Arima 17' Sea Chaser....what are you thoughts on this one

I have a 1986 sea ranger 17 footer and I love it....Mine came with twin 50 1998 yammy four strokes with low hours so depending on the hours on the honda it looks like a great rig . Its nice that yours will have the upgraded starboard rather than the wood interior. Also with the 17 foot chaser and two swivels you will have a ton of deck space to fish off of for a 17 foot boat.

The only thing is that it doesnt come with a kicker. I know you can troll easily with the 90 horse but that will devalue the engine alot quicker than if you were able to put all the trolling hours on the kicker.

Doesnt look like it needs much. I love my Arima and with the 8 foot beam and the foam filled hull it is really stable. However you also have to realise they arent a speed boat and you will cruise at around 22 knots and top out around 28 knots with that engine....Mine is around 20 knots cruising at 4500rpm but you will get a little more out of the 90hp than me with twin 50's. Also the sea chaser is a little lighter with the smaller cuddy.

Good luck with the purchase.
 
I like Arimas and wanted to get one ... but I couldn't get over the price/value thing. Another way of saying that the used ones seemed expensive to me for what you get. This is a 25 year old boat, 15 year old motor. For the same price or a little more, you should be able to find a 5-8 year old campion 542 or trophy 1802 (and I know...not everyone loves those brands).

Here's an example, though costs quite a bit more:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/2590940819.html
But a nearly 20 year newer boat.

Another thing to keep in mind ... Sea Chaser cuddy is tiny, really only useful for storage. Go down to SG Power and crawl around on one ... I did the same thing about 10 times before deciding it was just too small.

Make sure this isn't the year that had wood stringers -- there was 2 or 3 years they did that, then switched to no wood construction.

And finally a search tip ... in google, if you type in: trophy 1802 site:craigslist.org or arima site:craigslist.org
where you put whatever term you want to search at the front, it will show you all listings across usa. Or put in .ca instead of .org for Canada. Pretty handy ... though it may make you want to order a boat from Florida, SO much cheaper on eastern seaboard! Though they don't have arimas down there.

Good luck with your search.
 
There is also a reason why a 2004 Trophy doesnt sell for the same price as a 2004 arima...they aren't built the same. The design of the arima hasn't changed in 30 years and if you get a 1986 built arima that is in good shape as mine was they are solid as a rock. For me it would really depend on how good of shape the motor was in and what kind of hours it has.

This boat does not have wood stringers. I think it was only the 15 or 16 foot arima's that were built in 1981-83. But you would be better off asking here.... http://arimaboatownersgroup.com/

Arima's hold their value for a reason compared to other mass produced boats.
 
For a smaller fishing boat, the 17'seachaser is all i would want.
with an 8' beam they have huge fishing platform.
The cuddy is for storage only, but what do you need a large cuddy in a small boat for ?
I would rather have the deck space.

The key is the power, obviously newer is better.
I have seen that one on Craigs list for a few weeks now, looks like it's in a boatyard.
They may be hungry ;)
 
For me, cuddy was supposed to be the place the kids go to hide from the weather, watch movies, etc, while I fish. Didn't turn out that way! I may as well have had the deck space, as I clearly have a fishing boat not a family cruising boat. :)

For most smaller boats more than 15-20 years old, I figure you're usually buying a motor that comes with a hull. The boat is pretty much disposable, so the price better reflect the quality and age of the motor. However, this is different with the highly sought after brands...Boston Whaler, Grady, and in this market, Arimas. They hold their value, so you pay a lot more for an older one. If indeed there's no wood in its construction and it does not seem heavily abused, then I guess a 20-year plus one could conceivably be pretty much as good as when it was built. Other than cosmetics...and who cares about that if you're a fisherman.

But buying an old boat with old power ... you have to go into it assuming you'll be replacing the motor within a year or two (worst case scenario). So ask yourself if the deal is good enough with no motor, and if you have the $$ to replace it. That's how I'd approach it anyway.
 
In my opinion Arima boats are selling for a higher price, because they are worth it. I can't think of a safer or better built boat in its class.

We have fished the 17 for 5 summers out of Ukee, and I just brought my boat back home after logging another 180 off shore hours on the main engine.

I disagree with Cuba about the 2ft itis - there is so much fishing space in the back, that you need 20 ft or more in other boats, in order to gain the same amount of fishing space, and as long as you are willing to slow down, the 17 will handle the big seas as well or better than many much larger vessels. Stability is amazing.

Not to mention I can travel to the SW Corner or Hysen and put in a full day of fishing for $50 or less in gasoline, and it trailers nicely behind my old Astro van.

Downriggers, tackle boxes, life jackets, etc. can easily be stored in the bow locker, but longer fishing rods will not fit.

IMG_6602.jpg


At the Ucluelet fuel dock
 
Nice boat for sure..... I like the fact I could handle it by myself..... would still go out even for a couple hour outing.... any bigger and I'd probably say it's not worth the hassle. I was lookin at them but bought a cc cause I like the open front for flyfishin.... anyways price wise for a 86 hull and 90's motor say +/-700hrs(guess) I'd say 7500$ Imo.
 
Thanks guys. Good to hear your thoughts. I don't have the knowledge or experience with boats like you guys so it's much appreciated.

I would prefer a newer motor. My boat I have right now has a 2002 yammy F60 and would be nice to upgrade from that and this motor might be a downgrade. How would I find out how many hours are on the motor?
 
Oh, also wanted to ask if "new bottom paint" is a good thing or bad thing? Seems to me that if they had to paint the bottom, maybe it had some significant wear or hiding damage???
 
My understanding is that smaller motors don't have computers chips in them that can tell you the hours, and definitely not older ones. So hours are just the seller's guess. A mechanic told me you can ballpark it by little signs, like how much the rubber bits have degraded and so on.

Bottom paint ... I've always done mine fresh when selling a boat, just because it's easy and makes it look nice. But you're right, could potentially be covering something I guess. .
 
My previous Arima (17SR) had a 1999 Honda 90 - seemed to me to be a pretty bullet proof engine, not quite a refined as the newer fuel injected outboards, but fuel efficient and relatively easy to maintain. Just remember to drain the carbs if you are letting the boat sit for much more than a couple of weeks.

I would think that if there was significant damage to the bottom, it would be fairly easily detected, even if it has been bottom painted.

Gelcoat wear along the keel is common, and of no real concern. The 86 does not have wooden stringers.
 
check the serial number on the 90 and make sure that it doesn't fall in the series of numbers which needs Honda's technical bulletin 26 fix......it can be as much as 3K and a late 90's motor is out of warranty

If it's had the fix done, that's a good price and the 90 is a get up and go motor for that boat.
 
Kinda strange, in pictures 2&3 the boat clearly shows the old style wood interior.
in the following pictures, the interior has been upgraded to starboard.
might want to check that out ? :confused:
 
Old Arima Boat

Dave S said:
Hey all. I am looking at upgrading this fall and found this one down in Seattle.
Just wondering what your guys thoughts are on this rig. Thanks for looking!

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/2591463922.html
Click to expand...

We bought a 1987 Arima last year in the States. The boat was in poor condition with an old motor. I upgraded with a 2010 75 HP, new top and trailer. The trouble was it was a wet ride in seas, which was a problen for the earlier Arimas, pre 1989 I think. I did some research and discovered Smary Rails (splash rails add on). We installed them and now the boat is fantastic in rough seas, 100% better ride.
 

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I got the syntax wrong on that "search all" command for google. This is what you want:
site:craigslist.org (arima)
site:craigslist.ca (arima)

Here's a few that came up that look interesting
http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/boa/2586148286.html 11992 $12500, in Seattle
http://yubasutter.craigslist.org/boa/2559009703.html 1988, $4500, in Sacramento
http://myrtlebeach.craigslist.org/boa/2565356391.html 2000, $10500, in S Carolina
http://oregoncoast.craigslist.org/boa/2587683003.html 1988, 2011 power ***, in Oregon, $11k
http://medford.craigslist.org/boa/2543512793.html 1989, 15', newer power, in Oregon $6500
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/2591151401.html 1899 17' sea ranger, $8500 in seattle

Check it out, seems to be some deals ... especially if willing to drive a ways. :)

ps one in nanaimo http://nanaimo.en.craigslist.ca/boa/2578919807.html $6500
and one in abbotsford http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/boa/2570967613.html $15.9
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Nice looking boat Elfhunter!

There are a couple of guys on the arimaboatownersgroup.com forum that are praising the Smart Rail as an add on for older Arima's. The spray has not bothered me too much, although the wiper is running a lot when seas are rough. I had gaskets added to the canvas top, to prevent water from coming in around the windshield frame - works well.

Maybe the rail is an addition to be considered for next season.

I think they changed to the deeper chines a little later, around 1993.
 
juandesooka, that Arima for sale in Abbotsford used to be mine - looks the same as when I sold it - except for the Suzuki kicker.
 
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