Frontier bay boats
 

Looked at a 18' Frontier bay boat today at Lake Area marine. was powered by a 70 hp Suzuki 4 stroke. May be a bit underpowered as it is rated for a 115 ( I think).

It is a full liner boat. Nice looking rig.

Anyone have any ideas/opinions/likes/dislikes about these boats?

Priced around $20K

great boats... I would put at least a 90 on it though

needs the 115...... that price is wayyyy high with a 70

Have the 210 and I like the boat a lot.

Don't like:
Rod storage
floor drains

Its a full liner boat though. They arent just a rolled gunnel anymore. Bill Kenner builds quality boats. You get what you pay for. Definitely go with as close to max HP as you can afford

i know but ive seen a few then the 18 ft with a 115 for 22k on boat trader

im a fan for the new 2012 210 frontier with the 150 yammy 4 stroke.

I have an 18 ft frontier lined with 115 yam. Im happy with my boat . My top speed is 45-48 mph pending on load ! I'm not a big fan of the floor drain ether. I first looked at them at Jerry's marine, they couldnt answer my questions about the boat so I called k2 marine to find out. The people at k2 marine were very nice and answer all my questions, they mailed me the brochure on all the boats ! I bought my boat from H&H marine in Houma ! If u have any questions feel free to ask !

Bill Kenner makes great boats. I have the BlackJack and I too got it from H&H in Houma. The 70 is not enough for that boat. At least go with the 115 but it is a good boat.

I have been looking at the 19 ft bc I thought that is what you had and I liked the way it fished and it was very roomy. What's the most people you will fish on your boat comfortably ? I ask bc like you I now have two little ones and I need something bigger.

I have a 19 ft. with a 150 Etec and love it. Great boat, takes the waves great and I feel comfortable going out as far as 35 miles on a good day. Regarding the drain, leaves a little to be desired in that, if the baitwell is full and two guys are in the back of the boat, very little drainage, but as soon as you're up on step, water drains quickly.

Great boats....70 hp is way too low. Get ateast a 90 or 115. You will never wish you had less power.

3 is max for my boat !

I noticed that boat out there today and was surprised to see a 70 on the back. The zuk should pop it up on plane but I still think it needs more power as the motor will probably be in constant strain especially since it has the extra liner weight. If u have full tank ice drinks and fish and or livewells in use with 2 people u might not get on plane without someone standing on the front deck. At least get a 90 zuk on there


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Absolutely love Frontier boats. I have the 210 and its perfect for what I need.

That being said. Always power up! I think the 150 is too small for the 21. Get the 19 with a 150 and thank me later. I wouldn't get the 18. You'll be wanting a new boat before that one is even broken in.

Agree with Chas on the 19'

If they rated the 210 for a 225 it would b worth going up in Hp from the 150..... But there is very little diff in Hp from the 150 to the 200 yammy.

One is an inline 4 and one is a v6...I think there is a 50hp difference if I'm not mistaken:rolleyes:

Do you think a 200hp Suzuki would be worth goin to from a Yamaha because Lake Area Marine is a Suzuki dealer.....is there much difference in the Yammy and Zuki 200

15 Hp diff from a 150 4 stroke yammy and a 200 4 stroke yammy.
I have read up on this alot; I reported from a 150 to a 225.
Every dealer I called said the same; 200 ain't worth the upgrade if u can go to a 225.
I spoke with yammy reps at every boat show I been to n the last 4 years; they all said the same.

Here is what the last yahama rep told me
"the F200 only make around 180hp. The F150 makes around 165 and weighs a lot less."

yes...
DF200 Advantages

Over Honda

• 55° vs 60 ° block for compact, lighter, design can be mounted on 26" center without contact.
• Offset Drive shaft = Better balance
• Self adjusting timing chain vs. Over head belt. No belt maintenance or adjustment necessary.
• Easy access Shim & Bucket vs. Rocker arm quick and accurate valve adjusment vs.expensive service and additional adjustment.
• 220.5 cu. in. vs. 212 cu. in. No replacement for displacement.
• 2.29:1 vs 1.86:1. Lower gear ratio to swing a larger prop for improved acceleration.
• Built in charging system vs. belt driven alt. Less moving parts.

Over Mercury

• Natural Aspiration vs. SuperCharge. Every Authorized Suzuki Dealer can service vs. Limited Authorized Service Centers
• Offset Drive shaft. Better balance on the transom.
• Self adjusting timing chain vs. Over head belt. No belt maintenance or adjustment necessary.
• Easy access Shim & Bucket valve adjustment quick and accurate valve adjustment vs. expensive service
• 220.5 cu. in. vs. 105.7 cu. in. No replacement for displacement.
• 2.29:1 vs 2.08:1. Lower gear ratio to swing a larger prop for improved acceleration.
• 569 lbs vs 635 lbs. Better Power to Weight Ratio
• 3 Star vs. 2 Star

Over Yamaha

• 55° vs 60 ° block for compact, lighter, design can be mounted on 26" center without contact.
• Offset Drive shaft. Better balance on the transom.
• Self adjusting timing chain vs. Over head belt. No belt maintenance or adjustment necessary.
• Easy access Shim and Bucket valve adjustment quick and accurate valve adjustment vs. expensive service
• 220.5 cu. in. vs. 204.6 cu. in. No replacement for displacement.
• 2.29:1 vs 2.00:1 Lower gear ratio to swing a larger prop for improved acceleration.
• 54 Amp charging vs 45 Amp. More power for your electronics.
• 8.7 qt. of oil vs 6.1 qt. More oil for better lubrication and cooling.

Agree with you purebay, but would like to add the 200 maybe adds 5 mph more speed, but what it does add is the lower end speeds. Can't for the life of me figure out why this boat isn't rated for a 225?!?!

I've talked to about 5 or 6 diff guys on 2cool that have 200's on their Frontier 210 and all say the same thing. Their speed equals their RPM's. So at top end your only doing 55 ish, but cruising at 40 mph at 4000 RPM's is awesome compared to running WOT with the F150 to get same speed.

ETA - Also agree with Purebay that The yammy F200 isn't a very good motor and doesn't add much over the F150. To make a noticable difference, you have to switch to a supercharged engine like the 200 SHO, 200 E-Tec, or the 200 Verado.

Bill Kenner told me that the 210 with a 200 opti pro x/s did 63 with him and another person on board in testing. But that no other fishing gear was on the boat. At that point I asked why it wasn't rated for a 225? His response, "Well how fast do you want to go?" :lol:

When he first started building these boats, the motor tech wasn't where it is today. Meaning the 225 and 250's weighed WAY too much to put on the boat. But now the 200 & 225 SHO is lighter than my Yammy F150.

^^^
U are right; switching to an etec or sho.

Purebay the Boat Dr is in the House

W..... The resident expert .... Always on call.

Just waiting on this baby to come out!!!!


But I would run a Opt max on that 210

I agree; the 200 opti would prob b the best engine for the $$$
What's the price diff on a 200 opti vs a 200 sho?

I agree with everything you said on here but one thing you mention the yammy F200 isn't a very good motor that is not correct, the yamaha 200 four stroke is the most reliable 4 stroke Yamaha has ever made the yamaha rep told me visits to the shop with this motor is lowest of all yamaha four strokes. And by the way I own one of these, now performance wise the 200 four stroke weight to hp is not good but I would take dependability over 3 more top end mph anyday.

Yeah sorry. Didn't mean to imply its a bad motor. Just cost, weight, hp wise isn't much better option that F150.

PS - 200 SHO is approx $15k and 200 Opti is approx $12k

For 3 k( diff in price) I can put a jack plate , trolling motor & gps.
I guess unless u absolutely must have a 4 stroke the opti is a good deal.

I would stay away from the etec. Pain in my arse every trip....

I have heard more of those statements then positive statements....

SGib,

Tell us about that Etec. I have never really heard anything too negative bout one, just never really considered one as there isn't a dealer close by. What problems do you have?

That does not sound to good about the drainage problem. I don't know that I would want to spend that kind of money only to have my feet wet all the time.

My purebay had the same issue..... Sitting still filled with water n the back. Jump on plane it would drain.
I got rubber plugs and stuck em n the drains.
Problem solved.

I rather the Frontiers WITHOUT the liner, just the cap.

More toe room and more space under the cap for rod storage.

I would go with a 200 Etec on the 210 if it were me. Or a 175 Suzuki.

Found this on 2cool and it reminded me of this thread, so thought I'd post it here:


here she is... finally picked up about 3 weeks ago. got boat up to 58mph with 200 opti.
Attached Imageshttp://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/at...1&d=1314107112


So this boat is getting a solid 10 mph faster than my boat with yammy f150.

^^^^ good lookin boat

more Frontier trivia
 

Straight from the horses mouth. I emailed Bill Kenner to see if he had tested any Frontiers with a 225? Still doesn't make much sense to me that you can put a 225 on a Haynie z21 and not a Frontier because the hulls weigh almost the same.

And remember they usually test boats with out any fishing gear. Meaning no trolling motor or extra batteries, ice chests, not a full tank of fuel, etc.

"No,
The largest engine I have tested is the Yamaha SHO 200 on a 12” set back and trim tabs. 62mph, needed tabs in mid range, not on top end. Big engine and quite a lot of setback. deck would not drain unless it had the newer sump system in the boat.
Bill Kenner"

58 mph with gear on the 2103 kenner I run with a 225 opti and it is almost the identical boat. Love that blue frontier Chas

Saw a 200 SHO on 2104 frontier run 61mph at 6100 rpms with batts, one person, troll motor, and light gas.