Question:
Fish and Ski Boats. Anyone help?
I am considering the purchase of a multi purpose boat (such as a Ranger
Sport or a Stratos Fish and Ski series) for fishing and water skiing.
What are the benefits and drawbacks of this type of boat? Do they
perform adequately at both jobs?
Answer:
- Yes and no. The ones that were modified runabouts are just as good as
runabouts and ski boats as their originals - just a little more expensive.
They are not exactly a bass boat, if that's what you're after. But they can be
excellent fishing boats. The latest issue of Trailer Boats magazine has a
run-down of about a dozen different ski and fish models. I would highly
recommend checking that out before you make your decision.
- I had an 89 Stratos for 266FS for over 8 years and loved it. Sold it for a
little more than half the purchase price in less than 2 weeks. I thought
that was good, I've heard boats were not easy to get rid of. I would have
kept it longer but our family grew out of it. I went with an inboard this
time and the next boat will be an outboard fish and ski. The worst part
about it was the walk through windshield. I hung it a few times while
casting, but not as many times as the trees though.
- I've been doing a little research on these types of boats for awhile. I
think they make excellent compromise boats if you are not conerned with:
1) Hard-core bass tournaments
2) Competitive water skiing
This really suits me fine. The problem is that the variety of boats out
there are mind-boggling, and it's difficult to tell where the best
bang-for-the-buck is.
I've been out of the loop for awhile about outboard motors, so part of my
biases will be slanted toward my favorite brand, Yamaha. It's possible
there are better motors for the $$ now.
