Considering an upgrade from 185 to a 205

[wreckless123]

We boat only on large inland fresh water and it seems quite often the chop is just too much for my 185. I love the boat and would never sell it besides this problem. Would an upgrade to a true 21' boat make the difference in the chop worth the upgrade? This upgrade would cost $10,000. If it was a night and day difference, I say it worth it, if the difference is minimal I guess its not. Any feelings? Thanks.

 

[keokie]

Yes, you will get a very noticeable difference. I would not say night and day, though. That would require 24 feet plus (all things in terms of style and hull types being similar).

 

[boathead1127]

I would also add that the night and day difference is really in the 185 to 210 or 230 select. The 205 is still a slightly flatter design, but is an excellent boat for the money. I drive all these models regularly and the 210 is a substantial difference from the 185. If you call around there are likely a few 2007 models left and some great prices.

 

[wreckless123]

Thanks guys, I am still torn. I really dont want to get rid of the 185 and really dont want to take the hit I will have to take seeing that it is only 3 years old..:smt017

 

[HavingFun]

Have you thought about adding tabs? They won't cure everything but they could make the ride more acceptable. Smart tabs are easy to install and I think they are $100. I put Bennetts on my 220 and they make a big difference. Might be worth a try before you get a new boat.

 

[jarwood]

Boathead is right, you will see a difference going to a 210 select. Weight will help as well, the 185 is about 2600 lbs. The 210 select is 4080 lbs. this makes a difference in rough water. I would also look at the 200 Sundeck. I sea trialed one of these in rough water and was impressed. You maybe surprised what kind of deal you could find, dealers are willing to do almost anything to sell a new boat. Good Luck on your quest.

 

[fc3]

I went from my first boat, a 16' bow rider to a 21' cuddy in less than one year. Two years later I got a 26 footer, and off the inland lake. The 21's ride was better, but not substantially. It was darned uncomfortable at any planing speed. I had the 26' on the lake for two weeks until the 20 hour break-in was complete. Then the dealer delivered it to the coast. The 26 crushed the chop.

If you're going to trade-up, you need to trade-up. Get a boat that is in the mid to high 20 foot range, or just keep what you have. It's not worth the money for such a small increase in size.

Best regards,
Frank

 

[widowmaker]

Consider your towing vehicle capacity and winter and summer storage space limits before you you upsize. I went from a 17.5 to my current 20 footer for the exact same reason and have noticed I can handle the chop much better. Look for a deadrise around 20 degrees or more and check for a heavier weight boat to handle the rougher water.

 

[wreckless123]

Consider your towing vehicle capacity and winter and summer storage space limits before you you upsize. I went from a 17.5 to my current 20 footer for the exact same reason and have noticed I can handle the chop much better. Look for a deadrise around 20 degrees or more and check for a heavier weight boat to handle the rougher water.

Its funny you mention those considerations. I currently keep the boat up at our cabin at Higgins Lake. Its a one car garage that is barely 20" in length. So with the 185 backed in, outdrive cranked to the side and tongue folded I have 2" to spare. What that means is I dont have to tow the boat every weekend. The only road it sees is the 1 mile trek to the boat launch every weekend. Anything over 21'-22' is just not practical for me, so thats as big as it will get. Its sounds like its better but maybe not worth all the tradeoffs. I guess I will run her for a few more years while I consider building a pole barn at the cabin that will house a bigger boat!! :grin:

 

[HavingFun]

Wreckless
I think you should consider the Smart Tabs. There is a lot of discuss at this site.
http://boards.trailerboats.com/cgi-...imatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=002698#000000
And here the main site
http://www.nauticusinc.com/
Here is a thread from Clubsearay
http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4521&highlight=smart

I had a 18ft Four Winns and took many a beatings on Higgins, Mullet, Burt, Houghton. If I still had this boat I would put the Smart Tabs on her. I moved up to a SD220 and with Bennett tabs we spend a lot of time on Lake Michigan. Midway has your boat and can tell you the difference the tabs make. This change won't make it worse and for less then a tank of gas they are an easy install.

 

[unlvrebel]

Its funny you mention those considerations. I currently keep the boat up at our cabin at Higgins Lake. Its a one car garage that is barely 20" in length. So with the 185 backed in, outdrive cranked to the side and tongue folded I have 2" to spare. What that means is I dont have to tow the boat every weekend. The only road it sees is the 1 mile trek to the boat launch every weekend. Anything over 21'-22' is just not practical for me, so thats as big as it will get. Its sounds like its better but maybe not worth all the tradeoffs. I guess I will run her for a few more years while I consider building a pole barn at the cabin that will house a bigger boat!! :grin:

Not sure how you go from having 2 inches to spare to being able to get and extra two to three feet in boat length?:huh:

Check on the trailer that you will be getting as well. As you get to bigger boats, you can't get the folding tongue, or at least that is what MM told me when I traded from a 185 to a 220 SD. In the end, I never broke down the tongue anyway... Also, look at height as well. Bigger boat = taller boat.

I purchased a 2005 185 Sport in July 2004 (one of the first one's out!). Eight months later I traded her in on a 220 Sundeck. In any kind of chop/wake the Sundeck was FAR superior. It was truely like night and day. The deeper hull and the added weight made all of the difference in the world. MM gave me every dollar I paid for the boat in trade (I was out the sales tax). I felt I got a fair deal on the 220. Some may say not so. I paid $42,900 for the 220. The only thing it didn't have was the transom wired radio control. I figured I could live without that. Also, if you have a wife/GF you might want to consider something with a head.:grin:

 

[wreckless123]

Wreckless
I think you should consider the Smart Tabs. There is a lot of discuss at this site.
http://boards.trailerboats.com/cgi-...imatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=002698#000000
And here the main site
http://www.nauticusinc.com/
Here is a thread from Clubsearay
http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4521&highlight=smart

I had a 18ft Four Winns and took many a beatings on Higgins, Mullet, Burt, Houghton. If I still had this boat I would put the Smart Tabs on her. I moved up to a SD220 and with Bennett tabs we spend a lot of time on Lake Michigan. Midway has your boat and can tell you the difference the tabs make. This change won't make it worse and for less then a tank of gas they are an easy install.

Thanks I will look into it, I have always thought they were for under powered boats, but I see that is not the case..

 

[wreckless123]

Not sure how you go from having 2 inches to spare to being able to get and extra two to three feet in boat length?:huh:

Check on the trailer that you will be getting as well. As you get to bigger boats, you can't get the folding tongue, or at least that is what MM told me when I traded from a 185 to a 220 SD. In the end, I never broke down the tongue anyway... Also, look at height as well. Bigger boat = taller boat.

I purchased a 2005 185 Sport in July 2004 (one of the first one's out!). Eight months later I traded her in on a 220 Sundeck. In any kind of chop/wake the Sundeck was FAR superior. It was truely like night and day. The deeper hull and the added weight made all of the difference in the world. MM gave me every dollar I paid for the boat in trade (I was out the sales tax). I felt I got a fair deal on the 220. Some may say not so. I paid $42,900 for the 220. The only thing it didn't have was the transom wired radio control. I figured I could live without that. Also, if you have a wife/GF you might want to consider something with a head.:grin:

Yea I was not clear on that post. What I was saying is with the 185 I can get it in the garage but any bigger and It wont fit and I will have to trailer it everywhere. The comment about the 21'-22' feet being my limit, that is just because we are strictly on inland Michigan lakes and any bigger seem like alot of work to get around.

 

[HavingFun]

Thanks I will look into it, I have always thought they were for under powered boats, but I see that is not the case..

Thats what I always thought till I started reading the threads on the Smart Tabs. I would have used them but I thought they were too small for my boat.

Have you taken the trip through the Inland Water Way? Its a fun trip and not too far from Higgins.

 

[VTSeaRay]

I just did a similar upgrade, going from my '95 185 to a '07 210 Select. There is a fair difference in storage and towing requirements as others have said. I have an '00 Toyota Tundra V8 4WD Access Cab, and with the 185 I had to keep checking my mirrors to make sure it was still behind me. With the 210, I know it's behind me, especially when I go to take off. Braking is incredible with the surge brakes on the trailer it doesn't even feel like it's behind me! However, that being said, I towed it 400 miles from the dealer I bought it from, with no problem with this Truck! I also had to get mirror extensions since this boat is a full foot wider beam than the 185. Below are pics of both of them in my garage from right after I bought the 210. (I have a 26x30 garage, and both of their tongues are almost exactly the same distance from the front of the garage.) (ignoring the mess in my garage) As you can see in the picture of the rear of the 2 boats, it's a major (5' with trailer) difference in length. I have about 3' or so in back of the 210 (just enough to open my garage back door and get in) but on the 185 side, I have a lot of room. It also requires a lot more height and width for the garage doors!

I haven't been on the lake yet with my 210, (any day now), but I know with the 185, there were times, when I wished I had a larger boat, with higher gunwales, for those days when the lake was loaded with whitecaps. I've even been out when the waves came over the bow with just 2 of us in the boat. I could ride them out, but if I was heading against them, it made for a very choppy and uncomfortable ride, where I'd find myself having to hit them at some angle and not head on. I'll probably have to still do that to some extent, but hopefully, the ride won't be as jarring with this boat being almost twice as heavy. There were times with the 185 that I'd hit waves, and wonder how the fiberglass wouldn't crack, it never did, not even spider cracks! I had instances, when I was crashing thru the waves, even at an angle, and the water would leak in, under the rub rail, from the waves coming up the side of the boat with so much pressure. This 185 always impressed me with it's build quality, performance and seaworthiness!

VtSeaRay

 

[wreckless123]

Thats what I always thought till I started reading the threads on the Smart Tabs. I would have used them but I thought they were too small for my boat.

Have you taken the trip through the Inland Water Way? Its a fun trip and not too far from Higgins.

I am interested in what waterways you are talking about. Where are they?

VtSeaRay, thanks for the pics. That really is a huge difference! My home garage I think would be ok, it is a 28x28 with 12' ceilings, but that might be pushing it in length. I know my cabin garage would be short in both directions. I think I am going to wait until I have more garage up there before I go bigger on the boat. In the mean time I am going to check out the smart tabs.

 

[HavingFun]

I am interested in what waterways you are talking about. Where are they?

I know this is off topic but this is your thread. The Inland Waterway goes from Huron through Mullet to Burt. Its a great trip and on a good day you could run to Mackinac. There are a few Motels along the route where you could spend the night. I think originally this was a water way for a trade route.

http://www.fishweb.com/maps/inlandwater/index.html The Chain of Lakes is another good trip which connects Torch and Elk Lakes.
http://www.fishweb.com/maps/antrim/chain-o-lakes/index.html

 

[manjo]

I have a 185 and I share your pain...

If you go the smart tab route, pls keep in mind that if you store your boat in a dry stack storage, the fork lift operator will tell you that the fork lift might tear the tabs out when they lift the boat. I ran into this problem with my marina. I have to call nauticus and ask them if I can mount the smart tabs higher so that it will not interfere with the fork lift operation. I have not done that yet... need to call this weekend.

But I have read and seen videos of smart tabs in action and they do seem to reduce chop quiet a bit (no experience yet) I boat in Lake Travis, and there are a lot of LARGE boats and create 3ft swells

 

[surfinjoe]

I have a 180 sport and I know what you guy's are talking about. We run on Lake St. Clair alot and get the living S*!T beat out of us. This post was enough to make me buy a set of smart tabs. I don't have the room or pocket book for a bigger boat at this time, but it would be nice if these tabs improve the ride on rough water. Besides, I have not had a chance to buy anything for hear in a year or two, so I am about due!

One note for those of you who need more space on their boat but do not want to trader her in. I added a swim platform from swim platforms dot com and it was the best investment I could have made! It added a little under two feet in length and gave me the perfect place to put my cooler and folding beach chairs! Between the platform and the tabs, it may just be enough to keep me content with this little boat for another 5 years or so! Maybe then i'll trade her in for a 22 or 24 sundeck (my dream boat)! The wife always wanted a boat with a head and I think these boats are the perfect 'party palace' type boats!