What is the best small boat to buy?

Question

I know WHERE to buy boats, but need advice on the BEST Make of boat to buy for running around Pensacola bay and up the rivers, need a dependable, safe, comfortable boat with cushioned seats. Which is better? Maxum. ? Bayliner ? or some other make. PLEASE ONLY PEOPLE WHO KNOW BOATS REPLY. and don't tell me where to buy .Thank you

Answer 1

Without question the Bayliner will meat your needs.  Maxum is a division of Bayliner.  Almost all of these runabouts use one of the big three, Mercrusier, Volvo, or OMC, stern drives.  The hulls are fiberglass, and most of the instruments are about the same, so it all comes down to what you like.

Answer 2

I've owned various makes and found Wellcrafts to be fair quality at reasonable prices (used boats) and Larson to be very good quality and reasonable prices.  Four Wynns are also very good boats.  It is better to buy a lightly used well cared for quality boat than it is to buy a new cheap boat.

Answer 3

to set your mind at ease let me begin by saying I've been boating since 1984...

Once upon a time I would have recommended Maxum but their quality has slipped tremendously the last few years.

Bayliner has always been thought of as a lower quality boat

What to recommend? Try Chaparral. Yes, I am a big fan of theirs as we have owned 2 over the last 20 years. They have great quality, excellent warranties and they are priced below those such as Sea Ray, Formula, etc. Our 89 2550SX was used for 15 years...looked new when we sold her and got us top dollar on resale value. Our 2004 35' Signature is one of the best looking and well thought out layouts by far.

Try Cobalt and Sea Ray as well for quality but these come with a higher price tag. And there are plenty of manufacturer's with center console boats that would be excellent for the waters you will be on. Boston Whaler and Mako are two that come to mind real quick.

Hope it helps & good luck!

Answer 4

I don't really like to answer "opinion" type questions... because there is, I guess, no real right or wrong opinion...  

just everyones' opinions... and of course we all have our own.

However... you struck a blow to me on this one, with the mention of: "safe, comfortable, and Bayliner..."  One of those words doesn't belong with the other two...

I have spent my life on the water...  and I can tell you from hard experience that if you seek "comfort" then... (all other factors being the same ie: hull shape, type, etc.)  the "heavier" built boat, will always give you more "comfort" and in my opinion, more safety.

As far as "Bayliner" is concerned... Seriously... you could not give me any of their boats.  In fact, if they offered me one for free - based on the fact I had to use it as my only boat for the rest of my life - I would have to turn down the offer.



They are light weight, fragile, and certainly not comfortable even in mildly marginal rough waters, as most often is the case in Pensacola Bay.  And I know for many years they had known problems with their hulls splitting wide open - just from prolonged impact on rough waters...

I do not know a thing about Maxum... I see very few of them on the water, and their are none in my Marina.   (I do see a few of them on land at the used boat brokers' lots.)  But I know of no one that has one, and I am in Galveston Bay.

I don't want to pop you bubble of excitement... I love boating and wish only that everyone else could love it, and enjoy it as much as I do...  But part and a very important partial of that is in buying and owning the right boat for the kind of boating you want to do...  Think of your boat - as the "right tool" for the job.  Cheap tools break, and wrong tools... well, they just don't work so well, and make the job much harder and more difficult.  Most all boats in most all sizes... come in heavier "sea worthy" versions, as well as lighter "fresh water" choices... the difference is not just in the motor, mechanics or electronics... the bigger difference is in the boats weight, hull design (especially in the bows)... and they are heavier and built for rougher water, heavier seas... This is why you often see one boat effortly cruise past with everyone smiling... while another (of similar size) is struggling though the rough water, waves and wakes... with the look of near panic on their faces.

Happy & Safe Boating!