ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996 TAG: 9602270138
SECTION: BOAT SHOW PAGE: BS-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
You might consider a deck boat the Jeep Cherokee of the boating world. These craft offer decent performance, and they are roomy.
That makes them highly popular with boaters on Smith Mountain Lake, where there is 20,000 acres of water - which can get pretty rough on a weekend - and where you are certain to have friends and family members show up for a boat ride.
Nearly every major boat dealership in the region has at least one deck boat in its lineup, which means there will be impressive numbers of them in the boat show.
``That's what the lake seems to be going to - deck boats,'' said Mark Mills of Webster Marine Center on Smith Mountain Lake.
``They are the most versatile boat on the lake,'' he said. ``You can go down the lake 45 mph in one. They are a very good boat to pull skiers with. They will accept up to 13 or 14 passengers, so you can entertain your friends and family on one and still have speed.''
Webster sells Hurricane deck boats in 18-to 24-foot lengths, the 22-footer being the most popular, Mills said.
Deck boots aren't just roomy, they also come with the kind of equipment you'd expect only to find on a cruiser.
``They have a head and a sink, and plenty of space, like you'd find on a pontoon boat, but with a runabout hull,'' said Ed Grave, of Valley Marine Center in Roanoke. Valley sells Cobia fiberglass deck boats and Lowe aluminum deck boats.
There is more than a cost difference in the hull construction, Graves said. An aluminum deck boat can weigh 1,500 pounds less than one made of fiberglass, which can determine whether or not you can trailer the craft.
``That could be a big factor,'' Graves said.
``There is no such thing as one boat that does everything, but the deck boat is about as close as you can get,'' said Mike Fielder of Advantage Marine in Roanoke. ``You can fish off of it, you can ski off of it. You can have a ball on it. It is just a very versatile boat.''
Sea Ray, well known for posh runabouts and cruisers, launched its first deck boat last year and will be a major contender in the market this season, said Lee Arnold of Smith Mountain Yacht Club.
Pontoons continue to be the choice of many boat buyers, Arnold said. Pontoons offer space at less cost. They just won't go as fast as a deck boat.
``It is a market for 40-year-olds and up,'' said Fielder. ``If you want the versatility of going from one end of the lake to the other, you want a deck boat. But if you live in the Blackwater River arm of Smith Mountain and don't care about going up to the Roanoke River side, a pontoon boat is great. It can save you a bunch of money.''
Advantage Marine was the No. 1 seller of Fisher pontoons in the United State last year, Fielder said.
If you are looking for a smoother ride than a pontoon can provide, you should try a tritoon, said Gordon Wilson of Magnum Marine. The tritoon is built much like a conventional pontoon boat, but with a third pontoon in the center. The result is what Wilson calls ``the smoothest ride on the lake.''
Even with all of the interest in pontoons and deck boats, the open-bow runabout remains the bread-and-butter boat of the region, said Arnold.
``The size of the bow-riders is getting larger every year,'' he said.
Boaters searching for head-turning looks and head-snapping performance will be attracted to the show's growing number of high-performance boats. Examples include the Formular, in the Webster Marine display, and the Four Winns Unlimited in the Conrad Brothers exhibit. These boats are long, lean, sleek and powerful.
``I call them big boy toys,'' said Mike Ratcliff of Conrad Brothers. ``They have the power and they run fast.''
High performance was popular in the 1970s, then came the gas crunch and the trend lost its steam. Now its back, said Ratcliff.
The Caravelle Interceptor, in the Shoreline Marine display, bridges the gap between a high performance and family boat.
``We call it the family boat with serious muscle,'' said Jeff Tice of Shoreline.
Bay Roc Marina will feature a 23-foot Bayliner cruiser in the boat show. Bayliner is shaking its image as the builder of low-priced boats. It has developed an ambitious program of product development, said George Welch, owner of Bay Roc.
``They are making the best boats in the business,'' he said. ``There are some that are as good, but darn few that are better.''
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: CHAPARRAL. The Sunesta 210 by Chaparral is a 20-footby CNBdeck boat with contoured styling. It will be featured in the
Advantage Marine display at the boat show.