Ride of the 16 and 18

[JJW]

I am looking to buy a classic 16 or 18. I live on the chesapeake bay. My question is How is the ride between the sweet 16 and the classic 18. I sure do not want my fillings jarred loose . I have heard the 16 pounds, and the 18 is perfect.
Any feed back from owners who run their boats on similar waters?
Thanks,
JW

[smokediver]

I wouldnt say the 16 pounds... it is was it is , a 16 foot boat. having said that , it certainly handles the small chop pretty good. I rode in last tango's 18 and it was much smoother for sure but it is a longer boat.. bottom line, look where you will be boating the most and purchase accordingly.. I mainly run in the inter coastal and back waters .. usually by myself.. the 16 fits my needs nicely... I think you might want to consider a 22 in your area.. jmo

[MOP]

I'll give my 2 cents, the 18 is a fair bit better but not astoundingly. I used to play with a buddies 18 quite a bit, both will soak you in a chop. I live on Peconic Bay on Long Island and have a 16, I like running out to Montauk on a nice day problem is the wind comes up and the bay boils up just like under your bay bridge. It over 30 miles back I do it without pounding my guts out, getting used to the boat and using tabs and trim and running around 2200 its not bad. I have a very bad back and the 16 has not hurt me yet. But having a choice I would skip both and go into the 22 Classic, that to me is a gentlemens ride with a bit more class.

[Surfer]

The 22 just isn't as much fun, depends on how wet you want to get. In my opinion, having spent time in all three, the 18 is perfect takes chop better than the 16, but certainly not as dry as the 22. Cruise or play?

[smoothie]

If the chesapeake bay is anything like Lake Erie a 22 will be a bit bumpy on some days,but you wont have waves going over top the bow because of the longer length. :D

[MOP]

Once up and running the little guys don't take any waves over the bow just a lot of spray. But at rest you could drown they both hobby horse like crazy. If I anchor in a chop I have to let out a ton of rope that helps quite a bit.

[Rootsy]

if you are going to be boating larger water i'd opt for a 22.. especially if you want to take passengers along and ENJOY the ride.

I own a 16 because i do most of my boating on inland water and it is easy to tow and launch and run on smaller lakes. BUT at the same time i can handle great lakes water if i really want to and it isn't too stirred up.. 2 footers aren;t a big deal, especially if you get on top of them and keep some speed up... won't be as comfortable as in a bigger boat but the V does it's job and runs well.

the 16 doesn;t pound much if any more than the 18. the 16 lacks some length but the 18 has a bit different bottom and adds to the roughness. i would say they are both equal as far as harshness of ride which isn;t really bad unless in some big confused water. the round keel helps make the ride squishy and the lack of strake on the 16 adds to that... the 18 does ride a bit better at higher speeds though, especially when trimmed out. it is a better balanced boat than the 16.. especially if the 16 has a V8... but most of this can be worked out if the thing is setup well as far as prop, weight, etc. getting air and coming back in for reentry in both my 16 and the 18's i've been in hasn't been a bad ordeal by any means... as long as it is all presented and executed correctly... THE 22 on the other hand is liek riding in a cadillac in the same water that would hurt your kidneys in the 16 or 18... that bow seems to go on forever and she just glides over 3 foot seas without a lot of issue...

For an all around better boat opt for the 18. that extra foot and a half it has over the 16 makes a difference. as far as high speed handling and Both the room in the engine compartment as well as the cockpit is an added bonus. the 18 is much more roomy and allows for extra leg room both in the front and back seats. The 16 comes with 2 seating styles, the traditional bucket and wrap around or 2 buckets and bench rear like the 18. In actuality the price difference between the 16 and 18 isn't all that much.

but my all aroudn feeling is that a 22 would be better suited for the larger water you intend to play in.