Opinions/advice on a fishing/ski boat for family

  • Chad Luebker
    Annandale, MN
    Posts: 407
    July 25, 2011 at 8:16 pm #1273193

    Hello –

    In the distant future our family will be purchasing a boat that will be used for fishing and tubing/skiing. I am doing my homework way before hand so I know what to look for. What do people on here use so one boat can be used for 2 pleasures! I love the rangers/skeeters but I am wondering how much water depth you need to get them in and out of the lake. Advantage of a fiberglass boat vs. aluminum besides the better ride? It will be mostly stored under a boat lift on the lake where we live. It’s a small 200 acre lake so I don’t know if a Ranger/skeeter will be over kill? Would I be better off with something like a Lund Tyee that a ski pole can be easily put in place when needed? Anyways, I want the purchase to be done right the first time so we are not regretting anything or looking for any upgrades within a couple years after. Thanks in advance!

    Chad

    fishthumper
    Sartell, MN.
    Posts: 11861
    July 25, 2011 at 8:37 pm #983705

    I guess that will depend on what side you plan more use on. Pleasure boating or fishing. I guess I’d rather pleasure boat a few time a year out of a Fishing boat than to Fish a lot out of a pleasure boat. I say you could not go wrong with a fish and ski model from either Ranger or Skeeter in one is in your price point

    farmboy1
    Mantorville, MN
    Posts: 3668
    July 25, 2011 at 8:46 pm #983710

    I don’t think there is such thing as a “Fish and Ski”. I think you can have a fishing boat that you tube/ski out of, but pleasure boats really suck at fishing.

    IMHO, get a fishing boat and let the family use it a few times a year.

    chippee
    sw wi
    Posts: 488
    July 25, 2011 at 10:21 pm #983742

    I have an alumacraft navigator 175 with a 115 opti and full windshield, mostly a fishing boat but doubles quite well as family/tubing boat I’m comfortable with the deck space for fishing but we also have open room for when the kids are along which gives everyone a seat and safer for kids not going over the edge( dont know how old your kids are)as for aluminum vs glass, might not matter on a lake but on the river I like aluminum because you cant go long without someone wanting to pull up on a sandbar and swim and play and there is the occasional rock you might hit dents and scratches are better than holes

    Tom P.
    Whitehall Wi.
    Posts: 3518
    July 25, 2011 at 11:39 pm #983766

    There are actually many boats that can do both jobs reasonably well. Crestliner 1850 Fish Hawk with a 150 hp will pull skiers and tubes just fine with more then ample room inside. Lunds 1775 1800 1875 with a good motor can do any thing a fish and ski does. Alumacraft same way it does not have to say fish and ski on the side of it.

    fireman731
    Miles, Iowa
    Posts: 574
    July 26, 2011 at 12:14 am #983775

    I run a Alumacraft 175 CS with a 90hp 4 stroke, a little slow getting on plane when we pull ski’s but it gets the job done a 115hp on it would probably be ideal.

    wes_bergemann
    Crystal, MN
    Posts: 458
    July 26, 2011 at 12:19 am #983776

    All I can say is JUMP SEATS. I use the boat mostly for fishing and have the alumacraft navigator 175 with full windshield. I wish I would have gone with a model with the jump seats instead. Max out the Horse power as well if you want to pull. I went with the 115 instead of the 150 mostly because of the weight difference. My kids are small, so now I have an excuse to upgrade when they outgrow this one

    big_g
    Isle, MN
    Posts: 22386
    July 26, 2011 at 12:23 am #983777

    It begs the question… Glass or Alum ? I know alot of younger families who got a 17′, like a Starcraft, with a 90 HP motor and they work great on a smaller lake, plenty of HP to pull a person up on 2 skis and also enough for tubing. Also makes a great boat to fish out of. And more importantly, lets you keep some $$$ to keep it gassed up Have fun shopping

    Ralph Wiggum
    Maple Grove, MN
    Posts: 11764
    July 26, 2011 at 12:26 am #983779

    As mentioned, lots and lots of boats will be able to pull double-duty. It just matters how good of a fishing boat you want versus how good of a ski boat you want. We used to get it all done with an Alumacraft Competitor 170 with a 2-stroke 115 on it. It didn’t do any one thing particularly well, but we accomplished pretty much everything we set out to do. I will say that if you plan on skiing with it, I would not look at anything less than a 115 2-stroke (probably at least a 150 4-stroke) if you plan on pulling full-sized skiers.
    If you want to do everything without sacrificing, you’ll need a set-up like we have at my in-law’s cabin: M-I-L has an Alumncraft console boat and a pontoon, one brother-in-law has a couple jet skis, another brother-in-law has a Mastercraft ski boat, and I have a tiller fishing boat. We’ve got our bases covered for pretty much any water activity

    85lund
    Menomonie, WI
    Posts: 2317
    July 26, 2011 at 3:46 am #983822

    Quote:

    All I can say is JUMP SEATS.

    X2

    jeff_hansen
    Posts: 475
    July 26, 2011 at 4:37 am #983824

    I had the same kind of needs and picked up a Ranger Reata 1750/ Yamaha F150. It has been a great rig for fishing the Mississippi and Lake Michigan, tubing/skiing, and just cruising the river. To me it seems to do a great job doing everything that I ask it to do and more, while providing a very comfortable ride. Today I spent 8 hours in some pretty shallow, ugly places fishing frogs in the slop and had a blast… Great frog bite out there right now.

    mustfish
    Posts: 22
    July 26, 2011 at 5:04 am #983827

    We also have a Ranger Reata 1750, and love it. Ours has the F115 Yamaha since it is the 2008 model only rated for 130hp. It is used 90% fishing, and 10% skiing and tubing. I’d get the same boat in a second, but with the F150 – the F115 is a bit pokey out of the hole.

    Good luck,
    Dave

    joe-bauman
    Rochester, MN
    Posts: 237
    July 26, 2011 at 11:59 am #983851

    My wife insisted on the Tyee when we were looking as she wanted a deeper boat for our young kids. The windshield is nice too as it is a little warmer on rides.

    Joe Scegura
    Alexandria MN
    Posts: 2758
    July 26, 2011 at 1:00 pm #983868

    Quote:

    I don’t think there is such thing as a “Fish and Ski”. I think you can have a fishing boat that you tube/ski out of, but pleasure boats really suck at fishing.

    IMHO, get a fishing boat and let the family use it a few times a year.

    X2

    My wife pulls the nieces and nephews on a tube with the 20′ tiller. There’s really no fishing boat you can’t have fun with on the water. Heck we live in MN there’s only about 4 weekends a year nice enough to pleasure boat anyhow.

    Ralph Wiggum
    Maple Grove, MN
    Posts: 11764
    July 26, 2011 at 1:07 pm #983869

    Quote:

    There’s really no fishing boat you can’t have fun with on the water.


    Ain’t that the truth! My wife still talks about learning to ski when she was 6 years old behind a 14′ boat with a 15 horse on it!

    big_g
    Isle, MN
    Posts: 22386
    July 26, 2011 at 6:19 pm #983929

    Just to warn people.. don’t be drinking a coke as you read this… I learned to ski behind a 14′ SEARS aluminum boat, with a 9.9 Johnson

    patk
    Nisswa, MN
    Posts: 1997
    June 29, 2016 at 3:30 pm #1626996

    Oops, meant to put these in the new thread started the other day.

    Can one of your kids come over to my house to program my vcr? Apparently I’m tech illiterate

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