What requires more skill, running a big or a small boat?
 

Just for discussion sake, those of you that have started out small and moved to big. What size to you consider small? I know bigger boats are harder to handle, but couldn't the argument be made that conditions affect the little guys a lot more? What size do you think is a good one to start out at to "get in the game"?

They both have their challenges.

Docking and maneuvering a twin is much easier in close quarters than a single.

Where do you boat and what kind of boating do you intend to do?

What is your tow vehicle or are you intending to slip your boat?



UD

On the big boy lake the 25 AT was a full time job to drive as I would any 25' boat would be..Calmer water at 80mph it would chine walk, I didn`t know how to get out of it except slow down .. kinda scary.
The 33 Outlaw was like going from a Jeep to a Cadillac. You don`t have to do much except sit and relax.
38Cig. is just another step up in handling bigger water ability.

On Lake Michigan size is your friend. I`d say 30' minimum.

Now getting around towing, filling with gas, etc, I~d say 18' is perfect.. nice single axle trailer oh yeah :thankyouthankyou:

That is a very loaded question. You have to ask yourself, what speeds, what conditions will you be running in. As the last post from ICDEDPPL said. A 25' at 80 in flat water is a handful. A 25' in 3-4' chop is a handful but a lot of fun if by yourself or a buddy for a few minutes. In the 30-35 range the fun level in the flat is alittle more because you wont have to drive as hard. In the rough the fun level in 3-4's is much better for all.

My opinion if you want a good Great Lakes boat. That you will take out in not the best conditions some days. Find something with a little weight. 30-33 Scarab, 28-35 Cigarette, 28-33 Powerplay even a 32 Baja wouldn't be a bad first boat.

Any boat smaller then the one i currently have i consider "small". . . . . I have a 38 Scarab so i consider a 377 Scarab as well as a 42 Fountain small :D . . . .

Docking hands down is much easier with a longer boat with twins. As far as big water running... That all depends on the hull I can think of a 27 I'd much rather be in 100mph in 3&5's than some 30-40' boats. Hull design and setup mean everything when you start going fast.

Definately a loaded question as many people can't drive a car, and all boats are tougher than a car.

Edit in: Quickly thinking, a 22ft-25ft single would be the best to learn. One with easy access to the bow and stern (for the oh schit moments) preferred. ie: backing up/turning with current and/or wind especially in tight docks.

Depends wants and needs in the boat. Both come with a challenge in one way or another.

I for one can not wait to move back down. 35/36' is too much boat for what I do. I know I will lose some handling in the rough but coming down to 28-30 area and twins will make life much easier on me.

I started with a 2550 Arriva, then a Baja 272, then a 33 Outlaw, then a 38 Top gun, then another 38 Top gun, I use to boat all day long in the small one's, now I just work on them. :santa:

Edit: I think it takes more skill to handle the big'ens,

I think the smaller boats you get a much better feeling on how the boat reacts and what input is needed to correct where the larger boats it's much easier to get complacent. Learning in my 20' Allison makes driving my 30 a piece of cake. But if you were to start in my 30 and go down to my Allison, you'd swear something was wrong with the Allison. A lot of guys will sat the same regarding a 24' Skater compared to the bigger ones when it comes to cats.

If you can drive that 20' Allison, or a Hyrdostrem, than the bigger boats you drive as you said a "piece of cake." Excellent advice, great post

So you would say smaller boats require more skill.

Both can be a problem if you can't understand a weather report

I'm thinking the small Jet Sprint's...lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=xbWrX1KYd1o

I don`t find my 38' any easier to dock.. just the opposite.

Small boat you throw one rope and pull the whole boat in.
My boat needs someone in front and back, if it`s a short dock or current or wind then it`s even worse.
People at the dock trying to help will tug on the front and kick my a$$ end out all the time. I need a stern thruster .

Having driven boats for over 50 years now, I will say (as I always have) that learning to drive a small (under 23') high performance boat is absolutely the best way to learn. If you can drive a fast small boat at the limit, you can drive anything. And that includes a shorter learning curve on twins BTW. Why? Because everything happens faster in a smaller, lighter boat. If you learn how to react fast enough to drive a small boat at that level, you can drive anything.

On a related note, I've had "experienced" high performance boaters who've had nothing but larger boats try to drive my 22" Progression - and they all fall flat on their faces at about 65 MPH. I then take over and run it right up to 75+ and they wonder how the hell I do it. Then they understand why I'm so comfortable running bigger boats.

I just went from a true 28 (no step/no pad) Checkmate to a 25 Howard with a step and a notched hull. I gotta say it is much harder to drive the Howard. I think its a faster hull but its a drivers boat. Still Learning to drive this one.

Let's not forget a lot has to do with the person behind the helm.

I think that mine is getting to small that's why I am looking for a bigger boat. Can't be to thin to rich, or have to big a boat.

I went from a 20' stingray to a 29 regal to a 35 lightning. I'm on a river that has a steady 12-15 mph current with a 12 foot tide range. The regal could be a handful at times with the single engine and having to run around everything to jump off and tie up as I usually go alone. I like the fountain over both of them anyday.

Single much harder all around!Docking,trimming,slowing down,getting on plane,big currents&last but not least big water tabs down driving ouch!:signs069:YTwin screw 30+ different world:boat::food-smiley-007:

By far, hands down the most difficult boat I've ever driven was a 23' twin jet boat, especially at low speed.

Had a C.C. with twin outboards and both rotated the same direction. Fun around docks.

Never owned a large boat, because of where I boat, but a smaller one can certainly get exciting in a big hurry!

Have not read the whole thread but I have driven my 18ft STV at 105 and my old 28 cat at 104...on the similar water the 28 is a walk in the park. Not sure about what takes more skill, there are more variables.

Big or small, stick it on the dash, pick a point on the horizon, aim for it and hold on....

The OP asked bigger or smaller boat... Not about a Slow cabin cruiser like your Scab oops Scarab. and only wellcraft would name their boat after a bug:lolhit::lolhit::lolhit:

You asked me do the smaller boats require more skill, the post by "Too Stroked" in post#16 answered that best. Your initial question what requires more skill to drive, a big boat or a smaller boat. I have driven 10' Aluminum boat with 6.5 hp Evinrude, 13' Boston Whaler with a hot-rod 40+ hp (OB), 15' Boston Whaler (70hp OB), 16' Donzi (SBC), 18' Donzi (SBC), 20' Cigarette (SBC), 24' Pantera (BBC), 27' Magnum (twin BBC), 34' Phanton (twin BBC), I have just a few less years seat time than, Too Stroked, but here is my caveat. As he said, and I mentioned earlier if you can a smaller boat at fast speeds than the bigger boats are easier, at times though the 27' Magnum between 82 mph and 84 mph in flat water was something, but as a general rule of thumb driving a smaller boat like an Allision at 100 mph or a Hydrostream, when trimmed up, the hull being light weight, and at 100+ mph things happen quick, the feel for the boat is only something that seat time will generate confidence, your testicle size will increase with more experience (confidence). If you can drive those types of small boats you can drive anything. So I agree with Too Stroked, great post by him.

The only thing I absolutely did not like about the bigger boats such as the Magnum and Phantom was loading and unloading if the tide was almost out, or if there was not water left due to low tide to launch, or loading at low tide I had to crank the sh*t out the winch to get the boat on the trailer with fear of the cable breaking and whiplashing, (which never happened). While that does not exactly address your question of operation it is something that you should consider if you are a trailer boater in tidal waters were the tide runs at 5-6 mph (or more), and the water rises and fall 4'-6' (or more). There were sometimes when the wind and tidec were moving in the same direction which made docking the Magnum a task at one ramp were my father and I used to launch. Docking a 18' Donzi or 20' Cigarette was a piece of cake. The 34' Phantom wasn't a problem docking I just needed help, too big for me to dock alone, I can admit that, and the 34' Phantom at 92 mph was a docile as a boat could be, so driving it was a piece of cake. Driving a 13' Boston Whaler close to 50 hp was an adventure for a 12 year old, that experience taught me well.

In summary, that is from experience, so I cannot attest to ease of operation in a 40'+ cat at 150 mph+ or big V at over 120+ mph. I would often wonder what Steve David or the late Bull Muncey would have to say on the ease of operation about a Unlimited Hydroplane, but that is a separate topic. But I would bet if you can drive a 24' Skater, Hydrostream, Allison, or a 22' Velocity at 90+ mph, you can drive most any production boat, hence driving a smaller boat at fast, trimmed out speeds, I think is harder. My $.02 opinion,

What boats are you considering ? What power?

To answer the OP's question.. I think someone should start off with a small boat and work up. I really think they should make people pass a test just like driving. I have seen in resent years people in boats, of any size, not knowing WTF they are doing. Heck you can go rent boats with no experience. I owned my first boat at 14 and in no way could I have handled what I have now.

So if you go by scale size.... would this be doing 120 across 6 footers in a 44 foot boat?? Another thing to consider though is that the price for a driving error in a 22 foot boat at 60 is probably a lot less than a driving error at 120

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PoeXjbdn9I

knock it off,lol.

this coming from someone who's boat is named after a . . . .


:D

Ah yes but you must admit. That fountain it much better looking then a bug

In Lake Erie I will take the biggest most solid built boat, my 20 Sea Ray and my 24 Christ Craft limited beat the F out of me... I would not own ANYTHING under 32 ft in a great lake....so depends where you boat mostly to me...

docking is easier with twins, and you can get back when you blow something up, I do that often LOL

Looks like u have the avanti figured out rob... and I know from experience running the boat much faster than that is like balancing a bowling ball above you're head on a 2x4 lol

Any boat big or small running "on the edge" can be a handful its all relative on the fun/excitement meter. . Some designs better than others depending on conditions (rough, calm, varying speeds) and require extreme focus as the speeds climb.

The only difference from a "talent " standpoint where it comes into play is the passengers exp, equipment longevity, safety and that the faster you are traveling the more you have at stake. Experience (seat time) for both large or small reigns supreme on the water going fast.

Where does this "talent" becomes a factor in any size boat. 1 ) wise enough not to allow the boat to reach a point where it is out of your control 2) knowing what to do when it does.

With regard to racing... the (talent managed) risks can only be mitigated to some degree. the rest is still very much ..high risk. because no about of talent is going stop a 13,000lb boat at 160+MPH if you/it run out of options.

I think it is just the same as with race cars. The power to weight ratio determines the challenge regardless.

Good topic and I agree with a lot that has been said. Before my current boat (292 Formula) I had a 110 mph 22' Talon. The Talon really taught me to read the water and carefully pick the times to hang it out. Of course with the 292 I can go over MUCH bigger water and only top out at 70 mph. This sometimes builds too much confidence and I can honestly say I probably have had my 292 more out of shape than the Talon, but never really got in trouble in either one. Unlike my crazy brother (3rd pic) in his single engine Talon!:eek: Still comes down to the driver...

Think of a lifted Suzuki Samurai vs. a Dually crew cab long box on the freeway with rain filled ruts in a windstorm.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/a...1444261745.jpg

Fancy bird bath i dont get it.....:bong: