16' aluminum family, ski, adventure boat?

[Bluega]

Hi, I'm looking into getting a 16' aluminum boat mainly to be used as a small family (2 kids, 2 adults, 1 dog) boat for water skiing and camping adventures (not so much fishing). The main reasons I'm choosing aluminum over fiberglass is that I need something light my 4 cylinder van can pull and also I like to beach in shallow and/or rocky waters.

So really, I don't need any kind of fishing specific equipment, but I'm not seeing any non-fishing 16' aluminum boats. So I'm guessing I'll go with a kind of fish and ski sport boat.

My uses/criteria are as follows:
- Boat alone should be ~1000 lbs
- Engine should be ~60-90 hp
- Should have a decent v-shaped hull to handle a bit of choppy water (mostly small lakes, but also in somewhat protected areas of the great lakes)
- family oriented seating (swivel captains chairs with rear seats too, and bow seating)
- foam to make it still buoyant in case of being swamped
- a commonly available brand/model (I'm in Canada, but could drive to the US if necessary) such that I can get a deal on a 5-15 year old boat

I think a Princecraft Sport 164 meets these criteria. Does anyone have any thoughts on this boat or know of any that would similarly or better meet my criteria?

I'd appreciate any input at all,
Thanks,
​​​​​​​Bluega

 

[LDUBS]

I think any number of lighter walkthrough windshield boats would meet your camping and family cruising needs, but I start to stumble on the water skiing part.

My 18' boat is pretty light (hull weighs 750#). While it has plenty of room for the fam and fido, I think doing water skiing would be kind of like the tail wagging the dog. Pulling kids around on a tube, no problem (except no swim platform).

Shoot, if it were me I would contact Princecraft and ask them if that model would meet your needs.

 

[Bluega]

Wow, that is crazy light for an 18' foot boat.
It would be just my boy learning to ski getting up on two skis, so not much power required there.
Good idea, I think I will contact Princecraft.

 

[Scott F]

How much towing capacity does your van have?

 

[LDUBS]

My boat is a Gregor Sportsman made in Fresno California. I don't even know it is there when towing. Gregor also makes a 17' boat that is super wide and rated up to 80 HP. Hull weight comes in just over 1,000#. The model is called Osprey. I liked it because of the cockpit space, but opted for the entry level Sportsman model, which is still pretty roomy, to save some $$.

 

[Bluega]

I have 2000 lbs towing capacity, though I'm hoping to stay below this given the van will be loaded up too.

The mgregor looks nice, though I'm after rear seats too (more of a complete bowrider style seating).