Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post - First time boat purchase

TiltonBB · 09-03-2011, 07:10 AM

There are two things that I would keep in mind.

The first is size. 24 feet is the minimum I would purchase to go out on Winnipesaukee because of the ride quality. Anything smaller and you will have many unpleasant experiences on rough days. This could lead to reduced use of the boat because nobody wants to go out and get bounced around all day.

The second is power. In my mind it is better to have and not need than need and not have. I have a 26 foot bowrider with the optional 375HP 8.2 Volvo I/O. I think the standard engine for the boat was 260HP. Most of the time it is just two of us and there is always power to spare.

On several occasions I have had 10-12 people in the boat and there was still plenty of power. The difference in time to plane is almost not noticeable. I don't think the fuel consumption is much higher than with the small engine because the large engine doesn't have to work very hard. If you plan on tubing or water skiing, especially if you will have a number of passengers aboard, the larger the engine the better the experience will be.

09-03-2011, 07:10 AM	#3
TiltonBB Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Gilford, NH and Florida Posts: 2,897 Thanks: 644 Thanked 2,153 Times in 900 Posts	Size and Power There are two things that I would keep in mind. The first is size. 24 feet is the minimum I would purchase to go out on Winnipesaukee because of the ride quality. Anything smaller and you will have many unpleasant experiences on rough days. This could lead to reduced use of the boat because nobody wants to go out and get bounced around all day. The second is power. In my mind it is better to have and not need than need and not have. I have a 26 foot bowrider with the optional 375HP 8.2 Volvo I/O. I think the standard engine for the boat was 260HP. Most of the time it is just two of us and there is always power to spare. On several occasions I have had 10-12 people in the boat and there was still plenty of power. The difference in time to plane is almost not noticeable. I don't think the fuel consumption is much higher than with the small engine because the large engine doesn't have to work very hard. If you plan on tubing or water skiing, especially if you will have a number of passengers aboard, the larger the engine the better the experience will be.