Best of both worlds

So I'm sorry if this was already a thread. I'm horrible with searching the forums.

Anyone out there have a tin setup that they fish and ski and/or pull a tube with? I have a little 14' and want to get something I can have fun with the family with and still be comfortable fishing in down the road. Can you reply with boat size and engine size as well? Pics are always appreciated too!

There is no best of both worlds. You're going to sacrifice things in both worlds to get some sort of compromise. I'm going to say a 17' with a 90hp is probably the minimum boat you will need. You will find most smaller fish n skis lack storage be it rod, or tackle, or even ski. I used to have a 17' Mirrocraft Holiday which is their entry level version of a fish n ski. It had bench seat which folded down into a large rear fishing deck. a small livewell which could hold a mess of panfish, but not much more than a limit of bass. The 90 Merc could pull a large tube with 3 average size people in the boat. Any more people or my 400lb brother-in-law and it was a dog :lol: I never pulled a skier. Top speed was 40. If I didn't tournament fish, I'd probably still own it today. The layout on the new model is a lot nicer than the 2004 that I owned. It's also rated for more HP
Good luck with your search

CDoeg90 said:

So I'm sorry if this was already a thread. I'm horrible with searching the forums.

Anyone out there have a tin setup that they fish and ski and/or pull a tube with? I have a little 14' and want to get something I can have fun with the family with and still be comfortable fishing in down the road. Can you reply with boat size and engine size as well? Pics are always appreciated too!

Click to expand...

We are restoring an old 1956 Lone Star Clipper 16'. In it's day, it was the "all around" boat. We also have the motor, 1955 Mercury 55E 40hp. It has been taken down to the block and put back. It's almost ready to start. We intend on having it ready by the spring to see what she will do.

Also, our kids ( 30 year old kids) have a 15' flat bottom, wide, that has a 25 hp Yamaha on it. They fish out of it on the river, and play with it on the lake. Pulls a tube just fine with a grown man, but only has the driver, and one person on the front for counter weight. However, they also own a 20' bass boat with BIG Merc for skiing.

The other guy told you right about the storage space. It's hard to carry rods & tackle boxes and water toys at the same time. We live on the lake, so it's no problem for them to swing by and throw off or grab another toy, or throw off toys and grab rods & boxes.

Good luck in your search!

That's kind of what I figured, deciding what space to give up can be tough. I definitely have more tackle then anything else and figure I can always keep the rods locked in the truck until I'm ready and do the same with tubes and skis.

My 14' has a whopping 35 on it so I bet that'll scoot a tube along okay. Haha Haha.

Any idea if a flat bottom does just as well? I'm really into the tracker grizzly series and wasn't sure if they would enjoy the tube pulling as much.

I would imagine a boat without a keel might be a little squirrely in the turns when under the load of a tube or skier, but that's just a guess. I know a guy who has a 15' Lowe modified v with a 25hp on the back. When he takes the kids tubing, they go one at a time.

In theory when I get a new boat, I'll go with the biggest engine option offered and will more then likely go mod-v.

CDoeg,

I must correct my earlier post. I failed to tell you the 25hp Yamaha on the kids flat bottom has a cavitation plate that they use when pulling a tube. (sorry for my error).

Living on a lake in E TX, we see many kinds of boats. It always thrills me to see a young family playing on an old boat, flat bottom or bass boat. Reminds me of when ours were little and all we could afford was an old boat. But, we still had fun with our kids!

I respect a man (or woman) for wanting something for the whole family. =D>
Play with what you have and just have fun with your family. There will be plenty time later to buy bigger and better, my friend.

Have fun!
Texas

I have pulled kneeboards, tubes, sheets of plywood, and skiers with flat bottom jon boats for years...it does work, it is tough with a skier, but they can get up on the skis. You can pull the boat around making a hard cut on a board or ski, so the driver just has to be ready for that feeling.

A deeper V boat is much better for water sports, but down here in South LA you are looked at cross-eyed with a deep V, everyone uses all weld tins or bass/bay boats hulls.

A good example of the V would be this tracker...

https://www.trackerboats.com/boat/forum/images.cfm?boat=3587
It does have a ski pole. And that style looks to be a great family boat. I was looking hard at an Alumacraft Deep V for my next boat, but will probably go with a bay boat...that is still years away though.

Just my .02.

I was looking at similar models. My next purchase is also many many years away. In my opinion it has to be able to be enjoyed by all in a family, you can't go wrong with being outside and teaching little ones how to enjoy that lifestyle.

I asked about possibilities because i didn't want to put anyone in harm's way by throwing a tube on the back of my tin with a 35hp and saying "hold on because i have no idea what will happen!" That side of me may have left when my daughter was born! :lol:

Louisiana is telling you right. We, too, have pulled just about everything imaginable with a flat bottom. It's not the holding on to the tube; it's baking sure your people in the front of the boat hold on! It will put a tug on your boat.

FYI: I thought of something that might be useful to you that we used. We built a harness with ski rope & put a small buoy on it so it would float. Really easy to do and not much money. If you would like more info, just PM me. I'd be happy to share how to do it.

Button down the hatches, seems we are all going to get hit with that arctic blast!

Keith
Texas

I would imagine some of the problems with Arkansas Travelers, Starcraft, and other boats from the the 50's and 60's is not enough beam for a fish-n-ski. Getting a tuber, skier, or swimmer on to the boat from the water could make the water get really close to the transom on a small boat that was not originally intended for it.

I do not know how popular they are where you live, but I would look for a 17 foot deep-v and refurbish it if you want a project. I see a lot of nice Grummans from the 80's (not the garbage they make today (talk about a brand that went down the tubes)). Those would be ideal. Blue Fin or Sea Nymph would also be ideal. A 50 to 60 hp with power tilt could easily pull a tuber, but for a skier you would want the most hp you can get to pop them out of the water.

Before I went to a jet boat, I had a great family boat that was an adequate fishing boat.

It was a 1998 Lowe LS 1900 aluminum deck boat. It had a 1115 Evinrude.

I often had four guys crappie fishing, but the size just made it a little hard to handle with a trolling motor in tight spots. The older ones like mine had a shallower modified v hull, and would ride a little rough on larger lakes. The new Lowe deck boats are deep v and ride amazing.

This is what I had; it had a large livewell, lots of storage, two pedestal seats in the front, and a ski-tow bar, and boarding ladder in the back. Family loved this boat!!