just starting over went to cass lake mn. family loved it and im hooked on walleye! Looking for sugg. on a family boat for 4. rented an alaskan 18 with 50yamaha liked the low floor for the kids and open space. will be towing w chev p/u however its a 10hr drive.. want to pick boat first befor electronics etc. Also really liked the yamaha 4stroke. thx for any help:huh:

Please feel free to call me anytime to discuss and answer questions you may have regarding your new boat buying venture.

Steve Fellegy
http://www.npaa.net/memdir/49.htm

Tiller or Windshield boat?

first thx for the reply. Wife loves to fish and wants a little versility. She would go out with the kids. probably a wheel. I did enjoy trolling. Safety and reliability a must without getting crazy with $$$.

I fish Cass a lot, great lake isn't it? On a boat, one word of advice, get TWO consoles. I was going to get one when I bought my boat, but the salesman talked me into two. All he had to say,"is your wife ever going to fish with you", I said yea. Well he was right. There have been times I have been out and a storm came up fast. I speed in as fast as my boat could go. The wife ducked down behind the windshield on her side. Me, I had rain pelting me in the face. OUch. When we got back it, she said, it wasn't that bad. DOH!!

A lot depends on your budget and frankly how often you’ll be using a boat. One other point worth mentioning is that the market for previously owned boats is extremely soft right now and will be for at least the next 6 months. So, you might want to check out the WC Classifieds @

https://www.walleyecentral.com/classified/new/searchresults.jsp

I am in much the same boat so to speak as you. Family to think of, kid that tubes and skis and a wife that hates the cold/wet.

I would recommend a fish/ski combo boat in the 17-19 ft range. Many to chose from (Skeeter WX 1880, Crestliner Sportfish, Alumacraft has one, Ranger Reata, Lund Tyee styles, Stratos 386 XF, Warrior 1800, Yarcraft 186 FSX, Four Winns has a combo as does Glastron, and for cheap yet effective Bayliner 1954 Capri CW). Many I mentined arent the cheapest, many have been around for awhile and you can find cherry 3-8 year old boats well taken care of that may make them a bit more respectable pricewise (anyhere from 4k-45k new or used). A few metioned lean more fish, other lean more ski.

I agree with the windshield comments... You do lose some of the storage and contour trolling attributes the tiller and single console boats possess, but I feel being more comfortable in inclement weather is a decent tradeoff.

Good luck in your search. Fun time of life to get to look for non-essential "fun" stuff. Perfect time right now to be buying those fun items with the economy the way it is.

Lots of good choices out there.

Dont forget about capacity ratings. You mentioned your family. That means perhaps some of their friends also at times.
I see on the Yarcraft website, the new 186FSX (nice boat) only has a listed person capacity of 5. The Lund 1850 Tyee is listed at 8. Could be an issue if Lil' Johnny wants to bring some of his friends so they can see the coolest Dad in the world. With the boat market the way it is, you should be able to find a great deal on a used boat.

Good luck, enjoy!
Bluegill 1

All depends on the $ you want to spend. For an all around, not to crazy money, fishing/tubing/ skiing boat look at the Lund Explorer with a 75+ Yamaha. I believe they are available with full windshield or the two separate shields.

IMHO

Thanks to all! Great ideas, didnt consider some of the mfg. suggested but will do my homework now. Yes Cass was great and caught some fish to. Already booked for next fall.
SteveFellegy was great and took alot of time explaining what was out there now.
Looking at 18 to 20ft., used, probably wheel, a couple of years old

I run a 2005 Stratos 386xf with a 150 Yamaha. Excellent boat for this situation. I have the wife and 3 kids. Some of the nice features with this rig is that the bow converts over to a open bow rider or flip the deck lid out and it is now casting platform. Full walk thru windshield keeps the wind off when weather turns foul. Ample storage. Boat runs 45mph with full tank of gas, family and all the gear that comes with. 48.6mph with 1/2 tank and a fishin buddy. Two live wells and a bait well. If you have any questions on this boat let me know.

Nothing was said of Alum,or glass and starcraft is another one to toss around.As said already there are some very good boats on this site. I always buy in the fall of the year,seems more of a buyers market.One thing I might add is get enough motor for what you are planning on doing. Happy Hunting

Check out HewesCraft, I think that might fit what your looking for. Although your not going to find any used ones around unless your looking in alaska or washington