sport fishing boat quality

finaddict

finaddict

Well-Known Member
OK gents I am in the hunt for a "new to me" boat. Lots to choose from south of the border and I need a little help in eliminating a few. I know about the O/B power that they hang, and the reputation of Yamaha, Johnson/Evinrude, Mariner and (gulp)Force, but I have less knowledge of the reputations of the boat manufacturers, so I pose the question to the expert panel here.

In looking at 21-23' sport fishing boats, which of these manufacturers would you recommend? Which would you avoid? We all know about Trophy's hull and gel coat quality issues but specifically which year did they branch off from Bayliner/Brunswick and improve their hull quality?

From these manufacturers which would you recommend and which would you avoid?
  • Sea-Swirl
  • Proline
  • Wellcraft
  • Robalo
  • Caravelle
  • Aquasport
  • Sportcraft
  • Sea-Pro
Thanks for the help gents

Cheers
 
I haven't heard of a lot of problems in the later model Trophies myself. You will have a good way to guage a boats quality by it's resale value, go to boats.com and see which ones drop like a rock. Seaswirl is turning into a pretty good boat, but a 23' Trophy offers awesome fishing room and a reasonable price. Besides, if you are on a budget, you can technicly power one with a 150HP instead of a v6.

Out of your list, I'd have to say Sea Swirl is probably the best bet, I know a guy who guides with an Aquasport 23, and it does him well. Sport Craft, from what I have seen, have some models with a good layout, but they sell for less the a quarter of what they cost new in only 5 years. I don't think you will want a centre console Robollo in our waters LOL.
 
Without a doubt, the Canadian dollor sure makes it worth while to look at the States for a boat. I personally agree that a boat that will maintain a good value, is the best best. There will come a time when you will want to possibly sell or upgrade, and taking a $20-30k loss is sure a kick in the nuts. I suggest you may not want to rule out Aluminum boats, as they do tend to keep better value.

I know of one for sale in the 60k fully loaded, payments will run at around $500 p/mth. I saw an advert for one that comes with all the tackle, life jacket,safety equip,electronics the works with a 150hp susuki 4 stroke.

I don't know if this applies to boats, but I saw a thing on the news, where you have to advise canada customs, 3 days notice of bringing a vehicle over the border, so that that can do the relevent paper work. My buddy bought one in Seattle and simply trailered it across and paid some extra taxes, but sure saved a bundle. Good luck, it is always exciting to shop for a boat.:)
 
I believe the Trophy's branched off in 2003 (might've be 2002)...they're still ultimately made by Bayliner no matter what the salesmen tell you.
I do know for a fact that 2003 and newer are hand-layed hulls with foam-filled fiberglass stringers.
In my somewhat limited knowledge I think they're a pretty good option if you're looking for a good price.
My personal favorite is the Seaswirl Striper...but I'm in the same position of you without much firsthand knowledge.
 
quote:In looking at 21-23' sport fishing boats, which of these manufacturers would you recommend? Which would you avoid?
Click to expand...

All of them!! I have owned two Boston Whalers now and will never go back to any of these manufacturers! I've owned a Prayliner(Bayliner), a Double Eagle, a Glasply, and a Larson. When I bought my new Boston Whaler 255 Conquest I looked at all the names on your list and I am very happy I went with a Whaler! I think I might have made the Bayliner dealer mad a little, Cause after he showed me all the trophy's he had I asked him where do you keep the good boats! I ended up getting mine from Kelowna. M&P is another Whaler dealer in Vancouver. I would also warn against a Sea-Swirl, only because the prices drops out of them faster then the trophy's gel coat. Although a good deal might be had on a second hand one.
 
I have a 22 ft proline center console its a very nice boat runs great handles great and is really good in rough water,
 
Just throwing it out there, but I'd add Pursuit to that list....and with the strong Canadian dollar you can find a great deal in Washington State as well...plus they have a 23ft version that is made for fishing now as well. And also heard great things about Aquasport!

David
Serengeti Fishing Charters
 
I have a 1980 Aquasport center console with an inboard direct drive. I love it and have had absolutely no problems with it and use it on the west coast all the time. Put a new engine in it in 1995 ( ford 350 W ). Extremely good wokmanship and design and would recommend one to anyone. Probably a little pricey now , however.
 
If I was going to chime in....

I fished on a Proline this summer and I liked the boat.

I have a lot of experience with Wellcraft's and I do like them as well. Very solid construction.....in that size you may want to check the weight if you are trailering because I know we you get up around 28-37' fee they are certainly much heavier than other boats in their class.

As Serengetti said.......Pursuit....thumbs up. They are the "fishing" line of Tiara boats. Although I prefer the older models of Tiara for their construction they are still very well made boats.
 
Why don't more people drive whalers? Is it the price? I looked at all of the wellcrafts and prolines even pusuits, I know there all decent boats, but none could better a whaler. So I'm just curious why someone would want a diffent boat than a whaler? They no longer are simply a Center Console boat, they have plenty of different models available.
 
Stripers and 98+ Trophy's are very close in ride and quality for the price. I have a 02 Trophy and although it is not a Grady, it has served me well for the price and quality. As for Roberts remarks, The gelcoat is not falling off??? My boat has been used all over the Island in and offshore to Bigbank and Swiftsure several times a year as well as 120+ days a year in Sooke and has not one spidercrack in the gelcoat anywhere.0 issues other than i have foot fever. Grady and robalo are amazing boats,
I have fished in the 22 Robalo and the 22 Grady Seafarer and both have a heavier ride and feel but they also require a significant pile more HP and fuel to move along. After being in my Trophy for close to four years now, i would not hesitate to buy another one regardless of the reputation the early years received.
 
quote:Originally posted by Robert Warren

Why don't more people drive whalers? Is it the price? I looked at all of the wellcrafts and prolines even pusuits, I know there all decent boats, but none could better a whaler. So I'm just curious why someone would want a diffent boat than a whaler? They no longer are simply a Center Console boat, they have plenty of different models available.
Click to expand...

They are certainly priced as a high end boat, but they have their share of gripes in fit and finish that you will find with any production boat. They have all the glass-encapsulated wood areas, that many other boats have, and continouswave.com has several topics discussing this.

Mabye since they are owned by Brunswick corp, so the Brunswick = Bayliner argument would apply here. They only pre-rig with Mercury, which are, at quick glance at the marinas I fish at far from the most popular choice in power.

I also think that, in the price range, they are a little light when compared to a Grady White, which is not a perfect boat by any means, but often the standard hull that performance is measured against.

My $0.02
 
I love my 20' grady, I've fished many days this year when there was no other boat under 25' out and been more then comfortable. I'd just suggest going with a boat specifiacly built for fishing, otherwise you're always going to be wishing you had the extra compartments, storage, rod holder, bait well etc.

"which is not a perfect boat by any means," You can't look for the perfect boat, every boat will have pros and cons.
 
In terms of between 20 and 23ft, Grady is a good way to go, a few guys use them up on the north island and seem to like them. As LastChance said, its the fit and finishes of the Whaler that didn't impress us all that much. I know in the Grady's for the rail that goes around the bow it is manufactured and assembled in parts, whereas in Pursuits it is all one piece. Just one less thing to worry about, as i know in our campion the screws have come undone on the rail...and then things get loose etc. Just a pain. Small things like that, plus a great deal, is why we went for the Pursuit. Although Grady's are good fishing boats as well. Plus the majority come with Yami's, which are always extremely reliable.

David
 
I purchased a SeaSwirl 1851 earlier in the year from a dealer in WA. Some SeaSwirl owners got together and formed a user group (not sponsored or moderated by the manufacturer) called www.seastriper.com. You have to register to see the posts -- it's free. The advice I received from the site there was absolutely outstanding -- these guys know anything and everything about these boats -- no question too dumb. I absolutely love the SeaSwirl and have yet to find a major flaw in anything -- other than I have 6-foot-itis [:p]

I posted a note on that site about my experience in bringing my boat across the border -- it's very easy. You don't need to notify the border. You do need a Bill-of-Sale for the Boat and a second one for the trailer. These BOS' MUST include the serial number for the boat and motor(s) -- if they don't you are going to get turned around and sent back so double check and triple check the digits. If you can afford it, load up on the other options you want (riggers, fish finders, kickers etc...) as they all get lumped into the invoice package for the boat and aren't subject to duty. Be prepared to pay the GST/PST on the boat at the border -- they only take Cash or Credit (no cheques) -- I'd forgotten about that one and fortunatly had room on my card!!!

IMHO, you might want to wait until the 2008 stock starts rolling in about Jan/Feb. I did that and picked up a new 2006 with a 10yr hull warranty and 6 year engine warranty (both bumper to bumper and transferable). The cost savings after tax was over $10K. There are a couple of dealers on the SeaSwirl site with rock-bottom pricing -- I used Camano Marine (which is technically close enough to drive the boat over Haro Straight).

Only thing to watch is warranty service. I took the risks and got 2 Yamaha engines (115 and 8ht) -- Yamaha Canada apparently will not warranty a US engine (although the owners manual states differently. I called Evinrude and their warranty is a North American wide one and claim full service at any dealer. My bet is that the Yamahas seem to be very reliable so worse comes to worse and I have to take the boat to Port Angeles for service if a claim is denied here.
 
For a 21-23 ft used fiberglass boat from the states I would be looking at either 21 ft Boston Whaler Conquest or a 228 Grady White. Pretty good prices down south on these boats compared to BC. May take a bit of searching to find one on the west coast. I would have included Pursuits but don't know if there's a walkaround model in this size range.
 
quote:Originally posted by salmon9

For a 21-23 ft used fiberglass boat from the states I would be looking at either 21 ft Boston Whaler Conquest or a 228 Grady White. Pretty good prices down south on these boats compared to BC. May take a bit of searching to find one on the west coast. I would have included Pursuits but don't know if there's a walkaround model in this size range.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Pursuit does, its the 235OS, 22 1/2 ft. Go to www.pursuitboats.com, she's on there. Plus they have the denali's which are walkaroundable as well...but they are now discontinued as of 2008 model.

David
 
quote:Originally posted by salmon9

For a 21-23 ft used fiberglass boat from the states I would be looking at either 21 ft Boston Whaler Conquest or a 228 Grady White. Pretty good prices down south on these boats compared to BC. May take a bit of searching to find one on the west coast. I would have included Pursuits but don't know if there's a walkaround model in this size range.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Pursuit does, its the 235OS, 22 1/2 ft. Go to www.pursuitboats.com, she's on there. Plus they have the denali's which are walkaroundable as well...but they are now discontinued as of 2008 model.

David
 
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