Boat purchase

[niceshot]

I will begin the looking process and wanted to ask you guys some general questions. I currently have a 18' lund tyee with a 150hp Johnson that runs great and have been very pleased with it BUT it is just too small with the kids grown.

I think I would like to be in the 18-21' range with a off-shore bracket. I have buddies with thunder jets (jet) and I like the layout especially when you get the Off shore bracket. It seems boat these days have a lot smaller engins on them?? My 18 with a 150 goes great but I'm seeing 21' with 115hp and i think it woudl be a turd but I'm assuming.

Let me know some general boat builders that you have heard good things about please.

Mike

[Raining_Kings]

Personally, I'd look at Duckworth, Boulton & Thunderjets...in that order. I'm sure others will add Alumaweld, CustomWeld, Woolrich, Willie et. all. as well. There's a big cost difference between the 115hp and 150hp, in both the motor and build cost (recommend hydrolic steering for 150hp and above for example). For me, it was almost a $5000 difference, so I'm one of those guys running a 115hp on my 18'6.

I like the offshore bracket, but I want to see it part of the hull and not looking like something just welded on at the last minute. Not sure who does that best just yet (North River was one). I'd also recommend getting the kicker mounted on the transom if you have that option. It's a long stretch to reach controls on my kicker on the offshore bracket.

Good luck and post some pictures of what you are looking at and end up with. Most guys on this site love boat pictures.

[RGB]

Before you know it the kids will be old enough that they don't want to spend any time with old dad anymore and you'll be saying your new boat is just to big to handle alone.:passout:

[niceshot]

3 and 5 so i got a few years. Now if i could get their mom to say that, life would be good:D

[RGB]

Same ages as my two pot lickers, have fun boat shopping there should be some great deals to be had.

[bvs]

My 18 with a 150 goes great but I'm seeing 21' with 115hp and i think it woudl be a turd but I'm assuming.
Mike

Your assumptions would be correct. They put 115's on these boats to keep the price down and because motoring up and down blue-water swells 25mph wide-out is all you need. Also, many welded boats have a shallower V (and/or a delta-pad) than your Lund and don't require as much power.

If you want the same performance that you currently have on a deep-V welded boat, you'll need 225hp.

Every salesman will say 115hp is adequate, and 150hp will be plenty. When I actually test-rode the boats I found 115hp to be painful and 150hp to be just barely enough at sea level. I have a 21' with offshore bracket and a 225hp Honda and still can only manage 39mph@6000rpm at 4000'.

One exception is Wooldridge boats, if you can afford the premium and are willing to wait for them to build the boat. Rather than use heavy plating and beams in their hulls, they use a lot more cross-bracing. It is much more labor intensive, but their boats weigh 1000lbs less. A 21' Wooldridge with 150hp will outperform a 21' Northriver with 225hp.

[ReelGoodMan]

Before you know it the kids will be old enough that they don't want to spend any time with old dad anymore and you'll be saying your new boat is just to big to handle alone.:passout:

True, but then the kids will grow up out of that stage and all they'll want to do is spend time on the boat with dad.

My old man has a 20' Thunder Jet Luxor with the OS bracket. He's running a 140hp Suzuki out back. He loves the boat. Wouldn't have it any other way. Granted, we don't do a lot of full throttle runs, so speed and power aren't a huge issue. Most of our fishing spots are close to the boat ramps we use, but I have got it up to 42mph at about 3700 rpms. Just my :twocents:.

[fish junky]

I would also look at the Fish-Rite brand. A friend of mine bought a new one and it's a well built boat. Built in Oregon too. :wink:

[SlipKnot]

If you put a 115 (any brand) on the size of boat you are considering, you WILL be sorry.

A 150 with power steering is a minimum as far as I'm concerned. I've been very happy with my 150 on a 22' aluminum but I regret not getting the power steering.

Have fun looking.

[CKThunder]

Too many good boats out there to count...
Make sure you look for a good service center or make sure the factory will approve work at a local service center if you do not live close to a dealership.
a 115 will be the barest minimum... if speed and power are not issues then why not save the money?
it really depends on what your true needs are.
PM me and I can give it to you straight from the horses mouth