Bad News and Good News, Need some Help

[berudd]

You should be able to get an 18' boat with a swing away tongue in there.

[Jim R]

A bump out would be like a big closet you could back the engine into. I wish I had the pics from when I did mine. I think if you do a search you can come up with some on here. Bunch of guys have done it.

[90 5.0]

My garage is shorter than that and with a swing away I've had 2 different 20' boats in it.

A swing away from Fulton is a little over a hundred bucks and takes 2hours max to install

[Starfire89]

Good discussion folks! You're right, I'm already not looking forward to a down size, even by 1-1/2 ft. I agree, it makes sense to try the swing tongue quick fix first. It'd even be worth paying several hundreds to have a good fabricator whip up a custom job for me. Thanks for talking me out of it...for now.

[Superpro]

Buy a quality cover & leave the boat in the driveway

[motomania]

I've seen a couple Skeeter SX180 between 2003 and 2008 that may be in my price range (gona have to get approval for new budget from new boss), and I think I could squeeze one in and get the door to shut. Also, the Ranger R70 seems short enough, but not sure about stability or how it'd do with the yachts on Lake of the Ozarks in July; most seem to have 90 or 115 bolted on the transom. Anybody have experience with either of these boats?

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im a little late to the party, but my 2 cents on if you plan on fishing LOZ during the summer, get the biggest boat, and engine you can afford. I've got a 21 foot with a 225HO and am frequently reminded of my limitations on that lake. Even if you have to step down a few years to get the larger size you need, it will be worth it. Ive never heard anyone complain about too much deck space or too big of a bass boat for rough water......downsizing though?......if heard plenty of complaints.:-(.....Good luck!

[river zx225]

Look into finding a storage unit or a boat storage place problem solved.

[pietco]

Now you tell me. But, at least the back door is small too