There are some great comments here already, so I don't know that I have that much to add but I won't let that stop me.
If you are looking for a new-ish boat (let's say 10 years or so):
- the 170 Montauk is probably at the top of the list, it's easy for one person to handle and will handle four persons reasonably. For garage storage, trailer length will be iffy, as will the height of the console rail. Newer ones have an internal fuel tank, which I think is a big benefit. Boston Whaler has made a ton of these modelsso they're not hard to find. Prices of new ones are eye-watering, but so are the prices of other high-quality boats;
- the 170 Dauntless was a relatively short-lived design and I've never seen one in person. It seems to be a slightly up-market compared to the 170 Montauk but the short production life suggests that buyers didn't find it worth the price difference. The garage size concerns are the same as for the 170 Montauk;
- the 150 Montauk is a bigger and more capable boat than one might think, but since you've experienced it, enough said.
Looking back to middle-aged boat there are some really nice boats in the 10 to 20-year-old year range that can be found, and with a little care Boston Whaler boats age really well. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a well-maintained boat from this era, however, you will probably want to consider re-powering the boat if that hasn't already been done. Here are more choices:
- the 160 Dauntless is an excellent boat, I had one for 21 years. It has essentially the same size questions as the 170 Montauk. I consider 115-HP to be necessary, especially with engines using a four=stroke=poewr-cycle. The 45-gallon fuel tank is huge.
- - 170 Montauk boats from this era use portable fuel tanks which I consider to be a drawback, but I suppose you can easily fuel up "on the cheap" at a land based fuel vendor.
- the newest classic Montauk 17 boats just fall into this range,=. I think their last year of production was 2002. I consider them a little less roomy than the replacement 170 Montauk, but still an excellent boat. This must be one of the most-produced boats ever, and they're easy to find. They were not really designed for heavy engines, particularly heavy four-stroke-power-cycle engines.
- the 190 Nantucket or 190 Outrage (same boat, different names depending on year) is an excellent choice and combines great seakeeping ability with relatively long range and manageable size, but almost certainly both are too long and too high for even a spacious residential garage.
Going with older classic models of 25-years-old or more, the boats in the range are a mixed bag. There will still be some nice, well-maintained boats, but there will be many boats with a lot of wear and tear. You need to be much more concerned about soft decks, water intrusion, and transom integrity. Here are the choices:
- the Sport 15 is a fun boat, but if you like to run the boat while standing or you want four adults to have any kind of comfort, I think this one is out.
- the 17 Outrage II is a beast of a 17-foot boat. I've been aboard a few of them and they do not fail to impress, especially for their size. There were not nearly as many of these as some other models (like the 18 Outrage below) so it may be hard to find a nice one.
- the classic 18 Outrage is also an extremely capable boat in its size range, but I think we're getting outside of the ability to store in your garage unless the garage is unusually large. Boston Whaler seemingly made a million of these so they're also easy to find.
