Bad Time to think bigger boat ?

Policeman44

Policeman44

Member
i have been putting serious thoughts into buying a bigger boat for west coast fishing...
However,with declining fish stocks,DFO chronic mismanagement as well as save the whales movement
Perhaps its not worth the investment ....
 
Having just bought a new boat my reasoning was 1-There's nothing I would rather do with my spare time and money,not a golfer.2-I've had boats all my life,really miss it when I sold previous boats.3- There will always be something to catch in the ocean even if not as many.4- If all I ever do is drift around in the silence watching the birds,whales,scenery,clouds go by while sipping a cocktail,that's enough for me,I just love being on the water.
 
Go bigger. You won't regret it. There is a tipping point though. I went from 21 to 23 ft 7 years ago and do not regret it at all. I probably gained 30% more space overall. I have got greater enjoyment out of something larger. The thing to consider is that every hour on the water for a larger boat means more time doing maintenance on land. I cannot imagine having something 30 plus feet as I suspect the time required to maintain would be excessive if you want a safe clean boat. Also, if you plan to tow, you need to consider weight and your towing capacity
 
Depends on what you mean by a bigger boat. I had a 14ft Livingston that mostly fished WCVI. Upgraded to a 24ft Sea ray after fishing aboard the Bayshore resort (now Island West) boats in 1986; Livingston was too small for downrigger fishing. This boat was moored on WCVI. Upgraded to a 33ft Chris Craft to have better long range/overnight capability after fishing with Dave Murphy in Kyuquot in 2002.

There are area's on WCVI that are inside waters likely to be unaffected by the issues you mention that current have pretty good hatchery runs.
There are fishery's in southern Oregon where something over 50# wins the derby yearly. Many areas of Oregon have halibut quota into the fall & the Tuna are commonly with 25 miles.

If you don't mind having to tie-up at a Marina nightly for access to the comforts of home (shower/fish ice/eating out, etc) then something 24-26ft on a trailer would be my choice. Sleep on the boat.

Makes me think of downsizing....................
 
I upgraded from a 17 ft to a 24 ft - 10 years ago. It allowed me to fish in areas I couldn't access and the ability to overnight on board. Safety is a priority and trumps everything else for me and being able to go offshore and explore other areas is amazing. So there are great benefits that you probably have already thought about. Some of the not so great - increased maintenance costs, insurance, fuel, towing (depending on your vehicle) and needing a boat launch with a finger. And not to be forgotten with a bigger boat my wife will go on the boat with me now. It was a good decision that I don't regret.
 
yeah i have an awesome 21ft Riverhawk Coastal XB...it does exceptionally well off Nootka and Esperanza...however, the space and luxuries that go with a bigger boat are drawing me...looking at 24ft !!!
 
We went from a 16 foot Double Eagle to a 2460 Pursuit two years ago. My husband was happy with the 16 foot DE and wanted to stick with it, but I was the one really pushing for a bigger boat. Wanted to be able to stay overnight on the boat and not have to bring our truck camper every time we wanted fish all weekend. I also wanted a flush toilet and enough room (now that the kids are adults and have partners) to have 6 on board in comfort and be able to fish with a half decent back deck. My husband kept saying "bigger boat more money"..... I was thinking come on.....really.....it won't be that much more other than the initial purchase price. He was right, I was wrong - much more costs right across the board and a lot more time required in other areas that we didn't have to deal with in a 16 footer. I heard a lot of "told you so" comments in the first year. But I have absolutely no regrets on this purchase - I love this bigger boat. The extra bonus was how smooth it rides in the real heavy chop, I really appreciate that when you are running any distance. We can access a lot more areas that I wouldn't have felt comfortable going to with the smaller boat. We can still tow this boat easily and can store it in our driveway over the winter. The only issue we have ran into is we can't just launch it at any ramp - where the 16 foot DE we never thought twice no matter what ramp we used.
 
well said Rayvon. If you enjoy the water, which i love just being out there, might as well be comfortable.
 
Had boats all my life but freshwater only when I switched over to the salt I spent a significant amount of cash and set it up exactly how I wanted it. Wasn’t cheap but I have no regrets and no need to waste cash upgrading. When we head out we go where we want and stay wherever we want and in that is huge savings. Way less running and no more nights at an expensive lodge and because I’m so much closer to the fishing way more time with lines in the water.
Your next boat take the plunge and get exactly what your after and eliminate 2 footitis. Upgrading every few years is very expensive!!
 
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The last time around I went from a 17' Whaler to the 26' Hourston we have now. I like the boat a ton, it has been awesome but we are pretty exposed in the lower to central Georgia Strait and I hate being stuck on shore, and it happens more that you think as the Straits can be nasty. So I am now in a similar spot, considering a 32' Pursuit or Grady White currently and this is all to do with safety and range. Issues that quickly beat that argument down are moorage...but to the point above a 24' is a day boat and I think of our 26' as a resort hopper or really long day boat which does most things well. Have a really good idea about where you're going to use your new rig and buy accordingly as everyone knows the purchase cost is only one of many cost components in the conversation for sure. Good luck!
 
ab1752 said:
The last time around I went from a 17' Whaler to the 26' Hourston we have now. I like the boat a ton, it has been awesome but we are pretty exposed in the lower to central Georgia Strait and I hate being stuck on shore, and it happens more that you think as the Straits can be nasty. So I am now in a similar spot, considering a 32' Pursuit or Grady White currently and this is all to do with safety and range. Issues that quickly beat that argument down are moorage...but to the point above a 24' is a day boat and I think of our 26' as a resort hopper or really long day boat which does most things well. Have a really good idea about where you're going to use your new rig and buy accordingly as everyone knows the purchase cost is only one of many cost components in the conversation for sure. Good luck!
Click to expand...

I thought the same when I had a 2359 Trophy. Now I have a 28' in the harbor and love it. Many nights coming home from work thinking of fishing but blew it off because of launching ect. Now I just park the truck out for a couple hours and back. It's great having a boat in the harbor but extra work and expenses are a given. The trophy was not a day boat for us as we went away for 2 weeks on numerous trips. The trophy shrunk about a foot a day after about the first 3 or 4 days. We just got back from 24 nights on the boat and it didn't shrink at all. Just the available balance on the mastercard. LOL 850 nautical miles and 2000l of diesel equals a trip of a lifetime.
 
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charlie415 said:
I thought the same when I had a 2359 Trophy. Now I have a 28' in the harbor and love it. Many nights coming home from work thinking of fishing but blew it off because of launching ect. Now I just park the truck out for a couple hours and back. It's great having a boat in the harbor but extra work and expenses are a given. The trophy was not a day boat for us as we went away for 2 weeks on numerous trips. The trophy shrunk about a foot a day after about the first 3 or 4 days. We just got back from 24 nights on the boat and it didn't shrink at all. Just the available balance on the mastercard. LOL 850 nautical miles and 2000l of diesel equals a trip of a lifetime.
Click to expand...

Not trying to derail the thread, but what is your 28 footer and where did the 850 nautical miles take you on your epic journey?

Oly
 
Powell River - Squirrel Cove - Shoal Bay - Broughtons - Rivers Inlet - Shearwater - Eucott Bay (hot springs) - Ocean Falls - Shearwater - Hakai - Dawsons Landing - Duncanby - Port McNeill - Broughtons - Lagoon Cove - Forward Harbor - Denham Bay - Powell River. Lots of anchorages along the way and many side trips but that was the main route. Maybe 6 nights on the dock. Didn't wet a line unless it was fish for dinner. Fished Denham Bay on the way back and tried for halibut in the Broughtons on the way home. 24 nights on the boat. It's tough when happy hour starts at noon. Thankfully only had a few of those. Five boats made the trip with everyone doing there own thing some nights. Great times. Maybe when the weather gets crappy I will do a SharpHooks style blog.
 
If you are going to be a boater for life buy quality. I bought my 22 Seasport back in 1991. I wasn't really in the market for a new boat at the time but saw 3 of the same boats pull into Bamfield when I guided up there. I got a good look at them at the government dock one day around lunch time. They must have been up at the motel having theirs. I made up my mind right there to research them when I got home and found myself signing a contract for a new 1992 over on Lopez Island that fall. 26 years later she owes me nothing and is still rock solid. I could keep her until my fishing days are done...not sure if I will or join you in a bit bigger too. I've seen other guides go through 3-4 boats in the time I've had this one. I paid around $55,000.00 CDN for the boat optioned out with the factory options I wanted and the motors. Since then added lots of extra's and the trailer. I bet I could still easily get $30,000.00 for it. New they are $125,000.00 plus the extras. Buy a quality build, look after it and enjoy a sound investment. Good builds will always be in demand no matter what is happening with fish politics.
 
My only comment on timing is that there is presently a 10% duty on boats coming from Canada (thanks Justin), that was imposed by Canada in response to the U.S. tariffs on other goods. Funny, I don't see JT on TV offering to compensate boat dealers, just dairy farmers. With the signing of the free trade agreement, hopefully that tariff will go away along with the steel and aluminum tariffs that are also impacting the boat building industry. But ... it is not an automatic - Canada and the U.S. are still negotiating these items.
So, if you are looking for a new boat it may be worthwhile to wait a few months although the tariff is on only the boat itself. The outboards, electronics, etc aren't impacted.
 
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