rak rua

Sorry for the long post......

Tired of hopping 4-5' waves at 50 mph, looking to go slow in a smaller boat. I'm looking at single 496 power and don't need high speed. Big cockpit and lounge area, forward cuddy with a few nice amenities.

A few manufacturers offer all this but the conditions here are pretty rough most days and I want to stay on the plane and still ride the waves. I know these boats aren't really OSO type boats but you guys have seen them everywhere, probably ridden them, and you know more about boat designs and handling than many who own these boats! Any input/ideas is appreciated.

Sea Ray bow riders, Chris Craft Corsair, Formula SS, Crownline SC and more have good looking boats but deadrise ranges from 19 des to 22 deg. I know around 24 is considered ideal for offshore but what about offshore if you want to go at 25mph? I had a 2007 Sea Ray 270 bow rider and at 21 degree deadrise it was a pig in the rough. It did not have a very fine entry compared to offshore boats and it just hit every wave with a smack. Formula 270 SS look nice, 22 deg deadrise and the bow entry appears a lot finer than the Sea Ray. Same for the Crownline 286 SC but the deadrise is only 19 deg.

The true offshore boats lack the cockpit space and amenities because they are geared to speed and some don't like to stay on the plane at lower speeds.

Cheers,
RR

Full Force

Baja fits most of that NEED, they have more space then any other offshore I seen, have a head if you get the right boat, and can ride decent, depends where you boat also..

tommymonza

Buy a World Cat or Glacier Bay. They are like riding in a 1974 Cadillac in 2-3s

rak rua

Yeah, I've considered Baja 26. Probably more room than most performance style boats but still not much space to lounge around for more than two people. Pretty basic for fitout, could use a wet bar at least. These 'low deadrise' boats all have great lounging areas at the stern which blend into the boarding platform at water level and the walk thru transom is great.

Looked into World Cat, 230sd looks nice but too small. Go up slightly in size and they're all about fishing. Have thought about buying a bare boat (like stage 2 or similar) and then fitting it out here. I think I still prefer a mono hull if I can find one.

Maybe I'm dreaming about a smooth water boat and wishing it could handle the ocean.

Thanks for input, nothing is out of the question yet......

RR

rak rua

Just remembering Baja and their foray into the 26 outboard......

If they'd have done that properly, good looking bracket, half the engine hatch size to increase the cockpit and decent graphics, that could be a closer match. Outboards work for me but AT is the only manufacturer who is playing with them. Their 29 looks awesome but still very bland interiors that go with the sports market. I know they would customize but it pumps the price and also it's a lot easier to buy 'off the shelf' when I'm stuck on the other side of the world.

RR

Waterboy123

What about some of the dual console boats? Robalo R247 with twin outboards, or if you want to step it up pursuit makes some nice dual console boats, these are much more suited to rougher conditions then the likes of the searay slx series of boats

rak rua

Robalo and Pursuit are fishing boats. Both look great but I'm after luxury lounge room feel on the water. I'd buy a pontoon if the water was calm over here!

Interestingly, Pursuit have 24 degree V on everything except the dual console which is 21. Maybe I'm overthinking the deadrise......?

Thank you,
RR

class6

I have a perfect 24 Pantera for you, Seats at least 3 before over crowding. Plenty of room for a very small cooler and a cell phone

BajaDan

I admit it, I'm a Baja fan, so shoot me. Fact is that one of the nice things about this boat is that it does so many things well. Running real fast is not one of them. However, if you like to cruise and anchor and walk around and generally have a good time on a boat, you could do worse.

Ours is a 252 Islander which has a fair amount of space. Sounds like you would like a 29 Islander with a single engine. They made these for the LOTO market and several are currently available. They will be slow, but, as you mention, there is more to boating than going as fast as it will go.

Most of our boating is cruising in the high 30's low 40's range and the 252 does that well even in reasonably rough conditions (up to about 2 feet). If you want something newer, the 277 is also a good choice. If it is not just a day boat and you have to have a cabin, then this might not fill your needs, but if you want to anchor and the conditions are not dead calm, you will really appreciate the islander.

Good luck with your search.

soldier4402

I just dumped a chaparral 265SSi. U shaped back end, sporty looking, can fit 6-10 people, enclosed head. Mine had a 5.7gxi 45-50mph boat, but you can get it in an 8.1 I think. But they make the SSI in a 285 which has twins, and a I think a 256 that comes in a bow ride. Chap I would say is close to Formula SS and better than sea ray.

Layout was perfect, everything easily accessible. Great boat, I would recommend it.

But you are right I had a fountain, wouldn't go any slower than about 30 mph, and was really only good for 3-5 people.