capt. crunch
Member
Now that's a big Marlin!
Striper vs Trophy
- Thread starter capt. crunch
- Start date
Now that's a big Marlin!
capt. crunch
Member
I take it back I found a Striper that's bigger, newer and sounds pretty sweet. Both boats are 03
I had a Trophy 2002WA for 21 years…1992-2013…bought it new at the Victoria Boat Show at the Memorial Arena…had to wait until spring of that year for delivery, but loved it since the first day I put it in the water. Yes, we did have some issues with the stock Force 120, but it did last a good 10 years…definitely not a melon like other people had. Repowered with a Johnzuki 140 which was AWESOME…a "little" under powered coming up the backside of a big offshore swell especially loaded down with fish, but was great on fuel, and ran like a top!
Anyways, I really liked the hull itself. It had a few gelcoat voids that were easily filled but were really very minor…one in the motor well, and the other near the buddy door. Both were right in corners.
The fish wells and scupper location were a BAD design from the beginning. Any water that would end up in the cockpit ended up in the fish wells, and very little actually went out the self bailing scuppers. The pump for the fish well was also a bad design, and were constantly clogging with gunk from fish even though there was a filter. Ended up not ever using them, and instead put a large cooler across the top of the motor well which I bungied down…worked very well. The pump in the fish wells worked well if I didn't store fish in there.
The fact that the water from the entire deck of the boat ended up in the fish wells did stress me out she I left the boat moored at the dock, especially with heavy rain. My worry was that the fish wells would end up full, then the weight would force the scuppers under water and this would cause the boat to fill up with even more water, before there would even be a drop inside the bilge where the bilge pump was located. Once the water actually got into the bilge, it would be too late to save it, and would end up like the pic of the Trophy above. THis is not the first time that I had seen this happen to one.
The way that I easily dealt with this problem, is that I rigged up a small temporary bilge pump with a built in float switch that I could put into one of the fish wells (they were connected by piping). I then had the bilge hose run over the stern of the boat to drain and plugged the unit into one of my Scotty down rigger plugs. When enough water went into the fish wells, the pump would turn on and drain both of them because they were connected. Worked REALLY well…the only downfall is that I had to leave one of my batteries on. Definitely a piece of mind during heavy rainstorms in the spring.
Anyways…more about the boat. I did find the windshield to not be steep enough…made it difficult to see through when you were sitting at the helm. This problem was only in 1992, as they made the front glass bigger, and steeper in 1993 or 1994…can't remember exactly. Also, no windshield wiper…easy to put in though.
Did it pound in the chop…yes….was it a lot better when I put trim tabs on…DEFINITELY. It did always sound very solid when it did pound, and there was never any weird rattles, vibration noises or creaks from the hull. Just from the buddy door that rattled. I put Bennett Sport tabs on, as there was not really much room for anything else.
I never, ever got any more than normal water in the bilge at all. I think the only water I ever got in the bilge was through the motor cable boots at the back and that was very minimal…the automatic float switch on the bilge never tripped the entire 21 years I had the boat, and yes, I did test it yearly to make sure it functioned properly.
I put a radar arch on it, which was great, and it trolled very well with a Yamaha 9.9 HT, connected by EZ steer to the main. The factory canvas also lasted the entire time I had the boat, but it was going to need replacing…it helped that I kept her in a heated shop during the winter months
It was a GREAT boat for me and we fished it all over the place…both inside and offshore. It was hard to see her go. Lots of time and memories on that boat. Our family was just getting bigger, and we needed a bigger boat with more of a cabin.
Now I have a 22 foot Sea Sport Sportsman, with a 5.0 GI Volvo inboard with a duo prop. The ride in this boat is definitely better and smoother, especially in a close together chop. In my opinion, the new boat is the ultimate boat for me and my family It is everything that I could want in a fishing boat…other people might want bigger, but with bigger comes higher running costs and more difficult to trailer etc. Can't say enough good things about my Sea Sport, but that isn't for this thread
Just my 2 cents about my experiences with a Trophy…take it or leave it.
FishWish
Anyways, I really liked the hull itself. It had a few gelcoat voids that were easily filled but were really very minor…one in the motor well, and the other near the buddy door. Both were right in corners.
The fish wells and scupper location were a BAD design from the beginning. Any water that would end up in the cockpit ended up in the fish wells, and very little actually went out the self bailing scuppers. The pump for the fish well was also a bad design, and were constantly clogging with gunk from fish even though there was a filter. Ended up not ever using them, and instead put a large cooler across the top of the motor well which I bungied down…worked very well. The pump in the fish wells worked well if I didn't store fish in there.
The fact that the water from the entire deck of the boat ended up in the fish wells did stress me out she I left the boat moored at the dock, especially with heavy rain. My worry was that the fish wells would end up full, then the weight would force the scuppers under water and this would cause the boat to fill up with even more water, before there would even be a drop inside the bilge where the bilge pump was located. Once the water actually got into the bilge, it would be too late to save it, and would end up like the pic of the Trophy above. THis is not the first time that I had seen this happen to one.
The way that I easily dealt with this problem, is that I rigged up a small temporary bilge pump with a built in float switch that I could put into one of the fish wells (they were connected by piping). I then had the bilge hose run over the stern of the boat to drain and plugged the unit into one of my Scotty down rigger plugs. When enough water went into the fish wells, the pump would turn on and drain both of them because they were connected. Worked REALLY well…the only downfall is that I had to leave one of my batteries on. Definitely a piece of mind during heavy rainstorms in the spring.
Anyways…more about the boat. I did find the windshield to not be steep enough…made it difficult to see through when you were sitting at the helm. This problem was only in 1992, as they made the front glass bigger, and steeper in 1993 or 1994…can't remember exactly. Also, no windshield wiper…easy to put in though.
Did it pound in the chop…yes….was it a lot better when I put trim tabs on…DEFINITELY. It did always sound very solid when it did pound, and there was never any weird rattles, vibration noises or creaks from the hull. Just from the buddy door that rattled. I put Bennett Sport tabs on, as there was not really much room for anything else.
I never, ever got any more than normal water in the bilge at all. I think the only water I ever got in the bilge was through the motor cable boots at the back and that was very minimal…the automatic float switch on the bilge never tripped the entire 21 years I had the boat, and yes, I did test it yearly to make sure it functioned properly.
I put a radar arch on it, which was great, and it trolled very well with a Yamaha 9.9 HT, connected by EZ steer to the main. The factory canvas also lasted the entire time I had the boat, but it was going to need replacing…it helped that I kept her in a heated shop during the winter months
It was a GREAT boat for me and we fished it all over the place…both inside and offshore. It was hard to see her go. Lots of time and memories on that boat. Our family was just getting bigger, and we needed a bigger boat with more of a cabin.
Now I have a 22 foot Sea Sport Sportsman, with a 5.0 GI Volvo inboard with a duo prop. The ride in this boat is definitely better and smoother, especially in a close together chop. In my opinion, the new boat is the ultimate boat for me and my family It is everything that I could want in a fishing boat…other people might want bigger, but with bigger comes higher running costs and more difficult to trailer etc. Can't say enough good things about my Sea Sport, but that isn't for this thread
Just my 2 cents about my experiences with a Trophy…take it or leave it.
FishWish
JAC
Well-Known Member
I had a 2002 year and 2002 model trophy it was a good boat. Do to the walk around which you really don't need it made the helm area a little tight. The cuddy was a nice size. They always have to small of a motor on them, mine was a 135opti but I would of like to have the 175. The ride was pretty good I had trim tabs. The fish boxes were always collecting dirt and water. The bilge pumps for the fish boxes were often pluging and there a real ***** to work on. It was easy to trailer and launch. There a lot of boat for 20k and there are many to choose from
capt. crunch
Member
bigbruce
Crew Member
If you want to go on a road trip - here's a pretty good deal.
http://seastriper.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26757
http://seastriper.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26757
capt. crunch
Member
Ya that's a sweet boat! But it sure adds to the cost and hassle being down there.
Gear'n'beer!
Well-Known Member
Just keep in mind a large portion of value is in the power..... So get the newest, lowest hour main possible
capt. crunch
Member
oh for sure! That's why im looking at newer and fresher.
TenMile
Well-Known Member
I've purchased a couple of boats out of the US -- and honestly, it's really not that hard. Biggest hassle for you is taking the trip to check it out or if it is really the make/model you want, get a surveyor to do a complete end to end including the engines assuming you know all there is to know about the hull. There are delivery services that will tow it to the border for you or even right to the Ferry -- likely cost would be about $2-3K to get it delivered. Importing is dead simple -- hardest thing is the trailer and it really only takes 30 minutes of paperwork. You can save some serious coin and/or get much more boat.
bigbruce
Crew Member
I'm with Tenmile. I bought my 2101 Striper in Salem Oregon. Had an expert check the boat out for me before I went down to complete the deal and pick up the boat. Took all of 20 minutes to get through the border and another 20 minutes at Canadian Tire to have the trailer inspected and certified. Easy- peasy!
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