Recreational Boat Guide

Purchasing a recreational boat is a big ticket item decision like buying a car or a home. It will be important to consider the hobbies or activities that will be enjoyed on the boat, where the boat will be stored, how much room is allotted for storage, how the boat will be transported to and from storage if necessary, and the family budget.

Fishing Boats
There are many varieties of fishing boats to choose from including aluminum boats, all purpose fishing boats, bass boats, and center console. The aluminum fishing boat is one of the most economical boats for a fisherman and it offers the ability to go in fishing spots that larger boats are unable to maneuver. Aluminum fishing boats can usually hold 2 to 4 people for small and medium size boats. The medium boats average 16 feet in length. Aluminum fishing boats are not good for rough waters due their lower freeboard. There is a budget friendly Tracker Pro 16 that is offered for $7,995 that comes with a foot-controlled trolling motor, fish finder, aerated livewell, fold down pedestal seats, a four stroke motor, and a trailer available at Tracker Boats. These boats range from $8000 to $20,000 on average.

Sport & Ski or Fishing & Ski Combos
Sport and Ski boats are combo boats that offer versatility whether riders are wanting to ski, wakeboard, cruise, relax, or fish. Combo boats offer accessories including both wakeboard towers and aerated livewells so it is easy to switch between hobby or sport. They can easily accomodate 5 to 10 people depending on the different models and many have options to customize colors and features. These boats run in the $15,000 to $30,000 price range. Tahoe Boats offers their entire lineup of sport boats. They have a Q5i Ski and Fish priced at $20, 995 as well many other boats, all of which that you can customize with graphic and color options to fit your own personal style and needs online in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Sailboats
Sailing does not have to be a dream any longer. There are many sizes and price ranges for small sailboats, keelboats, up to yacht sailboats sold by Valiant Yachts. For those who are not sure they want to commit to owning a boat but want to try sailing and have access to well maintained new sailboats, there is a program called SailTime where you are given access to sailboats in local waters and also access to 160+ sailboats around the world. Sailboats are great for sailing and relaxing, it is also fun to fish off a sailboat too. They can be run on wind power or by an engine. Sailing is a great family activity, some sailboats like the Catamaran from American Sails can be set up by one person in minutes and quick stepping of the mast can be done by a 90 pound person. The 12.5 Catamaran is only 195 pounds so it can be transported easily by most vehicles. Sailing offers many options including sailing classes, sail camps for children and adults, fractional ownership to get your feet wet, and purchasing sailboats which range from a few thousand for a small one on upwards for sailboat yachts that you can live on and sail the world in.

Pontoon Boats
Pontoon boats offer seating for many more people than the other boats, 10 - 20 people, depending on the pontoon boat size and manufacturer. They have sofa seating, captions chairs, and comfortable console for the driver. Some modern pontoon boats like the ones manufactured by PlayCraft Boats have 320 horse power motors which offer speed and handling that older pontoons didn't offer. Pontoons are not slow boats any longer, PlayCraft has had models raced at speeds of 75 to 80 mph by professionals. PlayCraft has a neat family friendly model in the PowerToon Series that has an upper deck and a slide down into the water too. SunTracker offers a Classic Series pontoon starting $9,735 which makes these luxury boats more affordable than ever. Pontoons can range from just under $10,000 to well over $20,000 depending on size and options.

Tracker Boats, Tracker Marine Group
2009 Q5I SF Description Tahoe Fish & Ski Boats, Tracker Marine Group
Valiant Sailboats: The First True Performance Cruiser, Valiant Yachts
Fractional Sailing - SailTime Has Rewritten the Book on Sailing Clubs, SailTime LLC
American Sail Aqua Cat 12.5 Catamaran, American Sail
PlayCraft Pontoon and Deck Boats, PlayCraftBoats.com
Sun Tracker Boats : Classic Pontoons, SunTrackerBoats.com