Best Bowriders on the Big Lakes
 

I am looking for a bow rider that I can tow to Table Rock and Lake of the Ozarks. 25-27 foot range, 4500 - 6,000 lbs.

My main wants is a comfortable ride and speed. I normally ride with a full load of people, 4 up front and 4 to in the back. We have been renting a deck boat that fits everyone well. It is sturdy and handles the chop great but the speed is not very good, not enough power for all the weight. I have trouble keeping up with the other boats we run with so it would be hard to not get a boat with 350+ hp (preferably 385+)

I know hull shape matters but how important is weight, besides speed. Remember I want to be able to cross the lake without too much pounding. I considered the following boats: Four Winns 250 Horizon and 260 Horizon, Azure/Cruiser AZ 258 and 278, Cobalt 262 BR, Checkmate 270 BR, Sea Ray 260BR

Pro and Cons?

Thx

Donzi has a 28zxo which is a bowrider with a small midcabin, has twin 350 mags, would get you around 70mph and can handle the chop better than most. Weight wise, you're in the ball park of 7000lbs. I would think you could find one between $40-50k depending on condition, trailer, etc. It'll also turn more heads :cool:

I don't know about any of the ones you listed except for the Checkmate 270BR. I had a Persuader 261. Wife decided we needed a MCOB for the grandkids. I looked hard at the 270 BR, but finding one in good shape was difficult. I finally found a "cream puff" in Idaho, but they thought it was worth a lot more than I did. Checkmate quit making them as regular production models, years ago. Don't know if they still make the closed bow version or not, but they probably still have the molds and would probably be able to build one if you wanted new. I'm not sure, but I think if you put 4 people up front, they are going to be cramped up. It's not that big an area, IMO. Also, the cabin door openings are very small for men to get through. My Persuader had a 24* deadrise, same as the 270 (different bottoms), but mine just beat me to death in snotty water. Maybe it was just my boat. If you check the Checkmate Forum site, you might find one there, as they pop up often enough. Also, those guys can give you lots more info about the 270

Also, you might consider finding a boat you like in closed bow and have it converted to MCOB or WTOB. If you find one cheap enough, you can get it done pretty reasonable. I found my current boat that way and bought it for a steal. Had the MCOB conversion done and was still inside my maximum budget. Just a thought.

I wouldn't normally bash Sea Ray but if the Great Lakes are as bad as you guys say, don't buy the Sea Ray.
I had a 270SLX and it was a great boat but horrible in the rough. The bow does not have a fine entry, it's broad to create all the space up front and hits waves front on pretty hard. It's also a 22 degree (?) deadrise which is a bit shallow for rough water.

I think many of your true bowriders are the same whereas the Donzi ZX and maybe Sunsation, Baja, Nordic and some others are derivatives of their hI-performance boats and have a deeper deadrise and finer entry but will not have as much room up front.

Dont know your budget but there's a guy on here trying to quit his Baja 277 islander with a 496. He's asking high 40's. I'll dig up the post if you're interested.

RR

If you want to run across the lake and not get pounded, (at LOTO) pick none of those and go ride in a 3 log pontoon of similar size with decent power, it will change your mind

This bowrider would be super fun at Table Rock and LOTO. It’s setup to run bigger water for what it is. Full hydraulic steering, offshore tabs and 560HP. Also not many people in the Midwest own DCBs.

2005 DCB 28 Extreme powerboat for sale in New Hampshire

Pontoons have their place, choppy/rough water is not it. There's a reason they aren't ever seen on the ocean, they aren't safe in bigger seas. Great party platforms and a ton of fun, but having people up forward on one in choppy water, could very easily stuff the bow. Too scary in rough waters, especially LOTO on the weekend.

The v bottoms above have deeper deadrises and will knife through the water, the pontoon would 'attempt' to ride on top. Not knocking pontoons, their great for what they're made for and would be fun Monday-Thursday on LOTO.

You could also look into small CC's, would allow you to carry more people, have the ease of outboards, the list goes on. If you want a head turner, love the sound of power and want the speed, I think you've got to stay with the faster V's listed above.

If you aren't against outboards...

http://activethunderboats.com/wp-con...16-112-001.jpg

http://activethunderboats.com/wp-con...16-145-001.jpg

And Lavey Craft will build a nice 2750 NuEra with I/O or outboards. They do a 29 as well.

​​​​​​https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/...outboards.html

There is a Velocity mid cabin in the classifieds.

Padraig

Cobalt makes a solid boat.

Active Thunder will likely be the best ride in rough water out of all options.

after that I would consider the Nordic Heat 28ft or Sunsation 288 - both Mid cabin open bow options.

I have a Chaparral 26' bowrider. It has a 22.5 degree deadrise and weighs over 6000lbs with the 496 mag. Boat has Bennett trim tabs & Bravo III. It handles lake chop very well and tops out in the mid-high 50s. It jumps on plane easily even with 8+ people. The boat is also yacht certified and has a full electric head.

Have you been to LOTO ?? they’re everywhere and they go out on the weekends... from the looks of it,there’s more of them being sold than large bowriders these days, I’m not a cheerleader for them, but just being realistic about what I see and have experienced

I'm not doubting that tooners are everywhere (on lakes), they're cheap/big party platforms, heck my wife would have us in one if it were up to her. I'm simply stating, that small performance v-bottoms are designed to handle rougher water than a tooner, especially at higher speeds, giving more safety to you and your pax...and they're sexier.

I've owned and ran 2 different 26' vees on LOTO as well as having ran a 26' Tri-toon. The 'toon is a better ride overall. The downside of the 'toon is it is more likely to take a large roller over the bow vs. the vee.

A 270 Crownline would be another bowrider to look at for use at LOTO and they are fairly plentiful .

My neighbor at LOTO has a 28x10 foot tritoon with twin 300 verados on it. He is out cruising 50mph every weekend in the rough, and does just fine. Although, on labor day weekend he did take a roller over the front that soaked everyone in the boat, and put an impression in the sheet aluminum of the front door. I bet they out number 25-26 foot runabouts over 2-1 on the weekends at LOTO now.

I think Pat would jump at the chance to build the 29' Definat with a single 600SCi, 565, 540, or 520. It would be a kick ass boat and SICK ride.
Damn, maybe I need to ord... nevermind. I'm into racecars now!

8 is a crowd, these all full grown adults?

Nothing beats the ride of a displacement catamaran like a Glacier Bay 25.

LOTO has become Pontoon Nation!

the majority of the boats that the O.P. ( which I haven’t ruled out as being Darr, this fits his MO )was asking about were runabouts, not really going to do anything better than the toons and really don’t carry that much sex appeal ;-).... Cheaper?.... go price one of these, they’re right with the 1 dimensional wake board/ surf boats

OP?

Bueller...?

Bueller.....?

Bueller.......?

Bueller.........?

Apparently I struck a cord with Pontoon Nation here, noted. :silenced:

I've seen the price on some of those tritoons, can reach triple digits (insane), but that's more because of the o/b(s) behind them, BassPro has them for $20k. All in what the buyer is willing to pay I suppose.

I've never done LOTO, but all the talk of how rough it gets on the weekends (I won't go there), I correlated that to Lanier (Atlanta), which is like a bathtub come the weekend, 50'+ cruisers making 4' monsters. And yes, the pontooners are everywhere on Lanier...and they don't fare too well on the busy weekends, neither do I in an 8000lbs 28' v, but I manage better than most.

First tooner to pass me on the lake/ocean, I'll buy you and your crew a round.
Cheers!

original poster

Yeah, the OP (not Darr or Ferris). Some good info here but no word.
I think an approximate price range is needed.......

Ok I need to voice my 2cents! If you could find a Cobalt I would do that hands down- a 262 would be large enough for Lake Michigan and small enough for most inland lakes. We have been blessed with a 2000 -226. This year the boat will be 18 years old - I'm not joking I have not tightened 1 screw or replaced ANY hardware or tightened one bolt. I'm anal retentive about keeping the boat clean and the hull is waxed at least twice per season- it sits on a lift in an inland lake. The stringers, transom and floor are all composite- e.g. NO ROT. We have used ours on lake Michigan a number of times (much less than I would like) and it is rock solid. With our size we just can't say lets go to the big lake - all the stars need to align - but in a 262 - that would be a different story.

Don't get me started about toons- they have their place and some of them are over the top with speed, comfort etc. But not on lake Michigan - that is an accident waiting to happen -- I know this will upset some readers - again this is my opinion.

As with any boat make sure you get a survey done - and if there is a hint of problem walk away- small things cost big bucks in the future. Also, I would try to get the biggest engine on the planet. You can never have too much Hp. We have a 7.4 MPI - Bravo 3 - Corsa Silent Choice. 28P 3 blade props- which is a very modest engine on this website- Cool air and water 1/2 tank of fuel with a slight chop - 63 mph on GPS.

All the very best

3pointstar

A Cobalt dealer once told me the 226 is the fastest hull Cobalt made. I remember looking at one with a 502 MPI and it was hitting 70 on GPS

Have you looked at the ( Eliminator Fun Deck ) they come in several sizes too.

2007 Eliminator Fundeck powerboat for sale in North Carolina

As far as bowrider's go, we used to have a 2002 Baha Cruisers Mach 1.... a 340 Bowrider....
It was a big heavy boat that had twin 454's.... it could get up to the upper 50's but was definitely not a speed demon...
But it had a huge open bow and the ride was really nice because it was so big and heavy...
We really liked ours but found later that a closed cabin was just a better fit for us but it was the roomiest and nicest riding bow rider I had ever been in.
Just my $.02

Yeah dude, you obviously don’t know the rough/choppy water capabilities of today’s pontoons...hands down this is the boat I want to be on when the shootout lets out in August.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oiXCQQ...ature=youtu.be