baja-chris
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- Joined
- Aug 26, 2019
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Howdy all, planning to get back on the water after a 15+ year break and need some guidance.
Boating experience mostly limited to an old 19ft Eliminator Daytona with a 235 then a 20ft Schiada with a 300 merc 2-stroke.
Wife did some speed skiing in her youth and spent a lot of time on the lower Colorado in various OB ski boats.
Almost sunk the little Daytona on Lake Powell when a storm kicked up 4+ foot waves. But it was a nice ride on the lower colorado.
The Schiada did ok in rougher water but certainly not comfortable and wife hated it when it got rough (small shallow V).
So now we are both retirement age, banged up a bit from hard living, and looking for something easy to get in and out at a beach or sand bar (thinking deck boat or pontoon),
And we want something that gives a smooth comfortable ride on Havasu when it gets rough in the afternoon at say 45 mph.
Don't really need anything super fast, I'd be ok with a top speed north of 60 but probably never go above 80 even if the boat can.
Also concerned about insurance costs. And needs dog friendly seating for our lab, and my wife who likes to sit with the dog while underway.
How does something like a 26 Nordic deck OB compare to say a 27 X-flight or Howard VTX 255 at 45mph on a rough Havasu day?
Primary use will be at Havasu but love to run up the river to around Avi or trailer it down to Martinez.
Skeptical of I/O for shallower river use. Should I stick to OB for that use? Or is an I/O ok? Can I/O be trimmed up while on plane for a shallower draft or is it just for trimming boat attitude?
In the 26-29ft range, at speeds of around 45mph is there much difference in rough water ride between a deep V and a cat?
Is a 26 cat big enough to avoid punching through 4ft waves on Powell? Tons more choices in used deck boats with I/O, not many OB.
Wife likes idea of a pontoon boat but I'd like something more performance oriented. Love to stay around $50k for a used boat but could go much higher if needed, max around $150k.
Boating experience mostly limited to an old 19ft Eliminator Daytona with a 235 then a 20ft Schiada with a 300 merc 2-stroke.
Wife did some speed skiing in her youth and spent a lot of time on the lower Colorado in various OB ski boats.
Almost sunk the little Daytona on Lake Powell when a storm kicked up 4+ foot waves. But it was a nice ride on the lower colorado.
The Schiada did ok in rougher water but certainly not comfortable and wife hated it when it got rough (small shallow V).
So now we are both retirement age, banged up a bit from hard living, and looking for something easy to get in and out at a beach or sand bar (thinking deck boat or pontoon),
And we want something that gives a smooth comfortable ride on Havasu when it gets rough in the afternoon at say 45 mph.
Don't really need anything super fast, I'd be ok with a top speed north of 60 but probably never go above 80 even if the boat can.
Also concerned about insurance costs. And needs dog friendly seating for our lab, and my wife who likes to sit with the dog while underway.
How does something like a 26 Nordic deck OB compare to say a 27 X-flight or Howard VTX 255 at 45mph on a rough Havasu day?
Primary use will be at Havasu but love to run up the river to around Avi or trailer it down to Martinez.
Skeptical of I/O for shallower river use. Should I stick to OB for that use? Or is an I/O ok? Can I/O be trimmed up while on plane for a shallower draft or is it just for trimming boat attitude?
In the 26-29ft range, at speeds of around 45mph is there much difference in rough water ride between a deep V and a cat?
Is a 26 cat big enough to avoid punching through 4ft waves on Powell? Tons more choices in used deck boats with I/O, not many OB.
Wife likes idea of a pontoon boat but I'd like something more performance oriented. Love to stay around $50k for a used boat but could go much higher if needed, max around $150k.