Need Some Opinions On Salt Water Fishing Boats

Phil

Active member
It's been a while since I had one. The last one was a 19' Carolina Skiff with a 50hp 4 stroke Suzuki on it. I loved the motor she was great on gas, but boat was very wet and the ride was rough. I've been looking at 20' center consoles in Makos, Proline, Sea Hunt. I been staying away from Trophys, Sea Swirls and Key West or Key Largos for that matter.I know that they are some of you out there that work at marinas or own the same type I'm looking for. So lets here what your opinions are. I'll be running her out in the Narragansette Bay, Buzzards Bay and maybe a quick run to the Elizibeth Islands on a nice day.This is all south of Cape Cod down to Rode Island. Let me know what you think on outboards too. Just let me know what you think I should look in to or stay away from.
Thanks
Phil
 
Is this a "Sky's the Limit" question? "cause if so, I say you head off to the nearest dealer and look into a Regulator. You'll never fish finer.

Jones Bros. would be an excellent choice, as well.

Otherwise, I would say to look into Grady Whites. They are a solid boat, take well to the conditions you are most likely to encounter, and (used) can be good bang for the buck. Right in there, I'd also suggest Sea Crafts. We just put a new transom and redecked an '86 hull. The stringers and hull were as good as the day it came off the line. In all, it was superb rebuild that cost a fraction of the cost of newer boats and will be run in absolute confidence.

In all cases, I think the best outboard is Yamaha.

Hope this gives some food for thought.
 
I know you have eliminated Sea Swirl, but I have a 19' dual console Striper w/ a115 Johnson. I am happy with it for 3 fisherman. If I were to do it over though, I would get a small cuddy walk around.

CC boats are wet by a little of my own experience and some fishing buds. . Not as wet as a Carolina Skiff thought. I had a 21' Carolina cc with an excellent 115 yami 4s. Great motor. Glad the boat is gone though - too damned rough.

Good luck to ya

Bill
 
I would for a well used 21 contender for your application. It will ride nicer than anything on your list. They have made that hull a long time, so there are some older ones around. There is no reason not to buy an older hull from them.
 
Phil ,

I was thinking about the same thing you are about a boat with a little more room for fishing buddies and some thing that the wife would not be a shamed to run to Newort for dinner in as well , I have aways like the older Wellcraft sportsman series of boats they make a center console to , my buddy has a 89 Wellcraft sportsman 25 with boat motor and trailer he dumped 6000 for it real nice boat !! Motor is an 89 2 stroke 225 but that can be replaced , the point is you will not find a thicker hull and better built hull like you will back in the 80's unless you want to pay for that Grady or Parker both great boats but big money , Another friend has the 18 Wellcraft sportsman 2004 piece of junk hull is paper thin and is a wet riding boat . Stick with an older hull and upgrade to a new four stroke motor personally i love the Honda if not the Honda a Yamaha is my next choice . Just my opinion , Stripers have abeen a little slow up in the bay took a few trips to Beavertail with some success 2, 25 lb'rs the other night but in the cackler i need to pick the nights , maybe next year after the new bussiness is more established i guess . Good Luck with your choice


Dave M
 
As other noted, CCs can be wet, especially in a chop. Down here on the Gulf Coast, that is no big deal, water temps are in the 70s to low 90s and air temps in the 90s during the peak fishing times. Up in your neck of the woods, its a little chillier and I would go with a cuddy.
From 1998 to 2003, I owned a 1987 Proline 20' CC, it was a great hull, I loved it. Wish I still had that hull. But the motor, an '87 115 Seadrive, broke the bank. Put over $5grand in it over the time I owned it. It never left me stranded but gave me fits.

My buddy has a '96 Proline 231, it has been a great hull. He orginally had a '96 Johnson 225 on it, it gave him 10 hard years of great service before crapping out. Not sure what he has on it now.

Wellcraft & Grady Whites are great hulls, as are Parkers.

To me, brand is not the issue, as long as the brand has an good reputation for quality, having the features you want at the price you can afford is more important than brand.
The only important thing Brand may indicate (other than quality) is a certain hull design, which may handle certain condition better than others.
Which ever hull you go with, look at fishibility: cockpit space, storage, rod holders, livewells & fishbox size. Electronics is a bonus but these days you can get a heck of a GPS/FF combo for $200-$400.

OMI, most hulls are going to be structurally solid unless they have been absolutely abused or been in an accident. The big gamble is the engine. I like Yamahas & Nissan/tohatsu but the E-Techs appear to be good as well. Older Johson/Evinrudes can be great too, if you can find one that has been well taken care of. 4 stroke are heavy, but on a boat this size, the added fuel mileage makes up for that and you arent giong to be in 12" of wate duck hunting with it anyway.
Motor inspection: Make sure to crank it and run the boat, not at the dock, but take it out & crank it up, run a few miles. If the seller wont agree to that, walk.
See how it idles too, problems idling or getting up to full power normally indicate fuel/carb issues. Give the electrical a good once over as well.
Look for corrosion, dirt, grime, dried bait & blood all over the place, spilled oil in the bilge, too much sea growth on the hull & motor foot, etc..., things that indicate the boat is not well taken care of. If they arent taking care to clean the boat up, then probably arent doing any maintanence on the motor or other systems as well.
When you buy, make sure to budget for maintenance & repairs. "BOAT" is an acronym: Break Out Another Thousand, annual maintenance & repairs can run from a few hundred to thousands. I found this out the hard way when I had my 20' CC. But to me, owning a big boat was worth the financial pain.

Which ever way you go, dont be afraid to look at a lot of hulls and make sure to buy exactly what you want. Looking at a lot of hulls will help make upo your mind on what you want, so look, look and look some more. Good luck!
 
Let me be another to say the 21 Contender is probably the best boat in its class. I have fished extensively on two of them from the river to 75 miles offshore here in NJ. Awesome little boats, but more than likely a little out of your price range.

You're going to want a boat that rides well for fishing the areas that you do. A good riding boat will make your time on the water more enjoyable.

I have a completely restored 1979 20ft SeaCraft that I got for around your $$$ limits. That's a great boat for fishing in the northeast and I'd highly recommend it if you can find one that has been restored.

The Parkers that the poster above listed are nice too, but might not have a nice of a ride as a seacraft or obviously the contender.

I'm also a big supporter of Yamaha power, but that's a personal preference.

P7190085.jpg


I just fished 40 miles off last week in my Seacraft, not bad for a 31 year old ride.
 
A Potter built 23' Seacraft would be my first choice in your price range,you can't beat those hulls,wish I still had mine.
A close second would be a Privateer Renegade or older Mako.
 
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