Question on 1970s vintage 240 Side Console.

[Anonymous]

Hi, new to the board.  Very cool site.

I have a very low bridge situation where I live (5 ft. high tide), and came across a 1976 AQ 240 Sea Hunter that appears ideal for my situation.  My question is about the ride on these boats?  The boat in question is a project with no power, so I can't sea-trial it.  Given it's rather shallow deadrise, I don't expect it to be a great rough water boat, but I avoid bad weather days anyway.  Most of my boating takes place on Tampa Bay or within site of the coast.  I would primarily be using the boat to ferry my family from our house to any of a dozen places we like to hang out from Longboat to 3 Rookers.  I especially love the camping potential of the Aquasport with the right spray dodger setup.  I have young children who love to go out on the boat as long as I don't beat them up too much, so I don't want to do is take a step backwards in terms of ride comfort.  My current boat is a Donzi F-18 center console.  It's a fairly rare boat, so I don't expect anyone to have experience with both.  I would say the Donzi has an above average ride for it's size (mostly because it's heavy), but there is only so much an 18 footer can take.  If there is a good wind out of the east, the bay chop can be too much.

Enough of my babbling.  I would just like some feedback on the ride characteristics of the AQ 240 from people with experience.  Thanks

[RickK]

Welcome aboard Falstaff  :!:  :!:
Used to drink a beer with that name

I think you'll see a huge difference in the ride just because of the extra 6 feet.  The 240 is a big boat, especially in a CC.  
There are some docs in our photo gallery that will show some specs and layouts.  Nice boat, lots of room.

[Anonymous]

Thanks RickK,

My gut tells me exactly what you are saying.  6 feet of additional hull will make a world of difference just by virtue of the fact it will bridge the chop.  I suspect it's a very heavy hull as well which tends to add stability.  I would still like to hear from someone with first-hand experience, but I am encouraged by the fact your thinking agrees with mine.