What is the "sweet spot" for a used Sundancer for a family? (under 25k)

[redneck joe]

My best boats have been old boats. A 1962 Glaspar DelMar ranks right up there. $5 in repair cost after 11 years. My worst boat was brand new, new toilet, outdrive pump, etc in first year.... Current boat is 25 years old, and a beauty!

The Carver below is my 18th boat, and my favorite by far.

 

[dvx216]

I don't know what the shore line is like on the lakes you are boating on but my kids only wanted to be on the boat for a short time. The rest of the time where spent on shore. We boated and camped with are two kids. Both my kids grew up on a boat so there was no learning curve for them. I would not have wanted to stay on board with my two boys all the time with out going to shore to let them go play. Boating and cruising are two different things. Depending on the kids if they are active at home going and doing things outside then they will be unhappy being stuck on a boat no matter what size it is. A large bow rider or deck boat that you can trailer is possible an boat large enough for two adults and 5 kids to stay on board that is trailerable is not. If you boat and camp you get the best of both worlds . I know that camping is a matter of life style and some people would never do such a thing.

 

[KnfMkr]

I agree, dvx216.

I don't think it's going to happen. I've decided to keep my eyes out for a large TriToon or deckboat and take it camping with us. We do camp, and yes, my kids (4 of which are boys) are all quite active.

Thanks for the great advice and tips, guys!

I do still want a large cruiser...but might just wait until kids are grown.... ;-D

 

[copb8tx]

One thing is for sure, if you end up with a 27'+ boat you're not going to want to be pulling water toys around with it. It will KILL you in gas. I remember when I moved up from a single engine 25' Sundancer to a twin 30' weekender and my girls wanted to go tubing. HOLY CRAP was that expensive. To give them even the slightest thrill I had to be hammer down and, believe me, that takes a financial toll. And even then it wasn't that thrilling for them.

So what happens? You end up anchoring in some cove and everyone sits around and swims off the back of the boat. The kids eventually get tired of the grown-ups yammering on with beers in their hand and get tired of 'boating'. We ended up buying a used 19' 4Winns to play with and they liked that much better. It also gave us the option of traveling to different lakes and renting cabins for the evenings. That was great and the cabins seemed free when I considered how little gas I was using to keep them entertained.

Honestly, with your crew I'd be looking at a 24-27 Sundeck with a bimini top and a port-a-potty. Take it wherever you want to go, put a ton of people on it, and rent a cabin overnight at cool places.

 

[GJarrett]

^ +1 ^

Great post Bart, beat me to it. I was reading through this thread and trying to comprehend mixing 5 kids that will want to tube/ski/play/etc (get towed) behind a big cruiser with a budget that can only afford a $25k boat. Towing anything at all with a cruiser will KILL your wallet.... a day towing on the lake could easily cost $500 - $800 in fuel, which sounds a little steep for someone with a $25k boat budget. That's just fuel and doesn't include all the added maintenance costs that otherwise come with the boat. I like the ideas of a good large bowrider and tent/cabin on the lake.