Getting serious about buying

[boocat]

So the time is getting close, will be hitting the boat show in San Antone in a few days. Should be a lot of fun in the Alamo Dome. As I have posted, we are in the market for a fishing type toon 18-20 ft. I pretty much figure it will be an 18 Bass Buggy but look forward to seeing them all and maybe i'll find some other dealer that wants to make a deal.

If I go with the Tracker, I may have a few extra bucks to up the hp to 75. I have mentioned this to one of the tracker dealers and i'm sure he was just trying to sell what was on hand but his comment was that the 18 with a 75 was too heavy in the stern. I also plan to have a 24v troll motor and extra batt in the bow.

I do understand this virtues of a little extra power and don't want to feel like I have to run a smaller engine wot all the time. I know a little bigger motor throttled down can be a good thing.

So for all ya'll that want to throw down with a few words of wisdom, I'm all ears.

And especially for Teecro,,, since he has done this very same thing.. Not trying to sound personal but do you feel that you squat too much in the stern with the extra hundred pounds?

thanks ya'll

[boocat]

ooops meant to be in the general section

[Gonefishing]

Keep your options open. Don't just look at one manufacturer. I have an excursion 24' with the rar fishing center. It is great for both worlds. Plenty of space for fishing and the set up is great. Rear center has a tackled center, rod holders live bate tank and two fishing chairs. Then up front has plenty of room for lounging or fishing also. Excursion is made by forest river who also makes South Bay. I think it is a great boat in my area the boat, trailer, motor all rigged out with 115 4 stroke Yamaha was less then 30,000.

[boocat]

Yes, going to look at several different brands at the show and have talked to various dealers.
should be fun

[ROLAND]

Boocat... first off, good luck and have fun at the boat show. it can really be a blast looking at all the various pontoon boats and how they vary from model to model. You mentioned that a seller told you the 75 hp might be too heavy on an 18 foot boat... I can tell you I have the yamaha 75 on my 20 footer... sure aint gonna win any races, but it will get me up to around 23 miles per hour or so wide open. Plenty fast for us since we use our boat for fishing almost 95% of the time... came across the following information on a yamaha 75 and thought you might find it useful... again, have fun shopping... I've pasted the info on the yamaha 75 below: enjoy!!!!

Horsepower: The F75 is rated at 75hp, meaning it works well for:

fast cruising in a boat weighing 500 - 1000 lbs.
cruising in a boat weighing 1000 - 1500 lbs.
Dry Weight: This motor weighs 366 lbs, which is:

heavy for the recommended boat weight class of 500 - 1000 lbs
appropriate for the recommended boat weight class of 1000 - 1500 lbs
Displacement: The F75 displaces 97 cu. in., making its engine size 84% bigger than the average.

Max. Engine Speed: At Wide Open Throttle (WOT), the F75 spins at 6,000 RPM, which is the average.

[haganjeff]

Speaking of boat shows, the Nashville Boat show could almost be called the Nashville Pontoon Show now. Most of the boats had a 150HP minimum, but was surprised to see how many pontoon / tritoons had 200's, 250's, and even 300HP....It is a new day in pontooning. Makes me wish I would have opted for more than a 115. I'm going to be getting lapped in the slow lane around the lake!

[Bamaman]

[quote="haganjeff"]Speaking of boat shows, the Nashville Boat show could almost be called the Nashville Pontoon Show now. Most of the boats had a 150HP minimum, but was surprised to see how many pontoon / tritoons had 200's, 250's, and even 300HP....It is a new day in pontooning. Makes me wish I would have opted for more than a 115. I'm going to be getting lapped in the slow lane around the lake![/quote]

Missed the Nashville Boat Show this year, as I'm not in the market anyway. While Nashville's a Happening Place, those dealers must be pretty optimistic about their retail market. And as a native Nashvillian, the Middle Tennessee boat business isn't all that great.

It'd be nice to go 200 hp or more. But by the time you add the high performance hulls, middle toon storage with 50 gallon fuel tank, SeaStar power steering assist, etc. that big engine has blown most normal income people out of the retail market.

I'm perfectly happy with my 150 hp Bennie as it's nice enough and 40 mph is fast enough for our use.