Looking to become a first-time boat owner and seeking some advice. Strongly considering a 25' R bowrider (build spec below). There seems to be a shortage of those in-stock though (no dealers within a few states of me (IL) seem to have any), although I found a dealer a few states away that has one (and it has most of the features I'm looking for). Have a few questions below that I was hoping to get some input on.
1. We'll be using it on Lake Michigan - roughly half the time we'll have 1-2 adults and 4-5 teenagers (doing tubing, waterskiing, etc.), and the other half will be a mix of 6-10 adults and 3-5 teenagers (mostly just leisure riding). The bowrider that we're looking at comes with a Mercury 200, and we could upgrade to the 250 for an additional ~$4.7k. I know from reading the forums that it's highly advisable to buy more horsepower up-front, but I'm already well (well) over the budget I had set for myself. Will I be okay with the 200, or should I upgrade to the 250?
2. One of the dealers that I was talking to about shipping the boat said that without buying the special trailer for the boat, it'd be dangerous or possibly damaging to have the boat shipped. Is that true? I see there are hauling companies that specialize in hauling a pontoon - I would have thought they could haul this without needing a customized trailer to do so.
3. During boating season, do you leave the pontoon uncovered when not in use (and if so, is there much cleaning involved after rain, etc.)? If you cover each time, is it a pain to put the cover on?
4. Pricing from the dealer is about 16% under MSRP - assume that's in the rough ballpark, in particular given the shortage of this model?
5. Any "must haves" or "strongly recommend" items missing from the build spec below?
Thanks!
Year: 2022
Model: 25RTFB - Bowrider
Length: 27' 6"
Primary Panel - Metallic Silver
Panel Accent - Smooth Midnight Black
Base Vinyl - Silver Simtex
Interior Accent - Perforated Metallic Carbon
Trim Accent - Zebrawood Slate
Canvas - Midnight Black
Dimensional Chrome Logos (R/RT/Q) Incl
Bimini Cable Stays
Bimini Top Electric Curved w/ Blue Ice LED Lighting
Pillowtop Diamond Stitched Upholstery (RT)
Fiberglass Port Console Upgrade (RT)
Stair Step Console Grab Handle
Stair Step Console Grab Handle (Port Console)
RGB Toe Kick Lighting (Ltfb/Rtfb)
Console Storage Pocket with Cupholder (Silver)
Bamboo Silver
Battery - Power Distribution Panel (SB/CW/Club)
Battery - Single Switch
Mercury Power Steering
Mercury Mechanical Go7 Simrad Display
Benny Quick Fender Latch Kit - Silver (Qty 6)
Bow Pop-Up Cleats
Sharkhide Tube Protectant (3 Tubes)
Ski Pylon 54" Aluminum (Removable)
Mercury 200 XL Pro XS 200 (or possible 250 XL)
1. We'll be using it on Lake Michigan - roughly half the time we'll have 1-2 adults and 4-5 teenagers (doing tubing, waterskiing, etc.), and the other half will be a mix of 6-10 adults and 3-5 teenagers (mostly just leisure riding). The bowrider that we're looking at comes with a Mercury 200, and we could upgrade to the 250 for an additional ~$4.7k. I know from reading the forums that it's highly advisable to buy more horsepower up-front, but I'm already well (well) over the budget I had set for myself. Will I be okay with the 200, or should I upgrade to the 250?
2. One of the dealers that I was talking to about shipping the boat said that without buying the special trailer for the boat, it'd be dangerous or possibly damaging to have the boat shipped. Is that true? I see there are hauling companies that specialize in hauling a pontoon - I would have thought they could haul this without needing a customized trailer to do so.
3. During boating season, do you leave the pontoon uncovered when not in use (and if so, is there much cleaning involved after rain, etc.)? If you cover each time, is it a pain to put the cover on?
4. Pricing from the dealer is about 16% under MSRP - assume that's in the rough ballpark, in particular given the shortage of this model?
5. Any "must haves" or "strongly recommend" items missing from the build spec below?
Thanks!
Year: 2022
Model: 25RTFB - Bowrider
Length: 27' 6"
Primary Panel - Metallic Silver
Panel Accent - Smooth Midnight Black
Base Vinyl - Silver Simtex
Interior Accent - Perforated Metallic Carbon
Trim Accent - Zebrawood Slate
Canvas - Midnight Black
Dimensional Chrome Logos (R/RT/Q) Incl
Bimini Cable Stays
Bimini Top Electric Curved w/ Blue Ice LED Lighting
Pillowtop Diamond Stitched Upholstery (RT)
Fiberglass Port Console Upgrade (RT)
Stair Step Console Grab Handle
Stair Step Console Grab Handle (Port Console)
RGB Toe Kick Lighting (Ltfb/Rtfb)
Console Storage Pocket with Cupholder (Silver)
Bamboo Silver
Battery - Power Distribution Panel (SB/CW/Club)
Battery - Single Switch
Mercury Power Steering
Mercury Mechanical Go7 Simrad Display
Benny Quick Fender Latch Kit - Silver (Qty 6)
Bow Pop-Up Cleats
Sharkhide Tube Protectant (3 Tubes)
Ski Pylon 54" Aluminum (Removable)
Mercury 200 XL Pro XS 200 (or possible 250 XL)