Chilling read and boat shopping

[Belmont Resident]

Originally Posted by diprna

Whew! I just spent a good chunk of the morning reading the thread on the Cobalt that went down in 2007. I stumbled upon it while searching the forum on the topic of what length boat is regarded optimum for one to feel "not too bounced around" on the water. We have had a 26' Chapparell with a cuddy for 10 years and have - thankfully - not ever felt uncomfortable with the lake's sometimes unexpected rough seas. That being said, we have been considering downsizing to a 22 or 23' bow rider. We have been fortunate to purchase a lake house recently and believe we would enjoy a little smaller, lighter boat to use for waterskiing, ice cream runs, dropping anchor and chilling in quiet areas, etc. I have to be honest I am spooked by the visions of swamping waves coming over the bow in a bow rider though, since reading about the Cobalt. We plan to test drive a few brands this weekend, maybe that will allay some fears. Looking at Crownline, Chapparell, maybe Monteray and perhaps Cobalt. Would appreciate comments, suggestions, observations from owners of 22' and/or 23' bow riders on their comfort level, feeling of security, boat handling, brand plusses/minuses,
etc. Thanks in advance for your input.

I started with a 17 many years ago and finally settled on my 25 Baja Outlaw that I just sold. My wife started with a 19 Maxim then went to a 23 then settled on a 26 Chaparral which is about the smallest she wants to be out on. We do hope to go up to a 28-29 in the future just because it is heavier and a lot more comfortable to be on when the lake is busy. We have friends who own in that range and what a difference it really is in comfort.
Many will say a smaller boat can be just as good if you know how to operate it.
Well I’ve been on the lake a lot of years and even in our medium size boats coming into or out of any of the bays especially the Weirs can become a really rough ride.
So for us we would rather have a boat that doesn’t keep us off the lake unless it is truly rough water.
Any boat that sits low to the water is going to be a lot more vulnerable to taking on water then say a boat that is higher, add the open bow and it can in some conditions become a little tricky.
It seems that pontoon boats (the minivans of boating) are becoming more and more popular on Winni.. you might look into one of those.