Buying Advice for In-laws---Help Please

[WoodfordSippin]

Another thing I forgot to mention is the house they purchased comes with a covered 1 well dock and lift. Not ever having had a lift and always trailering a boat is it typical to have pontoons/tritoons on lifts or are they OK to sit in the water for extended periods? Assume the lift could be adjusted to accomodate, but didn't know if it made sense for toons verus a v-hull type boat.

[BobL]

Another thing I forgot to mention is the house they purchased comes with a covered 1 well dock and lift. Not ever having had a lift and always trailering a boat is it typical to have pontoons/tritoons on lifts or are they OK to sit in the water for extended periods? Assume the lift could be adjusted to accomodate, but didn't know if it made sense for toons verus a v-hull type boat.

If you have a lift, use it. You will have to adjust the bunks to accommodate the boat. I left mine in the water 9 months a year for 5 years so yes, plenty of people leave them in the water BUT your logs will start to have issues with aquatic growth AND if you do leave it in the water, keep your motor tilted out of the water during the summer months (aquatic growth will clog the intake). I bit the bullet and put a lift in this year and it has been fantastic (plus, having it out of the water during busy weekends and storms brings a lot of peace of mind).

As for my vote on what to get...23'-25', tri-toon, 150hp (minimum) up to 250hp (if they can afford it).

[MerkFalc]

We bought our first boat back in february. It's a 25' tritoon w/ a 225hp opti. The first time my wife saw it she thought it was way too big. This past weekend we out with ten people on board and she couldn't have been happier! The tritoon takes chop great and with that amount of hp we could kneeboard or tube without any problems and without dropping people on shore! I think the 25' is the way to go. It provides plenty of room for everyone and after the first couple of trips it was easy to handle on the water. The extra hp puts us cruising at 20mph and only around 3000 hp so it doesn't drink down the fuel too quick either. Get a big bimini and a grill and I don't think you can go wrong!

[cwag911]

Here's ours, stays clean up on the lift.

[WoodfordSippin]

Another thing I forgot to mention is the house they purchased comes with a covered 1 well dock and lift. Not ever having had a lift and always trailering a boat is it typical to have pontoons/tritoons on lifts or are they OK to sit in the water for extended periods? Assume the lift could be adjusted to accomodate, but didn't know if it made sense for toons verus a v-hull type boat.

If you have a lift, use it. You will have to adjust the bunks to accommodate the boat. I left mine in the water 9 months a year for 5 years so yes, plenty of people leave them in the water BUT your logs will start to have issues with aquatic growth AND if you do leave it in the water, keep your motor tilted out of the water during the summer months (aquatic growth will clog the intake). I bit the bullet and put a lift in this year and it has been fantastic (plus, having it out of the water during busy weekends and storms brings a lot of peace of mind).

As for my vote on what to get...23'-25', tri-toon, 150hp (minimum) up to 250hp (if they can afford it).

Thanks. Think I'll definitely suggest they keep the lift.

[WoodfordSippin]

We bought our first boat back in february. It's a 25' tritoon w/ a 225hp opti. The first time my wife saw it she thought it was way too big. This past weekend we out with ten people on board and she couldn't have been happier! The tritoon takes chop great and with that amount of hp we could kneeboard or tube without any problems and without dropping people on shore! I think the 25' is the way to go. It provides plenty of room for everyone and after the first couple of trips it was easy to handle on the water. The extra hp puts us cruising at 20mph and only around 3000 hp so it doesn't drink down the fuel too quick either. Get a big bimini and a grill and I don't think you can go wrong!

Thanks for the great info hopefully the 24'-25' is what I can suggest they look for as it seems to be the consensus on here.

[WoodfordSippin]

Very nice dock, lift and boat Carl.

[WoodfordSippin]

Based on the feedback provided thus far here is a link to the used boats that are currently on the list for further discussion and research.

Any pro/cons/thoughts you have on any or all would be welcomed and appreciated.

http://loz.craigslist.org/favorites?fl= ... czMTEyMw==

[cwag911]

Very nice dock, lift and boat Carl.

Thankyou, and my vote is for the Bennington with the 250. Offer them 21 or 22 k and see if they bite. Very low hours also.

[WoodfordSippin]

That one is top of my list as we'll. Thanks for the input and feedback.

[dodger]

We had an 08 Sweetwater by Godfrey , sport toon (tritoon) with a Yamaha 115 and were very happy with for our purposes. It had the L seating arrangment with no extra decking front or back. We found that the kids wanted to do more water sports and it was hard to put on skis and wakeboards on the boat and harder yet to get off the boat when you did get them on. We also found we wanted a little more HP.

Last fall we ordered a 24S Bennington tritoon, 150 Yamaha, in floor storage,full walk thu straight to the back,vinyl floor. There is a 3 ft area off the back that gives plenty of room for the skis and wake boards, and tubes. We also splerged and got an electric bimini. As you get older, it gets harder to lift those things up, and down. This is the entry level boat with a few upgrades. It had to be light enough to get on our 4000lb lift. Going with the entry level, you get smaller furniture so there is more floor space. It has the rotocast bases but, we are fine with that as there is less to get beat up by the kids.

We could not be happier with our boat. With just the two of us we can get 37-38 mph, tow anchors, a couple of tubes and skis in the basement, with six adults and 4 grandkids, coolers and bags of beach stuff, we still get 34-35, no lie. This is GPS. And can this boat turn!!! It has 3 27" full tubes, strakes on the insides of the tubes. Nothing fancy, but it works great.

We have never had an issue with the last Yamaha and this one is flawless as well.

[Bamaman]

LOTO is not a normal lake. It's one of the premier lakes in the country for the rich and famous. And it's also one of the really wavy, rough lakes, especially on weekends.

I would suggest your family purchase a Bennington 2574 GCWB with ESP tritoon package and a Yamaha F250 or 300 hp. I would tell you to go the SPS hull and the new F200 Yamaha, however the ESP is the most seaworthy hull on the market. Like I said, LOTO puts out some rough water. This model is 25 1/2' long, and it features the rear facing dual loungers that are so popular.

You could also go to a R series or Q series boat if you wanted upholstery nicer than that in your house. My S entry level Bennie is nice enough for me.

[WoodfordSippin]

We had an 08 Sweetwater by Godfrey , sport toon (tritoon) with a Yamaha 115 and were very happy with for our purposes. It had the L seating arrangment with no extra decking front or back. We found that the kids wanted to do more water sports and it was hard to put on skis and wakeboards on the boat and harder yet to get off the boat when you did get them on. We also found we wanted a little more HP.

Last fall we ordered a 24S Bennington tritoon, 150 Yamaha, in floor storage,full walk thu straight to the back,vinyl floor. There is a 3 ft area off the back that gives plenty of room for the skis and wake boards, and tubes. We also splerged and got an electric bimini. As you get older, it gets harder to lift those things up, and down. This is the entry level boat with a few upgrades. It had to be light enough to get on our 4000lb lift. Going with the entry level, you get smaller furniture so there is more floor space. It has the rotocast bases but, we are fine with that as there is less to get beat up by the kids.

We could not be happier with our boat. With just the two of us we can get 37-38 mph, tow anchors, a couple of tubes and skis in the basement, with six adults and 4 grandkids, coolers and bags of beach stuff, we still get 34-35, no lie. This is GPS. And can this boat turn!!! It has 3 27" full tubes, strakes on the insides of the tubes. Nothing fancy, but it works great.


We have never had an issue with the last Yamaha and this one is flawless as well.

Thanks for the input and feedback. I would love for them to be able to order a new boat and get is setup perfectly but I think its likely going to be used. I couldn't agree more with you on the Honda. That is what is currently on my parents deck boat and it has been flawless for the 5+ years they have owned it.

[WoodfordSippin]

LOTO is not a normal lake. It's one of the premier lakes in the country for the rich and famous. And it's also one of the really wavy, rough lakes, especially on weekends.

I would suggest your family purchase a Bennington 2574 GCWB with ESP tritoon package and a Yamaha F250 or 300 hp. I would tell you to go the SPS hull and the new F200 Yamaha, however the ESP is the most seaworthy hull on the market. Like I said, LOTO puts out some rough water. This model is 25 1/2' long, and it features the rear facing dual loungers that are so popular.

You could also go to a R series or Q series boat if you wanted upholstery nicer than that in your house. My S entry level Bennie is nice enough for me.

Thanks for the info. I am afraid we are going to be looking at used boats although the setup you suggest would be optimal I doubt the budget will allow for it.

[ToonGuy]

I was waiting for some one to chime in on comparing LOTO to other lakes. While I have never personally been there, I've heard the stories as well and I too boat on a very rough lake. I would frown on any thing but a full center tube tri-toon with a MINIMUM of 150 HP for your needs. 200+ would be better. You often hear people mention having enough boat to get out of a storm on the large lakes, and that is even more true when dealing with novice boaters who may not be as calm and cool in a rough situation as a more seasoned boater. Getting across a rough lake a few minutes faster could mean the difference between getting to shelter safely or getting caught in a bad storm.