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troutbug
04-02-2016, 07:47 PM
Sometime in the near future I would like to get a boat fit for the family. All 4 of us (myself, wife, 5 & 6 year olds) are addicted to fishing as many know.
Flyfishing for the most part, kids are almost converted lol

The 12 foot aluminum is not quite suitable for us especially on bigger lakes. We will need something fairly stable. I have only really ever had to worry about myself and my little boat but the kids made it a game changer.

Curious as to what others in my situation use for a fishing boat and maybe some opinions on makes etc?

Much appreciated

EZM
04-02-2016, 08:42 PM
It depends on your budget - but when my kids were younger - we wanted a great fishing boat that could also serve as a boat or tubing, knee boarding, sun lounging.

We went with a Lund Tyee with a ski package. They are a bit more money compared to other brands - but you can't ask for a better quality production boat.

There is also the Lund crossover .... which is pretty close to the Tyee but a few grand cheaper .... a great choice ...

http://www.lundboats.com/boat-series/crossover-xs/

We love our boat - It's a premium fishing boat for the 98% we are fishing and can convert to a great ski/play boat with lounging cushions in the bow, a ski pole, swim ladder, stereo, sun top, built in cooler, etc... for the 2% of the time we are not fishing.

Angler2
04-03-2016, 09:49 AM
Sometime in the near future I would like to get a boat fit for the family. All 4 of us (myself, wife, 5 & 6 year olds) are addicted to fishing as many know.
Flyfishing for the most part, kids are almost converted lol

The 12 foot aluminum is not quite suitable for us especially on bigger lakes. We will need something fairly stable. I have only really ever had to worry about myself and my little boat but the kids made it a game changer.

Curious as to what others in my situation use for a fishing boat and maybe some opinions on makes etc?

Much appreciated

I was in the same "boat" about 5 years ago. Purchased a 17' Crestliner Superhawk with a 125 Merc optimax.
. Thought the two stroke would be better for pulling tubes etc. Haven't pulled tubes for a few years now but still enjoying a great fishing boat! I wouldn't go any smaller than 17' if you are fishing with 4 people. Go as big as fits your budget and your tow vehicle. Crestliner builds a great boat and have been very happy with it. If in Edm go see Thane at Free Spirit Marine. Happy shopping!

CritterCommander
04-03-2016, 09:57 AM
Been a Lund guy for years. Most recent is a 1875 Crossover with 150 Merc. Loving it. Lots of room, lots of power, handles rough water like a dream!

Snowbalz
04-03-2016, 10:59 AM
Family of four also...we went from a 16 foot Lund ssv that was great for two people and way to uncomfortable with 4 but we ended up trading it in for a 1775 Lund crossover 150 merc for water sports and fishing awesome boat.

sanjuanworm
04-03-2016, 11:08 AM
I bought a Crestliner Super Hawk 1650 for my family of 4. Was 27,000 all in with a 115 optimax merc. Love it.

bwackwabbit
04-03-2016, 11:35 AM
Bought a Princecraft Holiday DLX and love it!

Salmo
04-03-2016, 05:49 PM
I would agree with a minimum of 17'. I bought a Princecraft Sport 174 with a 115 Merc 4 Stroke. It can be a bit tight with 4 people fishing. Watersports are no problem and lots of fun.

waiting41
04-03-2016, 06:42 PM
Got a 16.5 smokercraft with a 50 hp 4 stroke.....to small for 4 adults....ok for 2 and 2 kids.
PERFECT for 2 guys and thier stuff...

bigtuna81
04-03-2016, 09:25 PM
Last year my dad and I went through the same decision making process. We wanted to upgrade of 16' sylvan to a boat more suited for family use. We looked at pontoon's and crossover style boats and ultimately decided on a Crestliner Superhawk 1750 and we love it. We can fish 4 adults easy out of it and we had on multiple occasions 3 adults and 4 kids ages 3-7 in there with no problems (of course the kids were doing most of the fishing). And when the kids get older it will allow us to take tubing and skiing. For this type of boat all the major brands have their version,we looked at Lund, Tracker, Smokercraft and Princecraft before deciding on the Crestliner. There was a wide range of prices from mid 20's to high 50's, it will depend on your budget and comfort level. Take your time and find the right boat for you, with the right boat you should get 20+ years of use

Krisrf
04-04-2016, 08:57 AM
I'm on my second Alumacraft. My first one was a Dominator 165 with a 90 HP Etec on it. That was a good fishing boat. I upgraded a couple of years ago to the new Tournament Sport 185 with a 175 HP Etec. I spent money on electronics and networking of those electronics. I'm now looking at turbo bars and swimming platforms/ladders to set it up for a bit of skiing. This boat would comfortably fish 4 adults. Particularly for fly fishing, I'd strongly recommend a wide boat. You'll lose a bit of upper end speed but the fishability of it will be better. You also don't need to go 40 mph to ski, just having some torque is nice.

I think there's a lot of great boats out there. Service became a big thing for me out of Central Alberta so went with the Alumacraft. I think any of the upper end boats are a good investment and don't lose a ton of value. The only thing I'd suggest on that front is if you can wait for a year until the Canadian dollar strengthens, you will have better holding value in the boat (and pay quite a bit less). I bought both my boats at nearly par and feel very comfortable with where this current one would be worth (if I would find a buyer and want to find sell it mind you).

K

SamSteele
04-04-2016, 10:40 AM
I have owned a lot of different boats since I was 16. Most were old fiberglass tubs with smoky 2 strokes on them, but they got me out fishing and did what I needed. About 6 years ago I bought a used Sylvan 1600 Expedition with a 90 hp Yamaha 2 stroke. Single console, wide, had fancy stuff like a livewell in it ( :sHa_shakeshout: ) and I figured it would be all I would need. At this point I had all three kids, but they were still small and I figured that we would all fit in it for a long time. Fast forward to last year and it became pretty obvious that i was deluded when I thought it would last us. The single console was great for moving around the boat, but the kids and my wife would get cold and wet without a full windshield. The boat only had 3 pedestals, so a couple kids had to sit on tackle boxes or the floor. The width of the boat helped, but it was cramped and made lines getting tangled a more frequent event. Not fun for anyone when that happens.

We started looking at boats last year and really liked the Lund 1875 Crossover XS, however the price tag was pretty hefty. Especially if you start adding electronics and options. We loved the jump seats in the back as they added a lot of versatility. I did not like the Lund Impact or Crestliner flip over seat style as I didn't want to be flipping seats to access livewells.

Early this spring I was told about the Lund Impact 1850 XS. It has the Crossover style rear area, but the price point of the Impact series is lower than the Crossover. I found a 2015 version and decked it out for less than a Crossover 1875 would have been. I have pictures of it in a thread here if you care to look.

All of that to say, look for what your boat needs are likely going to be further down the road when your kids get bigger. I would have had a lot more joy starting out with a better boat instead of trying to make due with what I had. Understandably, that all needs to work within a budget too...

SS