Engine Choices- Another ?

[RyanPartridge]

Details Ryan ....

Is this Joe M.?

I just found the boat in Lomita Pines, poor thing was sitting out in the sun for some time. Fortunately the original gel can be saved, cap rail will need to be redone. It's yellow with root beer brown metal flake checkers, some interesting hardware, I haven't begun to really track the history on it yet but I have some leads...

Mainly Parker area, but would like to make some trips up north.

Yes, will mainly be a weekend type deal, and I would have no problem leaving it on the trailer during "rush hour" conditions. I also wouldn't have a problem scratching my "itch" at 6 a.m.

I would prefer something that can seat 4 uncomfortably or comfortably.

How fast I want to go is still up in the air. I'm not afraid to admit I have zero seat time behind the wheel of a v-drive, ski boats don't count here lol. Really, the only thing I can say about this is, I don't really want something that is going to top out around 40 mph.

I would like to do most of the maintenance myself.

Another question I have is, what are your guys' thoughts on fixed cav. plates vs. adjustable? Is a boat going to ride harsh with a fixed plate?

Edit: thank you for chiming in BTW.

In my opinion only, you'd be happy down the road if you found a cool semi V bottom boat. You'll be able to fit a couple extra seats in, it'll handle rougher water better on weekends, you'll spend more of your weekend out on the boat. It'll be much more fun, trust me.

I'm a Parker guy myself...and with a flatty I tend to look at the river like an older, seasoned longboard surfer looks at the ocean...you avoid the weekends and the weekend crowds because they're not your kind. You plan your river time/boating around the days that nobody but the locals are in Parker so that you have the river all to yourself. Doing this allows you to use your boat all day without over populated/crowded conditions so that you get the full FUN potential out of your old style classic flatty. I do everything in my boat that everyone else does...just not on Friday-Sunday durning peak Summer season. I pull skiers, tubers, cruise up and down the Strip and float all day...just not when most everyone else does it. The old flats can be like time machines that take you back to another era, it's an older style of river boating. It never really died, it just got moved to Monday thru Thursday for the lucky few and full time locals.

Again, this is just me and my take on it all. Everyone has their own style that suits their own personality. I know guys with flats that twice a year launch their boats, leave the tailer on the ramp, make 6 passes and put em right back on the trailer. Not my style, just another type of flat bottom boating.

If you're a young guy with buddies, a girlfriend/wife that enjoys weekends on the water, then I'll always recommend a v-bottom boat with some extra seating so that you get more enjoyment out of your boat and more time out on the water. There's plenty of cool semi or deep V classic v-drive boats out there that work perfect for all conditions on the Parker Strip.