Best single engine GW Walkaround Cabin

[hotajax]

Diving off a 208

Would not recommend the 208 as a diving platform. Not much room back there for divers and all the gear. Otherwise, a great boat!

 

[CJBROWN]

Re: Diving off a 208

Would not recommend the 208 as a diving platform. Not much room back there for divers and all the gear. Otherwise, a great boat!

That's funny. We used to do a ton of diving off a 10' Livingston dinghy. :wink:

The fellow I bought my 208 from got at least a half-dozen dives off the boat over at Catalina. They used the foot-well in the cabin for tanks.

 

[Daman858]

I have a 208 with a hardtop and bow pulpit. I take it offshore in SC often. I love the boat and it suits my purpose very well. Easy to trailer, economical to run with a Yamaha F200. I also have the upgraded porta-pottie (pump out type). I can fish, cruise or pull a wake board with ease. I find that it is a lot of boat packed in 20'.

 

[Walkers Edge]

I can also personally vouch for the 208's capabilities.
I run out of Jupiter Inlet even in the winter which speaks for itself as far as seakeeping abilities. It is an great 3-man fishing/diving platform or 6-8 person sandbar shuttle more can be tolerated but it gets crowded.

Whichever boat you do get make sure it has a hardtop, trim tabs, and fresh water. Your family will thank you, actually in S. FL everyone who steps on your boat will be grateful.

I dont know if the 226/228 is a significant enough step up to be justified over the 208 when you look at the costs but others may be able to shed some light.

My final thought is this: If you have even remotely considered the Bahamas, BUY TWIN ENGINES. West End, Bimini, Lucaya are all doo-able with a single (personal experience) but they dont even scratch the surface as far as the islands are concerned.

Crossing the stream is extremely addicting.