New to boating

J

Joe_K

New Member
Aug 14, 2007
4
Hello, I live in Erie, Pa, and I want to get into boating. My wife and I have rented boats a few times at Port Erie Sports, and have fell in love with this hobby. We're looking to get started with something in the 17' to 18' range do to experience and space constraints. We've been looking at the 175 and 185 Sport and have a few questions. We'll mostly be using the boat in Presque Isle Bay and the lake when it's calm. How does 175 and 185 perform in Lake Erie? Will it suffice if the Lake suddenly gets rough? I know this is a Sea Ray forum but is there something else we should be looking at in this size for Lake Erie? Locals around here have recommended Boston Whalers and Triumphs but there pricing is ridiculous even for there smaller boats. Thanks for taking time to answer my questions.
 
Greetings, I can’t speak as to the conditions of Lake Erie (I have a pretty good idea though), but I can tell you that we had a 2006 175 Sport prior to moving into our 240 DA. It was a great little boat, but we sure got the snot kicked out of us in it. My recommendation would be to go with something a bit bigger, perhaps a 185 or 195. Again, the 175 was/is an excellent rig, but it didn’t handle waves and chop very well for us.
 
Did you ever feel unsafe on it? We've been renting a 17' Triumph and the fact that it's rough doesn't really bother us. I guess I'm more worried about the toughness and safety of it. Will I hurt it by beating the snot out of it in a rough chop?
 
I wouldn’t necessarily say that we ever felt “unsafeâ€, but it wasn‘t that comfortable for us in the waves at times. I’m by far not an expert here, but I believe the boats that you are referencing are more center-console fishing rigs that are perhaps more likely better suited for rougher water than day runners such as the 175, 185, etc. The only thing that I can empirically provide you with is that our 175 didn’t take the waves and chop too well and we are on a much smaller body of water than you.
 
Our 1st boat was the 176BR 02 model. Ran great and handled the gulf sounds and bay's pretty good. We got bounced around pretty much the same way in strong chop and in windy conditions.

As big as Lake Erie is I could only recommend you pick and choose your days on the water carefully. Have all your safety gear and even before purchasing your boat see if you can find a local Coast Guard Auxiliary and take a safety course. Might even find a local captain to give you some individual handling instructions.

Best of luck.
 
We have the 185 Sport, but can't really answer your questions about Lake Erie. If you have any questions about the boat there are plenty of us on here. You can do a search in the virtual marina to take a look at some of the pictures.

I will let the experts answer the questions about Lake Erie.

Welcome to the board and good luck on whatever you decide.

Wesley
 
You should check out the Sundecks too. They are a little bit taller and wider than the Sport models so they handle rough waters better. My friend has a 195 Sport and I have a 200 Sundeck. I can definitely feel the difference in choppy waters.
 
Seaswirl makes a nice walk around, I think it's a 1850. Has a small cuddy with a 150hp outboard. That would handle the rough seas better than the bow rider. However it is more of a fishing boat than a sport boat. There are quite a few in our area and they do work out well for the weekend fun with kids or a few quests.

I had a 170 FourWinns. And in the rougher waters, we would get beat up and WET!!! We started out small and out-grew the boat really fast.

I also have space issues for storage, so we have a slip for the summer. MUCH better than trailering IMO. And it leaves your options open for something a bit bigger.
 
A boat with a larger deadrise and high gunwales (sides) will cut chop and stay dry better than others. Deadrise is the angle of the bottom at the keel at the stern of the boat. The Triumph has a deadrise of 13 degrees which is considered pretty flat. Most of the Sea-Rays have a deadrise of 19-20 degrees, which should be better. Deckboats often have a lower bow for boarding which can take a wave in rough seas. The longer the running surface of the boat the more stable it will be so buy as much as you can get.

You may consider buying used to get more boat and reduce your exposure if you decide to sell. Boats are not an investment and new ones have a sharp depreciation curve.

Whatever you buy test drive it with your group on board to see how it performs.
 
I would imagine, although I've never been on Lake Erie, that it can get pretty rough. It's a shallow lake for the most part isn't it? Anyway, whether you get a 185 or some other brand/style, I would just make sure that you've got some depth in the bow. I've got an older 185, and you get VERY wet up front in rough water. It rides ok and it's not dangerous, just rough and wet. But from what I understand there is quite a bit more freeboard in the newer ones. If it were me I'd look at a 2003 or newer 185 or larger --- preferably larger.
 
I can only echo what everyone else is saying about the 185 Sport. It is a great starter boat for the family thats new to boating, but when the water gets rough you get wet and beat up in the chop. I boat in the Choctawhachtee Bay next the the Gulf of Mexico. Good luck with your decision though, I know how much fun it is to get your first boat. :smt038
 
Pretty much the same comments as the posts above. I have no personal experience with Lake Erie, but I use my 176 (same boat as the newer 175's) in the bays and coastal waters here in the Northeast. "Calm" water is a relative term. A 175 or 185 will just do fine in good conditions. If things get rough, there's no doubt you'll make it home. I don’t think there’s a safety issue. You just may wish you had headed back to the docks a little sooner. I suspect most boats in the 17'-18' range will give you a similar feeling. I choose my boating days & destinations very carefully to avoid problems. Just be prepared to do the same.

Along with being very expensive, both the Whaler and Triumph are primarily designed for fishing. The Sea Rays are definitely not. If you plan to do a lot of fishing, think long and hard before you buy a 175 or 185. Great boats (in my opinion) but certainly not fishing machines.
 
I am new to boating as well but I just bought a 185 Sport and love it. It can get pretty cramped with more than 4 people on board though so I can imaging the 175 is even worse. I boat in south Florida on the east coast and take a pretty good beating in anything over 3-4' swells.
 
Thanks for everyone's help and opinions, it's much appreciated. I'm not looking for a fishing boat, just a sport boat to get started. I'm sure I'll move bigger sometime in the future, but right now that's not an option mostly due to driveway space at my house. I'm not sure how much it costs to rent a slip and store a bigger boat. I might have to look into that.
 
If you purchase a 175 (like I have) or near there in a bowrider, you're going to have to carefully pick your days, just like I do. Sucks too when its beautiful outside but the wind is too strong, causing larger waves (anything 2ft and up, you get beat up and wet).

I've been on Lake Erie; used to live 45mins from there. My parents had a '85 Galaxy 18' bowrider and used it there a couple of times. My grandfather had an older 18' boat there too. It can get quit scary, as storms seem to roll up fast on that Lake. I've also been on a very large boat in 9ft. seas. So that Lake can get rough.

I too would suggest going used. If you can afford a new 175, you can easily afford a mid-late 90's boat that will handle Lake Erie on most day.

Enjoy the lake though! At least your watersports fun won't come to an end due to Jellyfish in the peak of the summer... :smt009
 
Hi there,
I have boated in Lake Erie. I don't think you'd really want anything smaller than a 22 footer out there. Storms can brew up pretty quick and Lake Erie can get some pretty big swells.

Most marinas charge about 9 - 12$/foot per month for dry rack storage. If you get a trailer, you can store it elsewhere around town, for probably less money. You may want to look at other inland lakes that are in your area to use a smaller boat.

We had a 26 footer and would head down the Cedar Point every once in a while - I've been caught in some ugly stuff out there and a 17 or 18 footer would have been in a heap of trouble.
 
We boat on the Great Lakes--Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The 185 is too small to be safe. There will be many days when you would be fine, but 1-3 foot seas are pretty much the norm and that is considered good boating weather. The Whalers are a whole different deal. We've had our son's 13 foot Whaler out in 6 foot seas and were safe due to the hull design and an onshore wind. If we would have experienced an engine problem we would have been blown onto a beach. We never did the big lake when there was an offshore wind, and carried a water proof handheld VHF. Taking a wave over a bow rider could overwhelm the bilge pump on a small SR. Whalers have self draining cockpits. You will not see many SR boats on Lake Michigan smaller than 23 feet. Lake Erie is a shallow lake and gets very rough in a short period of time. It would be similar to the conditions we see, perhaps rougher.
 
I grew up boating on Lake Erie. I strongly suggest that you look at something a little larger if you plan on doing most of your boating on Lake Erie.

This past weekend we ran from Catawba Island to Put In Bay in 2'-4' waves in our 215WE. While I felt totally secure (and the boat handled very well!) we did experience a bumpy ride. I have to beleive it would have been considerably rougher in a 175/185.

Also keep in mind that the weather/wind can change quickly on Lake Erie and you don't want to get caught in an undersized craft.

Check out the used market and get as much boat as you can afford. Also contact your local USPS for a safe boating class.

Good luck in your search.
 
My suggestion is to go to a boat ramp or marina near where you plan to boat. What size boats are there?

If you are buying a 18'. . .and the smallest boat in the marina is a 22' -> That tells you something.

In my area, I get 1-2' swells regularly. Boat wake chop can be rough as well. While there are 18' boats about, the average boat is a 24' in my area. This was one of the things that kept me away from a 22' bow rider!
 
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