First boat suitable for tubing etc

[gjgm]

I'm not quite following you. I agree that you want big wakes to make the ringo more fun, and I agree that you want to drive relatively slowly, but I think a deep V boat would be unpleasant to drive at those speeds as it would be not quite planing, so v difficult to hold a constant speed, and no visibility out the front because the bow would be trying to climb over the bow wave. At 30 kts it would be fine, but as you say, you don't want to tow ringos at those speeds. The competition wakeboard boats are designed to make big clean wakes, but they achieve it by adding weight to a ski boat hull, and with flat hulls they still plane at lower speeds, so are comfortable to drive at the speeds that wakeboarders want, typically around 20 kts. I had a ski boat for 3 years, and we added two Fat Sacs (bags that hold water, almost a tonne in total), and the wake was huge, but the boat still ran level at slower speeds. That sounds the ideal to me.

There's really nothing to do on a small lake other than ski/wakeboard/ringo, you can't cruise anywhere, so I think a proper ski boat, designed for the job would be better.

Cant comment on the water bags, Nick! I'd have thought 20 crates of beer would have been better?
All sounds too hardcore for me, but I did have a sneaking moment of foresight that you'd probably done this sort of thing at a different level to me !

 

[tinkicker0]

I would be grateful for suggestions for a first family boat, (second hand) preferably with a cuddy cabin, which would be suitable for kids watersports, tubing, skiing etc The budget would be about 10k
It would be for lake use only.

Any boat recommendations for this type of activity on a lake?

What should I look for and what should I avoid. I believe some boat manufacturers have gone out of business, how would this affect re-sale, getting parts etc.

Also, what engine size would be required, and what type engine would be best option?.

Thanks for any help

http://www.apolloduck.co.uk/new/detail.phtml?id=260

 

[Nick_H]

All sounds too hardcore for me, but I did have a sneaking moment of foresight that you'd probably done this sort of thing at a different level to me !

Catching an edge on a wakeboard and slamming your face into ice cold water in the middle of January, without even time to close your eyes, is one of the true joys in life

 

[lovezoo]

Its all about what you want out of boating. I suspect the OP would be happy with a small agile and speedy bowrider. Others want a tank of a 40+ footer to hold parties on. It's all boating and all fun for a given value of fun.

You're probably right. Any small fast sports boat will do the trick and if bought at the right price won't be hard to sell on when he outgrows it.

When I was in the UK locking in once, I was rafted to a 40+ footer. The owner wanted to know all about my boat as he had fond memories of owning something similar in the dim and distant past. I doubt if he would have done a swap though.