hewescraft as a first boat?

mryakker

New Member
Hi All, I'm fairly new to the west coast and even newer to the boat/fishing scene. I'm looking for a first boat to explore and fish sheltered areas around the lower mainland. I found a older Hewescraft Searunner (179) that has been kitted and turn key. It's running a 90 hp Honda 2001 engine that has been well maintained.

Does anyone have any experience with this model? I've been trying to look up specs for the boat but I can't seem to find much out there for the 179.

The things I like about the smaller aluminum:

- Easy to tow with a smaller truck
- low maintenance
- Take a little more abuse from a newbie driver
- Price point

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks
 
I have a Hewescraft Ocean Pro 220 with a 135hp, and have fished the west coast of Van Isle for years, and as far north as Calvert Island. I like to camp on remote beaches and fish for 3-5 days. Twice I screwed up and it went dry on sandy beaches, without any hull issues (I would stress a lot if it was fibreglass). The boat has never let me down, despite being caught in bad weather. The worst was that 70 knot windstorm on labor day a few years back - I was camping in the broken island group at the time, and had to drive between Bamfield, Ucluelet, then Port Alberni in it! Six hours of stress, but no problems at all.

My friend has a Grady 228 with a 250 and the amount of extra fuel he burns running the heavier boat makes me cringe. That said, his ride is more comfortable than mine. I invested in a Shockwave seat which helps.

My dad has the Hewescraft Searunner 190, with a 115hp. You can definitely feel the waves and impact more in his boat, as it's 1000 lbs lighter. If you're fishing the Strait, and don't mind picking your weather, the 179 should be just fine for you. But if you want to fish worse weather, farther out, I'd try to upgrade to a used Ocean Pro 220.

I tow it with a F150, no problems.
No maintenance other than rinsing w fresh water.
Keeps it's value over the years.

I'm not sure of the hours of the boat you're looking at, or the condition, but I'd expect that boat to be in the $25-$35k range. Hard to go wrong with that package for your first boat on the coast.
 
I 2nd Sangstercraft ... you will definitely need Shockwave style seating or kidney belts Believe us it’s valuable advise! Just sayin .... :)
 
Like sangstercraft I also have an OP 220. I love that boat, been everywhere with it from Saanich inlet to Swiftsure bank to Phillips arm to hot springs cove and beyond. It's an awesome boat. I have the hard top with Alaskan bulkhead, and a 200hp Yamaha on it. We camp on it all the time, only thing I wish it had was a cuddy but we make do. It can be towed with some half tons but I use a 3/4 and it easily handles it. If you only have a Taco or something like that you won't be able to tow my version. It can handle a lot of big water despite what people say about tinnies, and burns way less fuel than glass. More expensive to buy though. Glass boats are way cheaper. Low to no maintenance on the hull though if it's a trailer queen like mine.
 
Last edited:
Oh by the way if you don't feel like spending 2000$ on two shockwave seats, which I didn't, you can mod tractor suspension seats from princess Auto like I did. Bought them on sale for 100$ each. Best 200$ solution for seats out there.
 
Oh by the way if you don't feel like spending 2000$ on two shockwave seats, which I didn't, you can mod tractor suspension seats from princess Auto like I did. Bought them on sale for 100$ each. Best 200$ solution for seats out there.
Hey man, if you get a chance can you post a pic of your mod, or the model number of the seat? I only installed one shockwave seat - too cheap to upgrade the passenger seat - but would be interested in your solution :)
 
Yeah sure, i'm traveling right now but when i get back home on the weekend i'll take some pics and post. pretty straightforward and i used the existing Hewes cushions and modded them to it. The "C spring" setup that came with the boat wasn't cutting it.
 
I have looked at Hewes a few times. Went for a consulting trip in a Hewes that was in the Freedom Marine fleet. I was impressed with the layout and the features.
It even had Smooth Move seats which are great. gl
 
Attached are a couple pics. Basically i took out the seat pads that came in the box as they were crap and just bolted the Hewes seat to it. It does allow some forward-back adjustment though i generally always leave it all the way back. It does inferfere a little at the back when it bounces down but it sort of just made a divot in the wood of the seat for itself and works great. Honestly I have been on a buddy's boat with the shockwave suspension components and while I'd say they are a little more comfortable than this solution, they are not 1700$ more comfortable.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20200119_155457.jpg
    IMG_20200119_155457.jpg
    202.5 KB · Views: 123
  • IMG_20200119_155518.jpg
    IMG_20200119_155518.jpg
    176.4 KB · Views: 119
  • IMG_20200119_155523 (1).jpg
    IMG_20200119_155523 (1).jpg
    125.7 KB · Views: 116
Attached are a couple pics. Basically i took out the seat pads that came in the box as they were crap and just bolted the Hewes seat to it. It does allow some forward-back adjustment though i generally always leave it all the way back. It does inferfere a little at the back when it bounces down but it sort of just made a divot in the wood of the seat for itself and works great. Honestly I have been on a buddy's boat with the shockwave suspension components and while I'd say they are a little more comfortable than this solution, they are not 1700$ more comfortable.
Thanks for taking the time to post. Are these the ones you bought? https://www.princessauto.com/en/det...sionid=NLejA7CtN4-tVIv6rvejDU3s.pal-prod-com2
 
I had a Searunner 180 and loved it. Took it to Swiftsure bank and fished all over the south island. Great boat for fishing with 1-2 other people. I had a 115 and a 9.9. If you keep the boat with minimal gear and you are light it should do just fine with 90hp, just don't load it up with crap. Towing and launching were a dream. Highly recommend suspension seats as well.
 
Back
Top