Fish & Ski Ideas

[AdkBob]

Just "window shopping" right now but looking for recommendations and experiences from others that own fish & ski boats. We are currently looking at camps on lakes in the Adirondack Mountains region of NY State. Once we find a place then I will be in the market for a boat. I owned several bass boats 30+ years ago but other interests became a priority since then.

A fish & ski will be the perfect boat for our needs now as it will stay at the camp and be used for skiing, tubing with our adult children and future grandchildren plus allow me to get out and fish again.

I want something that is big enough to be comfortable pulling a skier with four people in the boat. It looks like the Ranger Reata 212LS is the only current boat that still has a full bench seat behind the driver's seat. Most of the other fish & ski models have a combination of moving the platform pedestal seats down to the floor behind the driver seat and fold up "jump seats" that are part of the rear deck. The Triton 206 Allure is an example of that style.

Unfortunately there isn't a dealer anywhere near me that has any brand of fish & ski to actually see in person.

Are there any forum members that own either of these models that can share there experiences or other brands with a similar configuration as the Triton that can comment. How does the moving the pedestal seats and jump seat combination work out for you and do you wish it had a full bench seat?

[tnutz]

If you are not looking for a brand new boat and want to go used the Triton 211-SF is a very nice boat. I always had bass boats also but three kids later and it was time for something more family oriented. I have had the triton almost three years now and we really enjoy it. It is big and comfortable enough to get the family out to the lake and enjoy water sports while at the same time it offers a nice fishing platform. I still go fish a few tournaments a year out of it.

[gary_fritz]

My wife and I bought a 2019 212LS, have had it since June 2019, it's a solid boat. When we bought ours we hadn't set foot on one and that was a nervous thought but having checked out other boats and with the jump seats we felt these seats looked more comfortable. We are happy with our decision. Actually, the dealer we went through recommended the Reata 2050/2080 but I just didn't want it, when our boat came in it was the first one he had seen and he liked the layout. Here is a link to some pictures https://postimg.cc/gallery/095HbvM I've changed a few things since... some of the pictures show a single screen at the console, I now have two. The 360 is now a MEGA 360 and there is a MDI transducer mounted to the bottom of the trolling motor. I no longer run the M360 stabilizer either. The bracket I originally made for the transom transducer broke so I bought a skid plate to help block water from entering the jack plate and help hole shot. The plates and brackets for the console and bow electronics were all made by me out of 1/4" thick aluminum. We no longer have the jump seats on the front and rear deck either, we now have a gray Millennium B300 on the front and B200 on the rear.

[AdkBob]

My wife and I bought a 2019 212LS, have had it since June 2019, it's a solid boat. When we bought ours we hadn't set foot on one and that was a nervous thought but having checked out other boats and with the jump seats we felt these seats looked more comfortable. We are happy with our decision. Actually, the dealer we went through recommended the Reata 2050/2080 but I just didn't want it, when our boat came in it was the first one he had seen and he liked the layout. Here is a link to some pictures https://postimg.cc/gallery/095HbvM I've changed a few things since... some of the pictures show a single screen at the console, I now have two. The 360 is now a MEGA 360 and there is a MDI transducer mounted to the bottom of the trolling motor. I no longer run the M360 stabilizer either. The bracket I originally made for the transom transducer broke so I bought a skid plate to help block water from entering the jack plate and help hole shot. The plates and brackets for the console and bow electronics were all made by me out of 1/4" thick aluminum. We no longer have the jump seats on the front and rear deck either, we now have a gray Millennium B300 on the front and B200 on the rear.

Beautiful boat! That is the first fish & ski that I've seen with the shallow water anchor system. (They didn't exist the last time I owned a bass boat) Are you still able to pull a tube or skier with them?

[AdkBob]

If you are not looking for a brand new boat and want to go used the Triton 211-SF is a very nice boat. I always had bass boats also but three kids later and it was time for something more family oriented. I have had the triton almost three years now and we really enjoy it. It is big and comfortable enough to get the family out to the lake and enjoy water sports while at the same time it offers a nice fishing platform. I still go fish a few tournaments a year out of it.

I would consider a used boat as long as it isn't too old. I plan on this being my boat through retirement and want to keep it for many years so starting with something that is relatively new would be the goal.

[gary_fritz]

Beautiful boat! That is the first fish & ski that I've seen with the shallow water anchor system. (They didn't exist the last time I owned a bass boat) Are you still able to pull a tube or skier with them?

Thank you! Ah, yeah, I forgot to mention that. Yes, I am able to tow a tube and others. I installed 12ft Talons and knew they would be in the way for towing duties so I also bought the tilt brackets to get the Talons down and out of the way of the tow rope. Then I bought two TH Marine Troll-Tamer Stabilizers. I mounted the bases to the access doors on the rear deck and had two posts specially turned out of stainless steel, one end to mount into the tilt bracket stand mount and the other end to snap into the troll-tamer base. I'll see if I have any pictures, if not I'll take some this weekend. This allow me to tilt the Talons down and lock them to the deck so they don't bounce or anything.

If you want shallow water anchors but don't want the tilt brackets and everything, you could go with 8ft models as those may be short enough to not interfere with the tow rope.

[nicapopolis]

If I had Power Poles I would just install a turbo swing. The. You could leave the Power Poles in the upright condition.

I have mentioned this before, so I sound like a broken record. I did the same search you did last year. We ended up with a Champion 21SX. A 2007 model. It is a great bass rig and works great for skiing with the kids. We were just out tubing and ZUP boarding last weekend. I use the ski pole for the ZUP and we use a transom tow harness for the tube.

In the 21SX I have awesome front deck space and can store 8 ft + rods in the rod locker and have them on the deck.

Everything new currently on the market has too small of a front deck for my taste.

[gary_fritz]

If I had Power Poles I would just install a turbo swing. The. You could leave the Power Poles in the upright condition.

idk, maybe for Power Pole, I know you can install the tilt brackets but they would be a bit harder to secure. For the Talons, I have less into it with the tilt brackets and Troll-Tamers than the cost of a turbo swing.

In the 21SX I have awesome front deck space and can store 8 ft + rods in the rod locker and have them on the deck.

Everything new currently on the market has too small of a front deck for my taste.

I am jealous you have a rod locker in the front deck that fits 8ft rods and you can lay an 8ft rod on the deck lol. With F&S its all a trade off, get something/lose something.