Making waves

Bass boat

198 Champion Elite

Ulrich Marine Center

1455 U.S. Highway 60 East, Republic

Cost: $42,900

Motor: 225 horsepower Evinrude

Top speed: 72 mph

Features: Fiberglass hull, jack plates between boat and motor for added speed, hydraulic steering

"The sleek design, the construction of a Champion and the width of the beam allows for a lot better ride than a lot of the boats out there on the market today. A Champion's ride is second to none, and most people prefer the ride over speed. A Champion will out ride any boat on the market."

Mike Finkbiner, Ulrich Marine Center sales manager

Deck boat

19-foot Lowe Tahiti

Sport Boats USA

5801 N. 21st Street, Ozark

Cost: Low- to mid-$20,000s

Motor: 115 horsepower Yamaha

Top speed: 38 mph

"A lot of the ones we sell come with a fishing package and come standard with an AM/FM CD player, but satellite radio is becoming more and more common. It also comes with a ski tow package. The price and the durability, and how versatile it is, makes it so popular. These boats can push 10 or 12 people on it easily. It has an open floor space, which makes it a real spacious boat and gives it a lot of storage."

Kirby Hogrefe, Sport Boat USA sales manager

Runabout

Sea Ray 240 Sundeck

Port Arrowhead Springfield

411 W. South, Nixa

Cost: $50,000

Motor: 260 to 320 horsepower Mercrusier

Top speed: 55 mph

Features: Closed restroom, lots of room for families, multiport fuel-injected engine

"People use these for driving around, coving out and doing a little bit of tubing, basically just going out and enjoying the lake. The features and the overall driveablility of the boat makes it popular. It runs real smooth and it has a lot of room in it. It fits everyone from just a couple to someone whose going out with like eight people. It is just a real versatile boat."

John Montella, Port Arrowhead Springfield sales manager

Jet ski

JT1200-F Kawasaki Jet Ski

Springfield Suzuki/Kawasaki

3670 S. Glenstone

Cost: $9,700

Motor: 1200 cc Kawasaki / 125 horsepower

Top speed: 65 mph

Features: Four-stroke motor, electric start, security keys, reverse

"A lot of people that are middle age and on up are going for three seaters as opposed to two seaters because the extra room is just a little more comfortable for two people."

Jerry Johnston, Springfield Suzuki/Kawasaki owner

Sailboat

MacGregor Yacht

Skipper G Sailboats

635-A N. Jefferson

Cost: $20,000

Features: Sleeps 5 to 6 people

"These are nice for families or an individual. They are competitive price wise and performance wise. They are relatively inexpensive for larger boats. MacGregor Yachts have always been the leader in the more competitively priced boats. They offer more for the money. They have been around a long time, and a lot of companies go in and out of business but they have been in the business since the 60s, and it is a family-run business of southern California. They are very popular."

Gary Kist, Skipper G Sailboats owner

Pontoon

SunTracker Party Barge 25 Regency Edition

Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World

1935 S. Campbell Ave.

Cost: $15,795

Motor: 50 HP Mercury

Top speed: 20 mph

Features: 26-inch diameter pontoon logs, all-aluminum deck, bow seating converts into a lounge, AM/FM CD player

"This boat is our most loaded boat feature wise, but with a 50 horsepower motor it still only costs $15,795, so it has a tremendous amount of value. One of the nice features of this boat is a big aft entry platform with a boarding ladder. The whole section of the boat right behind the driver's area has a nice ladder. It is obviously easy to get off of a pontoon boat but getting back on can be a trick."

Pat Shaughnessy, Tracker Marine Boating Center general manager