Choosing Your Boat

Boating is one of the most incredible ways to spend your leisure time. Here we will discuss the various types of boats offered, the kinds of questions to ask yourself to help make an informed decision as to which boat is suitable for your needs, and what to look for during a test ride.

  

Types of Boats

Air Boats - Airboats offer an exciting opportunity to see and fish locations no other boat can reach and are most frequently used in marshes, bogs, and shallow river areas.  

All-Purpose Fishing Boats - Family fishing boats used for freshwater and salt-water fishing.  

Bass Boats - Bass boats have low, sleek profiles and are built to fish with two or three fishermen on board.  The minimum length of bass boats starts at 16 feet and can go up to 26 feet.

Bowriders - These family boats are the most popular in the runabout/sportboat category and are equipped with extra seats and forward access to the bow, a convenient spot to relax and sun.  

Center Console - These open fishing boats are built to take rough offshore waters.  Rod holders, outriggers, and other gear are common fittings onboard.  

Closed Bow Runabouts - These boats are great for watersports activities because they are fast with a sleek look.  

Cruising Sailboats - Cruisers are large enough to serve as a second home at sea with the convenience of sleeping, cooking, and plumbing facilities.  

Cuddy Cabins - Great day cruisers and overnighters for small groups. They are ideal for skiing, tubing, and wakeboarding.  

Day Sailers - At about 20 ft. these are smaller in size and designed for short trips using the wind's power for propulsion. Many include a small cabin or below deck area for dry storage.  

Deck Boats - Deck boats have wide deck to carry 8 to 12 passengers but look and perform more like runabouts. They are powerful enough for skiing, tubing, and wakeboarding.

Dinghies - These are small crafts usually less than 10 feet in length and are easy to carry on a car top or light enough to carry on board a cruiser. Great for use around the harbor.

Dinghy Sailboats - Usually built to carry one or two boaters, these are fun for learing to sail on calm waters.

Electric Boats - Electric boats are becoming more popular for easy cruises on smaller lakes.

Flat Boats - These boats are popular in coastal areas where sea trout and redfish live.  They can float and run in water less than two feet deep and hold two or three fishermen on board.

Houseboats - Houseboats are designed to offer lake house living on the water. They are spacious with modern amentities for entertaining, dining, and sleeping.

Inboard Cruisers - Inboard Cruisers tend to be 30-feet long or longer and are great for sleeping, cooking, and plumbing facilities.

Inboard Ski Boats - These accelerate rapidly and are great for skiing, racting, and other watersports.

Inboard Wakeboard Boats - Powered by an inboard engine, these boats throw a perfect wake for serious wake boarders.

Inflateable Boats - These boats range in size from an 8-foot dinghy to 30-foot high-performance boats and are suitable for fishing, touring, and watersports.

Jet Boats - Jet boats offer comfortable seating and sunning areas along with a fast and exciting ride.  They are distinguished from runabouts by their propulsion system which is enclosed inside the hull.

Jon Boats - A Jon Boat is a mutil-purpose camping, freshwater fishing and hunting craft, typically aluminum, and powered by a small to moderate outboart.

Motor Yachts - These are ideal for ocean crusing or navigating large rivers and lakes, as well as entertaining at the dock.  Two engines, usually fueled with diesel and a generator for electricity make them self-sufficient living accommodations.

Multi-Hull Cruisers - Also called Catamarans, they are wide with an airy main cabin and lots of deck space. They are fuel-efficient and excellent for long-range cruising and island hopping.

Performance Boats - Sleek and sporty, these boats offer high speeds and precise handling.

Pontoon Boats - Pontoon boats are great for families with younger boaters. They have wide decks, side rails, and gates.

Racing Sailboats - Usually about 20 feet in length, they have sleek hulls, and open cockpit, and limited seating. They are made as light as possible for maximum speed so generally lack living quarters.

Sedan Bridge - Sedan Bridge has all the style of a sportfishing yacht but exchanges a tuna lookout tower and fishing amenities for more deck space and swim platform.  They have ample living accommodations including an electrical generator, A/C, and plumbing.

Sportfishing Boats - These boats are great for pursuing large fish. They usually have sleeping berths, a galley for cooking, and plumbing so the fishermen can stay on the water for days.

Stern Drive Cruisers - Great for freshwater fishing, watersports, and cruising, these boats have all the comforts of recreational cruising boats.

Trawlers - These boats can handle big rivers, lakes, and oceans on moderate days. They have facilities for sleeping, cooking, and plumbing.

Walkaround - These boats are great family fishing boats equipped with rod holders, livewells, and steps to the forward deck to make it easy to follow a big fish around the boat. 

Considerations for Choosing a Boat

Generally, once the decision to purchase a boat is made, the buyer has an idea of the type of boat he or she would enjoy.  Narrowing down to the perfect boat can be a challenge. Many factors must be considered including determing the boat's primary use:

• Spending time with friends and family
• Socializing and entertaining
• Freshwater Fishing
• Saltwater Fishing
• Boating offshore
• Racing
• Cruising
• Sailing
• Watersports

Next, consider the cost. The inital cost is only the beginning. Running costs and maintenance bills vary greatly depending on the size and type of boat.  New or used? Just remember the rule of thumb of many recreational boaters: "The less spent to get afloat, the more needed to stay afloat."

To be safe on your boat, consider the boat handling skills of the captain and crew.  While Captain Curt can teach docking and maneuvering skills to any willing skipper (contact him for a lesson), physical capabilities must be addressed.  At any marina it is possible to observe boats of 60 feet or larger being successfully and adeptly docked by a cruising couple, but it is unfortunately also common to see boats of 36 feet or less pinballing around.

Some engines choices include:

• One or Two Engines? Single-engine vessels are less costly and time consuming to maintain but have less maneuverability. 
• Gas or Diesel? Between 26 and 50 feet, there are both gasoline and diesel powered boats. Gas engines are cheaper to buy, new or used, than diesels but have a much shorter life expectancy. Diesel engines develop more torque than gas engines of similar displacement. So while a gas engine might turn a prop at a faster speed, a diesel engine can turn a larger prop.  Fuel economy can be outstanding with diesels. 

After spending hours researching boats and visiting plenty of dealerships, the best way to know you've chosen the right boat is to take a test ride. 

The Sea Trial

A prudent buyer should insist on the right to an on-the-water demonstration of the boat's capabilities.  On a used boat there should be a mechanical as well as a hull survey and the surveyors may prefer to be aboard for the sea trail.  

It is better if the engines are not already warmed up when you arrive so that a seller cannot conceal a difficult to start motor. Be sure the temperature gauges read at the extreme cold end of their range when the starting switch is first engaged.  When the engines are started and idling, examine the exhaust. It should be about the same from both exhaust ports and should not be overly black or blue in color.

Most sellers will insist on handling the boat when leaving the dock so note winds and currents to determine if the boat handles accordingly.  In open water the buyer should be allowed to take control.  Get the boat up to cruising speed and watch the temperature gauge. Note the fuel and water aboard since a lighter boat will reach cruising speed easily.  Check various systems that could not be adequately tested dockside such as autopilots, plotters, and radar. Vary the speed, make some hard turns, and note how much the boat pitches, slams, rolls, and wallows. Be sure you are comfortable with the visibility. Engine noise should be smooth and not excessive. Ask any questions that come to mind.

Any problems that turn up should be evaluated as to the potential cost to remedy or replace. Even a boat with a serious problem might be a good candidate if the problem is an isolated situation on an otherwise decent boat and it is addressed as a condition of the sale. Listen to your heart as well as your head and Happy Sailing!