Researching A Dive Boat

[ShakaZulu]

If you are using your boat in open ocean I would suggest halving your 150HP engines into dual 75HP. If one conks out you can still limp back home on the remaining engine.

If you plan to technical diving (i.e. twin tanks, stages, etc.) a 19 foot boat may be too small for six divers, and perhaps dangerous in heavy seas.

I agree, go twins........and bigger. You also want something with a sharp V-hull to cut through the waves, instead of slamming you to the floor everytime you go over a wave. Needs to be high out the water.

http://www.whaler.com/Rec/default.asp?content=boats&family=legend&number=305&type=Conquest

 

[matt_unique]

I agree, go twins........and bigger. You also want something with a sharp V-hull to cut through the waves, instead of slamming you to the floor everytime you go over a wave. Needs to be high out the water.

http://www.whaler.com/Rec/default.asp?content=boats&family=legend&number=305&type=Conquest

Twins, larger boat, etc. would be nice but we are talking an unbelievable increase in price. Even with Bayliners the difference between the 19' cuddy cabin and the 24' with cabin is $20,000. If you are talking Sea Ray's, Grady Whites, Boston Whalers, etc. the cost is dramatically larger. This is in part why I am not a fan of those boats in comparison to the Bayliner. Same engines, same hull warranties (in some cases built at the same factory with a different decal), and at least for the 19' better space engineering but upwards of triple the cost.

--Matt

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Bayliners and Boston Whalers, are both owned by
Brunswick, but they are NOT built in the same
factory. The whaler recreational products factory builds
only whalers, the commercial and gvt. products factory
builds a couple of other Brunswick comm/gvt. lines, but
not Bayliners.

Grady's and Bayliners wouldn't be built in the same factory
either, Grady isn't owned by Brunswick.

Sea Ray is a Brunswick line. Dunno about them sharing
production facilities with Bayliner.

I have friend who's had a Bayliner about as long as I've
had my whaler (going on seven years) and used it a lot
less. The bayliner is litterally falling apart. All the Zamac
fittings are crumbling. The stainless fittings on the whaler
are just fine. You get what you pay for (and BTW, book on
my whaler is almost what I paid for it sorta new).

 

[matt_unique]

Bayliners and Boston Whalers, are both owned by
Brunswick, but they are NOT built in the same
factory. The whaler recreational products factory builds
only whalers, the commercial and gvt. products factory
builds a couple of other Brunswick comm/gvt. lines, but
not Bayliners.

Grady's and Bayliners wouldn't be built in the same factory
either, Grady isn't owned by Brunswick.

Sea Ray is a Brunswick line. Dunno about them sharing
production facilities with Bayliner.

I have friend who's had a Bayliner about as long as I've
had my whaler (going on seven years) and used it a lot
less. The bayliner is litterally falling apart. All the Zamac
fittings are crumbling. The stainless fittings on the whaler
are just fine. You get what you pay for (and BTW, book on
my whaler is almost what I paid for it sorta new).

Bought brand new 7 years ago? There were a few years when Bayliner produced sh*tty boats but that has not been the case for many years. Exact same engines, exact same outdrives, exact same hull warranty - at least $5000 more for the same size boat with another brand name. I had no bias for Bayliner until I researched and purcashed my boat. I have used it to the max for it's size and I am very happy with it. I don't know of anyone with a relatively modern Bayliner that has had bad experiences with them. Bayliner sells more boats than any other brand in the US (at least for the small size boats) and that allows them to offer better pricing.

As for the original prospective buyer, do your own research, sit inside the cabin's, make your own decision.

--Matt

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Do your research.

Check out what the fittings are made
of. My buddy's bayliner had Zamak (pot metal) fittings.
Whalers are mostly Stainless with a little bronze or brass
here and there.

Check out the structural construction. Check out the
fit and finish. There's a reason Bayliners are cheaper.

However, I agree with twomix diver, and then some. A
nineteen will be marginal at best for six divers with two
tanks each. My seventeen is reasonable with three
divers with two tanks, or four divers with one tank.

My Bayliner friend has a 21-23 foot boat, and I've never
seen him put more than four divers on board. Not a
comment on Bayliners there, just on divers as a function
of size.

And think about putting the heavy stuff forward. The
boat will ride better. I put three tanks and the anchor
forward, one tank, cameras, and weight belts aft.

Details: http://www.garlic.com/~triblet/whaler/

 

[hoopa]

i have been thinking about the same thing-- a nice trailerable boat that i can dive on--- sleep on---fish on -- ect... What i came up with was the bayliner trophy series.. You can get a boat that is about 4-8 yrs old --still in great shape for about 12-18 grand.. below is a link to what im talking about.. I went to www.boattraderonline.com and typed in trophy in the search area and you will get a ton of boats to look at. Goodluck




http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/0/0/75441500.htm

 

[RPanick]

You should also check the load capacity of the boat as well. That will govern greatly how much you can carry. My 19' Chaperal is rated for about 1000 LB, which means three people and gear for probably two dives each. And you can really tell the difference the weight makes in how the boat performs.

Another factor is a small cabin or cutty adds weight. A Boston Whaler holds more because it has less weight, and a RIB probably does even better. So something you can sleep on and still dive on is very hard combination to come by in something under 20 feet.

Where you are using the boat also makes a huge difference, if the water is flat you can get away with an open deck, in areas with waves you might not be able to. Yes, I know Boston Whalers and others are self draining, but a wave of water rolling through the boat is disconcerting and gets my feet wet.

But as you point out the price goes up dramatically with size. I've owned a few boats in mind time and my wife has instructions from me to hit me very hard if I start talking about another boat. Where I live the boating season is optomistically only about 5 months, for what I would pay for a new boat I can go someplace very nice several times a year, which works out pretty close to the same amount of time I can use my boat without all the headaches.

There are a few places where I can see a boat being very practical, the Pacific Northwest for example with relatively sheltered water and lots of good diving all year round, okay in the winter you leave your dry suit zipped up to keep the fresh water out and the warmth in. I can also see Florida and some of the southern parts of the country where the water doesn't get hard in winter as good prospects too.

Bob.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Be sure to check whether the weight capacity does or does
not need to include the motor. I figure a diver with two
tanks and gear weight 300 pounds.

My center console whaler works just fine in Monterey,
on the end of the longest fetch in the world. Shelter?
what's that? I can dive off it in Monterey four days
out of five or better. That works for me. Other than
water that comes on board with divers, the only time
I get water on board is if too many people are forward
and we take one over the bow, or I back up too fast.

And BTW, there are whalers with cabins.

 

[Scubakevdm]

I Am Looking At Purchasing A Dive/family Boat In The 17 To 19 Foot Range.i Do A Lot Of Fresh Water And Wreck Dives Off The Coast (florida).i Need Something That Will Handle Good In The Ocean.any Opinions Would Be Greatly Appreciated.
Things I Am Looking For:
Between $20,000 To $30,000
Center Console
Easy Entry And Exit
150 H.p Engine(makes It Easy To Get In And Out Of Coast)
6 Person Capacity
Rear Room For Equipment

Hey Oscar! I'm a Florida guy too, and I'm a diver, and I have a boat. So, here's some stuff to know about. First of all, if you want to fit six passengers you should think about a bigger boat than 19'. Probably a 23 or 24 would be the smallest I'd go if I had to take six passengers in the ocean. I have a 19' Dusky center console. Four passengers is pretty crowded, an is the absolute max for divers.
I like the amount of room that center consoles offer, and that with a Tee top you can fight a fish all the way around the boat without obstacles. My boat is a bracket boat where the motor mounts behind the transom. This gives me lots of space for tanks and gear at the back of the boat.
As far as the quality of the hull goes... it does make a big difference in how the boat rides. Try to take a ride in a few different manufacturer's hulls. Heavy hulls cut through waves with solid power. Thin hulls skip along transmitting every ripple. The sensation is that you are riding in an egg shell.
Hulls that I would recommend are Robalo, Dusky, Ocean Master, Mc Kee Craft, Gold Line and Whaler, but there's alot of good center consoles, especially around Florida.

 

[matt_unique]

Do your research.

Check out what the fittings are made
of. My buddy's bayliner had Zamak (pot metal) fittings.
Whalers are mostly Stainless with a little bronze or brass
here and there.

Check out the structural construction. Check out the
fit and finish. There's a reason Bayliners are cheaper.

However, I agree with twomix diver, and then some. A
nineteen will be marginal at best for six divers with two
tanks each. My seventeen is reasonable with three
divers with two tanks, or four divers with one tank.

My Bayliner friend has a 21-23 foot boat, and I've never
seen him put more than four divers on board. Not a
comment on Bayliners there, just on divers as a function
of size.

And think about putting the heavy stuff forward. The
boat will ride better. I put three tanks and the anchor
forward, one tank, cameras, and weight belts aft.

Details: http://www.garlic.com/~triblet/whaler/

There are reasons why Bayliner's are cheaper but you have not listed any of them. They make and sell more boats than other brands so the economy of scale allows for better consumer prices. They are smartly engineered and provide in my opinion the most boating for your buck.

As long as a boat does not have a history of structural problems people don't care about the composition of the fittings. This is reflected in the number of Bayliners sold compared to Boston Whalers. Bayliners do not have structural or finish problems. If they did they would not sell boats. Whalers are tanks - no question - tanks in terms of design, space, and comfort. What you would have to pay with a Whaler to get the same features in a Bayliner is outrageous. You paid more for your 17' open design boat than I did for my 19' with cuddy cabin. I assume you are not trying to compare the boating experience of an open design like yours and a 19' cuddy cabin of any brand. It's like the difference between a barge and a cabin cruiser. There is no remote comparison. With an open boat there is no dry area, no shaded area except the small space under your sun top (assuming you added that), no place to sleep, no comfortable place to sit, no place for a porta potti, etc. You can't overnight on an open hull Whaler. After my day of diving we stow the gear and there are seats for 6 each with a drink holder. After that the canvas is snapped, gear is transferred out of the cabin, and we can overnight. (Certainly not six but 2 comfortably and 4 if you are hearty). If you have wife or a kids you want a cuddy cabin. I would never consider an ocean boat that was not a cuddy cabin unless you trailer and boat in calm water. When it starts to rain we pause the music, snap up the canvas, then continue in comfort. Just no remote comparison.

What matters is engines, outdrives, space available, use options, and price. If you are in a position to pay a lot more money then I envy you. You can tell people about the composition of your fittings. Other Whaler owners will be nodding their heads. The Bayliner owners will be shaking their heads with a smile.

--Matt