Bass boat or fish and ski boat

[dave377]

I am thinking about getting a used boat to fish out of and take the wife out on what are the pro and cons

 

 

[WRB]

To me a Fish & Ski boat doesn't do either very well.

If you have kids a F & S with higher freeboard and more seating makes sense.

I used my bass boats to teach my kids to ski with by adding a removable tow bar but the seating isn't ideal. You can seat 3 passengers easily in a typical bass boat and 4 if 1 sits facing back on the rear of the front deck.

Tom

[slonezp]

Agree with @WRB If you do get a fish & ski, get one made by a fishing boat manufacturer, not a ski or pleasure boat manufacturer. A Ranger fish & ski will be a better choice than a Bayliner fish & ski.

 

[Jig Man]

There is no decent rod storage in a fish and ski plus the arrangements for a fishing partner suck.

[slonezp]

21 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

There is no decent rod storage in a fish and ski plus the arrangements for a fishing partner suck.

This is not true. Ranger Reatta is a helluva boat. Nitro has a ZV19 Sport, which is a great compromise. Triton, Skeeter, and the other players offer a fish and ski platform geared more towards fishing. Lund makes some nice crossover boats as well. These are high dollar boats based on walleye/multi-species platforms. 

A "family" boat used for fishing is not conducive to fishing. 

[813basstard]

“Take the wife out”

As in ‘with’?

I’m good..I’m out.

love her to death but...

 

 

<buy what you want>

[Shimano_1]

I personally dont care for fish and ski boats at all. I think they're unattractive and theres too much stuff in the way to fish or pleasure boat comfortably.  If I were planning to do any fishing from it I'd buy a bass boat. Plus, at least locally,  ur options are very limited for fish n ski boats. Probably 20 to 1 bass boat vs ski boat as far as used boats go. However,  ski boats usually are far cheaper for comparable boats as theres not near the demand.  Like most things tho its personal preference so if ski boats are more appealing or fit ur needs better then u should definitely go that route.

[Way2slow]

Where's is the priority?  Are you mostly wanting a family fun boat you can do some occasional fishing out of, or are you wanting a bass boat you can do some occasional cruising and skiing out of and how much do you expect the wife to be in the boat.

Most women hate single console bass boats.  The don't want the wind blowing them and they will complain every time you get over 30mph, so if that's the case, you might want to look at a dual console bass boat if fishing is the main priority.

Most bass fishermen hate dual console bass boats.  That extra console shortens the rod locker and tends to be in the way.  However, the passenger loves having that extra console there. Then with the F&S, you add that extra section of windshield and loose a lot of the front deck on most.

Most bass boats are intended for two people, until you get up into the 20' class.  However when bass fishing, one other person is all I care to have in the boat, even if it's the Queen Mary.

[dave377]

Thanks for all the reply's I thank I will go with a bass boat

 

[fishnkamp]

Well let me give you the opinion from an angler that has owned well designed fish and ski and standard bass boats.  I have owned a dozen boats including some nice fiberglass ones. One of my best ever boats was my ProCraft 20 foot 205 Pro Combo.  It was a fish and ski walk through window style boat that had BIG storage. There was the main road locker which held 7' rods (remember this is 1998 you did not see 7'6" and 8 foot rods back then). There were Big tackle storage and misc storage up front. There was a HUGE in floor carpeted ski locker that I built a rod tube setup in. That would have held 30 rods if you designed it to do so and it went all the way to the front.  I ordered it with high end electronics, 3 batteries and an on board charger,24 volt trolling motor etc. Other than the windshield being there, in the way if you would swing your bass in wildly, I found it to be a great rough water hull and great fishing platform.When I wanted to take a bunch of folks out skiing, well I could easily fit 5 persons and all the necessary gear.  I had the cushions for both front deck and rear deck and even had the tonney cover that stored back by the batteries.  The boat had great big well aerated livewells too.  It had a 200 EFI Merc on it and did around 72 mph by gps.  Now I also have had some nice fiberglass and aluminum single and dual consoles.  I really prefer the dual console, I fish with my wife most of the time. She also prefers a dual console boat as well. I realize I am in the minority. Today's modern bass boats give you options that never existed before. You can order the dual console and remove one when you do not want it with you.  Slonezp had it exactly right when he mentioned some of the companies that make great boats like this today.  I think it is amazing what Lund has done with the new models. Offering  options like either the huge tackle holder that raises out of the back deck or the optional two jump seats is great.  If you can not see yourself being able to fish out of a 18 or 20 ProV bass boat well you are stuck on owning a single console bass boat. Another thing is do not just look at fiberglass. There are some amazing new style aluminum rigs to consider (both new and used). I have sat in a Lund ProV 1875 and I have sat in a Vexus AVX1980 dual console. Both are at the top of the food chain, but there are others like an Xpress that have been around a while.