier to sell. I know, sooner or later, I'm gonna end up getting a pontoon boat (we're not into skiing or tubing). My goal is to hold onto the Ranger, even if it means having 2 boats in the shed, because I really don't like the idea of loading/unloading a party barge solo. I guess, in a way, my ranger will be like your old Jon boat.
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