cig20

iTrader: (1)

what are the pros and con of these 2 boats
what is the better choice for lake mich all imput please
also weight of boats and what is needed to tow

andyt25

both are very nice will probably ride about the same the sonic has the integrated swim platform which I prefer and the sonic has an enclosed head I don't know about the active. Both can be towed with a half ton truck , I would just go look at both close up and see which one you like better you can't go wrong with either

509 SC

I agree with Andy 25. I had a 26 Sonic and have never been on a 25 AT, saw one at LOTO and it looked small compared to the Prowler. The AT will be faster with equal power, the Sonic's cabin can't be beat in that size of boat. Everything in life's a tradeoff!
Steve

cig20

iTrader: (1)

can either be towed with a tahoe

Beak Boater

Pat builds a good boat, unless its been misused or dogged, I would go with the AT. Sydwayz On OSO will be along shortly, once he's seen the thread. He had a Sonic 26 I think. He knows AT's also. He could give the the plus's or minus's for each model.

MILD THUNDER

iTrader: (3)

lake michigan? I'd look at a 32 active thunder or 31 sonic at minimum. Both build great boats.

Owning a 25-26FT boat on lake michigan, will limit the days you can go out and enjoy boating imo. Personally, i dont mind getting a good pounding once and a while in some rough water. Its when you have company with you that it becomes a problem. Guys i know with decent HP engines in single 25-27FT boats who regularly run on lake michigan, tend to go thru drives too often. The boat spends the majority of time out of the water while running, and real hard on drives.

One of the local guys has a 25 AT with a merc 600SC. it is a really nice boat. I'd pick a day come next season, when the lake is a little choppy, like a 1-3FT day according to noaa. Go out on someones 25-26, and see how you like the handling/ride. Then go on a 30-32, and compare.

My buddy Chris had bought a 28 pantera for lake michigan. There is no doubt Pantera's are one of the best running boats in that size range. However, we would run side by side when i had my old 40' Formula at 65-70mph thru 2-3' waves. He kept up , but when we stopped after a 30 minute run or so , my crew would be on their 2nd or 3rd beer, and his crew looked as if they just ran a triathalon. I also remember my buddy Tony in his 271 Formula going for a lunch run with us from hammond indiana, to new buffalo michigan. (about 40 miles away). We ran thru 2-3's the entire way. He had blue jeans on, and he literally wore thru the skin on his upper a$$ from the bolster seat, and was bleeding a little when we arrived.

Sorry if i sound like im preaching. I just have been there before. I had a heavy old Four Winns Liberator 241 with a custom 540CI motor. First time i took it out on lake michigan on a rough day, I stuffed it twice, second time almost blowing the windshield out. Ended up going to a much bigger boat, and for not much more money. We have a large group of offshore boaters in our area here, and most of us had smaller boats, and now larger boats. From a cost standpoint, im sure they would agree, it woulda been cheaper to go straight to the larger boat from the get-go.

Baja_man

I think he was asking specifically about either a 25 or 26. Of course there will be no comparison to a larger boat but his question was specific to these two.

Baja226sport

iTrader: (28)

i owned a 2000 26 prowler with a 502 mag. Very very nice boat, gives a real big boat feel for only 26 foot. The only thing is that it is a slow hull. If you are looking to go fast the active thunder would be the better way to go. If your ok with 62-63 mph and a just plain comfortable boat then the sonic. i towed mine with a 2003 chevy 1500 with 5.3 v8 at the time. You can tell there is some weight there but if you have a good trailer with working breaks you should be ok!!!

ICDEDPPL

iTrader: (1)

Mild, I looked for months, theres no way i could find a 30-32' with the same top speed performance, age, hours, quality, or shape in my price range as my Tantrum. Not even close.
My budget is higher now hence the sale
http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...o36977-en.html

but I`m still unsure if bigger is really worth it to me.. twice the headache as far as drives/motors, need bigger tow vehicle, find new storage (wont fit in garage)..
We were out every weekend, there was only one day we got really beat up it was like a washing machine, Id like a bigger boat (midcabin) for more room, ride quality would just be a nice plus.
I do agree thou Lake Michigan is a drive killer.. I think having 2 is a plus since they help each other out as far as breaking them

MILD THUNDER

iTrader: (3)

I will say this year we were all lucky on our side of the lake. I too only remember 1-2 days where it was rough on the weekends. It was a hot summer. Along with the hot summer, comes sout-southwest winds. Makes for calm waters. I remember many seasons when summer wasnt so pleasant. Sunny 70-75 degree days in july/august with winds howling out of the north. 41 Apaches would be in the harbor.

So what you lookin at if the AT sells?