Are you searching for a boat to enjoy yourself on the lake? If so, the first thing you need to do is learning about the different types of lake boats to consider. This is vital because the wide variety of options might make it somewhat challenging for you to pick one that best suits your needs.
If you’ve been going through such a problem, worry no more. This article is a detailed guide on the type of lake boats you should consider buying. However, before deciding the kind of boat to buy, make sure first to consider the lake you intend to use your boat.
Moreover, you need to consider the type of boating activities you enjoy perfuming. With this in mind, here are the different types of boats you need to consider.
Ski and Wakeboard Boats
If you’re into adventure and want a boat that provides you with immense power, then consider getting a ski or wakeboard boat. The difference between the wakeboard and ski boards usually comes in their field of action.
You can tell of this difference since in-board wakeboard boats have deep hulls, incorporate a V drive engine system, and a big wake to start moving. In contrast, ski boats usually need a powerful acceleration range, with the engine’s propeller and shape accentuating it.
Therefore, with the wakeboard and ski boats, you’re guaranteed to enjoy a captivating experience while out on the lake. Nonetheless, these boats are expensive and with the average ski boar priced between $25,000 to $50,000.
Pontoon Boats | A Popular Type of Lake Boat
Another popular type of boat used on lakes is the pontoon boat. This boat’s size ranges between less than 16 feet to over 25 feet and features a broad range of sizes, performance, and amenities.
Nowadays, these boats are rigged to deliver enough power to skiers and tow tubes to cruise at speeds of 40 MPH or faster as opposed to in the past when they were only used for slow cruising.
The amenities found in this boat range from basic to luxurious, with different options aimed at fishing, watersports, and entertainment.
Adding a trolling motor for pontoon boat these boats could be very effective for fishing. You will have to add rod holders, tackle boxes, and bags for fishing.
Handling a pontoon boat is very easy and stable on the water. Moreover, they have a huge interior space, so you can accommodate your entire family and friends when sailing through the lake.
This boat’s downside is loading a trailer onto it is quite challenging and don’t handle rough water as excellent as other boats such as the deck or runabout boat. It also isn’t very efficient or fast as these boats, something some boat enthusiasts don’t love about it.
Fishing Boats
These boats come in different sizes and are designed specifically for fishing both on fresh and saltwater bodies. Fishing boats can either be un-manned or manned and incorporate many useful features that make it an ideal choice.
This includes having rod lockers, live well, an outboard power cell, a trolling motor system, and a front bow. These many useful features give its many appealing traits such as durability, strength, and stability.
Unlike other boats built to be used on rivers and lakes, fishing boats have more robust build quality, making it more than capable of withstanding extreme conditions and saltwater.
It’s also taller in size, and for the fishing boats made from aluminum, they’re very durable and weigh less.
Furthermore, fishing boats usually feature two or three anglers on board and have a slim profile, making them the perfect choice when fishing. You’ll need to pay about $5,000 when buying a small fishing boat of decent quality.
Bowriders
This boat has a size of between 17 to 35 feet and has an open bow area where additional seats are positioned in front of the helm. They provide you with great flexibility in terms of speed, power, usage, and access to beaches, land, and coves. In addition to this, they’re powered by an outboard engine or stern drive.
If you’re new to water sports and fishing on lakes, bowriders are the perfect boats since they’re user friendly.
The bowrider’s starting price of acceptable quality is $15,000, and you can use it for swimming, watersports, or cursing.
High-Performance Boats
Do you enjoy incredible speeds while cruising in the lake? If you do, then consider buying a High-Performance boat, which is typically built for speed.
The unique features of this boat include a high power to weight ratio, a steep deadrise, as well as a narrow beam. Inside, this boat features cockpit seats that can accommodate two to six passengers and Spartan cabins.
Another feature found on this boat includes surface drives, stern drives, and high horsepower outboards. As a result, this boat, which has a length ranging between 25 to 60 feet, is strong, light, quick, and an excellent choice for fast cruising or racing.
When looking to buy this boat, the minimum amount of money you’ll need to spend is $50,000, while the premium models cost millions.
Yachts
When looking for a boat that includes all the needed amenities while out on the lake, the yacht is a perfect choice. These boats’ use is mostly for relaxation, and their sizes vary significantly from 39 feet and above.
Moreover, the yacht may either feature one or two diesel engines depending on the navigation requirements, whether for use in the ocean or inland water bodies.
There are many different types on the market, meaning you’re spoilt for choice. The popular varieties include Cruising yachts, Day sailing yachts, luxury sailing yachts, Weekender yachts, among many others, depending on your individual needs.
The starting price of yachts is about $30,000, which depends on its feature and size.
Cabin Cruisers| Comfortable Lake Boat
Do you want to enjoy a relaxed sailing while out on the lake? If you do, then cabin cruisers are, without a doubt, one of the best picks due to the many essential and exciting features it incorporates.
This boat comes designed with a berth and galley and thereby provides you with modern comforts, including power generators and air conditioners. It also features a secure shaft drive mechanism, deep-V bottom, and rudder steering and is perfectly suited for use in salty water.
If you want to buy a cabin cruiser, be ready to spend at least $10,000, and this price continues to increase as you increase the size.
Sailboats
This type of boat is unique as it depends on sails and masts to navigate through the water powered by the winds instead of a diesel-powered engine, which might only be installed as a backup. As a result, it has a majestic feel brought about by its easy open-air feeling, making its riding experience out of this world.
However, before you know the sailing basics and get to perfect how to ride sailboats, you must perfect your skills on how to rig. Furthermore, you need to be open to working with a team as it’s something that requires both technique and teamwork.
When looking to buy a sailboat, the minimum starting price is $10,000, but other models are usually expensive, averaging several hundred thousand dollars.
Personal Watercraft (PWC)
One of the most popular types of boats you’ll find on most natural water bodies is PWC boats. These boats are also referred to as jetski or water scooter and incorporate customizations that make it suitable for undertaking adventures.
With this recreational boat, you can partake in various games, including sportfishing and water-skiing, hence why it’s especially popular among the youths. It also is an excellent choice for exploring water.
Personal Watercraft comes in two types, that is, the stand-up and sit-down models. The stand-up models can only be used by one rider, whereas the sit-down models are perfect for two or more persons. If you’re looking to buy this boat, be ready at about $5,000. You can have a look at the buying guide for PWC.
Bass Boats | Useful Lake Boat
This is also another boat type of lake boat that you need to know about when looking to buy a boat to do freshwater fishing. The size of bass boats usually ranges between 14 feet to 23 feet.
Furthermore, incorporated into its design is a V hull as a low freeboard. Therefore, when searching for a boat to use on rivers and inland lakes, look no further since bass boats are the perfect pick.
Nevertheless, these boats are costly as they incorporate high horsepower outboards, special gear as well as trolling points. With an average length of 15 to 25 feet, these boats’ starting price is $10,000.
Inflatable Boats | Cheap & Good Enough
Another type of lake boat you need to know about is the inflatable boats, which have a length between 6 to 14 feet. On the sides of this boat are inflatable tubes, and its floor is either made using rigid or flexible aluminum or plywood depending on its size. They also feature outboard motors that are useful on a rigid transom.
The best part about inflatable boats is that they’re easy to transport due to their deflectable design. Because of this, these boats are generally used like dinghies on bigger boats.
If you’re new to boating, this is a great boat to get as it’s affordable with a starting price of $150. Other more expensive models cost $10,000.
Deck Boats
These boats are available in a broad range of sizes, from not more than 16 feet to over 27 feet. Deck boats are usually designed with fiberglass with others incorporating aluminum construction.
When buying this boat, you should choose between jet propulsion, sterndrive, and outboard.
Deck boats have an open bow that has a lounge space and is designed in a sporty look. Therefore, if you want a boat with a spacious and big deck area to relax while still having a V-shape for cruising, look no further.
This boat’s price ranges between $15,000 to more than $100,000 depending on its size, varying from 12 to 30 feet.
Conclusion
There are numerous types of lake boats to choose from, and finding the ideal one can sometimes be confusing. If you didn’t know where to start in your search for a lake boat, this article has been of immense help to you.
Now that you know this, it’s a lot easier to know which of these boats mentioned above is best suited for your needs.
