Choosing The Right Boat For You
When you’re looking into buying your first boat, the sheer amount of choices available can be overwhelming. From saltwater to freshwater, small to large crafts, made with a variety of features and from a variety of materials, the boat market is staggeringly complex. Fortunately, if you go into boat shopping with an idea of what you’re after, you can reduce the stress and hassle of this process a great deal. In order to prime you on a few different types of popular boats, Rallye Motoplex has drafted this guide to help you narrow down your selection. Our dealership is in Moncton, New Brunswick, so feel free to stop by if you have any questions!
Jon Boats
These flat-bottomed skiffs are simple in construction and inexpensive boats that are great for fishing and hunting from the water. They can be anywhere from eight to 20’ long, with one, two or three bench seats and occasionally a few other amenities suited to fishing excursions, like livewells. Their lack of a pointed hull means that jon boats glide easily through shallow waters, along banks or through marshes. If you want to add power to your boat, an outboard motor can be mounted to the transom to increase speed. These boats do well in relatively calm waters, as their low profile means they take on water easily. If you’re looking for a small, simple fishing boat, this is a great option.
Pontoons
If you’re looking for a boat that will take you, your friends and family out on the water for a great afternoon or evening of pleasure cruising, a pontoon boat might be just the ticket. Named for the large hollow floats that take the place of a traditional hull, pontoon boats are extremely versatile craft that can be tailored to a variety of marine uses. The flat deck is easy to navigate and the platform remains stable in calm water; however, this same wide, flat design makes pontoons poorly suited to navigating rough waters as they’re liable to tip over. Pontoons can have amenities that make them more suited to fishing, with livewells and rod holders, or more suited to entertaining with a sundeck and slide attached for swimming fun. They can be expansive with cozy seating and wet bars to facilitate entertaining, too. Chances are good that, no matter what you’re looking to do, there’s a pontoon that will help you do it, provided you’re not heading out on the open ocean.
Wake Boats
Boats meant for watersports towing are generally V-drive boats, with the inboard engine mounted backwards in the rear of the boat to create a large wake for wakeboarding, surfing, and other towed watersports. These wake or sport boats have a lot of power and speed behind them to facilitate towing sports enthusiasts. Wake boats are made to cut through water, so they can handle some choppiness better than a flat-bottomed boat, although the wakes are best generated over still waters. Most deluxe sport boats come with amenities to make passengers more comfortable as they coast across the lake, like comfortable seating, sound systems, heads and sometimes bars or some kind of sheltered cabin for respite from the sun. Even if you’re not towing any wakeboarders, these boats make great entertainment vessels for a warm sunny afternoon cruising over the water.
Ready to take the plunge, so to speak, and browse some great boats for sale? Come down to our dealership to see the many new and used boats we carry. Rallye Motoplex is in Moncton, serving the cities of Saint John and Bathurst, New Brunswick, as well as nearby Halifax, Nova Scotia.